During Cultural Survival’s site visit to Botswana in April, we connected with grant partners and learned more about Indigenous communities from Maun and Chobokwane. Passing through New Xade, Gumare, and Ghanzi, we met with organizations and collectives of youth and women who are working to safeguard Indigenous Knowledge, identity, rights, and ways of life, and who demonstrated resilience and innovation in building the capacity of Indigenous communities, particularly youth and women.
Indigenous Peoples in Botswana are primarily represented by the San communities, which are among the oldest continuous cultures in the world. Groups such as the Naro, !Kung, and G/wi have traditionally lived as hunter-gatherers and have developed extensive knowledge of medicinal plants, wildlife, and environmental cycles. Their cultures are deeply spiritual with strong ties to the land, and their sense of health, identity, and well being are closely linked to nature and ancestral practices.
We had the privilege of visiting the Naro community in Chobokwane, which offered deep insight into a worldview where health, culture, and nature are inseparable. At the entrance of the cultural village, a traditional healer and the women of the community welcomed us with a dance, followed by a purification ritual. More than just a symbolic act, it served as a spiritual cleansing to ward off negative energies and reconnect us with the land and its living essence.
Surrounded by rich vegetation, the village itself felt like a living pharmacy. Every plant seemed to carry meaning and purpose, embodying Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and healing potential. There, we had the opportunity to speak with Ohoncobe Khanxla Daxo (Naro), a respected traditional healer and midwife, who shared insights into traditional medicine. Traditional healers like Daxo are true living libraries, embodying generations of Indigenous knowledge rooted in the relationship among people, nature, and spirituality.
The conversation that follows highlights that this knowledge is not only about healing but is also about maintaining balance, identity, and continuity within the community. The collective effort of Indigenous communities and supporting organizations is essential today to safeguarding these traditions, strengthening the transmission of knowledge to younger generations, and ensuring this wisdom continues to contribute to sustainable development and cultural diversity.
Family Support Center members in Chobokwane, Botswana welcoming visitors. Photo courtesy of Family Support Center.
Cultural Survival: Tell us about your role in your community.
Ohoncobe Khanxla Daxo: I am a Naro traditional healer and midwife in Chobokwane. My role is to assist pregnant women and new mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, and to help prevent diseases in children. I am also a rites-of-passage mother, training young girls in San values. I lead healing dances and speak to our ancestors on behalf of the community when issues require their intervention.
CS: How did you learn traditional healing, and who guided you in this journey?
OKD: I learned from my late father, Khanxla Kii, who was also a traditional healer. I followed him when he went to dig roots or collect medicinal plants. He would explain what each plant was and how it works in the body. He also allowed me to massage women during antenatal care. One day, I helped a woman give birth, and from that moment, I continued this work.
CS: How do you define health and well being in your culture?
QKD: Health and well being mean living in harmony with our environment, plants, trees, animals, and people. It also means taking care of yourself by following our cultural norms, rituals, and practices. Healing dances are also part of maintaining well being.
CS: What are the main causes of illness according to your knowledge and beliefs?
QKD: In our culture, every stage of life has its rites of passage. If these are not respected, it can bring bad luck and illness that is difficult to explain. Not following our values and traditions can also lead to sickness. Illness can [also] come from eating processed foods.
CS: What methods do you use to heal people?
QKD: For people who have not gone through rites of passage or who ignore the calling of the ancestors, we use spiritual dances. To ward off bad luck, we use rituals. For minor illnesses, we use medicinal plants.
CS: Can you share some examples of medicinal plants or remedies you use?
QKD: We use different plants depending on the illness, but this knowledge is carefully protected and shared [only] within the community.
CS: What types of illnesses or conditions do you commonly treat?
QKD: I support people with skin problems, sexually transmitted diseases, illnesses in children under five, miscarriage, infertility for both women and men, as well as pregnancy care, massage, and childbirth support.
Qhoncobe Khanxla Daxo (Naro) with other midwives and girls at the Family Support Center Cultural Village in Chobokwane, Botswana. Photo by Georges Dougnon.
CS: What role does the environment play in your healing practices?
QKD: The land is central to everything we do. Our medicinal plants grow in specific places, and their strength depends on the soil, the rain, and the seasons. When the climate changes or the land is disturbed, some plants become scarcer or lose their power. We believe the land carries the spirit of our ancestors. When we harvest plants, we speak to them and ask for guidance. Without a healthy environment, our healing practices cannot continue.
CS: How is this knowledge passed on to younger generations?
QKD: During rites of passage, young people are taught about medicinal plants and healing practices. Some heal with plants, others through song, dance, or massage. When Elders see that someone has a gift, they guide them.
CS: What challenges do you face in preserving this knowledge? What is your vision for the future?
QKD: The main challenge is the lack of interest from young people. Today, many young people are not interested in learning. Some are interested in song and dance, but even those are sometimes changed and lose their original meaning. We are working to teach the few who are interested and to document our medicinal plants and their uses. Our hope is that this knowledge will continue and not be lost.
Top Photo: Qhoncobe Khanxla Daxo. Photo courtesy of Family Support Center.
