Nǃxau ǂToma
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Template:Contains special characters Nǃxau ǂTomaTemplate:Efn (short: Nǃxau, alternative spelling Gcao Tekene Çoma;Template:DubiousTemplate:Fix Template:Circa – 5 July 2003) was a Namibian bush farmer and actor who starred in the 1980 film The Gods Must Be Crazy and its sequels, in which he played the Kalahari Bushman Xixo.<ref name=Independent/><ref name="NE">Template:Cite news</ref> The Namibian called him "Namibia's most famous actor".<ref name=NamibObit/>
Biography
Nǃxau was a member of the ǃKung people, one of several peoples known as Bushmen. N!xau was a Namibian who starred in the 1980 movie The Gods Must Be Crazy and its sequels, in which he played the Kalahari Bushman Xixo.
He spoke Juǀʼhoan, Otjiherero, and Tswana fluently, as well as some Afrikaans.<ref name="NamibObit" /> He did not know his exact age,<ref name="Independent" /><ref name="NamibObit" /> and before his appearance in the films, he had little experience beyond his home. He had only ever seen three white people before casting,<ref name="Independent" /> and when director Jamie Uys gave him his first cash payment of $300 for The Gods Must Be Crazy, he allegedly let it blow away in the wind because he did not understand its value.<ref name="san" /><ref name="Independent">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref name="NamibObit">Template:Cite web</ref> This was despite money already being a serious matter for other San since many of them depended on purchased food and government aid, and/or had enlisted in the South African Army due to the high wages it paid.<ref name="volkman">Template:Cite web</ref> He was, however, able to negotiate for nearly several hundred thousand for his appearance in the sequel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He came from a culture that did not value the material things that money could buy and consequently had not learned money management skills,<ref name="NamibObit" /> although he used some of his income to build a brick house with running water and electricity for his family.<ref name="Independent" /> He also bought a used car and subsequently hired a chauffeur, as he had no desire to learn to drive.<ref name="san" />
Nǃxau converted to Christianity, and in July 2000, he was baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore Template:YouTube</ref>
He was found dead in late June 2003 near his home in Namibia after going out to collect firewood and on an excursion to hunt guineafowl.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died from multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis. According to official estimates, he was about 58 or 59 years old at the time. He was buried on 12 July in a semi-traditional ceremony at Tsumkwe, next to the grave of his second wife. He had six surviving children.<ref name=NamibObit/>
Career
In addition to The Gods Must Be Crazy, Nǃxau starred in a series of sequels: The Gods Must Be Crazy II, Crazy Safari, Crazy Hong Kong, and The Gods Must Be Funny in China. After his film career ended, he returned to Namibia, where he farmed maize, pumpkins, and beans, and kept several head of cattle (but no more than 20 at a time because, according to The Independent, without the complex farming systems of the "modern world", he had trouble keeping track of more;<ref name="Independent" /> the Namibian local daily New Era stated that he simply could not count further than 20).<ref name="NE" />
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Gods Must Be Crazy | Xi | <ref name=san>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1989 | The Gods Must Be Crazy II | Xixo | <ref name=san/> |
| 1990 | Oh Schucks...! Here Comes UNTAG | Also known as Kwacca Strikes Back | |
| 1991 | Crazy Safari | Nǃxau The Bushman | <ref name=san/> |
| 1993 | Crazy Hong Kong | Xi | <ref name=san/> |
| 1994 | The Gods Must be Funny in China | N!xau – Bushman | <ref name=san/> |
| 2004 | Journey to Nyae Nyae | Self | Final film role |
TV variety show
- Sekai Ururun Taizaiki(世界ウルルン滞在記) (1996) – Self