Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828) is die Sweedse meester botanis wat bekendheid verwerf het vir sy werke Flora Japonica en Flora Capensis wat handel oor plante van Japan en die Kaap onderskeidelik.

Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828)  op die ouderdom van 65

Tydens sy besoek aan die Kaap tussen April 1772 en Maart 1775 het Thunberg drie reistogte na die binneland onderneem met die doel om plant- en diermonsters te versamel vir die botaniese tuin in Leiden. Hy het reisdagboeke en veldnotas bygehou wat hy nie gepubliseer het nie. Na hy teruggekeer het na Swede na sy besoeke aan die Kaap en Asië, het hy homself verdiep in sy studies. Hy het wetenskaplike beskrywings van plante en ander organismes wat hy tydens sy besoek ontdek het, opgeteken. Aanvanklik het hy geen begeerte gehad om ‘n boek oor sy reise te skryf nie, maar na vele navrae deur vriende en kollegas het hy na twaalf jaar tog besluit om sy werke te publiseer. Dit is vanselfsprekend dat hy breedvoerig gebruik gemaak het van die onveranderde bladsye van sy ongepubliseerde dagboeke en veldnotas, en nou was daar geen manier waarop hy hierdie verhale in Swede kon nagaan nie.

Marmota Africana

Carl Peter Thunberg is in 1743 in Jönköping, Swede gebore. Op agtienjarige ouderdom begin hy met sy studies aan Uppsala Universiteit waar hy onderrig word deur Carl von Linné (Linnaeus), vader van moderne taksonomie. Thunberg gradueer in 1767 na ses jaar se studies. Linnaeus het hom aangemoedig om in 1770 na Amsterdam te reis, waar hy sy kennis van botanie, medisyne en natuurgeskiedenis verbreed het. Daar ontmoet hy ‘n Nederlandse botanis wat hom oortuig het om na die Oos-Indiese Eilande te reis om plant- en diermonsters vir die botaniese tuin in Leiden te versamel en hom gehelp om as VOC chirurg aan boord die Schoonzicht te gaan. Op pad na Batavia, gaan hy in Maart 1772 in die Kaap aan wal om sy Nederlands te verfyn, en eindig hy op om drie jaar te bly.

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Sy tweede reistog vind plaas vanaf September 1773 tot Januarie 1774. Hy vertrek  weer noord, tot by die mond van die Breederivier, dan oos deur die Oliphantsriviervallei na Swellendam en so ver as die Sondagsrivier.

Hierdie volume bevat die Engelse vertaling van Thunberg se boek Travels at the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775 wat aanvanklik in 1793 en 1795 in twee volumes gepubliseer is. Dit bevat die beskrywings van sy drie reistogte na die binneland waartydens hy verder gereis het as enige vorige oorsese besoeker. Hierdie reise neem tereg die grootste deel op van sy dagboek oor sy besoek aan die Kaap. Aangesien die reise slegs ongeveer ‘n derde van sy tyd aan die Kaap opgeneem het, vertel hy verder wat hy geleer het oor die wette, gebruike, beroepe en lewenswyses van die koloniste, slawe en inheemse bevolking.

“Wapens en implimente van die Hottentotte”

In September 1772 vertrek Thunberg, vergesel deur die superintendent van die Kompanjiestuin, op die eerste reistog. Hulle reistog neem hulle noord van Saldanhabaai, ooswaarts langs die Breederiviervallei deur die Langkloof tot by die Gamtoosrivier. Hulle keer terug na die Kaap via die Klein Karoo en die Overberg.

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Die derde reistog in die laaste kwartaal van 1774 neem Thunberg en sy geselskap noord deur die Pikenierskloof tot by die Hantamsrivier en terug deur die Tankwa en Roggeveld Karoo, verby die hedendaagse Worcester en Tulbagh. Hulle kom laat Desember weer in Kaapstad aan. Op die inisiatief van Linnaeus behaal Thunberg sy graad as dokter van geneeskunde aan Uppsala in absentia tydens sy verblyf aan die Kaap. Op 2 Maart 1775 vertrek hy via Batavia na Japan.

UITTREKSEL UIT DIE TEKS 

……..to get honey out of them. For this purpose, they first tie a noose round the trunk, in which they put one foot, then they fasten another noose higher up, and when mounted in that untie the former, and so on.

