Cape Town Museum

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uZwarte Maria Evert

Lanita van Niekerk

Umnini wokuqala weCamps Bay (1663 - 1713)

Abazali bakaZwarte Maria Evert bazalelwa eBenin baza basiwa eKapa njengamakhoboka. Kwilizwe labo lokuzalwa kwakukho ibali elingebutho labasetyhini elalisaziwa njengabaPhumi-mkhosi base-Amazon eDahomey. Yayililifa uMaria awaliphilayo njengoko ekhula ukusuka ebuntwaneni esiba ngumfama odumileyo nosomashishinikazi. Wayebachasile abantu abangamakholoniyali ababelawulwa ngamadoda aseYurophu kodwa wabhubha engowasetyhini owayesesiya singawothiyo umlilo isinhanha kwaye ehlonitshiwe. Wayengumini wokuqala wetayitile yomhlaba wefama eyathi kamva yaba yiCamps Bay.

UZwarte Maria Everts wazalelwa eCape of Good Hope ngo-1663 ezalwa ngu-Anna van (wase) Guinea, okwaziwa ngegama lakhe leenkobe lase-Afrika uHoena, kwanomasihlalisane wakhe u-Evert van (wase) Guinea.

U-Evert no-Anna van Guinea, bafika eCape of Good Hope ngoMeyi 1658 beyinxalenye yeqela lamakhoboka angama-220 awathathwa ePopo (eBenin) yinqanawa yamakhoboka iHasselt. Bona kunye noKoddo van Guinea, uMaria van Guinea, u-Oude Hans van Guinea, uJajenne van Guinea, u-Adouke van Guinea, uDeuxsous van Guinea, uDirk van Guinea kwanoRegina van Rapenberg van Guinea bathengwa nguJan Van Riebeeck. Ngelilixa wayesebenzela uVan Riebeeck, u-Anna wazala unyana kunye noDirk van Guinea ngo-1660.

Kamva u-Anna wathengiselwa uHendrick Hendricksz Boom nguVan Riebeeck ukulinikela kwakhe umva iKapa ngo-1662 waphinda wathengiswa kwakhona ngo-1665 ethengiselwa uMatthijs Coeijmans, ekunye nentwazana yakhe uZwarte Maria. Ngelilixa wayephantsi kobunini bukaBoom, u-Anna wayezele uZwarte Maria Evert. Ngeli xesha u-Anna waqalisa ukuthandana no-Evert kwaze kwathi ngo-1671 u-Anna nentwazana yakhe uZwarte Maria bafumana inkululeko. Mhlawumbi yaba ngu-Evert owabathengayo kumnini wabo owayelishiya iKapa. Ukususela kweli xesha u-Evert no-Anna bahlalisana.

AmaKhoboka aKhululekileyo

U-Evert akazange afumane ubunzima ebomini njengo-Anna nentombi yakhe. Yena wayinikwa inkululeko ngo-1659 (esophulelwa), nguVan Riebeeck, yaye kuyaphawuleka ngokwasezimbalini ukuba waba yindoda yokuqala ngqa elikhoboka ukuba ikhululeke. Wawongwa ngokwaphulelwa ngenxa yokunceda kwakhe uVan Riebeeck ekulawuleni amanye amakhoboka aseNtshona Afrika awayesebenzisa naliphina ithuba lokubhungca. Inkcazelo yakhe yanceda ekubanjweni kwakhona kwabo babebhungcile. Ngenxa yoko wenziwa ukhala nangona ngokwanamhlanje wayenokugqalwa njengempimpi.

Amakhoboka akhululekileyo aba yinxalenye yengxelo yabantu 'abaNtsundu abaKhululekileyo', ababequka nabafiki bebala abafana namajoni angamaMerdijker asuka kwiziqithi ezifana ne-Ambon kuMzantsi Mpuma Asiya, okanye oomatiloshe, abarhwebi kwanabahambi.

