REYNARD THE FOX IN SOUTH AFRICA

NOTES

1. Cisgariepian, from the Nama point of view, i.e., to the North of the Orange River.

2. I give here some extracts from Mr. Wallmann's letter, dated Barmen, 13th April, 1850, which was the only help of a grammatical or lexical nature then available for me in my study of this Nama translation of Luke's Gospel:—

"I transmit hereby Luke's Gospel in Namaqua, ... which I can lend you, however, only for four weeks, as I have already previously promised it to some one else.

"Should your labours permit it, I wish to request you to make a little trial whether the Namaqua is somewhat related to the South African family of Languages. For the present a mere negative decision on this point is all that is wanted, and I should like to have very soon the opinion of some good philologist regarding it. Moffat states that when he gave specimens of Namaqua to a Syrian who came from Egypt, he was told that he (the Syrian) had seen slaves in the market of Cairo who were of lighter colour than other Africans, and whose language resembled that of the Namaqua. Moffat also says that some ancient authors have mentioned a nation in the interior of Africa who were very similar to the Hottentots. Moffat seems himself, however, to ascribe little value to these accounts, for his guesses fall at once upon the Chinese. According to communications from our Missionary Knudsen, the Namaqua language seems well formed. He mentions as personal pronouns:

but to show the modifications which the pronouns undergo according to the gender, and whether the person (spoken to) is included or excluded (in the first person plural), the following examples of inclusive or exclusive forms are given:

"We are captains."

(incl.) Sake ke kouauke} mascul.
(excl.) Sike ke kouauke}     "
(incl.) Sase ke kautase}
(excl.) Sise ke Tcautase}
(incl.) Sada ke tana-khoida}
(excl.) Sida ke tana-khoida}
(incl.) Sakhom ke kauaukhoma} dual mascul.
(excl.) Sikhom ke kauaukhoma}  "          "
(incl.) Saam ke kautama} dual fem.
(excl.) Siim ke kautama}     "     "
(incl.) Saam ke tana-khoima} dual com.
(excl.) Siim ke tana-kkoima}    "      "

"The second person of the plural is said to have not more than half as many distinctions; and the third person plural has only the following:—

xyku ke kauauga—mascul.
xyke ke kautate—fem.
xyu ke tana-khoina—com.
xykha kauaukha—dual, mascul.
xyra kautara—dual. fem.
xyra ke tana-khoira—dual. com.

"You will therefore oblige me by looking into the Namaqua Luke, and by having the kindness to write me your opinion regarding it."

3. Report of the Correspondence and Paper read at the General Meeting of the Syro-Egyptian Society, Session of 1851 and 1852. Read at the Anniversary Meeting, held April 20th, 1852, 8vo. pp. 6, 8.

4. "Ethnology of the Indo-Pacific Islands." By J. R. Logan, Esq., Hon. Fellow of the Ethnological Society. Language, Part ii. "The Races and Languages of S.E. Asia, considered in relation to those of the Indo-Pacific Islands," Chapter v., sections i. to vi. [From the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia, June and December, 1853, to December, 1854.] Singapore: Printed by Jakob Baptist, 8vo., pp. 229, 29-1, sec. 6. The Semitico-African Languages, viz.: 1. General Characters, p. 229; 2. Egyptian, p. 248; 3. Hottentot, p. 248; 4. Shemo-Hamitic, or Assyro-Berber, p. 259.

5. Mr. Bath's Manuscript consists of sixty-one pages, with, double columns, foolscap folio. It contains the following pieces:

1. The Spectre Sweethearts, pp. 1, 2.
2. The Lion Husbands, pp. 2, 5.
3. Tenacity of a Loving Mother's Care, pp. 5, 6.
4. The Girl who ran after her Father's Bird, pp. 6, 12.
5. The Handsome Girl, pp. 12, 15.
6. The Little Bushman Woman, pp. 17, 18.
7. Punishment of Imposition, pp. 19, 21.
8. The Spectre who Fell in Love with his Son's Wife, pp. 22, 23.
9. The Lunatic, p. 23.
10. The Girls who Escaped from tlie Hill Damaras, pp. 24, 26.
11. The Elephant and the Tortoise, pp. 27, 29.
12. The Two Wives, pp, 29, 33.
13. The Lion who took different Shapes, pp. 34, 35.
14. The Little Girl left in the Well by her wicked Companions, pp. 35, 38.
15. The Unreasonable Child to whom the Dog gave its Deserts, pp. 39, 43.
16. Rutanga, p. 44.
17. The Ghost of the Man who was Killed by a Rhinoceros in consequence of his Father's, Curse, pp. 45, 47.
18. The Trials of Hambeka, a Spirit risen from the Dead, pp. 47, 50.
19. The Little Girl who was teased by an Insect, p. 51.
20. The same as 16 (Rutanga) p. 52.
21. Conjugal Love after Death, p. 53.
22. The Bad Katjungu and the Good Kahavundye, pp. 54, 57.
23. The Wife who went after her Husband, pp. 57, 59.
24. The Little Girl Murdered by the Hill Damara, pp. 59, 61.

