Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve was blessed with a thunderstorm late-January this year; an unusual time of year for this region to be experiencing high levels of rain. The team stood watch as grey, rolling thunder clouds blanketed the sky and large raindrops pattered to the ground; soaked up eagerly by the dry earth. The rain was welcomed by the Karoo-like plains and a faint moment in history was recalled.
To the Khoisan tribes of the past, the rains were heavily appreciated, as, throughout most of the year, little rain meant little water for their families. To make the most of the puddles and small bodies of water, created in hollowed out sandstone, the Khoisan would make use of the humble ostrich egg. Hunters would collect eggs from the wild, and very dangerous, birds which roamed the landscape; the eggs not only made for a valuable food source, but made a rather useful flask for water.
A small hole would be carved into one side of the egg, and after the contents were drained and consumed, the eggs would be cleaned, filled with water after the thunderstorms and the hole resealed, using bees wax. This provided the tribes with a safe source of water well into drought-stricken seasons and was of major advantage to the hunters, as well. These ‘flasks’ would be buried along hunting trails; the precious water kept safe and clean within the ostrich eggs. When tracking an animal for kilometres, the Khoisan could dig up the ostrich eggs for a drink of water, before continuing on their journey.
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