Bushmen – Veldt School and women healers
The Khomani Bushmen, also known as the First People, are among the oldest tribes on Earth. WISNfunds the “Veld School” (veld = Bush), which was envisioned several years ago by the Khomani San as a means to pass Indigenous knowledge to the younger generations, to keep their traditional ways of life alive. Through this school, women and spiritual healers bring the Khomani San youth to their ancestral lands for monthly visits, during which times they train the children in ancestral ways, including identifying foods and medicines of the Bushveld, traditional dance ceremonies (how they connect to the ancestors), and traditional healing modalities. The school allows for the Bushmen to connect to their ancestral lands which are otherwise inaccessible due to suppression. The Veld school is overseen by Lys Kruiper (community leader, healer and Elder), whom WISN supports to continue perpetuating her culture in her lifetime.