SOMI': I'LACIC-XAAll-.S ( )I^^ TSOlA). 



liy l\e\-. John 1\()Iii-:rt Li:wis Kincon, M.A., F.L.S. 



. \. . 1 ' R l-;i. 1 iM I X A K N- C"( ) N S 1 1)1-: RAT l( ) N S. 



The District of Tsolo is centrally situated in the Transkeiau 

 Territories. If for no reason other than that of its insulation 

 from Etn-opean intluences. it is fitting that the first attempt at a 

 study of Transkeian i)lace-p.aines shotdd cover this district. In 

 the main the district is jteopled hy the Pondomisi tribe, who have 

 as yet made little advance out of heathenism. At the same time, 

 it must l)e remembered that at one time it was the Government 

 policy to introduce small comnumities of other tribes, so as to 

 divide up peoples who might be warlike — and in this way, after 

 the Pondomisi rebellion of 1879, small groups of Tembus and 

 Fingoes were settled strategically in Tsolo District. It must also 

 be borne in mind that the original inhabitants were Bushmen and 

 Hottentots, and many place-names were handed down from these 

 peo])le to those who subsequently entered the country. 



Traces of the Bushmen are still to be found in the shape of 

 implements, and even one or two very small communities. In 

 the Kambi Forest Mr. \'iedge found a place s<jme few years ago, 

 where the Bushmen had been extracting iron ore and working 

 it so as to sup])ly the neighl)ouring natives with assegai heads. 



L'ertain implements found at the si)ot were taken to Germany, 

 and experts there confirmed the view that they had been used 

 in the working of iron. A])art from these, flint im])lements are 

 still to be found, and Bushmen paintings at Ntywenka, St. Atigus- 

 tines, and Gqaqala. The natives call these ])aintings Ubala anta- 

 hva — writing of Btishmen. 



In addition to these evidences of Bushmen habitation, it is 

 ])erhaps worth recording here that these j^eople enjoy a great 

 reputation as rainmakers amongst the natives. The Chief of the 

 Pondf)misi was wont to send them presents of cattle and shee]> 

 in times of drottght. f think the origin of this belief is to be 

 found in the fact that the natives lived in watertight huts, and did 

 not need to worry aboiu the rain, whereas the nomadic Bushmen, 

 living in shallow caves, w ere trembled by the wet weather, and so 

 were on the watch for changes that would indicate ai)proaching 

 rain. Perha])S this made them " discern the skies " better than 

 the natives, and might well have given rise to claims that they 

 were able to produce rain. 



Of the Hottentots there is little to say. That they were here 

 at some time seems to be proved by the name Qakancu, which is 

 now the native name for Hottentots. The word itself was no 

 doubt (like many others) a Hottentot word originallv. 



Realising, then, the background on which we must work, let 

 us proceed to our study of the ])lace-names. 



In the course of this study 1 have been interested to find that 

 even the smallest of ])laces seems to be given a name. ATanv of 



