Have you ever noticed when you are reading or hearing these following place names KNYSNA; PRIESKA; GOUDA; KOUGA; KOMMADAGGA; GAMTOOS; KAROO what Language is this?
Well this is the Language of the First Nations People of Southern Africa ( KhoiKhoi). KhoiKhoi is also known as the Nama/Damara Language or KhoeKhoeGowab. Even many words we hear in our Country are KhoiKhoi words.
NAI; AITSA; ABBA; KWAGGA; KAMMA; GOGGA; EINA. We tend to forget that even South Africa has its KhoiKhoi name: !NAREMÂB and also Cape Town's name is ||HÚI !GAES which means: " Where the clouds gather" & even Table Mountain: HURI #OAXA meaning: " where the sea rises up ".
Whenever we are in Government institutions we see our whole Coat of Arms is related to the Khoi....the slogan !KE E: |XARRA ||KE means "Unity in Diversity " plus each symbol means the following
Sun - knowledge
Bird - protection
Protea - national flower
Spear/knobkierie - defence/ peace
Shield/Human figure - Unity & First Nations People
Elephant tusks - wisdom
Wheat - food/ fertility
As we also know in African Diaspora; each nation has its tribes: indeed the Khoi has its own and the following are a few examples of them:
Namaqua - Nama People
Outeniqua - People who carry honey
Hessaqua - People of the trees
Inqua - Cambedoo area in the Eastern Cape's Khoi tribe
Cochoqua - People with Narrow Cheekbones ( predominantly in the Cape Winelands)
Tankwa - Place of the People of the land where the fire gets ignited
Ammaqua- People of Water ( West Coast)
Also the traditional ! KHARA-OMS or Matjieshuis is the Khoi's Ancestral First Nations traditional knowledge; which sees mats made of reed woven together and assembled; which was done thousands of years ago.
This is indeed the Khoi People who we tend to forget about or erase.
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