306 W, Hammo7id Tooke,-^The Star [Oct. 31,. 



KHOI-KHOI. 



From the evidence that remains to us of Hottentot life, we gather 

 that the Hessequa, Cachoqua or Namaqua resembled their pygmy 

 neighbours and foes in taking a lively interest in matters astronomical- 

 Nay more, they regarded some of the heavenly bodies with a veneration 

 approaching worship. 



Thus Dapper tells us of the tribes within the vicinity of the Dutch 

 Settlement ihat they had some superstition regarding the New Moon,, 

 at the appearance of which they crowded together making merry the 

 whole night dancing and singing. Nieuhof says that they specially 

 honoured the Moon and probably did not hold the Sun in less esteem. 

 Leguat believed that they paid the Moon some kind of worship. 

 Kolb states that both at New and Full Moon they continued dancing 

 and singing throughout the night ; and Captain Cowley calls them 

 " worshippers of Dame Luna." 



With regard to the tribes further north we learn from the commander 

 of an expedition sent into Great Namaqualand in 1761 by Governor 

 Tulbagh that the Namaqua religion then consisted in worshipping 

 and praising the New Moon. 



The Nama term for "moon" is Kliah^ in Kora Kliam "the returner." 

 The present antiquated and obliterated natuie of this name (so Dr. 

 Theophiius Hahn concludes) points to its early application to our' 

 satellite, oefore the separation of the Hottentot or Khoi-Khoi clans. 



Kolb speaks of it as being the " Sichtbar Gott " whereas Ticqiwa 

 was the " w^sichtbar Gott." Nama legends appear to connect tite^ 

 moon Kliab with another being Heitsi-eibib. And according to Dr. 

 Hahn Ticquoa or Tsui || Goab^ a word now always applied to the 

 Supreme Being, originally signified Red morning or Dawn, and is 

 also synonymous with Heitsi-Eibib, " the Dawn Tree." Therefore, 

 says Dr. Hahn, it can no longer be doubtful that "the Moon is 

 identical with Tsui \Goab as the 'Lord of Light and Life.' " 



It at all events seems made out that the Hottentot conceptions of 

 the Supreme Being can be identified with the Light or Sky in its 

 different manifestations of the oft-recurring moonlight or victorious 

 dawn. 



To turn to the Stars : « and /3 Centauri are called inura " the two 

 eyes," n 1 and 2 in the Scorpion are the " eyes of the lion." One 

 of the names for Venus is " the man with the fingers cut off." 



The Pleiads are called Khuiiuseti, which means offshoots or tha^ 

 stars of the offshoots, namely the " Stars of the budding season or. 



