Khoikhoi have settled in the fertile and…
244 CE to 387 CE
Khoikhoi, with the greater and more regular supplies of food that they derive from their herds, live
in larger settlements than those of the San, often numbering several hundred people in a single community.
Still, as pastoralists, Khoikhoi move with the seasons among coasts, valleys, and mountains in search of pastureland.
Such movement contributes to the fissiparous nature of Khoikhoi society, in which groups of people, usually in patrilineally related clans, periodically break away and form their own communities. The
larger size of Khoikhoi communities as compared with those of the San does, however, lead to the development of more hierarchical political structures.
A Khoikhoi group is generally presided over by a khoeque (rich man). The khoeque is not an autocrat, but rather can only exercise power in consultation with other male elders.
Regions
Southern Africa
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