2007 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 373-395
Since the 1993 International Year for the World’s Indigenous People, the San have been involved in the global movements for indigenous rights. In this process, as well as in the process of integration into Botswana’s national system following the resettlement program of the 1990s, each settlement is required to have a “headman,” to be elected by the residents from among themselves. The San have become interested in the issues relating to leaderships, while traditionally they are known for their “egalitarian” social relationships and sentiments. This paper aims to examine the views of “legitimate” headmanship in the ǀGui and ǁGana resettlements.
In the ǀGui and ǁGana resettlements, the genealogical relationships of the headmen and sub-headmen with ayako, translated as “rich person” or “headman,” often legitimate their political representation. The ayako were Bantu-speaking Ba-Kgalahadi people who moved into Central Kalahari, home of the ǀGui and ǁGana, in the late 19th century. Through the recent process of electing a headman, descendants of the ayako have come to bo redefined as “traditional royal family” among the ǀGui and ǁGana people, as well as by the local government. This paper addresses specifically the problems involved in such an electoral process.
