Windvogel en Cupido: herkomst en betekenis van Nederlands klinkende Khoisan namen in Zuid-Afrika

Knowing the origin and meaning of surnames contributes to identity finding, currently a hot topic among the Khoisan people in South Africa. Names that sound Dutch appear to have diverse origins, such as a Dutch ancestor, a direct translation into Dutch from the indigenous language, or a slavery origin.

This book also focuses on shared intangible cultural heritage of the Netherlands and South Africa: historical and cultural links of the Coloured community in South Africa with the colonial past of the Netherlands are portrayed. The same applies to the history of slavery in the VOC era, which is inextricably linked to Khoisan history.

This book is in Dutch. It has appeared in the ASCL series 'Occasional Publications', volume 52, and can be purchased on the ASCL online book store.

Author(s) / editor(s)

Bart de Graaff, Miriam Grootscholten

About the author(s) / editor(s)

Bart de Graaff, who passed away in 2024, was a historian and a journalist, and a great expert on Afrikaans-speaking communities in South Africa and Namibia. He was the author of, among others, Ik Yzerbek, Nederlands als poort naar Afrika and Barend Barends, de vergeten kapitein van Danielskuil.

Miriam Grootscholten is a historical literary writer with an interest in colonial travel writing. She has reviewed West and South African fiction and non-fiction. She works as an independent researcher and teacher of Dutch as a second language.

Posted on 1 July 2025, last modified on 18 July 2025