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.