Leefregt Ari and Sebastian Hendrik were two older men of Genadendal who, in 1855, were the last people there who could still speak the Hessequa language [MS]. When the Governor of the Cape, Sir George Grey, visited on 3 January 1855, they were called to speak it in front of him [MS]. This page covers the two together, because the records name them together and say little about either.
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 and the histories written from them, above all Genadendal: A Long Walk by Isaac Balie, and from the writings of visitors to the mission. Their own words have not come down to us.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it yet.
A living heritage
Descendants of the Hessequa and other Khoekhoe peoples live in the valley today. This page will be corrected by their own accounts.
At a glance
| Born | Not known |
| Died | Not known |
| Known for | Being the last speakers of the Hessequa language at Genadendal in 1855 [MS] |
| Link to the valley | Residents of Genadendal, and the last link to the Khoekhoe language spoken by its first people |
The language
When Georg Schmidt came in 1737, a Khoekhoe man named Africo, who understood Dutch, acted as his interpreter [MS]. Schmidt tried to learn the Khoekhoe language, but found one of its clicks too hard, and taught in Dutch instead [MS]. Over the next century the Khoekhoe language at Genadendal gave way to Dutch, and only older residents could still speak it [MS]. Hans Peter Hallbeck, who led the mission from 1817 to 1840, compiled a list of words in this dialect of Hessequa, the Hottentotsche Wörterbuch, now in the archives at Herrnhut in Germany [MS].
The visit of 1855
Sir George Grey became Governor of the Cape in 1854, and visited Genadendal on 3 January 1855 [MS]. Balie’s history says that because of his interest in the cultures of indigenous peoples, he asked about the language spoken there, and that Leefregt Ari and Sebastian Hendrik, the last two who could speak Hessequa, were called to meet him [MS]. They spoke together in the language in front of him [MS]. Balie’s history says it was the first time Grey had heard it [MS].
Leefregt Ari as a herdsman
The English artist George French Angas visited Genadendal in 1846 and painted Leefregt Ari as a herdsman [MS]. In a verse with the painting, Angas described him tending another man’s flock on land his father had once owned [MS]. Balie’s history uses the picture to tell how the Khoekhoe, once cattle owners, became herdsmen for the settlers [MS]. A photograph of both men is credited to the photographer F.A. York, who visited Genadendal in the 1840s [MS].
Links to other figures
- Hans Peter Hallbeck recorded words of their language.
- Africo interpreted between Khoekhoe and Dutch for Schmidt a century earlier.
What is still open
- When they were born and died, and what their families were.
- Whether Hallbeck’s word list, or any other record, preserves words they spoke.
- Whether descendants of either man live in the valley today.
- The date of the photograph credited to F.A. York.
Have your say
If you know of these men, their families, or any words of the old language remembered in the valley, contact the moderators via How to Submit.
Related
References
- Balie, I. (2023). Genadendal, The Valley of Grace: A Long Walk Through the History of the First Mission Station in South Africa. AuthorHouse. First published 2020. Grey’s visit, the last speakers of Hessequa, Hallbeck’s word list, Angas’s painting and verse, and the photograph. Page numbers are on Genadendal: A Long Walk.