<p>Empowered by a trance, an old man lays hands on a girl to draw out what he sees as a spiritual sickness that drove her to hoard meat. Attended by tourists who pay to watch such ceremonies, this ritual helps sustain Bushman communities, bringing both money and healing.</p><p>—From "Bushmen: Last Stand for Southern Africa’s First People," February 2001, <em>National Geographic</em> magazine</p>

Bushman Healing Ceremony

Empowered by a trance, an old man lays hands on a girl to draw out what he sees as a spiritual sickness that drove her to hoard meat. Attended by tourists who pay to watch such ceremonies, this ritual helps sustain Bushman communities, bringing both money and healing.

—From "Bushmen: Last Stand for Southern Africa’s First People," February 2001, National Geographic magazine

Photograph by Chris Johns

Bushmen of Southern Africa

See photos of the Bushmen of Southern Africa in this photo gallery from National Geographic.

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