Prehistoric pastoralism in the Southwestern Cape, South Africa

The Khoikhoi of the Southwestern Cape are well known from historical literature. Large gaps in our information exist, however, and a number of the problems in elucidating these are outlined here. Research design for pastoral archaeology in the Cape is offered and it is suggested that the frontier situation that existed between the indigenous hunters and immigrating herders can be described in terms of adaptive strategies, and the success of the herders was due to increased exploitation efficiency of grasslands allowing larger population densities.