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Introduction to the Resolutions
of the Council of Policy of Cape of Good Hope
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Inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope
Indigenous peoples
According to Jan van Riebeeck’s Daghregister [diary] he had already made contact with members of the indigenous people on 6 April 1652 . Van Riebeeck went ashore to look for a site to build a fort. Two of these indigenous inhabitants, referred to as Strandlopers [Beach rangers], went on board with him and communicated in broken English. They were poor fishermen who had no livestock, contrary to the other tribes of the interior who possessed cattle and sheep. The Daghregister mentions that the first proclamation that was read and distributed in the Cape was promulgated at the Council meeting held on 8 April. It stated that a fort was to be erected and that the settlers should live in peace with the indigenous peoples. In the Daghregister’s entry of 10 April it is mentioned that the Dutch met the people of “Saldinia” that day.
Verification of how historical sources can complement each other meaningfully comes by way of a comparison of these two source documents, viz. van Riebeeck’s Daghregister and the Resolutions of the Council of Policy with respect to references and to the mention of specific facts. The minutes of the Council meeting of 8 April 1652 (C. 1) refers to only one subject, namely the building of the Fort. Nine months after it had been mentioned in the Daghregister, the minutes of the Council meeting of 22 December 1652 (C. 1) referred to “dese lants natie”, in other words the indigenous people, for the first time. At this meeting it was also noted that “Herrij” [Harry the Beach ranger] told them in broken English about “die van Saldanha” [those of Saldanha, the latter being a place name] who were quite well provided with elephant tusks. Judging from the pieces of ivory that “sommige Hottentoos” [some Hottentots] wore as neck ornaments it was obvious that there was ivory in circulation.
The first encounters and negotiations between VOC officials and indigenous people took place with the aid of Khoi interpreters, i.e. Herrij (Autshomao), Claes Das, Eva (Krotoa) and Doman (called Anthoni at his own request). Eva in particular was of great help. As a young child she went with her sister’s husband, Captain Oedasoa of the Kogouquas, to the Fort where she came to know the people and learnt their language. In 1659 she went to live in the Fort “… om vorder te leeren leesen en bidden” [to learn to read and pray] (Daghregister , 3 Jan. 1659 ). Her language skills were of great value, since she could act as interpreter between her people and the settlers. Although Eva was later baptized and confirmed in the Christian church in order to become the equal of a free person, she was always willing to intercede for her people.
Information regarding indigenous groups was obtained through daily contact as well as during journeys and expeditions that were regularly undertaken by the Company. The journals that were kept during expeditions as well as reports that had to be submitted to the Council of Policy after completion thereof and thus included in the Resolutions are at present of extreme cultural and historical value. Instead of the written sources with a Western perspective on the one hand and an oral culture and folklore with an indigenous perspective on the other hand, being placed at opposite poles, it would be better to merge the facts in order to obtain a more balanced content. In this way history can be presented comprehensively and in a truthful manner.
The Goringaikonas (Beach rangers), Goringgaikwas (Kaapmans [ Cape men]) and Goragoukwas lived in the immediate vicinity of the Fort. Towards Saldanha Bay two captains, namely Oedasoa and Gonnema, ruled the Kogoukwas. (Goedemans, a Dutch derivation of Gonnema, is the surname borne by his descendants to this day 31.10.1739, C. 112).) The Little Grigriquas lived in the region stretching to the north and reaching up to the Elephants River . Across the Elephants River the nomadic Great Grigriquas trekked with their livestock. Chief Sousoa and his Gainouqua tribe that lived east of the Kogouquas brought large numbers of cattle to the Fort. In the Council minutes of 14 April 1684 it was noted that a “seecker capiteijn van de Soeswasese natie” [certain captain of [the] Sousoa’s people] also known as Claes, had traded many cattle with the Company. Another tribe, the Sonquas, presently known as the San people, took shelter in the mountains because all the other groups attacked them.
The grazing fields of the Hessequas stretched from the Hessequas Cloof at Riviersonderend to the Attaquas Cloof at the Gourits River . They often camped at Mossel Bay and also dwelt on the banks of the Duivenhoks and the Gaukou Rivers . Chief Gaukou of the Hessequa tribe was probably a kinsman of the Inqua chief, who ruled the whole region. The Dutch called Gaukou “de oude Heer” [the old gentleman] and the Khoi addressed him as “Sire” [Portuguese for ‘Sir’]. After a visit to Gaukou, Simon van der Stel wrote on 14 April 1684 that not only was Gaukou the leader of a large group of people, but also the owner of a very large number of cattle and sheep, and that he was much respected for his success in settling disputes among Khoi captains (Elphick, 1977).
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