Doman (Khoikhoi)
Doman | |
---|---|
Nommoa | |
Died | First Khoikhoi-Dutch War | 12 December 1663
Doman (died 12 December 1663) was a
Biography
Doman's Khoikhoi name was Nommoa but he is more commonly known by the name the Dutch gave him.[1] Doman's Dutch name may be derived from the Afrikaans "dominee" meaning parson but it might also derive from the Khoikhoi word "domi" meaning voice. He was one of two interpreters employed by the Dutch at the suggestion of their first interpreter, a Khoikhoi chief Autshumato, to act for the Dutch whilst Autshumato was absent from the settlement (the other was Khaik Ana Ma Koukoa, known as Krotoa or Claes Das to the Dutch). Jan van Riebeeck's diarist noted that Doman "seems to be well-disposed towards us" and "is serving the Hon. Company better than anybody else - up to the present at any rate". Rijckloff van Goens, advising van Riebeeck on defence matters, took Doman to Java in the Dutch East Indies in April 1657 where he witnessed how the local people had been forced to submit to Dutch rule.[1][2] The trip was intended to teach Doman the commercial business of the company but is thought to have caused Doman to understand the threat the Dutch posed to the Khoikhoi way of life and caused him to turn against them.[1][3] During the trip he witnessed the resistance attempted by the Bantamese against the Dutch in north Java.[1]
In order to hasten his return to Africa Doman told the Dutch he intended to convert to Christianity and no longer wanted to live among his people.[4] When he returned, Doman clashed frequently with Krotoa, whom he claimed had tried to curry favour with the Dutch and betray her people.[2] Doman was the only voice to speak out when van Riebeeck took several Khoikhoi leaders hostage in 1658.[4]
When Autshumato was banished, Krotoa assumed responsibility for the Dutch trade with the local people. When he tried to intervene with a cattle negotiation with the Cochoqua people in May 1659, Doman was publicly beaten.[5] Later that year Doman was blamed by van Riebeeck for the theft of company cattle and the murder of a Dutchman and theft of his firearm.[4]
Doman sided with his people in the
Doman was wounded by a
Legacy
In 2019 the South African National Defence Force's reserve unit 30 Field Workshop was renamed the Doman Field Workshop in his honour.[8]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-77020-137-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-86486-311-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-68448-000-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-77020-137-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-86486-311-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-77020-137-8.
- ISBN 9781108032643.
- ^ Helfrich, Kim (7 August 2019). "New Reserve Force unit names". defenceWeb. Retrieved 16 September 2022.