“China renamed Rosa” – from childhood sold five times

Slave Lodge slaves were sometimes allowed to be known by their given names or at least keep a single name for life because the VOC required accurate record-keeping. This was not so for most slaves whose owners could change names and identities at a whim. Slaves’ names were mostly not their own, their place of birth was inaccurate and their age was an approximation.

The life of China, called by at least three names and sold five times, illustrates how impossible it was for a slave to hold onto even the most basic unit of identity.

China of Singaracolla was sold into slavery as a child. Her transfer deed states:

“On 24 January 1768, in the Company office at Bimilipatnam, Silidana of the Coast, living at Singaracolla, declared that by reason of poverty and lack of means of livelihood [“gebrek van levens-middelen”], she sold, ceded and in full ownership, transferred her small daughter named China, aged nine or ten, to Jan Christian Lijst, the Company trumpeter at Nagapatnam, for the sum of fifteen silver Rupis.”[i]

It’s even possible that China might not have been her name. Perhaps it was a transcription error for chenna, meaning “fair” in Telugu, the language of south India?

Six years later, this name was lost anyway. In 1774 “China, renamed Rosa” was sold for 18 pagodas, to a VOC sailor, Hendrik Hillman.

She was then re-sold, five months’ later, to a fellow sailor at a profit of 7 pagodas.

A month after this, now recorded as “Roosa”, she was sold at 100 percent profit to a Dutch ship’s captain, Cornelius Bosch. He set sail five months later on the Bovenkerker Polder bound for Cape Town and took her with him.

The final record of sale was in 1775 when China was 16 or 17. She was bought by the most senior clergyman of the Cape, Johannes Serrurier. He was the father of twelve children, which suggests that China’s workload was heavy. No record survives of a further sale so one must assume China died in Cape Town.

It’s remarkable that we are able to track China’s tragic life. There are almost no such detailed examples of a slave’s journey. The reason is that Reverend Serrurier, her final owner, was a fanatical record keeper. The Cape Town Archives have a file of his lifetime’s bills, categorized under doctor, apothecary, undertaker, thatcher, mason, baker, draper, carpenter, barber, shoemaker, silversmith and finally, slave deeds.

“China, hernoem as Rosa” – van kleins af vyf keer verkoop

Slawe Losie slawe is soms toegelaat om as hul gegewe name bekend te wees, of ten minste ‘n enkele naam vir hul lewe te behou, omdat die VOC akkurate rekordhouding benodig. Dit was nie so vir die meeste slawe wie se eienaars hul name en identiteite op ‘n slag kon verander nie. Slawe se name was meestal nie hulle eie nie, hulle geboorteplekke was onakkuraat en hul ouderdom was slegs ‘n benadering.

Die lewe van China, wat ten minste op drie verskillende name genoem is en vyf keer verkoop is, illustreer hoe onmoontlik dit was vir ‘n slaaf om selfs die mees basiese eenheid van identiteit te behou.

China van Singracolla is as ‘n kind in slaweny verkoop. Haar oordragsooreenkoms bepaal:

“Op 24 Januarie 1768 het die maatskappy in Bimilipatnam, Sildana van die Kus, wat in Singaracolla woon, verklaar dat sy weens armoede en gebrek aan lewensmiddele [“gebrek van levens-middelen”], het sy, gesedeer en in volle eienaarskap, haar kleindogter, China, nege of tien jaar oud, verkoop, oorgedra aan Jan Christian Lijst, die maatskappy se trompetter in Nagapatnam, vir die som van vyftien silwer Rupis.”

Dit is selfs moontlik dat China nie haar naam was nie. Dalk was dit ‘n transkripsiefout vir chenna, wat “regverdig” beteken in Telegu, die taal van Suid-Indië?

Ses jaar later was hierdie naam in elk geval verlore. In 1774 is “China, hernoem as Rosa” vir 18 pagodas, aan ‘n VOC-matroos, Hendrik Hillman, verkoop.

Sy is vyf maande later weer verkoop aan ‘n mede-matroos met ‘n wins van 7 pagodes.

‘n Maand daarna, nou as “Roosa” aangeteken, is sy met 100% wins aan Cornelius Bosch, ‘n Nederlandse skeepskaptein, verkoop. Hy het vyf maande later op die Bovenkerker Polder se skip na die Kaap vertrek en haar saam met hom geneem.

Die finale rekord van verkope was in 1775 toe China 16 of 17 was. Sy is deur die mees senior geestelike van die Kaap, Johannes Serrurier, gekoop. Hy was die vader van twaalf kinders, wat daarop dui dat China se werkslading swaar was. Geen rekord van ‘n verdere verkoop word aangedui nie, so ons kan aanneem dat China in Kaapstad oorlede is.

Dit is merkwaardig dat ons China se tragiese lewe kan volg. Daar is byna geen sulke gedetaileerde voorbeelde van ‘n slaafreis nie. Die rede hiervoor is dat Eerw. Serrurier, haar finale eienaar, ‘n fantastiese rekordhouer was. Die Kaapse Argiewe het ‘n lêer van sy leeftyd se rekeninge, gekategoriseer onder dokter, apteker, ondernemer, skutter, messelaar, bakker, klerasiehandelaar, timmerman, haarkapper ,, skoenmaker, silwersmid en uiteindelik slaafbedrywighede.

