HOTTENTOT PLACE-NAMES. 341 



which ill comparatively recent times there is abundant 

 evidence, are of Hottentot origin, there appears to be no serious 

 question. But if the ka is not the Hottentot -xa, what is ity 

 (icniika, which Thompson (p. 153, 1827) spells Glxamka, and 

 Collins (Moodie, " The Eecord," p. 25, Part V.) spells 

 " GhumgJia,'' is mentioned in the " Dagverhaal " of Governor 

 Plettenberg's Journey, 1778, and is rendered " Leeuwen 

 llivier." Traka is mentioned in the same document and is 

 rendered " Vrouwenrivier," while Barrow (I., p. 101, 1801) 

 explains it as meaning " Maiden River " (c/. Ivaf. Intovihi, 

 the name of a river in Pondoland, and of another in the Trans- 

 vaal). Kouka is also mentioned in the same document — " de 

 Kauka of Buft'elsrivier " (here we get I gaoh, a buftalo, again), 

 (c/. Koussie), wdiicli proves that Kouka is not a variant spelling 

 of Coega, as Kingon suggests. 



Thompson ("Travels," p. 155, 1827) speaks of "the 

 Dwtjka or Rhinoceros River," but whether he intends us to 

 understand that " Rhinoceros River " is the translation of 

 Dicyka, or simply the European name, is not clear. Chamika 

 is mentioned by 8parrman (I., p. 304, 1785) as the name of a 

 branch of the Kamanassie River. He says: " Pott-rivier is 

 likewise called Chamika " (probably our Potjes Rivier). The 

 first part of this name, and also of the name Gamka, is the 

 Hottentot word a-auii, a lion ; while the first part of the name 

 Traka is to be referred to the Hottentot word taras, a woman. 

 In each of these names there can be little doubt that the final 

 vsyllable -ka represents the Hottentot word !ah, a river. This 

 is supported by the name Ai-Iah, the Liver-river, in Great 

 Namaqualand. This name occurs in Willem van Reenen's 

 " Journaal " (1792) in the form Eym+Kaap — " De Leever- 

 rivier of Eyn + Kaap." (Molsbergen, " Reizeii in Zuid- 

 Afrika," II., p. 145, queries " Leeverrivier," and suggests 

 that it should read " Leeuwerivier," but van Reenen was 

 right). We then get the word !ah, a river, in a European 

 guise in the name Kei-kap, the " Witch River," to which we 

 have already referred. It appears also in the form gap in 

 Hykaregaj) (Karreehoutrivier) also mentioned in Willem van 

 Reenen's " Journaal " (1792), and in the form koa in the 

 name Kamkoa (the Hottentot name of the Hartebeestrivier), 

 mentioned in Wikar's account of his sojourn among the 

 IN'amaquas 1779 (Molsbergen, II., p. 115). And then finally 

 we get in the form ICa in Wreede's " Hottentot Woorden- 

 lijst " (1707), where it is rendered Dutch, " een rivier," and 

 Latin. " fluvius " ; and /i«. in the river names mentioned 

 above. 



From what has been said above it must not be understood 

 to mean that the Hottentot adjectival -a-a does not occur in our 

 place-names. That would be a mistake, as we think can be 

 made to appear. Referring to the name Coega, wdiicli Sparr- 

 maii (II., p. 17, 1785) spells " Kuga," and Paterson (p. 83, 

 1789) Kow Ch-a, Kingon says : " The only point really at issue 

 is the initial letter, and the correct form must be either Kura, 

 Qura or Xura, with the probabilities on the second, and most 



