314 ABORIGINES OF EASTERN PROVINCE. 



numbers. He said they were " the most f'orR^ard to adopt 

 improvements, thus appearing- superior to the native Kaffir." 



The decline of the Gonaqua commenced early in the 

 eig-hteenth century, when confronted by the iiTesistible Kaffirs, 

 but the loss of their independence dates only from the year 

 1778, when Governor van Plettenberg- extended the boundary 

 of the Colony to the Great Fish Eiver. Before that time, all 

 native tribes east of the Gamtoos enjoyed i>erfect freedom. 

 Tlie failure of these eastern Hottentots to cope with the 

 advancing- hordes of Kaffir invaders is in striking' contrast with 

 the rise of Hottentot power in South-West Africa about the 

 middle of last century. It is probable, however, that the racial 

 elements concerned were considerably dijfferent. Their collapse, 

 in the Eastern Province may be partly attributed to inferior 

 philoprogenitiveness. Whilst the Bantu were extraordinarily 

 prolific, the Hottentots were quite the reverse. Le Vaillant 

 commented on the tact that " a Hottentot is seldom or never 

 the father of six children." 



We have seen that historical records prove the occurrence 

 of Gonaqua tribes on the coast of the Eastern Province for 

 more than a century. It is also very probable that these same 

 people were the recent strandloopers of our coast. The 

 evidence is mainly furnished by the statements of present-day 

 Kaffirs. In the native location at Port Alfred, and elsewhere 

 along" the coast, there are still to be found people who call 

 themselves " Gona Kaffirs." They are generally reg-arded 

 merely as cross-breeds between Kaffirs and Hottentots, but 

 most probably include remnants of the original Gonaqua race. 

 It is these Gona Kaffirs who are specially fond of a shell-fish 

 diet. According' to information received from Mr. E. Jordan, 

 who carefully cjuestioned an intellig-ent Gona on this point, 

 all the Goua Kaffirs eat shell-fish, reg-arding- it as their natural 

 food. On another occasion, the same gentleman submitted a 

 specimen of earthenware found near a shell-mound at Port 

 Alfred for identification by natives in Grahamstown. The 

 reply was: " The (jonaquas made tliese pots, baas." I have 

 examined the pottery in question, and find it to be typical 

 strandlooper as described by Dr. Peringuey. 



If we assume, as most writers do, that tlie earliest 

 inhabitants of this reg-ion were Bushmen, with littoral repre- 

 sentatives akin to the western strandloopers, and that the 

 Hottentots* came as invaders from the west (or from tlie north- 

 west), it may well be that considerable sections of Bushman 

 or true strandlooper stock became incori^orated in the Gonaqua 

 tribes at an early date. This would explain the close 



* It is generally believed that Hottentots are comparatively recent 

 immigrants in South Africa. Theal tells lis that they preceded the 

 earliest Portuguese explorers by not more than two or three centuries. 

 This assertion is based on Koranna tradition collected at Pniel by the 

 Rev. Kallenberg, but is not adequately supported from other Hottentot 

 sources, nor even by the Koranna tradition recorded by Arbousset. 

 The estimate should not be taken too seriously, although no doubt the 

 pastoral Hottentots were the latest of successive waves of yellow-skinned 

 invaders. 



