The Hottentots butcher ; The Hottentot mat-maker, potter & c. [graphic].
Title
The Hottentots butcher ; The Hottentot mat-maker, potter & c
Description
Engravings accompany Chapter XIX, "Of certain Handy-Crafts the Hottentots exercise among themselves." In the foreground of the top image, two pairs of Hottentot [i.e. Khoikhoin] men work separately to butcher two oxen. In the left background, two other men butcher a sheep. A fourth pair boils water in cauldrons; and two others (right) hold the entrails of another animal. The bottom image shows several Hottentot mat-makers and a potter, all of whom appear to be women. (As Kolb wrote, the mat-makers "are, for the most Part, women: And they are very expert in their Business." [p. 236]) In the engraving, the mat-makers are involved in various stages of production: one background figure cuts the reeds out of which the mats will be woven; another woman carries the reeds, and yet another (slightly left of center) lays them on the ground to dry. The woman sitting on the partially finished mat is most likely weaving. In the foreground, a mat-maker strips reeds, while a potter makes a bowl. Several small pots are shown on the ground., Page from Peter Kolb's The Present State of the Cape of Good Hope (London: Printed for W. Innys and R. Manby, at the west end of St. Paul's, MDCCXXXVIII [1738]), vol. 1, p. 226., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Africa: Images, Maps, and Geography.
Date
[1738]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare U Afri Kolb 532.O v 1 p 226, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2920
The kraals and hutts of the Hottentots ; The Hottentot skinner. [graphic].
Title
The kraals and hutts of the Hottentots ; The Hottentot skinner
Description
Top engraving accompanies Chapter XVIII, "Of the Kraals, or Villages, of the Hottentots; their Huts and Hut-Furniture." It shows a Khoikhoin kraal, or village, in the background. As Kolb wrote, "I have seen Hundreds of Kraals, and never saw one that consisted of less than Twenty Huts. There are many so large that the Huts are not easily counted: And it is, in the Eye of a Hottentot, a very contemptible Kraal that contains not more than a Hundred Souls. The Generality of the Kraals contain each from Three Hundred to Four Hundred Souls. Some contain about Five Hundred. On the Area of a Kraal they can and do sometimes lodge several Thousands of Small Cattle." (p. 218) The foreground of the engraving features two oval-shaped Khoikhoin huts, one only partially built. According to Kolb, these huts usually ranged from ten to fourteen feet in diameter. They were built with flexible wooden sticks, which were then covered with animal skins. As Kolb explained, the top of the hut was rarely "so high that a man could stand under it erect." (p. 221) Bottom engraving shows a Khoikhoin skinner, and accompanies Chapter XIX, "Of Certain Handy-Crafts the Hottentots exercise among themselves." Referring to the engraving, Kolb wrote: "I shall now let the Reader into the Art and Mystery of a Hottentot Skinner. He takes a Sheep Skin, fresh and reeking from the Back of the Sheep, and rubs into it as much Fat as he can. At this Work he takes Abundance of Pains; and the Effect is, that the Skin is thereby render'd tough and smooth, and the Wool or Hair is secur'd from Falling off. This is All he does if he dresses a Sheep-Skin for an European: And he does the same, and no more, if he dresses the Skin of a Wild Beast for him. And, whatever the Reader may think of the Matter, a Skin dress'd in this Manner by a Hottentot is a very curious Piece of Work." (p. 232), Page from Peter Kolb's The Present State of the Cape of Good Hope (London: Printed for W. Innys and R. Manby, at the west end of St. Paul's, MDCCXXXVIII [1738]), vol. 1, p. 218., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Africa: Images, Maps, and Geography.
Date
[1738]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare U Afri Kolb 532.O v 1 p 218, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2919