Khoisan Theatre

Khoisan Theatre The term “Khoisan Theatre” is used very loosely as the “Bushmen” and “Hottentot” peoples, now referred to as the Khoisan, did not have any formal sort of theatre. They did, however, apart from those dances with obvious religious significance, often have impromptu performances which resemble modern-day dramas with themes which are very similar to contemporary theatre, such as love stories, conflicts, hunts and actual events.

One such dance which illustrates the vivid way in which actions were copied, dealt with the discovery of a hyena slinking round a sheep “kraal” (pen) at night. The scene is represented through the use of reed music, singing and dancing. It starts with the men lined up in a semicircle, with the women similarly lined up opposite them to form a circle which represents the sheep’s “kraal” with two entrances. The men represent the “kraal” while the women represent the sheep. While the dancers and musicians are singing and performing, one of the men leaves the line and in a crouching posture, with sharply-bent knees, slinks into the "kraal" and inspects the line of women, all the time gesturing like a bloodthirsty hyena. Then, shortly after, three men from their line make as if they are riding for the same opening through which the hyena entered. While three other men from the line mimic the tying-up of their horses, they notice the hyena’s tracks and start to track the animal. Suddenly they notice the hyena, dart back to their horses and set out after it. All the time, while the chase was under way, the women are directing their song towards the hyena, "Hyena, this (the sheep in the kraal) is the property of men!" The carnivore, in trying to make his escape, is overtaken and killed.

Another dance depicts a hunting scene during which a hero dies bravely in a battle against a rhinoceros. His body is left lying in the veld, falling prey to the circling vultures. The hunter’s friends, having killed the rhino, return to collect his bones for burial and at the same time sing a very mournful and sad burial song.

Another type of dance is one which was based on the historical murder of Jan Jonker by Hendrik Witbooi. The men form two groups, one group, representing Witbooi, wear white headbands, while the others wear red headbands to represent Jonker. Jonker's group, believing themselves to be safe, dance first while the women dance round them. Then in tune with the same tempo and in time, the Witbooi group emerges from the darkness and dance towards the Jonker’s camp. Suddenly, they are spotted by the Jonkers and the women jump aside, stand still and clap their hands. While taking up the melody, the men continue playing on their reed pipes and take up a crouched position, in a line against the Witboois. The Witboois also form a line, and send a messenger who advances and then retires, always playing his pipe and springing up and down. Next one of the red-hatted men, representing Jan Jonker, dances up to the Witboois and, still playing his pipe, shakes hands with several of them. Meanwhile a Witbooi in the same manner circles around the women, who represent the cattle, and after an inspection, returns to his party. The murder of Jan Jonker is now enacted,. The men who come dancing to Jonker's aid are all massacred. The Witboois then dance away with the plundered cattle and women.

Whilst dancing without music and song is seldom practiced, singing without musical accompaniment was common. With the passage of time, the songs were often church hymns or popular Dutch folk limericks, and the reed pipes were sometimes replaced by mouth organs or concertinas, but the musical sense of the Khoisan people is as lively as ever.

Source

The Khoisan Peoples of South Africa by I Schapera, MA (Cape Town), Phd (London). 1930.

Return to

Return to ESAT Personalities B

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page