Who Are the Khoikhoi?
The Khoikhoi (meaning "people of people" or "real people") are the indigenous pastoralist people of southern Africa, closely related to the San hunter-gatherers. Together they form the Khoisan peoples, among humanity's most ancient populations. The Khoikhoi were the first people encountered by European colonizers at the Cape of Good Hope in the 15th century. Colonial violence, disease, and dispossession nearly destroyed them, but descendants today work to revive their language and cultural identity.
Pastoralist Origins
The Khoikhoi acquired cattle and sheep approximately 2,000 years ago, likely through contact with Bantu-speaking peoples migrating southward. This pastoral lifestyle distinguished them from their San relatives who remained hunter-gatherers. Khoikhoi society organized around cattle ownershipâwealth, status, and social relationships all centered on herds. They moved seasonally between pastures, living in portable mat-covered dome huts (matjieshuis). When Europeans arrived, they encountered prosperous herders whose cattle they would soon covet and steal.
Click Languages
Khoikhoi languages belong to the Khoe family, featuring the click consonants characteristic of Khoisan languages. Nama, spoken by approximately 250,000 people in Namibia and South Africa, is the most vital surviving Khoikhoi language. Other varieties like Cape Khoi became extinct during colonization. The clicksâproduced by creating suction with the tongue against different parts of the mouthârepresent ancient linguistic features. Efforts to teach Khoikhoi languages in schools and document remaining speakers accelerate as elders age.
Colonial Destruction
Dutch colonizers arriving in 1652 initially traded with the Khoikhoi but soon began seizing cattle and land. Resistance was met with military force. Smallpox epidemics in 1713 and 1755 killed the majority of Khoikhoi near the Cape. Survivors were forced into labor on colonial farms, losing language, culture, and identity over generations. The derogatory term "Hottentot" was applied to them by colonizers. By the 19th century, distinct Khoikhoi communities had largely disappeared into the mixed-race "Coloured" population category imposed by apartheid classification.
Revival and Recognition
Post-apartheid South Africa has seen Khoikhoi identity revival. Descendants organize to reclaim heritage, learn ancestral languages, and seek recognition of indigenous rights. The South African constitution now recognizes Khoisan peoples, though implementation remains incomplete. Land claims seek restoration of ancestral territories. Cultural festivals celebrate Khoikhoi heritage. The struggle continues for official language recognition, traditional leadership acknowledgment, and meaningful consultation on development affecting ancestral lands.
References
- Elphick, R. (1985). Khoikhoi and the Founding of White South Africa
- Penn, N. (2005). The Forgotten Frontier: Colonist and Khoisan on the Cape's Northern Frontier
- Besten, M. (2011). The Khoekhoe Identities at the Cape