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Insects and animals

The Knowledge the Bushmen have of nature is incomparable to anybody else in the world. They understand all the wild animals and plants better than any modern scientist. Not only do they have this wonderful knowledge about these things but they also create their own fantasies about their beloved surroundings.

Bushmen believe that young girls can change their bodies to that of an animal or insect by using witchcraft. There are many tales of these girls taking on the form of a lion or a baboon.

They also believe that animals can change form. For example the praying mantis. It is believed that it could turn into a begging human or in one tale it changes into a dead hartebeest (antelope of Southern Africa). In the tale children cut the dead hartebeest into pieces. It starts putting itself back together and then chases the poor children back to their huts.

Before the Bushmen go out to hunt they pray to N'go (the caterpillar used to make their poison) to make the poison on their arrowheads strong enough to kill their prey.