The Khwe, like other hunter-gatherers of Southern Africa, have a special relationship to the African Wild Dogs. The Khwedam name for them is ||Xéba but they are also referred to as Khyanici Tooapa, the sacred dogs of the female God. The Namibian Khwe community respect and fear these predators, and assign them special powers.

When cattle people arrived in Southern Africa some 2000 years ago, they started killing the African Wild Dogs as the dogs went after their cattle.

The three dogs in this piece were inspired from a photograph by Dale R Morris. Here they stand, perhaps defiant, perhaps curious, while their beautiful, complex world burns beneath them.

For the full description, along with pronunciation, map and short video, click HERE.