ǃKweiten-ta-ǁKen

ǃKweiten-ta-ǁKen (/ˈkweɪtən tə ˈkɛn/ KWAY-tən tə KEN; name derived from an unknown language local to the Katkop Mountains) (also known as Rachel or Griet) was a noted ǀXam (San) chronicler of ǀXam culture and knowledge. She played an important role in contributing to the Bleek and Lloyd archive of "Specimens of Bushman Folklore" providing a female perspective on the life, rituals, and beliefs of |Xam society. She was the primary source on ǀXam folklore, customs, and coming-of-age rites. She travelled to the Cape in June 1874 with her family and stayed until January 1875 during which she was interviewed by Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd.^[1] She was from the Katkop mountains north west of Brandvlei in what is today South Africa.^[2]

A photograph of ǃKweiten-ta ǁKen when she was in Mowbray in 1874–5.

References

1. Bank, Andrew (2006). Bushmen in a Victorian World: The Remarkable Story of the Bleek-Lloyd Collection of Bushmen Folklore. Juta and Company Ltd. ISBN 9781770130913. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
2. Skotnes, Pippa (1996). MISCAST MISCAST Negotiating the Presence of the Bushmen (PDF). University of Cape Town Press. ISBN 0-7992-1652-6.

External links

• Bleek and Lloyd Archive online
  • authors: ǃKweiten ta ǁKen (Rachel) (VI)