Kamva ngo-1669 u-Evert van Guinea wanikwa isiqwenga somhlaba yiNkumanda uJacob Borghorst kufuphi nesitrato iRoeland Street neTuynhuys, apho wayehlala khona kwaye elimela imarike, elima iziqhamo nemifuno. Yayisisiqwenga esikhudlwana noko kumbindi weKapa abe namanzi ekufutshane kakhulu. Kamva wasandisa esi siqwenga ngokuthenga isiqwenga somhlaba esasimelene nomhlaba wakhe kuHendrik Evertsz Schmidt ngo-1678. Kamva ebomini, lo ka-Evert wafudukela eStellenbosch esiba nguvulindlela wokuqala wamafama aNtsundu aKhululekileyo, eseka ifama iWelgelegen. U-Anna wabhubha ngo-1684 waza u-Evert yena wabhubha ngo-1688.

UZwarte Maria, owayebizwa njalo ngenxa yebala lolusu lwakhe elimnyama thsu, wazalelwa ebukhobokeni kwiNqaba ide Goede Hoop waze wathengiswa kunye nonina, nguBoom, bethengiselwa umnini wabo olandelayo uCoeijmans. Inkululeko yabo yathengwa ngu-Evert van Guinea kwabakwaCoeijmans. Xa wayeneminyaka eli-13 ubudala ngo-1676 wabhaptizwa ekunye nonina, ibe uZwarte Maria Evert waqhubela phambili. Ekubeni wayesebukhobokeni ubomi bakhe bonke, wayesele esebenza nzima xa wayencedisa kwisitiya semarike. Wayebukele u-Evert waze wafunda ukulima. Ukuba ngusomashishini ozimeleyo kwakhe kwavela ngokuthengisela u-Evert imveliso yesitiya semarike. U-Evert wamfundisa indlela yokwenza izivumelwano kwanendlela angawufumana ngayo umhlaba. Ngenxa yoku waba nobuchule boshishino waze waqalisa ukutyal' imali kumhlaba.

Ikhaya lakwa-Everts lalineengxwabangxwaba kwaye lalisaziwa ngemilo. Ngaphandle kwabantwana abangabaka-Anna babekhulisa nabanye abantwana ababini ababekhulele ebukhobokeni. Bonke abasetyhini kweli khaya babesoloko besenkathazweni nabomthetho. U-Evert, nangona wayenempumelelo njengomlimi wesitiya semarike wayebonakala ukuba usoloko eboleka iimali, awayesithi azityale ngobulumko kumhlaba. Kodwa ezi mali-mboleko zakhe zazingade zihlawulwe. Mhlawumbi yaba ngu-Evert van Guinea owanceda uZwarte Maria okokuqala kumashishini akhe. Kodwa yayingamsithelanga nento yokuba ufanele ahambele kude kusapho lwakhe, nengxwabangxwa ekumzi ka-Evert kumbindi wedolophu.

USomashishini omKhulu waseTyhini

UZwarte Maria wayengumntu wabantu, enobuchule kwaye ekwazi ukuthimb' iingqondo zabantu yaye njengabo bonke abasetyhini ababengamakhoboka okanye abazalelwa ebukhobokeni wazama ukuxhakamfula amathuba amahle waze wawasebenzisa ngelizama ukuziqelelanisa nobomi awayebuphila ngaphambili njengekhoboka. Xa wayene-16 watshatela kumntu oNtsundu oKhululekileyo, wase-Angola owayesakuba likhoboka ogama linguJackie Joy van Angola (okwaziwa ngelikaGracias van Angola). Yaba kokokuqala ngqa eKapa ukuba abemi ababini baseNtshona Afrika bazimanye ngeqhina lomtshato ecaweni. Lo yaba kuphela komtshato wakhe osemthethweni.

Unyaka ka-1679 waba ngunyaka wezivondoviya. Yaba ngunyaka awabanjwa ngawo ngenxa yokunika ikhoboka elibalekileyo ikhusi (waze wagwetywa iinyanga ezintandathu esebenza nzima) kwanonyaka awatshatela ngawo koyena mntu onenkathazo kakhulu waseKapa. Lo ayizange ibe ngumtshato wexesha elide kuba esi sibini sohlukana ngokusemthethweni ngoJulayi 1680 emva kokuba uJacky Joy etyhole uZwarte Maria ngokuzama ukumdlisa. UMnu Joy wayedibene nentanga yakhe apha. Zezi zilingo ke ezenza izinto zaguquka kuZwarte Maria kangangeminyaka engama-33 eyalandelayo.

