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'Coloured' People of South Africa

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'Coloured' People of South Africa Bertie Neethling Durban University of Technology (DUT) Durban Introduction : Population of South Africa 57 million people (Statistics South Africa 2018) Cohort-component method: base population is estimated being consistent with known demographic characteristics Many prefer being called a ‘South African/a Zulu speaking South African/an English speaking South African’ Government uses 4 categories: Black (African), Coloured, White, Indian/Asian – smaller groups not recognised Black (African) 80,5%, Coloured 8,8%, White 8,3% Indian/Asian: much smaller Coloured: nearly 5 million History of the so-called Coloureds History of multicultural and multilingual SA is complex Controversy: First People in south around Cape Town before colonialism First World people: hunter-gatherers roaming around – San and Khoi Dutch explorers – VOIC – Jan van Riebeeck (1652) Slaves imported: Batavia, Madagascar, Indonesia, India, Angola, Mozambique Combination and interaction: Khoi and San, Dutch white settlers, slave groups, finally British colonialists Mixed group (mainly excluding Khoi, San and Dutch: Coloureds Lack of accurate historical data and suitable ethnic term Present-day Coloureds Cape Coloureds – bilingual –Afrikaans/English Term ‘Coloured’ i.e. ‘person of colour’ (Afr. ‘Kleurling’) – nonsensical term 2008 ‘Bruin Belange Inisiatief’ – Dr. Danny Titus Term ‘Coloured’/’Kleurling’ fixed – ethnic group of mixed descent – various combinations - confusion No accurate ancestry Names from students, newspaper, school photo’s, random reports of groups or individuals – post1994 Identity Challenges June 1926: ‘Can any man commit a greater crime than be born Coloured in South Africa? – RDM If assigned to this group, specific lifestyles were invented, bonding into a community – considered problematic 2009 I’m not Black, I’m Coloured – Identity crisis at the Cape of Good Hope (Monde World Films) Song: …the only sin, is the colour of my skin. ‘We don’t know who we are, and where we come from’ Lindsay Johns (2013): ‘Say it loud! I’m Coloured and proud! – Cape Argus Naming Practices Current first name practices among Coloureds: innovative, unconventional, unique Similarities between first names in the USA (Afro- Americans) and Coloureds in SA Same difficulties and uncertainties regarding exact heritage and origin – slavery USA athletes at Olympic Games – unusual names Zax: ‘onomastic inventiveness’ – ‘bucking’ common names (2008) – ‘…a special name, makes you a special person’ Invented/Unique/Unusual First Names Finite anthroponymic data base – repetition – generation to generation – Afrikaans English – common names – often repeated Xhosa : semantically transparent – positive –repeated Coloureds: no etymology/unusual form and spelling/pronunciation Convention : naming after birth – ensure that name does not exist – lends towards English even if last name is Afrikaans > self-identity Coloureds at forefront of ‘creative naming’ in South Africa Random list – male and female names - handout Link between Name and Identity Sherene: ‘My name plays an important role in my identity, because a good name defines who you are and how people see you’ Leorah: ‘My name defines who I am, strong and compassionate’ Elarna: ’My name is a reflection of my uniqueness and I consider myself to be really unique’ Cheriece: ‘To a large extent, because my spelling of my name is unique just like my personality. Very different and original, true to my identity’ Fredeline: ‘I am as unique as my name and hence see my name as reflecting my personality’ (translated from Afrikaans) Seronda: ‘A name says a lot about who you are; what kind of a person you are’ Fredine: ‘My name is my identity. It is the name that was given to me, and I am happy with it’ Surnames/Last names Some surnames linked to Coloured ethnicity, e.g. month names January, February, April, July/Julies, Augustus, September etc. linked to month of slave arrival - served as family name Surnames : Dutch ancestry, notably for Afrikaans speaking Coloureds: Witbooi, Rondganger, Jantjies, Kiewiet(s), Willems, Fransman, Stoffels, Fortuin, Moses, Baartman, Tiemie, Jafta, Grootboom, Gysman, Ferris, Stuurman, Leeuw, Draai, Adonis, Vaaltyn, Ruiters, Papier, Speelman – many others Embrose Papier – talented rugby player Tashwill Papier – qualified judge animal names : Kiewiet(s) – small bird; Olifant (= elephant) Conclusion Trend of innovative anthropology likely to continue Theme: Reconstructural Separate ethnic grouping, Afrikaans or English Term ‘Coloured/Kleurling’ – likely to persist – nonsensical onomastic term – engrained in SA society – more so than ‘brown/bruin’ Innovative first names: step to counter unhappiness.
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