Marij van Macassar – torn from her home and religion
Marij van Macassar is one example of tens of thousands of hidden slave lives. We can never find out her age, her family or her history. The person exists as only as property in the historical record.
On 10 July 1692 Marij van Macassar is listed as the second last item of household goods belonging to Joost Lons to be sold at auction[i]. There is less detail about her than a cupboard described as 1 gebroken en ontramponeerd cabinetje met sijn voetje en daer in niets van waerdije (one broken and worn-down little cabinet with feet and nothing of value therein).
All that can be known with certainty is that Marij van Macassar was owned by at least two different people. And that she must have known a slave called Antonij van Malabaer, who is listed below her as the last item on the inventory.
Everything about her is a guess. Can we assume that she came from Macassar? If so, how did she arrive in Cape Town from an island 10 000 km away, with a tropical monsoon climate and stilt houses built in mangrove swamps? Did she and Antonij swop stories of their lives in countries 5 000 km away from each other (present-day Indonesia and India)?
If she was from Macassar can we assume that she was muslim? If so, was Marij a Christian name imposed by her slave owners?
How can we link Marij to the famous Sheik Yusuf of Macassar (1626–1699) who was exiled to Cape Town by the VOC? He arrived in 1694, two years after Marij’s name is listed. Did she know about this famous political prisoner?
Yusuf arrived with an entourage of 49 people including two wives, two concubines, twelve children and twelve imams. They were sent to the farm Zandvliet, 45 kms from Cape Town, in an attempt to isolate them from other VOC exiles and slaves. Yusuf’s settlement became the first cohesive Islamic community in South Africa.
Sheikh Yusuf died at Zandvliet in 1699. Zandvliet Farm was renamed Macassar. Most of his followers were sent back home because the Cape authorities worried that “… these Mohammedans, by multiplying, are more and more increasing in numbers”. But his slaves and one of his daughters remained. This daughter, Sitina Sara Marouff, married the exiled Rajah of Tambora who is reputed to have written out the Qur’an from memory.
If Marij was from Macassar did she know her countrymen and women were living nearby and that Islam was flourishing in the Cape? Did she ever speak her family’s language again?
Marij van Macassar – geskeur uit haar huis en godsdiens
Marij van Macassar is een voorbeeld van tien duisende verskuilde slawelewens. Ons kan nooit haar ouderdom, haar familie of haar geskiedenis uitvind nie. Hierdie persoon bestaan slegs as eiendom in die historiese rekord.
Op 10 Julie 1692 is Marij van Macassar gelys as die tweede laaste item van huishoudelike goedere wat behoort aan Joost Lons om verkoop te moet word by die veiling. Daar is minder besonderhede oor haar as oor ‘n kas wat beskryf is as 1 gebroken en ontramponeerd cabinetje met sijn voetje en daer in niets van waerdije ‘n gebreekte en afgeleefte klein kabinet met pote en niks van waarde daarin nie).
Al wat ons met sekerheid weet is dat Marij van Macassar aan ten minste twee verskillende mense behoort het. Ook dat sy ‘n slaaf genaamd Antonij van Malabaer moes geken het, wat onder haar gelys was as die laaste item op die inventartis,
Alles omtrent haar is ‘n vermoede. Kan ons aanneem dat sy van Macassar afkomstig is? Indien wel, hoe het sy in Kaapstad aangekom van ‘n eiland af wat 10 000 km verder is, met ‘n tropiese reenseisoen klimaat en huise gebou op stelte in wortelboommoerasse? Het sy en Antonnij stories geruil oor hul lewens in lande 5 000km ver van mekaar af ( Nou genoem Indonesie en Indie)?
As sy van Macassar afkomstig was, kan ons aanneem dat sy ‘n Muslim was? Indien wel, was Marij ‘n Christennaam opgele deur haar slaafouers?
Hoe kan ons Marij verbind met die beroemde Sheik Jusuf van Macassar (1626 -1699) wat deur die VOC verban is na Kaapstad? Hy het in 1694 gearriveer, twee jaar nadat Marij se naam gelys is. Het sy geweet van die bekende politieke gevangenis?
Yusuf arriveer met ‘n gevolg van 49 mense, insluitend twee vrouens, twee bywywe, twaalf kinders en twaalf imams. Hulle word na die plaas Zandvliet, 45 km buite Kaapstad, gestuur in ‘n poging om te keer dat hulle in aanraking kom met enige ander VOC bannelinge of of slawe. Yosuf se nedersetting sou die eerste samehangende Islamitiese gemeenskap in Suid-Afrika word.
Sheik Ysuf sterf op Zandvliet in 1699. Zandvliet Plaas ondergaan ‘n naamsverandering na Macassar. Die meeste van sy volgelinge word teruggestuur huis toe want die Kaapse Owerhede was bekommerd dat “…hierdie Mohammedane , deur te vermenigvuldig, meer en meer word in getalle.” Sy slawe en een van sy dogters bly agter. Sy dogter, Sitina Sara Marouff, is getroud met die bannelling Rajah van Tambora, wat naam gemaak het vir die skryf van die Koran soos hy onthou.
As Marij van Macassar was, het sy geweet die mans en vroue van haar land het naby haar gewoon, en dat Islam gefloreer het in Kaapstad. Het sy ooit weer haar familietaal gepraat?
