The ethnonyms ‘Bushman’ and ‘San’
Abstract
English: The first part of the term “Bushman” has been variously explained as referring to
bush-covered country, or to bushes as refuge from enemies, as cover from which
to attack man or beast, or as dwelling places. The word boes is neither Afrikaans
nor Dutch, and is probably a phonological adaptation. Several San ethnonyms
mean “bush men” or “bush people”. The term San, a contraction of Sanqua, earlier
Sonqua, has been explained as “gatherers”, “outcasts, pariahs”, “servants, subjects”,
“aborigines or settlers”, and “those who sit and rest”. Van Riebeeck’s addition of
the explanations Vismans (“fish men”), struyckroovers (“bandits”, literally “bushrobbers”)
and Berghvolck (“mountain people”) to various mentions of Souqua, Soaqua
and similar words, prompts the possibility of translations. Afrikaans: Verklarings van die naam “Boesman” lui onder andere dat die eerste deel op die
omgewing dui wat met bossies oortrek is; dat dit na bosse verwys waarin mense geskuil
het om vyande te ontvlug, of waaruit diere of mense aangeval is, of wat gedien het as
woning. Die woord boes kom nóg in Hollands nóg in Afrikaans voor en is waarskynlik
’n fonologiese aanpassing. Die name van verskeie San-stamme beteken “bos-mans” of
“bos-mense”. San, ’n sametrekking van Sankwa, vroeër Sonkwa, is onder meer verklaar
as “versamelaars”, “verwerpelinge, pariahs”, “knegte, onderdane”, “inheemses, setlaars”,
en “dié wat sit en rus”. Van Riebeeck se byvoeging van die verklarings “Vismans”,
“struyckroovers” en “Berghvolck” by verskeie vermeldinge van Souqua, Soaqua en
soortgelyke woorde dui op die moontlikheid van vertalings.