1709 Samel
This brief note in the Stellenbosch notarial records provides a rare example in the judicial records of slaves who refuse to run away because they are well treated by their owners.1 A further revealing factor is that several are from Madagascar. It is not stated where Samel,2 the slave who wanted to entice them to escape, came from, but the comment that he wanted them to go to ‘their’ country might suggest that he too was from Madagascar and was making an appeal to them on the grounds of their common place of origin.3
There is no mention of Samel in the Court of Justice records – he might not have been captured, or else may have been killed before he could be brought to trial.4
Footnotes
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This case is discussed by Biewenga (1999: 110) as an example of loyalty by slaves, a topic which is often overlooked because of the nature of the criminal records. For another case of slaves who refused to run away, see 1726 Scipio van de Cust. ↩
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This might be a spelling alternative for Samuel which, like other Biblical names, was relatively commonly given to slaves. ↩
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Malagasy slaves were particularly prone to escape into the interior, believing that they could reach Madagascar by travelling overland, Alpers 2004: 59, Armstrong & Worden 1989: 157. The mutiny by Malagasy slaves aboard the Meermin in 1766 provides a good example of how slaves from the island believed they were within reach of home (see Alexander 2004). Such an option was not open to slaves who had been transported across the Indian Ocean from South or Southeast Asia. ↩
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The regtsrollenregtsrollenLiterally ‘rolls of justice’, the minutes of the proceedings of the Council of Justice. and documents in criminal cases for 1709 make no mention of a slave named Samel (CJ 5 and CJ 313). ↩
1/STB 18/155 Notariële Verklaringen, 1706-1714, unpaginated.
There appears before the undersigned delegates from the Collegie van landdrost en heemraden1 the slaves: Coridon van Batavia, bondsman of the farmer in Drakenstein, Daniel Hugo, about 30 years old; Pieter van Madagascar, bondsman of the farmer Louis Heuris, who is about 22 years old; and Damon van Madagascar, bondsman of the farmer Francois Retieff, about 30 years old, all living in Drakenstein. Which slaves, without even the least coercion, voluntarily confessed how the slave of Pieter Erasmus, named Samel, came to them, the first two deponents, at the mill in Drakenstein, and told and encouraged them to run away. That they, the first two deponents, did not want to do that since they have good basen and are not in want of anything. The third deponent says that the aforementioned Samel also came to him at the house of his baasbaasIn seventeenth-century Dutch this was used both in the sense of ‘head’ (e.g. ‘head carpenter’) and ‘master’. In South Africa the second meaning developed further, and thus baas came to be a synonym for meester (‘master’). It was the form that slaves (and Khoikhoi) would use to address male Europeans. Francois Retieff, and likewise encouraged him to go to their country, but that he refused this, saying: “I have a good baasbaasIn seventeenth-century Dutch this was used both in the sense of ‘head’ (e.g. ‘head carpenter’) and ‘master’. In South Africa the second meaning developed further, and thus baas came to be a synonym for meester (‘master’). It was the form that slaves (and Khoikhoi) would use to address male Europeans. and mistress, why would I run away then?” That the aforementioned Samel said: “Then I will look for other jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour.”. However, they all confess jointly that they have kept this a secret and have kept it hidden from their basen, without being able to give reasons why, except for: “We are to blame”.
Thus confessed in the chamber of council in Stellenbosch, in the presence of the honourable heemradenheemradenThe origin of this word is uncertain, but is connected to the Dutch words heem (‘homestead’) and raad (‘councillor’). This was the title of a free burgher who served on the Collegie van Heemraden in the rural districts of the Cape, usually for a term of two years. Jan Botma and Dirk Coetse who, together with the confessants and me, the secretary, signed the original.
Today, 3 October 1709.
This mark X Coridon has made.
This X Pieter has set.
This X Damon has made.
As delegates, [signed] Jan Botma, D. Coetse.
In my presence, [signed] Jan Mahieu, secretary.
Footnotes
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For an explanation of this, see the Introduction above, p. XX. ↩
Compareerde voor d’ ondergetekende gecommitteerdens uijt ’t Collegie van Landdrost en Heemraden d’ slaven Coridon van Batavia, lijffeigen van den landbouwer aen Drakestein [sic], Daniel Hugo, oud ontrent 30 jaren, Pieter van Madagascar, lijffeigen van den landbouwer Louis Heuris, oud sijnde ontrent 22 jaren, en Damon van Madagascar, lijffeijgen van den landbouwer Francois Retieff, oud ontrent 30 jaren, alle aen Drakestein wonachtigh, welke sonder eenige de minste dwangh vrijwilligh confesseerde hoe den slaav van Pieter Erasmus, Samel genaamt, bij haer twee eerste comparanten is gecomen in de molen aen Drakestein, seggende en aenradende omme weg te loopen. Dat sij twee eerste comparanten sulx niet wilden doen omme dat sij goede basen hadden, en haer niets mankeerde, en den derde comparant segt dat gemelde Samel bij hem aen ’t huijs van sijn baes, Francois Retieff, mede is gecomen, en ’tselffds aengeraden, namentlijk, omme naer haer land te gaan, dogh dat hij comparant sulx weijgerde, seggende: Ick heb een goede baas en vrouw, waerom soude ick dan wegloopen? Dat voorseijde Samel seijde: Dan sal ick andere jongens soeken. Dogh confesseeren sij gesamentlijk dat sij sulx verswegen hebben en voor haer basen verborgen gehouden, sonder redenen te konnen geven waerom, als eeniglijk: ’t Is onse schult.
Aldus geconfesseert in de Raadkamer aen Stellenbosch, ten overstaan van d’ edele heemraden Jan Botma en Dirk Coetse, die dese minut [sic], neffens de confessanten en mij, secretaris, ondertekenen.
Heden, den 3e October 1709.
Dit merk X heeft Coridon gemaakt.
Dit X heeft Pieter gestelt.
Dit X heeft Damon gemaakt.
Als gecommitteerdens, [get.] Jan Botma, D. Coetse.
Mij present, [get.] Jan Mahieu, secretaris