Krotoa
| Krotoa | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Krotoa |
| Born | c. 1643 |
| Died | 29 July 1674 (aged 31–32) |
| Other names | Eva van Meerhof |
| Spouse(s) | Pieter van Meerhof |
Krotoa, or Eva (c. 1643 – 29 July 1674) was a Khoi woman who served as a translator for the Dutch during the founding of the Cape Colony. She is noted as one of the most written about women in South African history, with her name appearing in the journals of the Dutch East India company from as early as 1652.
Krotoa was born in 1643 as a member of the Goringhaicona (Strandlopers) tribe, and the niece of Autshumao, a Khoi leader and trader. At the age of 12 she would be taken in to work 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. Unlike her uncle however, Krotoa was able to obtain a higher position within Dutch hierarchy as she additionally served as a trading agent, ambassador for a high ranking chief and peace negotiator in time of war. Her story exemplifies the initial dependency of the Dutch newcomers on the natives who were able to provide reasonably reliable information about the local inhabitants. It is important to note that she was later married to a Dutch settler called Pieter Van Meerhorff. Her and Meerhorff would then have three children of a mixed race.
The Dutch’s initial arrival in April 1652 was not unilaterally viewed as negative. Many Khoe people saw the Dutch’s arrival as an opportunity for personal gain as middle men in the livestock trade; others saw them as potential allies against preexisting enemies. At the peak of Krotoa’s career as an interpreter, she held the belief that the Dutch presence could reap benefits on both sides.
There are multiple accounts of how Krotoa came to work under the household of Jan Van Riebeeck. One account paints the story of how the Dutch forcefully kidnapped the child Krotoa, however no hard evidence confirms this account. Krotoa was taken in as a companion and as a servant to Riebeeck's wife and children. However, many authors and historians speculate that she most likely lived in an incestuous space, based on the fondness Van Riebeek presented towards her in his journals. Circumstantial evidences supports the theory that at the time of the Dutch arrival, Krotoa lived with her uncle Autshumato (also known as Harry by the Dutch). The circumstantial evidence being that Krotoa showed consistent hostility to the Goringhaiqua clan and by associated to her own mother, who lived with them. In contrast Krotoa’s fate and fortunes were closely aligned to those of her uncle Autshumato and to his clan known as the Goringhaicona. The Goringhaicona people who were sedentary, non-pastoral hunter-gathers are believed to be one of the first clans to make acquaintances with the Dutch people. Prior to the Dutch’s arrival Autshumato served as a postal agent for passing ships of a number of countries. If the theory of Krotoa lived with her uncle is true, then Krotoa’s early service of to the Dutch may have not as been as violent of a transition as made out to be.
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