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Photo, Print, Drawing Khoi Arrows; Sketches of Farm Servants.

About this Item

Title

  • Khoi Arrows; Sketches of Farm Servants.

Summary

  • These sketches are from a set of 27 drawings on 15 sheets that was discovered in the National Library of South Africa in 1986. The drawings are important for presenting the earliest realistic depictions of the Khoikhoi, the original inhabitants of the Western Cape. Shown here are weapons used by the Khoi. The accompanying text, in Dutch, remarks on the smoothness and sharpness of the arrows and indicates the varieties of wood used by the Khoi to make the bows. Also shown is an assegai, a long spear that is thrown. The remaining sketches show Khoi farm laborers wearing old European working clothes and special shoes made of raw leather that were well adapted to the scorching African sands. Much information about the Khoikhoi is available from early European accounts, but few illustrations exist. The drawings in the collection were made in situ and, unlike most early European depictions of the Khoikhoi, were never filtered through the eyes of European engravers. The artist most likely was a Dutchman, born in the 17th century, who was attached in some capacity to the Dutch East India Company and possibly en route to the Dutch East Indies or on his way back to the Netherlands when he visited the Cape. Evidence suggests that the drawings were made no later than 1713, and possibly a good deal earlier. Most of the drawings have annotations, made by another person, also unidentified, after 1730.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1700 to 1740]

Headings

  • -  South Africa--Western Cape
  • -  1700 to 1740
  • -  Bow and arrow
  • -  Cape of Good Hope
  • -  Clothing and dress
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Khoikhoi (African people)
  • -  Laborers

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Presented as Plate 19 in The Khoikhoi at the Cape of Good Hope: Seventeenth-century drawings in the South African Library / text by Andrew B. Smith, from which this description is adapted. On verso of Khoi dancers and musical instruments (INIL 6261); number 6261v of a set: INIL 6250-6264."--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 drawing : pen and sepia ink on paper ; 16 x 20 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of South Africa.
  • -  Content in Dutch.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • The Khoikhoi at the Cape of Good Hope

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670556

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Khoi Arrows; Sketches of Farm Servants. Western Cape South Africa, 1700. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1740] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670556/.

APA citation style:

(1700) Khoi Arrows; Sketches of Farm Servants. Western Cape South Africa, 1700. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1740] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670556/.

MLA citation style:

Khoi Arrows; Sketches of Farm Servants. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1740] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670556/>.