338 IIOTTENI'OT PLACE-XAMES. 



II. — Corrupted Hottentot Place-names. 



(a) Hottentot place-names that liave been corrupted are 

 numerous, so corrupted in some instances as to be apparently 

 beyond recovery. Indeed, had there been collusion on the 

 part of early travellers, authors and others to mystify students 

 of later years, they could hardly have succeeded better than they 

 Iiave done. For instance, the name which now appears on 

 the map and elsewhere as Trekkentouw, a river of the George 

 district, C.P., has been given many different fonns of name 

 by various authors, some of whom gave more than one form. 

 They are as follows : — 



1795, Thunberg, " Travels," I., p. 183, Krahalwu; 1796, 

 Le Vaillant, " Travels," I., p. 173, KraUede-Kau; 1805, 

 Semple, "Walks and Sketches," p. 154, Traqua de Cou; 

 1809, Collins, Moodie "Record," V., p. 29, Trakete Komc; 

 1812, Lichtenstein, "Travels," I., p. 193, Krakadakouiv; 

 map, Trahadakoiiw; 1818, Latrobe, "Journal," p. 152. 

 Trekata 'Koiv; 1827, Thompson, "Travels," p. 6, Traka-da- 

 Touw; map, Trokvdiku; 1835, Moodie, " Ten Years in South 

 Africa," II., p. 9, Trakant, 'Kaic; ]837, " Government Ordin- 

 ance," No. 12, Trek-aan-de-Touiv; 1844, Backhouse, " Narra- 

 tive," p. 130, Trakadataow; 1919, present form, Trekeafoti- 

 tow, or Trekkentouw. 



The Government attempt is a pretty piece of folk- 

 etymology. This, though an exceptional case, will suffice to 

 show something of the puzzles and problems that confront the 

 student in his endeavours to ascertain the original form and 

 meaning of a corrupted Hottentot place-name. This name is 

 said to mean, in its original form, " The Maiden's Ford," 

 which would suggest that the former T)art of the name is to 

 be referred to Hottentot taras, a woman; and the latter part to 

 daoh, a way or path. 



Other place-names of this class may be discussed : 

 Aufjhrahies and Hantam, were dealt with in my paper 

 at the last meeting of the Association, and may be 

 referred to in the Journal, vol. xvi., p. 439 (1919-20). 

 Eikhams is the form which the Hottentot name I Ai-I I gams 

 (Hot. lais, fire; 1 1 garni, water), applied to both Warmbad and 

 Windhoek, has now assumed. Garies (Hot. Igarieh, couch- 

 grass, or kweek), the place of couch-grass, it is in Little Nama- 

 qualand ; there is also a IGaris, with the same meaning in 

 Great Namaqualand. Koussie, now the Buff els Rivier. in 

 Little Namaqualand, and at one time the border of the Colony 

 in that direction, is the present form of the Hottentot I Gaosih 

 (Igaoh, a buffalo or wildebeest). In each of these cases the 

 difficulty appears to have been the clicks. Sirakop is the form 

 of the Hottentot Tsoa-.Tonh Usoa, a hole; .roiih, excrement, of 

 men and birds). The latter part of the name appears in 

 another Namaqualand place-name, Ani-a'o%ih (Hot. anih, 

 a bird, .xotth, excrement), but it lias been assimilated to the 

 Dutch kop. Another instance of assimilation to this Dutch 

 word is afforded by the name of a place not far from Postmas- 



