Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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The Bleek collection
Inscribed 1997
What is it
Notebooks, lexicons, sketchbooks, photographs, family
records, biographical information and correspondence
by the Bleek Family on the San people.
Why was it inscribed
The material provides an invaluable and unique insight
into the language, life, religion, mythology, folklore and
stories of a now-extinct African people.
Where is it
University of Cape Town, the National Library, and Iziko
South African Museum, South Africa
� Petroglyphs at least 3000 years old, Twyfelfontein, Namibia.
The Bleek collection consists of papers of German linguist
Dr W.H.I. Bleek (1827–75), his sister-in-law Lucy Lloyd
(1834–1914), his daughter Dorothea Bleek (1873–1948) and
G.W. Stow (1822–82) relating to their researches into the
San (Bushman) language and folklore, as well as albums
of photographs.
The society of the semi-nomadic |xam had existed for
hundreds of years. They were responsible for some of the
world’s finest rock art, but otherwise had a very simple
material culture. The culture collapsed owing to the
intrusion of the new inhabitants who brought with them
diseases and undertook active measures to eradicate them.
The |xam language was a Khoisan click language. The
bar symbol in the name ‘|xam’ represents a dental click
like the English interjection ‘tsk, tsk!’ used to express
pity or shame. The ‘x’ represents the ch sound of Scottish
The Bleek collection 329