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10/5/1961 - First Impressions: A Trip to Namaqueland by James C. Brewer

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS October JCB First Impressions Bay View Avenue A Trip Namaqueland Tamboer Kloof Cape Town South Africa Mr Richard Nolte Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue New York New York Dear Nolte Water mineral divining cuestionable science But Namaqueland western Cape south Kalahari Desert where water precious necessity diviner respected ability strenuously defended I recently returned Cape Town Namaqueland dowser searching diamonds Margaret Seal early thirties mother small children She professional dowser about years She radiations given water minerals earth Her accuracy comes concentration years experience This unusual sensitivity childhood considers quite natural phenomenon This special talent enabled enter lives South Africans generally reluctant communicate English speaking outsiders The Afrikaner farmers Na aqueland worked years respect herself water finding ability They first suspicious English speaking parentage accept South African accepted their Afrikaans language She regrets formal schooling short While disturbs limited education She readez serious fiction understanding student human relations She sensitive inanimate materials people All excellent sponsor companion A weeks called I would interested accompanying dowsing edition I JCB immediately I welcome opportunity seeing Namaqueland meeting people Leaving evening travelled north could train It South Africa train When I I across jokes I believe Thomas W Jackson A large I remember contained stories about train through Arkansas Ths train which tired riding could awhile would train catch The train Namaqueland anything slower It carried provisions except slightly water plenty sooty smoke This train It comes Cape Town farther isolated southern The distance Bitterfontein South West Africa where railroad begins again straight about miles This intervening I controlled single trucking company influential government lobby It prevented successfully continuance railroad makin necessary break journey South West Africa roads resumption railway It further strengthened position selling company stock Namaqueland prominent farmers making their advantage railroad This helped Namaqueland isolated commercial traffic which through railroad might brngo It region century Namaqueland named Hottentot tribe which originally inhabited It egins about north Cape Town stretching miles northward Orange River eastward called Bushmanland Northwest Cape These bordering areas common They share solated inhabited mainly sheep farmers sometimes nomadic existence their constant search water The white people Namaqueland Afrikaners They speak little English Their world separated events activities modern The roads these except small number mainly travelled gravel loads roughened paths There electricity farms towns except those places which generator their Here there material products modern society beginning found Whle these welcomed seems strangely mixed sadness Most people I prefer their isolation They certain freedom being alone JCB As train early morning hours I iv_mediately conscious vaster distance cosmopolitan culture Town could measured The railroad station buldi appeared small oasis light heard English among people gathered train Every Afrikaans The elderly farmer arrangements Seal dowsing trips darkness reliable Opel candle headlamps We travel hundred miles farther north hours cover miles there The travelled neither tarred smooth Yet roads Later order farms possible diamond sights leave roads rough water washed tracks And sometimes course searching driver would itself Riding truck across perhaps difficult getting country During spent bumping At gather dried bushes build braai vleis ashes It usually roasted sausage which hands It equalled brandy etizer coffee afterwards meals I The fresh comfortably dista could directions nothing obstruct No traffic smoke wearisome noise I refreshingly alone could understand thing people there cherish about their country At night would anothe hotel often place generated fluctuating tricity The towns uniformly Dutch Reformed Church centered The large church building dominate center modern house parsonage other school which boarded children during A petrol station butchery rocery store general store would complete picture Some people wireless aside visit friends occasional weekend drinking session hotel church Wednesday nights twice Sunday total recreation JCB TI peopl_ee The eople I impression environment produced hardy outwardly moral Afrikaner guide shared expense I first assumed guard Mrs Seal possible nocturnal attentions devout Afrikaners They little British today hundred years On recent Mr Seal accompanied caught suffocating storm Seeing sheepherder family struggled through toward sheltero Seal known water finding quickly welcomed Mr Seal forced outside storm while convinc family longer British trying South African Only grudgingly allow relief stinging Our guide amiable companion cellent guard English seldo startled speaking presence Why Dad cried I could speak Red Imperialist tongue Another story school supervisor unexpected visit overhearing teacher announce English lesson class And children wrestle enemy tongue Ingrown isolated Afrikanerdom these Namaque landers understanding Coloured people beside They Coloureds their first recognition master servant An awareness Coloure person separate individual personality apart racial characteristics existent racial group Our farmer guide expressed group thinking talked about whites He reflected attitudes which widely accepted thought skinned people living Africa group distinction between Africans Congo Coloured people Namaoueland black He believed missionaries doing Africans Look Congo The missionaries educated Africans country independente educated massacre White people Education doesn Blacks You educate JCB Pnere obtained knowledge about Congo He anyone there experiences whites It seemed education upsets Black person gives strange ideas It seemed influenced statements leaders major political parties The United Party Nationalist Party These politicians pointed fearfully again again Congo illustration happen South Africa Blacks I asked missionaries should teach He replied Let teach spiritual things teach Bible preach about God Isolation price freedom It picture isolation which these people Almost outside ideas access battle ingrained prejudices People towns contacts They receive publications English Afrikaans Press Of course primary source infoz marion about outside world radio govern controlled Radio South Africa Books uncommon The I Afrikaans Bible These hardy Afrikaaners think their lonely essence freedom A braai vleis companion tending sheep Veld Here reverence freedom There freedom continued about nhing You brilliant stars night immensity heaven vastness earth enjoy interference There freedom there evidence Vrice Poverty doggedly follows farmer footsteps About farmhouses passed abandoned Perhaps illness likely water This South Africa which water never plentiful suffered severe drought years Last earlier heavy rains But ground caked years nothing prepared water inlets kloofs turning streambeds raging rivers washing precious Erosion become common JCB Trees unfortunately books The small guarded fences animals On treeless swept visited Zyl The drought weakened their flocks heavy rains brought relef hospitably greeted couple their small dried baked front their cement A Bushman seemed better constructed Pive chairs around rectangular wooden table dominated although there sideboard which dsplayed their precious possession peaches They books candles light Dried biltong dried salted mutton which prize might They children boarding school The nearest school Zyl Life formerly nomadic wandering families still There young I scraping This constant since forever shifting contours This clears miles returns pulls trailer where begin again He family Coloured helper endlessly inching their lonely roads iamaqueland Some nomads families never owned Others their homesteads because drought These people tents drive whatever herds place place their carts making whatever water supDly They still dress their predecessors Voortrekkers spent their entire lives Bushmanland roaming constantly Diamonds bonanza farmer Every farmer vsited talked hopefully finding diamonds It reminded grandparents farmers West continually talked finding Their ectations would everytime someone gambled drilling theirs Namaqueland damonds Its shore Atlantic called Diamond Coast Those farmers along coast receive portion their yearly income prospectors paying annual options digging rights Most possible vaulable diamond fields leased controlled large corporations De Beers Newcomers lttle chance fndng uncontrolled diamond Mrs Seal locate pockets diamonds beneath ground Every precious stone which uncovered matter small registered overnment However farmers unreported damonds They often bartering buying selln sheep place money Stories arrests perod cally newspapers obviously illegal diamond dealng continues Diamonds really answer Namaqueland The future depends water It precious diamonds along coast The Olifants River Irrigation Project successful effort channel available water presents remarkable pcture Namaqualand could The grain felds foliage trees fruits productive earth strkng contrast brown If Namaqualand brought level accessible parts South Africa depend addition irrigation projects There developin resources Orange River Such projects rural electrf cation while bringing unwanted elements modern world thing perhaps which alive Nothing heard about results Irs Seal dowsing expedition If results asked South West Africa For however expedition definitely success What I learned admire respect regret helps understand something South Africa people Sincerely C Brewer Received New York October