Hunting Knowledge and Gathering Herbs: An Ethnography of Neotraditional Rastafari Bush Doctors of the Western Cape, South Africa

South Africa’s rich history of diverse traditional medical practices has given rise to an emergent ethnomedicine that is gaining prominence through it’s healers, bush doctors. Incredible syncretism is observed amongst this homogenous group of middle-aged coloured urban males. From an estimated 200 bush doctors, 62 were interviewed. Their stated mission is “to heal all people” through the reintroduction of KhoiSan healing traditions, an indigenous ancestry largely rejected by coloureds during apartheid. Through a shared knowledge of medicinal plants, elements of a globally recognized eco-religion and sociopolitical movement, Rastafari, are combined with several South African medical customs. The consumption, trade and sale of local herbs represent efforts to embody the landscape, reassert links to indigeneity, renew respect for a lost heritage, and claim rights to resources. By evoking tradition within a tolerant philosophy, bush doctors develop a racially equitable and ecologically sustainable platform for health through the provision of affordable medicines.