There is even a Setswana idiom that goes 'moseka phohu ya gaabo ga a swe lentswe' loosely meaning that if one has a rightful claim over something, he should never give up despite all hurdles. Curiously, our forebearers chose to use a wild animal in this idiom that in one way or another demonstrates that Batswana had their own democracy even in those ancient times. The big question here is: why the eland (phofu), while there were domesticated animals such as the cow that would have sounded more relevant? Among the San people, the eland is one if not the most revered and highly prized animals. One cannot complete a tour of ancient San rock paintings in southern Africa without spotting a painting of an eland. Actually, the animal dominates San art.
This, not surprisingly so, as the eland formed an integral part of San religion. As Wikipedia puts it:"The San believed in a tiered cosmos with realms above and below the material world. Once an eland had been killed, a link between the realms was created. The eland (often depicted with shamans) was a main symbol of trance due to its fat, the prime container and essence of trance. Rites of passage are initiated with eland fat. These include marriage, boys and girls initiation with the boys first successful eland hunt, and trancing. Once an eland was killed, a shaman would 'dance eland potency' and enter the spirit world often depicted in rock art. The shaman would go through a trance, seemingly gaining animal sense, and enter the spirit world."