Roads, that can be properly so called, are not to be found in all this southern part of Africa; yet the way which people in general take, when they travel, is pretty well beaten in the neighbourhood of the Cape; farther down in the country indeed, very often not the least vestige of a road appears. Therefore in plains that are either very extensive, or covered with bush, it may easily happen that a traveller shall lose his way; so that he ought to be well acquainted with, and accurately observe the marks, by which he may get into the right road again. He must see then whether there be any sheep’s dung in the fields, which shews that there is a farm-house in the vicinity; and likewise, whether he can discover any herds of cattle grazing, or any cultivated land.

The country here, in general, consisted of extensive plains, full of rich pasture, interspersed with hillocks, and valleys, that abounded in wood and water.

The trees in the woods were large and tall, but for the most part crooked and misshapen, and at the same time covered with moss, like those in the northern regions.

The Hottentot women here, wore a little sea-shell (Nerita histrio, and the Cypraea moneta) by way of ornament, both on their caps, and round their wrists, in the form of bracelets. Their cap is a slip of buffalo leather, of a hand’s breadth, without any crown, ornamented on the outside with these shells, in various rows, according to the different taste and wealth of the owner.

The Hottentots of this place had a custom, which is not general with this nation, of wearing a bag of leather, that hung by a strap over their shoulders, quite down on their hips. At the lower end it was ornamented with thongs of leather, like fringes, to which were tied shells, that made a rattling noise. This bag served to keep various articles in.

Other Hottentot women wore on their heads a striped conical cap, made of several narrow slips of black, white, and brown lamb-skins sewed together. These caps were also, sometimes, decorated with glass beads, fixed on them in various forms, or hanging down, like strings of pearls.

Round their arms and legs they generally wore rings of ox-hides, which I had here the opportunity of seeing made. The slips, cut from the hide were beaten till they were quite round, and both the ends stuck so fast together, that it could not be perceived where they were joined. These rings they afterwards forced over their feet, wearing, especially the women, such a number of them, as to cover half the leg, or more. I have also sometimes seen them wash, and afterwards grease these rings.

In the eggs of ostriches, as I was informed, a stone was sometimes found which was set, and used for buttons.

There are instances of an European’s having married a Hottentot Woman, who has then been baptized. But it has more frequently happened that a colonist, without regular marriage, has had several children by Hottentot mistress, and that these children have been baptized when the were several years old.

In many places I observed the land to have been set on fire for the purpose of clearing it; though in a very different manner from what is done in the north. Divers plains here, produce a very high sort of grass which being of too coarse a nature, and unfit food for cattle, is not consumed, and thus prevents fresh verdure from shooting up; not to mention that it harbours a great number of serpents and beasts of prey. Such a piece of land as this, therefore, is set on fire, to the end that new grass may sprint up from the roots. Now if any of these places were overgrown with bushes these latter were burned quite black, and left standing in this sooty condition for a great length of time afterwards, to my great vexation, as well as that of other travellers, who were obliged to pass through them.

Almost every day we were wet to the skin, in consequence of deluging showers of rain, which were sometimes accompanied with thunder…………..

Redigering deur Emeritaat Professor V.S. Forbes

Vernon S. Forbes studeer geologie en mineralogie aan die Universiteit van Kalifornië en UCT. Hy ontvang in 1958 ‘n Ph.D. deur die Universiteit van Rhodes vir sy proefskrif onder die sub-titel A Geographical Commentary on Routes, Records, Observations and Opinions of Travellers at the Cape 1750 – 1800. Hy het vyf bundels geredigeer wat deur die VRV uitgegee is: twee oor George Thomson, twee oor Anders Sparrmann en een oor Carl Thunberg. Forbes het dertig jaar lank diens aan die Departement Geologie op Rhodes verrig as dosent, senior lektor en professor tot en met sy aftrede in 1970. As erkenning vir ‘n uitstekende akademiese loopbaan in die amp en tydens aftrede, het die Rhodes-universiteit Forbes in 1989 ‘n eredoktorsgraad in letterkunde toegeken.

Vertaal vanuit Sweeds deur J. en I. Rudner

Jalmar Rudner, Sweedse argitek en stadsbeplanner, het dertig jaar vir die Kaapse stadsraad gewerk en met sy uittrede as argeoloog by die National Monuments Council. Ione Rudner (MA Natal) het ongeveer 29 jaar by die Suid-Afrikaanse museum gewerk en was later redakteur in beheer van publikasies. In hul vrye tyd het die egpaar vir 13 jaar die departement van argeologie bestuur, verskeie ekspedisies onderneem, navorsing gedoen en breedvoerig gepubliseer. Hulle het hulle toegespits op historiese studies, veral om die vertellings van vroeë Sweedse reisigers in suidelike Afrika te vertaal en te redigeer.