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northwards towards Venda, the people are darker in complexion and bigger
in physique 165 . In addition to these biological traits which link the
Makgabeng people with the San, there is still a family/clan name (surname)
in that area known as Morwane (most probably originating from “morwana”).
In the Northern Sotho language, the word, “morwana”, means the San.
According to Chuene Thomas Morwane, even if his surname indicates him
to be a San descendant, openly accepting such a relationship is viewed as
degrading 166 . What is important though, is that the San identity in
Makgabeng has been assimilated by dominant groups.
The Khoikhoi.
Earliest identities in Makgabeng which were represented by the San
communities, changed when the Khoikhoi began to move into the area. The
migrations of the Khoikhoi with their different cultural traditions, came to
have some impact on the aboriginal San. The San’s general ways of life
were to be influenced by this contact. The contact between the San and the
Khoikhoi became so close that it appeared that they both lost their original
identities and they formed one group. This link is sometimes exaggerated by
these groups being referred to by a collective term, the Khoisan, giving
impression that they were one group. In this processes of physical and
165 Ibid.
166 Interview, Thomas Morwane, 22 December 2002, Mongalo.
104