I no longer call ‘them’ the ‘Kaffir Pots’.
by Naretha Pretorius
Potjie
Yes, indeed, that’s what ‘they’ were called… Now we refer to it as ‘potjies’ (pots)… in which we make the popular South African dish called ‘potjiekos’ (directly translated as pot food). But not so long ago, in a country ruled by Apartheid it was common for ‘black’ people to be referred to as ‘Kaffers’ (‘Kaffirs’), a term that is derogatory and disrespectful, and today a banned term. What is interesting is that even objects were called that. I grew up in a time where using the K-word was part of our conservative Afrikaner community’s everyday language, something I am not proud to announce, and it is most disappointing that close to 20 years post-Apartheid in some circles it remained unchanged.
As a young girl I realised that the word had bad connotations, and from then on I refused to use it, I must have been around 11 years of age, but most of my family, friends and community continued to use the word without any critical reflection or consideration.
I still wonder why objects were referred to as the K-word, I have no concrete answer to that, only my own speculation and conclusions drawn from conversations, but I do wonder whether it’s because of what they ‘did’…
These objects adopted human qualities, such as hardship, endurance and physical strength. Let’s consider these cast iron pots, they are physically hard, they can endure extreme heat and the chances of them breaking is minimal… and they are black. But then you get what was called by fishermen as a ‘kaffertjie’ (little ‘kaffir’), it’s job was to hold your fishing rod while you sat back and relaxed and waited for the ‘big one’ to bite the bait. It did the hard work for you, it was your servant. Then you get linen sheeting referred to as ‘kaffir sheeting’, these days referred to as K-sheeting, something I discovered recently. What I learned was that the fabric is really strong and durable… it can endure many washes, it is ideal for regular use or curtaining that needs to endure direct sunlight. However, drawing this analogy of hardship and endurance does not explain why Afrikaners called the Coral Tree a “Kaffer Boom’ (Kaffir Tree), except that it potentially refers to its botanical name, Erythrina Caffra… my most favorite tree due to it’s bright orange-red flowers in winter and it’s thorny bark. The shape of the flowers are unique and strong in character.
Coral Tree
My assumption is that these objects were referred to that term in the same way of how white Afrikaners referred to ‘black’ people during Apartheid. ‘Black’ people in my community were seen as physically very strong, there was a saying that black people were ‘houtkoppe’ (wooden heads), and that they were so strong that they can fall on their heads without getting hurt (or to the extreme that they can not die!). Their physical strength was associated with violent behaviour, reinforced through the notion of ‘die swart gevaar’ (‘the black danger’). ‘Black’ people were our servants; they worked hard but also received very little in return. It’s this that made me think critically of my personal history and origins, how my socio-political past influenced, informed and shaped my identity… I wonder why I have transformed the way that I did. What made me realise that the K-word was wrong as a young child? What made me question race, religion and politics? What made me move away from what I once believed? I am today a different person with a new set of believes, and I am happy that this drastic shift happened. I am a better person.
I find these pots beautiful, I will always have an emotional relationship with ‘them’, ‘they’ remind me of where I come from, what I was and what I have become. They nostalgically remind me of holidays on the farm sitting around the fire while my mother prepared ‘pot brood’ (pot bread) in our ‘kaffir pots’, but they also strongly remind me of my problematic political past. Jacob Dlamini (2009) beauftifully addresses nostalgia of a politically problematic past in his book Native Nostalgia where he highlights how our memories of a troubled past is enriched by the nuances of a happy childhood, although it was surrounded by political unrest.
I no longer call ‘them’ the Kaffir Pots.
It’s in the past.
I now find them beautiful.
my doilies & other bittersweet memories 
Haai,
Ek is ‘n kunsjuffrou hier in Pretoria en het op jou werk afgekom terwyl ek voorbeelde van Suid-Afrikaanse kunstenaars nagevors het by artthrob.co.za, om te gebruik in my matriekvraestelle. Jou werk is so toepaslik in terme van die geslagskwessies en die rol van die vrou in ons samelewing (tradisioneel en modern) wat ons behandel. Baie dankie vir goeie inligting oor jou werk en mooi voorbeelde 🙂
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Hello Lizanne
Ek is bly jy het my blog ontdek. Laai gerus die katalogus af en deel dit met jou studente. Waar gee jy skool? Ek het in Pretoria groot geword en ook skool gegee sowat 12 jaar gelede. Tans is ek by ‘n privaat universiteit: Vega. Het die kampus help stig in Durban. Hou gerus kontak en ek sal selfs met graagte vir jou ‘n katalogus stuur of aflaai as ek weer in Pretoria is.
Gee jy vir matrieks klas?
groete
Naretha
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I wonder if the writer realy did her homework before she wrote this absolute nonsense!!! Did sha ask a Afrikaner the real meaning of Houtkop, Kafferpot and Kaffer boom? No I do not think so! Well then this writer can go marry a black if she realy love them so much and see how long she can hold on to something that was never meant to be by natures law
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Dear Tenya
My story reflects on my personal lived experience as an Afrikaner. I do not speak on behalf of all Afrikaners, but from what I have experienced. My journey also reflects on my own transformation (from a belief and values point of view). I trust you have read my catalogue before commenting? I will soon load my dissertation if you have the time to read it, it illustrates the research I have done and the complete journey of awareness and critical reflection.
I am intrigued, please enlighten me as to what the ‘real’ meaning is of ‘Houtkop’, ‘Kafferpot’ and ‘Kaffer boom’. Would love to hear your opinion and input.
