Krotoa
Encyclopedia
Krotoa, or Eva, born circa 1642, was the niece of Autshumato
, a Khoi
leader and trader. When she was young, she worked in the household of Jan van Riebeeck
, the first governor of the Cape colony. As a teenager, she learned Dutch
and Portuguese
and like her uncle, worked as an interpreter
for the Dutch who wanted to trade goods for cattle.
On 3 May 1662 she was baptised
by a visiting parson, minister Petrus Sibelius, in the church inside the Fort de Goede Hoop
. The witnesses were Roelof de Man and Pieter van der Stael. On 26 April 1664 she married Pieter van Meerhoff, a Danish surgeon. She was the first Khoikoi to marry according to christian customs. There was a little party in the house of Zacharias Wagenaer
. In May 1665 they left the Cape and went to Robben Island
. Van Meerhoff died on 27 February 1668 on an expedition.
Eva returned to the mainland on 30 September 1668 with her children. Suffering from alcoholism
, she left the Castle
in the settlement to be with her family in the kraal
s. In February 1669 she was imprisoned at the Castle and then banished
to Robben Island. She returned to the mainland on many occasions just to find herself once more banished to Robben Island. In May 1673 she was allowed to baptise a child on the mainland. Three of her children survived infancy.
She died on 29 July 1674 in the Cape and was buried on 30 September 1674 in the church in the Fort.
There is evidence that many prominent South Africans descended from Krotoa, despite being legally white
. These included Transvaal
President Paul Kruger
, Prime Minister Jan Smuts
and President
F.W. de Klerk. By legal necessity, these and other public figures hid their non-white ancestry. http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/mixedmarriages-genealogy.htm
'Eilande', by Dan Sleigh (1938), recently translated from Afrikaans by Andre Brink (in Dutch: 'Stemmen uit zee'/in English: 'Islands'), describes the lives of Krotoa and her daughter Pieternella from the viewpoints of seven men who knew them.
References:
'Die Suid-Afrikaanse Biografiese Woordeboek', by W.J de Kock and D.W. Kruger, Volume 2, page 227 - 228
'Jan van Riebeeck en sy tyd', by E.C. Godee Molsbergen
'Eilande', by Dan Sleigh
Autshumato
Autshumato was a Khoikhoi leader who worked as an interpreter for the Europeans in present-day South Africa during the time of the establishment of the Dutch settlement on the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Also known as Herry or Harry de Strandloper , his date of birth is unknown, but it is thought...
, a Khoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
leader and trader. When she was young, she worked in the household of Jan van Riebeeck
Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
, the first governor of the Cape colony. As a teenager, she learned Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and like her uncle, worked as an interpreter
Interpreting
Language interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
for the Dutch who wanted to trade goods for cattle.
On 3 May 1662 she was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
by a visiting parson, minister Petrus Sibelius, in the church inside the Fort de Goede Hoop
Fort de Goede Hoop
The Fort de Goede Hoop was the first military building to be erected in what is now Cape Town. It was built in 1652, and was in use until 1674 when it was superseded by the Castle of Good Hope....
. The witnesses were Roelof de Man and Pieter van der Stael. On 26 April 1664 she married Pieter van Meerhoff, a Danish surgeon. She was the first Khoikoi to marry according to christian customs. There was a little party in the house of Zacharias Wagenaer
Zacharias Wagenaer
Zacharias Wagner was a clerk, an illustrator, a merchant, member of the Court of Justice, opperhoofd of Deshima and the only German governor of the Cape colony...
. In May 1665 they left the Cape and went to Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
. Van Meerhoff died on 27 February 1668 on an expedition.
Eva returned to the mainland on 30 September 1668 with her children. Suffering from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, she left the Castle
Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is a star fort which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, lies nearer to the Cape Town city centre in South Africa.-History:...
in the settlement to be with her family in the kraal
Kraal
Kraal is an Afrikaans and Dutch word for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within an African settlement or village surrounded by a palisade, mud wall, or other fencing, roughly circular in form.In the Dutch language a kraal is a term derived from the Portuguese word , cognate...
s. In February 1669 she was imprisoned at the Castle and then banished
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
to Robben Island. She returned to the mainland on many occasions just to find herself once more banished to Robben Island. In May 1673 she was allowed to baptise a child on the mainland. Three of her children survived infancy.
She died on 29 July 1674 in the Cape and was buried on 30 September 1674 in the church in the Fort.
There is evidence that many prominent South Africans descended from Krotoa, despite being legally white
Population Registration Act
The Population Registration Act of 1950 required that each inhabitant of South Africa be classified and registered in accordance with their racial characteristics as part of the system of apartheid. Social rights, political rights, educational opportunities, and economic status were largely...
. These included Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
President Paul Kruger
Paul Kruger
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger , better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul was State President of the South African Republic...
, Prime Minister Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
and President
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
F.W. de Klerk. By legal necessity, these and other public figures hid their non-white ancestry. http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/mixedmarriages-genealogy.htm
'Eilande', by Dan Sleigh (1938), recently translated from Afrikaans by Andre Brink (in Dutch: 'Stemmen uit zee'/in English: 'Islands'), describes the lives of Krotoa and her daughter Pieternella from the viewpoints of seven men who knew them.
See also
- History of Cape TownHistory of Cape TownThe area known today as Cape Town has no written history before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1488. All knowledge of the previous inhabitants of the region was derived from fossil evidence and from rock art in the area....
References:
'Die Suid-Afrikaanse Biografiese Woordeboek', by W.J de Kock and D.W. Kruger, Volume 2, page 227 - 228
'Jan van Riebeeck en sy tyd', by E.C. Godee Molsbergen
'Eilande', by Dan Sleigh