The Khoikhoi and San at the Cape

The Khoikhoi and San at the Cape: their way of life, Autshumao and Krotoa, trade and conflict with the Dutch. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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Before 1652

People had lived at the Cape for thousands of years; they are indigenous people.
Khoikhoi chiefdoms of the Western Cape: the Cochoqua, Chainoqua and Hessequa. They built huts of branches and reed mats and moved with the seasons for grazing and water.
San rock art in the Cederberg and Drakensberg shows skilled artists with a rich spiritual life. Shell middens are old heaps of shells.

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After 1652

Many Khoikhoi went to work on colonists’ farms after losing land and cattle. The San clashed with trekboers who took their game and land; the trekboers had horses and guns. The San’s own rock art best shows how they saw their world; Dutch diaries show only the Dutch side. The Khoikhoi fought the Dutch in two wars (1659–1660 and 1673–1677) but lost land and cattle. In 1713 a smallpox epidemic, brought by a ship, spread among the Khoikhoi near the Cape; their numbers fell sharply and their chiefdoms broke up.

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Remember this: your summary

The San hunted and gathered; the Khoikhoi (“people of people”) were herders of cattle and sheep.
The Strandlopers (Goringhaicona) lived off the seashore; their leader Autshumao (“Harry”) was an interpreter for the Dutch.
Krotoa (Eva) worked in Van Riebeeck’s household and was an important interpreter.
The Dutch wanted cattle and sheep and offered copper, iron and beads.
Conflict: settlers took Khoikhoi grazing and water; by the early 1700s most Khoikhoi near the Cape had lost their herds and independence.

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Memory trick

Krotoa and Autshumao = the first interpreters, the bridge between two languages.

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Important words

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Test yourself · Part 2

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