I am however also quite intrigued by what you call ‘natures law’, where does this law come from? Who created this law? And who governs this law?
Regards
Naretha Pretorius
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Hi – I teach Gr 5 and today (while teaching NS !) we got side-tracked and began talking in class – I cannot even remember how we got onto the topic of ‘niggerballs’ (now called jawbreakers) …. which then lead us to ‘kaffirsheeting’. I googled looking for the replacement words and came upon your very interesting blog. I read some of it to my class … it is such a ‘taai toffie’ topic that we will continue our discussion. I really enjoyed your views and your journey (to which I can relate as I have an afrikaans boere-pa of 81 who still talks about the ‘kaffirs’). Thank you !
Benita
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Dear Benita,
Thank you for your comment, and especially for sharing some of my story with the learners.
I believe that sharing our personal stories can contribute to a better understanding of what some call ‘the master narrative’.
The nuances like referring to objects that in itself tells a story of our history, such as ‘kaffir sheeting’ or ‘kaffir pots’, is a fascinating way of unpacking the socio-political context, and congratulations for doing that with your learners. Maybe you can ask them to write a piece and you can share it on my blog through a post? Or email me directly and maybe I can create a post based on it: narethap@gmail.com.
I am also busy updating my blog to include more of my writing and thinking under the publication page.
All the best
Naretha
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Aliboet in Australia points out that kaffir was used by many people, no just white southern African non indigenous people. Kaffir is a phonetic translation of k’ffir, an Arab word for a non believer. In central Africa there was a distinction between the Islamic people, and the non believers (k’ffir). The slavers were keen to take non believers as slaves, and the non believers were generally bantu tribes in the south, and Europeans in the north. Non believers began to refer to themselves as k’ffirs as a collective noun as the European explorers became confused with the hundreds of differing and interacting tribal groups. This collective noun was used all over non islamic africa. Remember that the slavers operated as far as South Africa today. Their main trading node was Sofala, from Zanzibar. This practice was stopped by the beastly racist settlers. The collective term remained. So remember that the use of the word was first used by ethnic africans. Its perception as an insult has happened since.
As for niger.(Latin for black) it was used as a collective for black people, as we now use “Africans”, even though a lot of Africans are “White”. Nigger balls were and are still black. That is why the were called that. In a hugely conservative 19th century, the concept of eating testicles would have been abhorrent. To consider the idea that they were named to insult Africans is Bizarre.
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Hello Aliboet,
Thanks for your comment and ideas shared around this contentious term. It is interesting to see how language and the meaning it carries can shift over years, as social context and awareness changes. I am aware that the term Kaffir originally meant non-believer, and it is interesting to note that that very meaning was often (mis)used in my community as a negative expression towards black people as heathens. This is specifically significant as this community of white Afrikaners were strictly Christian. The (sad) irony is that many of the black people in South Africa are Christians, and many strong believers, but the very fact that there was this racial and cultural divide, meant that they were seen as ‘not good enough’ to be genuine Christians (thus superiority was not just a race thing, it was a religious notion as well). You will see that I refer in my writing to ‘the chosen people’, where our church believed and often preached that they were the chosen people who will be saved by God and lead to the land of milk and honey. Although a lot has changed since 1994, such thinking unfortunately still remains active in our country, and will take quite some time to change.
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The thinking remains active because there are still far to many blacks behaving like Kaffers, non believing murdering renegades, who cling to the past and won’t forget nor forgive, and who enjoy caring out there murders and venting there hate. we also have white Kaffers in the country who behave as badly, the huge problem we have is whites are only 10% of the population and if 20% of the nation on both sides behave as bad, then you have maybe 2 million whites with unforgiving spirits, but I don’t think it is even that many, but because of the difference in the numbers, you would have 8 million blacks behaving and earning the status of Kaffer. The corruption in Government does nothing to help make people think any different of then either, but I do believe to make change we should start from the top and ask those who have been privileged with running the country, to behave and repent of there bad management, as this type of behavior is intolerable and unnecessary and will not win the confidence of the whites nor of the good black people who are making every attempt to make south Africa a country in which we can all be proud and find the love of God toward all of the people, It will also go a long way to our lands success should we all turn to God and work in harmony with his will, if not, well then this government will be building another nation of terrorists out of people living in dis pare and in the end they will feast on what they have produced and we shall end up like Syria, with a Godless governance killing anybody who chooses to disagree with them.
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Hi Chris.
I have been pondering and rethinking whether I should ‘approve’ your post. In many ways I disagree and disapprove your approach and tone. Yet, i can see that you are upset and feel strong about things. I would like to have this blog as an open forum, and allow others to comment on this too. You have your opinion, that stems from your beliefs and experiences, as much as I have mine.
I strongly believe that transformation (of any kind) starts with the self. Honest introspection is required to transform. It takes courage and brutal honesty to do this, as transformation and to ‘metamorphosize’ is not easy, in fact it’s very uncomfortable and often difficult to do.
Why?
Well, indoctrination is a powerful societal tool. It makes us belief things and do things, that we often don’t really scrutinize and question. We just do it. And often these beliefs and practices are problematic, and often disguised as ‘good behaviour’.
So, if you were to think about your upbringing, your ways of doing, your beliefs and how you practice it, what does it tell you about you as a person, and your relation with others? We often should first just look at ourselves, our own community and people, before we look at others.
Wishing you well in your own transformative journey.
Naretha
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