“UChina uguqul’ imbatyi wangu Rosa” – sukela eyimveku ethengiswa, izihlandlo de zantlanu

Kumakhoboka ayehlala kwindlu yogcino lwamakhoboka (Slave Lodge), kwakuvame ukuba ikhoboka elo likhululelwe ukugcina igama elinye elibizwa ngalo ubomi balo bonke, oko kusenziwa kusenzelwa ungcino lweencwadi oluchanekileyo. Kwakungenjalo kwamanye amakhoboka ebekuthi xa umniniwo ev’ ethanda ambize loomkhonxwa ngelogama alive lisenyongwenin kuye. Ubukhulu becala amagama ayenikwa amakhoboka yayingemagama abobantu eenkobe, bantundini ekungaziwa nokuba iinkaba zabo zileliphi, neentsuku zokubona kwabo ilanga ziqikelelwa nje induk’ omnquma.

Impilo ayiphilileyo uChina, owayebizwa ngamagama amathathu ohlukileyo, esakuthengiswa amatyeli amahlanu, luyicacisa okwekat’ emhloph’ ehlungwini unxwalo lokuphucwa kwamakhoboka isidinyana sokuthi ‘ndigubani kabani, umfana nentombi yasemathileni’.

UChina wase Singaracolla wathengiselwa ebukhobokeni eselusana. Iincukhaca zolo naniselwano, ehlutywa ingubo yobuntu bakhe esenziwa into nje ephathekaya nethengekayo, zihamba ngoluhlobo:

“Ngomhla we 24 January 1768, eofisini yenkampani ka Bimilipatnam, kunxweme lwelo, uSilidana owayehlala e Singaracolla, walitsolisa elokuba: ngenxa yokubangelwa yintlupheko nokungakwazi ukuziphilisa, intwazana yakhe u China, eneminyaka elithoba ukuya kwelishumi, uyayithengisa, eyithengisela u Jan Christian Lijst, umbexeshi wexilongo apho kulonkampani, eyithengisa loontwazana ngee Rupis zesilivere (Rupis”i ) ezilishumi elinantlanu.

Kungenzeka ukuba kwagama elo elithi China asigama layo lentwazana. Kunokwenzeka ukuba kukutyibela nje okufe amanqe ziimpazamo, mpazamo ndini ezikhomba kwigama elithi ‘chenna’, gama elo kulwimi lwase Indiya, isiTelugu, elithetha ukuthi ‘intsobi ekhanyayo’ okanye ‘omsulwa ngolusu’ (“fair”).
Kodwa ke emva kweminyaka esithandathu laye lalahleka igama elo elithi China. Ngomnyaka we 1774, selebizwa Rosa ngoku uChina, wathengiswa, ethengiswa ngee pagoda ezilishumi elinesibhozo, ethengiselwa iVOC yoomatiloshe (sailor), u Hendrik Hillman.

Emva kwesithuba seenyanga ezintandathu, yaphinda yathengiswa le ntwazana, ithengiselwa omnye wabomatiloshe.

Sele ebizwa “Roosa” ngoku uChina, kwisithuba nje senyanga emva koko, wathengiswa ngexabiso eliphindwe kabini kunelo lanyangenye, ethengiswa ethengiselwa intshumpa ebhexesha loomkhombe wamaDatshi, u Cornelius Bosch. Kwisithuba seenyanga ezintlanu ezilandela oko, u Roosa lon ukhombise imibombo, eyakhe, neyomkhombe, esinga eKapa. Kolohambo nge Bovenkerkr Polder, wayephantsi kwekhwapha lalo kapteyini yomkhombe, uCornelius Bosch.

Iincukaca eziqukumbela olonaniselwano ngelikhoboka uChina, zenziwa ngomnyaka we 1775, uChina lo eselihlumelo eliqikelelwa kwiminyaka eli 16 neli 17. Wathengwa ngumakhwekhwetha wezakalizwi eKapa, u Johannes Serruier. uJahannes lo wayenguyise wabantwana abalishumi elinambini, nto leyo esolisa ngelokuba wawungeyondlwan’ iyaneth’ umsebenz’ apho. Akukho zincukaca zimbi ngokuthengiswa kukaChina, nto leyo esisolisa ngeloba, lathi lawulal’ umbeth’ itshoba kulentwazana yabe iselapho kweloKapa lodumo.

Kubambisa ongezantsi nfuthi kukhwamnqisa ukukwazi ukuwulanda lomzila wesisihelegu sa lo singa bomi buka China. Yinto enqabileyo ke ukulanda imbali nehambo yekhoboka nje ngoba senzile kulomzekelo ka China. Imbangi yelo cham esinalo ibangelwa yindzondelelo yenja yomkhondo abenayo umfundisi Serrurier, ndzondelelo ndini yokungcina iincukaca. Kwithala lomthamo ngembali eshicilelwe eKapa (Cape Town Archives), yonke into asekhe wayibhatalela umfundisi lo, ingcinwe yaqoqoshwa pantsi kwezintlu ezingamakhasi ngamakhasi, ekuquka kuzo uluhlu: lukaGqirha, usomachiza, umngcwabi, usandlalangca ofulel’ amphahla, umakhi, umbhaki, umhlobisi ngamalaphu, umchweli, umchebi zinwele, umkhandi silivere, neencwadi ezigunyazisa ubunini makhoboka bakhe umfundisi lo.

[i] M49: Transfer deeds for China, Serrurier papers, double-folded loose page