UZwarte Maria waba ngomnye wamafama amakhulu ekungeni kwenkulungwane ye-17 neye-18 esiba ngumnini weefama eziliqela eKapa nakunxweme. Impumelelo yakhe yayingenambaliso. Wayetyala izidiliya, imithi yeziqhamo, ingqolowa, umbona yaye efuye neenkomo kwaneegusha. Ngo-1713, ngaphambi kokubhubha ngaphambi kwexesha, uMaria wafumana itayitile yomhlaba yokuqala kwi-United Dutch East India Company yefama ekulo mmandla. Isiqwengana somhlaba esiphakathi kweNtaba yeTafile neLions Head, sihle njalo siye elwandle. Lo mhlaba kamva waziwa ngokuba yiCamps Bay.

Kanye kwincopho yempumelelo yakhe umfo wasemaNgesini owayetyelele uSamuel Briercliffe owadibana noZwarte Maria Evert oliqhakraqhakra wamchaza ngolu hlobo;

“Ngowasetyhini osukiley' egadeni, umdaka ongeva nasepha, onamehlo aqaqambileyo awothusayo, kodwa anganobungozi kakhulu ebusweni beNgesi loo mehlo, ukanti ungumamkeli zindwendwe onesandl' esishushu, uye wayindlezana esinika yonk' into ngobuninzi kwaye ecocekile ...”

Kwekhu madoda, le ntlanganiso yayingaphambi nje ngokuba abe lixhoba likabhubhani omkhulu werhashalala ngo-1713. Inqanawa yamaDanish ekwaqhambuka kuyo irhashalala yema eTable Bay. Izinto zabo zokulala ezimdaka bazinika abasetyhini abangamakhoboka ahlamb' iimpahla, awayezihlamba emlanjeni. Ukususela apho loo bhubhani ugqugqisayo wanwenwela kuyo yonke ikoloni nangentla kuNxweme oluseNtshona. Imizimba yabantu eyayibalwa yayisanda mihla le. UMaria wabhubha ngoJuni 1713 emveni kokutyikitya umyolelo wakhe ngomhla wesi-8 kuJuni 1713. Unyana wakhe uJacobus, oyise wakhe onguWillem ten Damme waseleka naye ebulawa ngulo bhubhani kwiiveki ezimbini kamva. Washiya ilifa elikhulu njengoko wayengomnye wabantu ababezizinhanha kule koloni.

Ngokweengxelo kuthiwa uMaria wayethandana nabantu abaliqela ukususela kwiminyaka yakhe yokufikisa, njengabo bonke abasetyhini ababekumzi ka-Evert van Guinea. NguJackie Joy kuphela awatshatela kuye, kodwa wakhe wancuma nomfo ogama linguKraak, uWillem ten Damme, kwanoBastiaan Colyn. Walizwa ngabantwana abane nalo mfo usekugqibeleni, umntwana omnye kuWillem ten Damme nomntwana omnye kuKraak, mhlawumbi nomntwana omnye kuJacky Joy. Unyana kaMaria Everts, uJohannes Colijn, waqhubeka esiba ngumdidiyeli womdiliya omfaxangiweyo obalaseleyo kwifama eseGroot Constantia. Waba ngomnye wabantu bokuqala ukuthumela umdiliya omfaxangiweyo waseKapa ngaphandle kulo lonke ihlabathi. Esi yaba sisiqalo sokuba umdiliya omfaxangiweyo waseKapa ube nefuthe kwiimarike zamazwe ngamazwe phantse iminyaka eli-150 ebudeni benkulungwane ye-18 neye-19.

Ngo-2003 xa kwakuvulwa iZiko leeNdibano zamaZwe ngamaZwe laseKapa, uMongameli uThabo Mbeki walihlonipha igalelo lokuba nguvulindlela nokuba nengqondo ebukhali kukaZwarte Maria Evert waza wathi: “Olu luloyiso lwenzala yamakhoboka aweza kweli esematyathangeni ukanti aba yimizekelo, esiyifunayo ngoku ekuguquleni nasekuvuseleleni ilizwekazi lethu le-Afrika.”