The Bow & Arrow
Responsibility
The bow and arrow are among the most prominent defining symbols of the Khoi and San. Within indigenous protocols, the bow and arrow define responsibilities related to stewardship and custody, namely sustaining life and maintaining stability and order. During the final !Nau ceremony the bow is broken, signifying that the fallen steward has faithfully fulfilled his responsibility as defender and provider. The arrows are then handed to the children, who must faithfully follow this time-honoured tradition.
We believe that God created humans as being equal in every sense of the word. We made the bow-and-arrow for hunting animals and not fellow human beings. This is a life-affirming principle. We call the Supreme Being Tsui//Goab or Ts’u //oa, which is derived from two words: “wounded” and “knee”. We believe that the Creator and the Evil Being were embroiled in a primeval struggle. That battle lasted a long time before the latter was dealt a final blow. Tsui//Goab finally overcame, but was wounded in the knee. Thus the name means “The Wounded God”. He is never aloof when droughts occur or whirlwinds destroy the kraal or infectious diseases strike our livestock and ourselves. Because God is “wounded” He understands when life is wounding us.
The same mindset is expected from us: to suffer with those who suffer. When a hunter wounds an antelope, he limps after it until when the animal dies, to show his compassion. Then he thanks the Great Provider for the food provided and the animal that had sacrificed his or her life for the clan.
This is the crux of our faith: God seems far away in the Red Light when the day breaks in the east and sets in the west, but He’s always close by when we experience pain and difficulties – because He cares.”
-Dr. Willa Boezak
Text from Struggle of an Ancient Faith: the Khoi-San of South Africa.
Cape Town: Bidvest Data, 2017.
