ABSTRACT
The ideological importance of Bushmen is brought into focus when the activities of missionary societies are considered. A brief analysis of missionary activities provides a pertinent commentary on the situation in Tsumkwe. The penetration of the contemporary cash economy into Tsumkwe was swift and its consequences far-reaching. The church celebrated its first ten years in Tsumkwe with the publication of an informative brochure, but no converts. In 1967 the Lutherans again started to undertake missionary work, specifically among the Ovamboland and Botswana Bushmen. In a bid to rationalize its resources, the Dutch Reformed church withdrew Weich from Tsumkwe in 1975 and stationed him in Grootfontein so that he could work among farm Bushmen. Swanepoel was offered a missionary position in Grootfontein, where he would focus on the Bushman farm labourers. The public-relations value of Bushmen had been eclipsed by the "most primitive" Asmat of Netherlands New Guinea, where the Lutherans had opened a new mission.
