Archaeological findings have indicated that Southern Africa is the land from which humankind’s ancestors evolved, between 3 million and 1 million years ago. Indeed, it is probable that the indigenous San, Pygmy, and Khoekhoe
peoples of Southern Africa are linked genetically to that earlier, ancient population. Little, if anything, is known about interaction among these particular early groups, which emerged 17,000–22,000 years ago. Starting around 100 CE, though, a cultural collision occurred when Bantu peoples—the ancestors of many of the region’s current population— migrated southward through Africa. While some of the indigenous groups existed peaceably with the new arrivals, others were displaced from the region’s prime lands, often retreating to the desert margins.