‖Xéba

  • Language: Khwedam
  • Region: Northeastern Namibia
  • Contributor: ǂGakaci Thaddeus Chedau, Eu Yumbu Mboma, Willie Kamwanga Kasera
African wild dog
perro salvaje africano

The Khwe, like other hunter-gatherers of Southern Africa, have a special relationship to the African Wild Dogs. The Khwedam name for them is ||Xéba but they are also referred to as Khyanici Tooapa, the sacred dogs of the female God.

When cattle people arrived in Southern Africa some 2000 years ago, they started killing the African Wild Dogs as the dogs went after their cattle. In this film, members of the Namibian Khwe community share their experiences with the special powers which they assign to these predators, which Khwe people respect and fear.

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