SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY: Autshumato translator and first Postmaster of The Cape of Good Hope
This article covers the period from 1631 to 1663 in the Cape of Good Hope.
Autshumato was a leader of the Gorinhaikonas Khoikhoi tribe who lived in the Cape of Good Hope in the time of Jan van Riebeeck’s settlement in 1652. Except for his Khoi language, he could also speak English, Dutch, French and Portuguese.
To establish a relationship between the Khoi tribes of the Cape and the Europeans, the English took Autshumato to Batavia in 1631 where he learned the English language and customs.
They also gave him the name Harry. A year later he was brought back to the Cape where he acted as a liaison between the Khoi and the European sailors. In that same year Autshumato picked up conflict with the other Khoi tribes, and he asked a passing English ship to relocate him and his 20 followers to Robben Island, which they did. During the time on Robben Island, Autshumato act as Postmaster and Liaison for the European ships. In this period he also learned Dutch, French and Portuguese. Eight years later in 1640 he moved back to the mainland when the threat from the other Khoi tribes was over.
On 6 April 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck landed with his settlement in Table Bay, Autshumato was the first indigenous person he met on the beach.
Because Autshumato tribe stayed near to the beach to avoid conflict with the other tribes, the Dutch called them “Strandlopers” (Beach walkers), hence the name Harry the Strandloper in Jan van Riebeeck’s journals. Autshumato assisted the settlers and provided valuable service in acting as a translator to the Khoi tribes to trade cattle which Van Riebeeck needed for the ships.
In October 1653 a difference broke out between Autshumato and a cattle herder of Van Riebeeck – David Jansz. Autshumato killed him and took the cattle.
He was caught by the Dutch and accused of murder for which he was sentenced to death. Only with the intervention of his niece Krotoa who lived among the Dutch, was his penalty changed to imprisonment on Robben Island. Two years later in 1655 he was released and reinstated in his original position as liaison.
By this time Autshumato understood the European system of trade and how to manipulated it.
When negotiating for cattle on behalf of the Van Riebeeck, he made sure the company's payment covered the cattle he bought for himself. He became a wealthy man in the Cape.
A Khoi resistance was triggered with the first “Vry Burger” farms and slaves from Malaysia and Madagascar in 1657. Van Riebeeck was forced to set-up defence structures and to push the Khoi further away from the settlement. When some of the slaves escape, he used Autshumato as a hostage to motivate the Khoi tribes to capture the slaves.
Van Riebeeck's plan brought little success and in 1658 Autshumato was again exiled to Robben Island.
He eventually succeeded to escape in leaking row boat. Until date, he was the only person who ever managed to escape from Robben Island as a prisoner. Instead of being arrested, Van Riebeeck reinstated him in his old position.
A year after Van Riebeeck left the Cape for Batavia, Autshumato died in 1663.
In 1713 it was reported by Francois Valentyn that the Gorinhaikonas tribe disappeared from the Cape. He attributed this to the smallpox epidemic of 1713.
Sources:
https://books.google.co.za/books?id=nR2d1iJo6_UC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Autshumato&source=bl&ots=jHfvh_4hJc&sig=RVXnGswpgUXqxFjaJv_Szln_5Qw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLmOHxjLfQAhVLWhoKHWb1C-E4ChDoAQgYMAA#v=onepage&q=Autshumato&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autshumato
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/autshumao-aka-herry
https://www.geni.com/people/Autshumato-Chief-of-Goringhaicona/6000000015468980004