Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd composed one of the most comprehensive ethnographic accounts of the San of the late 1800s. Although they were not anthropologists, they conducted an extensive series of in-depth interviews with Ixam San. They conducted these interviews with Ixam prisoners who worked on the Bleek’s farm. They also learned and described the Ixam language.
These efforts culminated in some 13,000 notebook pages of illustrations, genealogies, maps and narratives. The University of Cape Town, the National Library and Iziko South African Museum house this collection. You can view it online using the link provided. This collection is a national treasure and a United Nations Memory of the World Site.
These works have been used extensively to interpret the cultural manifestations of the San, such as their rock art.
Site Map | Interpreting San Rock Art | The Origin of the Drakensberg San | History of the Drakensberg San | Contributors to Drakensberg San Rock Art and Lifestyle Interpretation | Status of the Drakensberg San | Drakensberg San Religion | Dating Drakensberg San Rock Art | Social Organisation of the Drakensberg San