Janneke Tikkuie was the husband of Vehettge Tikkuie, who was baptised Magdalena in 1742 [MS]. The two were married according to Khoekhoe custom [MS]. He helped Georg Schmidt’s mission in its first years by fetching supplies and hunting to feed the community [MS]. The Moravian Church in South Africa says he was Chainoqua and his wife Hessequa [MS]. If that is right, their marriage joined the two main Khoekhoe peoples of the Overberg.
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by at least two sources that do not depend on each other, or by an official record.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from Moravian records, above all Georg Schmidt’s diary, and the histories written from them. Nothing about Janneke survives from his own side.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it yet.
At a glance
| Born | Not known |
| Died | Not known |
| Known for | Supporting Schmidt’s mission with supplies and food, and being Magdalena’s husband [MS] |
| Link to the valley | One of the Khoekhoe who made the first mission at Baviaanskloof possible |
What is known
Sources spell his first name in different ways: Janneke, Jantjie, and Jaktie [MS]. All are Dutch forms, and his Khoekhoe name is not recorded [TBV]. Tikkuie (also written Tikhuie) was the family name he shared with his wife [MS].
He and Vehettge were among the Khoekhoe who went with Schmidt when he moved to Baviaanskloof in April 1738 [MS]. A mission of this kind depended on its Khoekhoe members for food and supplies. Janneke fetched supplies and hunted for the community [MS].
When Schmidt baptised Vehettge in 1742, he did not baptise Janneke [MS]. One historian suggests Schmidt judged him less ready in his faith [MS]. Whether he was baptised later is not recorded.
After Schmidt left in 1744, Magdalena went back to the Sergeants River area and kept the congregation together for 48 years [IC]. The sources do not say whether Janneke was with her in those years, or when he died.
Links to other figures
- Magdalena was his wife.
- Georg Schmidt relied on his help in the mission’s first years.
- Soeswa and Dorha were earlier leaders of the Chainoqua, the people he is said to have belonged to.
What is still open
- His Khoekhoe name, and which spelling of his Dutch name is correct.
- Whether he was Chainoqua and his wife Hessequa, as Moravian sources say.
- Whether he was ever baptised.
- Whether he lived through the 48 years with Magdalena, and when he died.
- Whether the couple had children, and whether families in the valley descend from them.
Related
References
- Millard, J.A. (1999). Tikhuie, Vehettge Magdalena. Dictionary of African Christian Biography. His name as Janneke or Jantjie, his work for the mission, and why he was not baptised with his wife.
- Moravian Church in South Africa. Women’s Month and Pilgrimage of Grace. His name as Jaktie, the customary marriage, and the couple’s Chainoqua and Hessequa origins.