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Indigenous People represents the following acts :

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 The !Gubi Family, Namibia  Kakatsitsi, Ghana
Kausary, Peru

We promote not only traditional music and dance but also the visual arts, story-telling, documentary and feature films from and about indigenous cultures. In addition to marketing and managing tours of the UK and Europe by indigenous performance groups, we will also be hosting indigenous arts spaces in festivals - combining workshops, performances, film screenings, art exhibitions, crafts stalls and discussion fora to celebrate and promote indigenous wisdom, knowledge and spirituality.

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Home arrow The !Gubi Family
The !Gubi Family

THE !GUBI FAMILY

 
The !gubi Familiy are family of 6 San musicians, ranging in age from 18 to 80, and are the keepers of a vanishing tradition of San Musical Culture. Their home is Corridor 18, in the Kalahari Desert, Namibia.  The San are the originators of trance dance and their music is specifically designed to evoke an altered state of consciousness through the rhythms and beats, enabling the musician to enter trance and perform healing on both individuals and the tribe. They traditionally sing and dance throughout the night playing the mouthbow, the mbira and the zuma (four-stringed instrument). The music of this family has captivated the ear of top international artists. Most notably was their collaboration with Pops Mohammed, and Zena Williams, who worked with the elders of the family to produce his internationally acclaimed album, SanScapes.  And most recently, have worked with renowned UK artist, Banco De Gaia, receiving rapturous reviews from London audiences. In 2008, the Family conducted an educational tour of the UK, focusing on the highlands and islands of Scotland, exploring common historial and spiritual links between land and people they shared with the people they met. 
 

 

THOBI '!GUBE' TIETIE

 
!Gube was born in 1929 in Botswana and is a member of the /Noa (Ncoa) tribe. He now lives with his family in Namibia and has Namibian nationality but claims that before the borders were asserted the land bordering the two countries Botswana and Namibia was San land and therefore the concept of Namibian nationality is somewhat foreign to him. As a young man he was able to wander between the two countries freely and it was only after Namibian Independence that border control started to become an issue. Three of his sons still live in Botswana and it is not as easy for him to visit his family as it used to be. 

!Gube is a highly respected traditional healer who begun his intitiation into the healing arts as a young man of twenty. He begun by acquiring knowledge of the plants and then learnt how to go into trance and heal people through trance dancing and raising his n/um energy. He is also gaining international recognition as a traditional musician and has sung and played the zuma or Gau Gau, (4 strings) and mouthbow on the CD released in August 2000, Pops Presents the Bushmen of the Kalahari. He is a mesmerising performer, evoking trance through singing and playing of a number of instruments. With his daughters Anna and Marcella the family have travelled to Europe recently, participating in the EXPO 2000 in Germany, and more recently with the SanScape Project in London.  Most recently, he appeared in London with his family at the Synergy Centre., March 2008.

An excellent storyteller, healer and musician !gubi is a much loved and respected man both amongst his tribe and around the world. Unfortunately however his family have suffered hardships in Namibia and they are still struggling for land and basic resources such as food and water. No longer able to hunt, he heals and makes music, but also relies on government handouts to feed and clothe his family. 

 

ANNA MUNGABAPUTE 

 

Anna was born in 1960, the daughter of !gubi and one of eight children. She suffered from polio as a child and so is now paralysed from her waist downwards. However not letting her disability get the better of her she has become and accomplished healer and traditional musician. Anna has a hauntingly beautiful voice and is one of the best chanters in the region where she lives. She is a powerful traditional doctor and heals with her chanting, going in and out of trance during their traditional ceremonies and extremely knowledgeable about herbs and medicines of the bush.

 

MARIA BESSA

Maria is 29 years old, daughter of !gubi, sister to Anna and a mother of 5.  She is an extremely  talented singer, and is quite a new addition to the family group.  For her, music is very special, and performance is the only way that she is able to support her family.  She is also an expert craftswoman and spends her spare time making exquisite pieces of jewellery out of ostrich eggs and beads. 

 

Johannes Tietie

Johannes is the youngest of !gubi’s children in the group at 26 years of age.  At home, he is an accomplished hunter, often the one to bring home the Steenbok, or Gemsbok for dinner.  As a musician, Johannes is an outstanding all-rounder, as a dancer and multi-instrumentalist.  He plays the Mouthbow and the Gau Gau, and is the one following in his father’s footsteps with a wish to learn more about l be passing on the musical knowledge from !gubi.  He also plays drums, and is brilliant at the traditional form of dance that makes this culture and tradition so special.  

 

JOHN and MAGNUS BARSE 
 
 

John and Magnus are 22 and 18 respectively, and are Anna’s sons.  They are both extremely talented dancers, and delight audiences with their exuberant dances impersonating Lions, Ostriches, and of course, the Hot San Boys who have just arrived in town!  They represent the success passing on of traditional musical knowledge passed down from their grandfather. This is vitally important in ensuring that the traditional music, dance and culture of the San tradition will survive. 

 

 

 
 
 
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