Page 116 - Bulletin 20 2016

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Heese (c 1930) notes “Dat die vywers in Stilbaai oud is, word geboekstaaf deur die eerste

Duinevoortrekker na Stilbaai, wat dit aan sy kinders vertel het dat hy die vywers daar gekry
het, t.w. in 1810-20. In dié dae het daar ook nog wilde Boesmans by Windvoëlspunt (wat

later deur Engelse seevaarders verdoop is met “Morris Point”) gehou het en al langs die kus
oor na Jongensgat “Caves”, Groot-, Kleinjongensfontein na Duiwenhoks Rivier toe. Of hulle

aan die Hessequa of aan die Attaqua stam behoort het, kan slegs deur die taalgeleerdes
vasgestel word, wanneer ons daartoe oorgegaan het om die ou plaasname soos Wankoes,

Kragga ens te versamel en vir ons nageslagte op te bewaar – ipv om hulle te verdoop”. In

addition to his implication that indigenous people were responsible for the traps he also
mentions the possibility that Middle and Early Stone Age remains in traps indicate an even

earlier origin for visvywers. This latter seems unlikely, however, given the long-term effects
th
of sea level fluctuations. It should also be noted that prior to the early 19 century, stock
farmers were in the Agulhas region in 1710.

Avery (1975) records an oral tradition among Elim people who visited the coast periodically
and used the Die Dam fish traps. Meij (c 2014) includes a tantalizing drawing describing

Khoekhoen people spearing fish in a fish trap attributed to Kolben (1738) with Europeans

looking on, although I’ve not seen the primary source for this. Iron Age people were well-
versed in the use of stone for walling.

Farmers moved into the Orange basin by 1690 and Lichtenstein who visited the area between
1803 and 1806 mentioned the presence of stone-weirs used to catch fish (Lichtenstein 1815).

Hine et al (2010) argued, on the grounds of not finding a link between the Cape south coast

fish traps and the contents of middens and historical records, that European farmers, from
about AD 1892, and not the Khoekhoen, were responsible for introducing the use of stone-

walled fish traps.

Although Avery (1975) and Hine et al. (2010) found no evidence of fish trapping in midden
assemblages, this may not be unequivocal as this activity may not be reflected in the