Special type of the hunter-gatherer populations of Southern Africa (Bushmen) with many unique features. Shows the most pronounced adaption to dry climate among all humans. Very ancient and distinct. Stature is short, bodies are lean, some women show steatopygia. The skin is yellow-reddish brown, often wrinkled, peppercorn hair is common, nose very wide, eye folds are frequent, skull medium-long to long and low, hardly prognathous. Compared to the similar Khoids, Sanids are shorter, more infantile, and shorter-faced, skulls slightly shorter, the convex upper lip is more common. Historically widespread across Southern Africa, but has continuously been pushed back by the Bantu and European expansions, and survives only in a few relict groups today. In the Kalahari Desert, the Kalaharid variety is characterised by thinner noses and bodies, in the Southern Karoo steppe the Karroid is more thickset with extremely wide noses. The almost extinct Strandlooper type seems to be an ancestral form.
Physical Traits
Height: ShortBuild: LeanSkull: Medium-long to long and lowFace: Short-faced, infantile featuresNose: Very wideSkin: Yellow-reddish brown, often wrinkledHair: Peppercorn hairEyes: Eye folds frequentProfile: Hardly prognathousSpecial: Steatopygia in some womenClimate adaptation: Dry climate
The Sanid type represents one of the most ancient and distinctive human populations, uniquely adapted to Southern Africa's dry climate. The stature is notably short with lean body composition. Some women exhibit steatopygia (accumulation of fat in the buttocks). The skin has a characteristic yellow-reddish brown tone and is often wrinkled. Peppercorn hair (tightly spiraled hair with gaps between tufts) is common. The nose is very wide, and eye folds appear frequently. The skull is medium-long to long and relatively low. The facial profile shows minimal prognathism. Features tend to be more infantile compared to related types, with shorter faces and the convex upper lip being more common.
Geographic Distribution
Distribution map circa 1500 CE. Yellow: common, Dark yellow: occasional, Black: rare
Historically widespread across Southern Africa, the Sanid population has been continuously pushed back by Bantu and European expansions. Today they survive only in a few relict groups. Regional varieties include the Kalaharid in the Kalahari Desert (characterized by thinner noses and bodies) and the Karroid in the Southern Karoo steppe (more thickset with extremely wide noses).
Literature References
The Sanid type has been described under various names in anthropological literature:
