Djamta!’ae Heritage Village
The village of Djamta!’ae is headed by the master tracker |Ui Kxunta (Twi David), in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, 35 kilometres north of Tsumkwe.
Find it on the map: https://what3words.com/fringed.archery.introduces
|Ui Kxunta and his community formed the new village of Djamta!’ae in 2019 far from Tsumkwe near the Sikereti Gate of the Khaudum National Park. |Ui’s dream is to create a tracking school for other Ju|’hoansi to learn this ancient art that remains imperative for survival in the Kalahari where it is so hard to earn money to buy food.
The villagers are trying to remain self-sufficient through hunting and foraging. However water, pumped up from a well with solar power, ties them to the land so they cannot follow the nomadic ways of their ancestors, and most of the waterholes are now in the National Park where hunting is banned. Living in one place brings new challenges: permanent housing that can withstand the rains, sanitation, rubbish disposal, etc. They have also developed a bush garden and are experimenting with local food crops.
Learning from projects that have failed or brought challenges in the past, |Ui’s village wants to adopt environmentally friendly, sustainable systems and technologies to manage the transition from the old ways to the new world the Ju|’hoansi find themselves in. They wish to keep as much of their traditional life as possible while mindfully adopting what they need to survive in changing times.
Di//xao#oha Heritage Village
The new village of Di//xao#oha is headed by the blacksmith craftsman !Amace N!aici, in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, 25 kilometres west of Tsumkwe.
Find it on the map: https://what3words.com/chant.wildlife.develop
!Amace N!aici, together with his family and friend community currently live close to Tsumkwe, but they would like to move back into the wilderness and create a new village, in order to live a more natural and healthier life. Their new village location has been approved by the Nyae Nyae Conservancy.
They want to avoid Tsumkwe with its problems of alcohol, drugs, violence, abuse and poverty. In contrary, they would love to create a place of peace, living and teaching old traditional values and skills to their own people and visitors from other cultures: tracking, hunting, gathering, crafts, stories and sharing their ancestral, sustainable life style, while incorporating modern sustainable ways of living from the land.
!Amace says “We want visitors from the outside world to learn about this way and become our friends.“
We believe that the Ju|’hoansi, can teach the world a more peaceful and sustainable way of living. For this they want to create this new village as a good place for them and for visitors.
We can help them in this journey.
The people we support
-
Djamta!'ae villagers
With your help these children will grow up learning their traditional skills in thriving strong, cohesive communities that can survive the challenges of modern life in the Kalahari.
-
Di//xao#oha villagers
Passing on the knowledge of the elders, so that it is never lost, is critical for coping with climate change, droughts and the changing world that the Ju|’hoansi live in today.