Marityi wase Macassar – ekrazulwa ekhayeni lakhe, kuqhawuka imbeleko nakwisithethe sakhe
UMarityi ka Macassar lo ngumzekelo omhle oqaqambe wodwa kumashumi amawakawaka obomi bamakhoboka, bomi ndini obutyel’ ebumnyameni. Akukho ndlela esingaphanda ngayo enokuthi isincede siqikelele ubudala bakhe, ubume ngosapho lwakhe okanye silande umzila ngembali yakhe. Ungumntu uMarityi lo kuba ke indalo yakhe isitsho, kodwa ngokwendlela imbali yakhe eshicelelwe ngayo ikukhaba ngawo omane oko, ubomi bobukhoboka bukaMartyi bumveza nje ngento engemntu.
Ngomhla we 10 ku July ngomnyaka we 1692 uMarityi lo ubonakala ekuluhlu lweento yinto zomzi ka Joost Lona, futhi ekhankanywa kololuhlu lwamaqithi-qithi ka Joost phambi kwelo lokugqibela awo. Ingcaciso ngoMarityi ibetha nje koomofu, nekhabhathi imbala kungenwa nzulu xa kuthethwa ngayo kwiincadi eziquka ubomi bayo (lo khabhathi) nobomi buka Marityi (xa kusithiwa ngayo lo khabhathi: incinanana, inemilenze, indala, yophukile, ayinanto yexabiso ngaphakathi).
Esingaqiniseka ngako ngobomi buka Marityi koku: weyenabanini ababini ubuncinci, futhi ingabanini abohlukileyo. Singatsho sithi, weyesazana nekhoboka elalibizwa Antonityi ka Malabha, owayenguye owokungqibela kololuhlu lweento yinto zikaa Joost Lona.
Konke esikwaziyo ngo Marityi ngu: ‘inokuba’, ‘mhlambi’; konke siyakuqikelela. Mhlawumbi uphuma eMacassar, mhlawumbi inkaba yakhe ilel’ apho; siyangabaza. Ukuba kunjalo, ufike njani kweli leKapa lodumo, ufudule njani kwesosiqithi esilibanga le 10 000 km, apho imvula zehlobo zitsho ilanga libalele, nezindlu zakhona zezinti zakhiwe kwimfungumfungu yezihlahla. Ingaba uMarityi lo no Antonityi batshintshisana ngamabali obomi babo mhlawumbi, ubomi ababebuphila kumazwe ahlulahlulwa yimimango engama 5 000 km (i-Indonesia ne-Indiya yalemihla)?
Ukuba uphuma eMacassar uMarityi, singatsho na ukuthi ngowenkolo yobuslamsi? Ukuba kunjalo, ingaba bethuna eligama lithi Marityi laanyhalwa kuye ngenkani ngabanini makhoboka angamaKrestu?
Singamqhagamshela njani uMarityi lo kunye nendumasi yelozwe, iMacassar, uSheik Yusuf (1626 – 1699) owayeselubhacweni, ngokuphenjelelwa yi VOC, eKapa, kwisisithuba seminyaka emibini elapho naye kweloKapa uMarityi lo?
UYusuf wafika nomkhosi wabantu abangama 49, ekuquka kuwo abafazi bakhe ababini, izindlwana zakhe ezibuqadi noosinga xhiba, abantwana abulishumi elinambini, namagosa alishumi elinambini akhokhela imithandazo yenkolo yobuslamsi. Olohambo babelubangise kwifama iZandvliet, malunga ne 45 km kude kufuphi ne Kapa. Oko kusenziwa njengama tile-tile okubohlula kwabanye abaselubhacweni, bhaco ndini obeluphantsi kweempembelelo ze VOC, nzae ndini zokubohlula kumakhoboka. Intlalo kaYusuf kweloKapa yasungula yimbumba manyama yamaslamsi apho.
USheik Yusuf yena walunabel’ uqaqaqa eZandvliet ngo 1699. Ifama yeZandvleit yaguqulwa yabizwa Macassar. Uninzi lwabalandeli bakhe labuyiselwa apho lwaluvela, ngoloyiko lokuba “… ooMuhammeda aba (igama lesigqezu lokunyemba abenkolo yobumuslim), xa benokuyekelwa, kungabhaqwa sekuyintlaninge yabo engalawulekiyo”. Kodwa enye yeentombi zakhe uYusuf lo, namakhoboka akhe, asala emva noYusuf lo. Intombi ka Yusuf, uSitina Sara Marouff, wazimanya ngeqhina lomtshato nowayeselubhacweni uRajah Tambora, oyindumasi ngokubhala phantsi iKurani, eyityibela ngentlok’ uk’thamba.
Ukuba uMarityi lo wayephuma eMacassar, ingabe bethu wayebazi ozakwabo ababelapho nokuba inkolo yabo yobumuslim yayitsiba izicithi ngokukhula kweloKapa? Ingabe bethu wayekhe ayithi vu imbali yeloxesha lakhe nosapho lwakhe phambi kobukhoboka eKapa?
[i] MOOC 8/1.4: Auction of goods of Joost Lons, 10 July 1692