Spiritual Knowledge and the Military Landscape: The !Kun Soldiers of Namibia and Angola

Abstract

The article examines spiritual knowledge derived from military landscapes. The paper draws on the ways in which the !Kun (also called ‘San’ or ‘Bushmen’) soldiers during the so-called Cold War in Namibia and Angola experienced the landscape in which they operated. The article asserts that in the context of war, spirituality is a human experience where spiritual knowledge can be discovered in military landscapes. The author found that spiritual practice is an important part of a soldier’s knowledge, used to understand the complexity and uncertainty of their situation. The author demonstrates how the spirituality of soldiers can enhance their ability to develop a situational awareness. The article relied on lived experiences of the author when participating with !Kun soldiers in military operations as young military commander, as well as critical reflection on available data on how the spirituality of !Kun soldiers enabled them to understand their military landscape.