9781422285909

Interestingly, the first inhabitants of South Africa, the San and Khoekhoe people, lived in relative harmony. The San, who lived in South Africa for nearly 30,000 years, still inhabit their ancestral lands, as do the Khoekhoe, who have been around for 2,000 years. Both groups were hunters and gatherers who led a nomadic lifestyle. The first European to set eyes on South Africa was the Portuguese navigator and sailor Bartholomeu Dias. In February 1488, Dias spotted the southernmost point of Africa, the present-day Cape of Needles. Dias’ eyes then gazed on a rocky second cape, which he named the Cape of Storms, later known as the Cape of Good Hope. The colonial oppression of South Africa began soon after the first Europe- ans arrived. In 1652, the Dutch East India Company founded the first European settlement on the Cape, one that could provide ships traveling to the East Indies with much-needed supplies. Dutch settlers moved to the area where they found the San and Khoekhoe. As the numbers of Dutch settlers increased, they moved slowly inland and colonized new areas for their farms and ranches. They pushed the local Afri- cans out of their homes, taking many as slaves. Most of the Dutch men who arrived in South Africa did not come with wives. Instead, they sought out local women, which resulted in a mixed race of children known as Coloureds. The Coloureds are still considered a distinct race in South Africa. This painting by Charles Davidson Bell (1813–1882) shows the arrival of Dutch settlers in South Africa in 1652.

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CHAPTER ONE: HISTORY, RELIGION, AND TRADITION