6. The title of Mr. Knudsen's first Manuscript is, "Sudafrica: Das Hottentot-Volk; Notizzen (Manuscript) H. C. Knudsen." 4to., p. 12. Its contents are, Bushman Land, p. 3; the different kinds of Rain, p. 3; Bethany (in Great Namaqualand), p. 3; the Damara, p. 4; the Grassy Plain, p. 4; the Diseases, pp. 4, 5; Birdsnests, p. 5; Marriage and Wedding among the Namaqua, p. 5; Extent of Authority among the Namaqua, p. 5; Similarity with the Jewish manner of Thinking, Counting, Eating, Drinking, Praying, Mode of Speech, and manner of Reckoning Relationship, p. 6; Heitsi Eibip or Kabip, p. 7; Origin of the Modes of Life of the Namaqua and Bushmen, pp. 7, 8; Coming of Age among the Hottentots, p. 8; Names of Hottentot Tribes and their probable Etymology, pp. 8, 9; Are the Hottentots of Egyptian or Phoenician Origin? p. 9; Are the Hottentots of Jewish or Moabitic Origin? pp. 9, 10; Appendix, pp. 11, 12.

Mr. Knudsen's second Manuscript has the following title, "Stoff zu einer Grammatik in der Namaquasprache (Manuscript), H. C. Knudsen." 4to. pp. 29. After a few general introductory remarks, and a short explanation of the Hottentot Alphabet, Mr. Knudsen treats of the different Parts of Speech: I. Nouns, pp. 3, 4; II. Adjectives, pp. 4, 5; III. Pronouns, pp. 5, 10; IV. Numerals, p. 11; V. Yerbs, pp. 12, 24; Interrogative Sentences, pp. 25, 26; Concluding Remarks, pp. 26, 29.

7. The little Fox, in Nama the !Kamap, a small kind of Jackal, who is a swift runner. The Jackal's name is /Giri'p. (The / is the dental and the / the cerebral click; vide Notes to Fables 23 and 27, pp. 47, 62.)

8. "When the Hyena first starts, it appears to be lame on the hind legs, or gone in the loins, as one would say of a horse." L. LAYARD.

9. "Because the Giraffe is said to give blue ashes when burnt."—KRONLEIN.

10. In token of approval, according to a Hottentot custom.

11. With reference to the Baboon's great power of distancing his pursuers.

12. The / is the dental click, which is "sounded by pressing the tip of the tongue against the front teeth of the upper jaw, and then suddenly and forcibly withdrawing it."—TlNDALL.

13. The is the palatal click, described in note to Fable 24. p. 55, and x is the German ch.

14. Indicates the palatal click, which is sounded by pressing the tip of the tongue, with as flat a surface as possible, against the termination of the palate at the gums, and withdrawing it suddenly and forcibly.

15. The stage is that apparatus in the background of the hut (built of mats) opposite the door, upon which the Hottentots hang their bamboos, bags of skins, and other things, and under which the women generally keep their mats.

16. Vide Note to Fable 24, p. 56.

17. X is the German ch, and / the cerebral click of the Hottentot language, which is "sounded by sending up the tip of the tongue against the roof of the palate, and withdrawing it forcibly and suddenly."—TINDALL.

18. Hottentot huts being merely made of skins stretched over a frame, are carried about by the people in their wanderings.

19. "We are now angry with the Hare," say the old Naniaqua, "because he brought such a bad message, and therefore we dislike to eat his flesh."—KNUDSEN.

20. Old Namaquas will not therefore touch Hare's flesh; but the young men may partake of it; that is, before the ceremony of making them men is performed, which merely consists in slaughtering and eating an ox or a couple of sheep.—ALEXANDER.

21. Ohlangeni. Vide Colenso's "Zulu-English Dictionary," p. 179.

22. Knudsen, who heard this legend from the Hottentot Petrus Friedrik, was afterwards informed that Heitsi Eibip was not the person meant in this tale. It looks very much like the end of our 27th Fable, of the Woman who outwitted the Elephants.

23. Sir James E. Alexander, in his "Expedition of Discovery into the Interior of Africa," vol. i. p. 166, speaking of the people at Warm Bath, or Msbett Bath, says: "These Namaquas thought that they came from the East. In the country there is occasionally found (besides the common graves covered with a heap of stones) large heaps of stones, on which had been thrown a few bushes; and if the Namaquas are asked what these are, they say that Heitsi Eibip, their Great Father, is below the heap; they do not know what he is like, or what he does; they only imagine that he also came from the East, and had plenty of sheep and goats; and when they add a stone or branch to the heap, they mutter, 'Give us plenty of cattle.'

24. Sir James Alexander, in his "Expedition of Discovery into the Interior of Africa," vol. ii. p. 250, states: "On the 3rd of August the waggon went on to Aneip, or Wet Foot, and I went out of the way with Jan Buys, and two or three men, to see a hole, which was supposed to be inhabited by Heije Eibib, and was the wonder of the country."

25. The is the palatal click, described in Note to Fable 24, p. 55; and indicates the nasal pronunciation of a syllable.

26. The / is the cerebral click described in Note to Fable 27, p. 62.