Note the biltong (dried meat/jerky) in the background. It was customary for South African farmers to go on lengthy hunting trips to hunt for meat in Botswana (called Bechuanaland Protectorate back then). The meat was cut into strips, salted and hung on lines, or even on tree branches, to dry and preserve. The hunter shared the meat with the crew. The San people would cut the meat from between the ribs, salt it and pack it in the animal skin for their women to take home while the men remained in the veldt. The meat was so heavy that the men had to help get it onto the women’s backs. The meat packs were carried with leather ropes tied over their foreheads, similar to what the Nepalese porters do. The loads were so heavy that the women could not put it down before they got home. It is likely that these photos were taken on such hunting trips, but it is unclear where they hunted at the time.

Just think how brave these women were, walking through lion invested wilderness with the smell of fresh meat in the air………

Lions were hunted for their skin that were sold for good money. One of the San Trackers in these photos had a deep scar on his face from when he was mauled by a lion.

These photos are priceless!!!