Elsie Vaalbooi (born c. 1901, died 7 October 2002) of Rietfontein in the Northern Cape was a South African woman who was a member of the ÃÂKhomani (NÃÂnÃÂe) San or Bushmen and one of the last speakers of the NÃÂng language (better known by the name of the primary dialect, NÃÂuu). In the 1990s there was concern amongst the ÃÂKhomani leadership about loss of the NÃÂng language: many of those of the community who could speak a KhoeSan language actually spoke Nama. Linguist Anthony Traill interviewed Vaalbooi in 1997, when she was in her late nineties. The South African San Institute became involved in the pursuit of information on the language and, with the help of Vaalbooi, they were able to trace a further ten people who could speak the language.
Elsie Vaalbooi's work on the preservation of the NÃÂuu language has been carried forward through a NÃÂuu language school, initiated by Katrina Esau (AKA "Ouma Geelmeid"), in Upington.
In 1997 Elsie Vaalbooi assisted linguists and provincial officials in providing a motto for the Northern Cape Province, Sa ||a !aési 'uési (âÂÂWe go to a better lifeâÂÂ), which is in the NÃÂu dialect of the NÃÂnÃÂe (ÃÂKhomani) people.