Ouma Bettie and Oupa Abel Stewart
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Translation of Extract from Transcription of a recorded interview with Ouma Bettie and Ouma Abel Stewart, conducted by Martin Mössmer, with Oupa Poon van Rooy
Location: Breipaal, Douglas, Northern Cape
Date: 08 July 2018
BS= Ouma Bettie Stewart
AS= Oupa Abel Stewart
NvR= Oupa Niklaas (Poon) van Rooy
MM= Martin Mössmer
MM Ouma you can now tell us where Ouma comes from and…
BS I come from Grukwastad [Griekwastad], I worked for white people in Grukwastad, worked for the Korabies [family name] did housework, worked very hard. And then I got this boyfriend, and we moved away from there, we moved to uh whatsit, uh Plot One [Die Erwe, -29.073987403724402,23.745446205139164], to baas Erik de Klerk’s plot. There I had, I had two children… When he took me I had two children and I worked and worked on the farm. I worked for those boere for a very long time, honestly, I worked for the de Klerks for a long time. I can say I actually grew up there and became old there. And then the man worked there too until he didn’t want to work on the farm anymore, then we moved uh, across the river to the whatstheirname…
AS Cilliers
BS …to the Cilliers, I also worked there, because I was a hardworking little woman, I like to work and I work hard. And uh, so we stayed there, until baas Erik asked him [AS] again and then I moved back to baas Erik and we worked-worked-worked there at baas Koos Cilliers place and then we moved across the river again to the Prieska District, at Niewejaars Kraal [-29.392944263140052,23.1536865234375]. There he [AS] worked, worked hard on the tractors. I went to work for baas Gert van Niekerk in the kitchen. And so we travelled together, but I am actually from Grukwastad. I am a real Griekwa. My father spoke Tswana and Griekwa, my father did not teach us a lot about whatsit [Xri], when we moved from Grukwastad when I was a young girl…
AS (Sit over there.) [to child]
BS …and came to live here in Brakkies [29.17284772865804,23.253250122070312] at the Hager’s place. I spent a long time working there on that place, I didn’t have this husband yet, because I was still a young girl. I worked there and there we, like we call it now, became nǃabasas. [sic ǀ’habasas, ‘initiated young woman’] First my oldest sister, Trooi –she’s passed away, she had Neels Basson [i.e. was married to]– there we became nabasas [sic], and we who were Griekwas have [a] faith, and there we were put into the faith [i.e. initiated]. We were pu into this faith there, and my father slaughtered a fat sheep and I stayed in the house for a whole month, not like the young girls today, an entire month in the house and then that little sheep was slaughtered and I had to eat it. Neef [NvR], one person has to eat that little sheep and it was hung in my room too. I was covered in [behind] a hessian bag in the corner, I’m not allowed to peep out at young men, do you see, neef? And I stayed there and my father slaughtered the sheep and the sheep was skinned and the dung was taken and I asked my grandmother why do they do this, my grandmother came into the house –that’s our faith– my grandmother came into the house and shaved of all my hair and my mother and grandmother took the dung of that sheep and smeared it all over me and my grandmother –I could not protest, we were brought up very strictly, we Griekwas and I wasn’t allowed to answer back– and my grandmother and my mother smeared me with the dung and I stayed there, barefoot and covered with a blanket during the day, and I was not allowed to peep out even if I heard a young man speak. And they kept me there for an entire month and my grandmother washed me before I went down to the river. She washed me and left for the veldt very early in the morning and fetched rooiklip [‘red ochre’] and she ground it fine, that rooiklip , and my grandmother smeared the ochre and the fat of that little sheep all over me once more. And I had to stay there, I could only wear one piece of clothing to cover [my modesty] –we were strict people, my father was very strict with us– when I came out of the hok they put beads on me, the beads were plaited crosswise over my body and I got two small tortoises –Griet [her daughter] has my two tortoises, they are still full of buchu– small tortoises were caught in the veldt by my grandfather and two small holes were made [in the shell] and they hung on either side of my body [on her hips], they were stuffed with buchu, that buchu which you dig [up] in the veldt, stuffed with buchu and they hung them on me and I was made pretty. And the young men asked if they could look at me as well and then my grandmother said they could. When I came out I was very white [i.e. pale], and the young men shouted, and honestly my grandmother had to ward them off and I walked in the middle amongst the grandmothers –that is why I still play mouth organ [harmonica]– and they took me to the river and they hit the river with red clay sticks [sticks smeared with red ochre and buchu with which they hit the surface of the water to tame the Waterslang] hitting and hitting on all sides. And my grandmother told me if I see a thing coming out of the river, if a thing comes out of the river I must not be a disgrace to them, I must not run away, I have to allow that thing to come out of the water and to lick my feet. And so I sat and the snake came out –even though they say there is no Rivierslang [‘river snake’], there is a Rivierslang– and it came out of the water and licked my feet and my grandmother hit the water with the sticks just like this [hitting on either side], and they spoke in the language, hitting with the sticks just like this, and the bones of that sheep were in a bag, the bones that had hung in my room –the aitchbone of the sheep isn’t cut up because the snake must come and get it– and my grandmother [and company] hit and hit the water and the thing [the water snake] came up and I was rather apprehensive but I had to sit there because it’s my learning that I am getting, and [then] that snake came and fetched the bones. When the snake took the bones my grandmother [and company] spoke to him, spoke to him again –because my grandmother [and company] said we aren’t allowed to have boyfriends, we aren’t allowed otherwise we would be nǀ’axa [sic ǀ’haaxa ‘impure’], the Griekwas say if you wriggle in the water then you are nǀ’axa, you have to sit quietly– so I sat without moving a muscle and the snake took the bones and he went off with the bones and my grandmother said to me, “Do you see his mane moving on the water like this.” And he took that bag of bones and disappeared with it, and I had to tuck my skirts around my legs and I came out and we went home. The young men were left at the house. They sat behind each other on a chair [on chairs]. And my grandmother said to me, ‟Pour some of that buchu on your hand –this is our faith– and pull it through their legs or else they cannot taste the food that was cooked and eaten because their stomachs will ache.” And that is how we were brought up. We had a very strict upbringing.
MM Until what age did Ouma stay in Griekwastad?
BS I lived in Griekwastad until I was twenty one, I was still a young maiden then, I was older than twenty one when I had my first child. I was brought up very well, I was taught well. My people were exceptionally strict. And my father was very severe with me; I know they call me ‟Bettie”, but my father actually called me ‟Kolase”. My father loved me very much.
MM What does the name mean?
BS ‟Kolase” is Griekwa meidjie [‘girl’]
MM Hmm?
BS Hmm.
[NvR laughing]
‟Griekwa meidjie”, is what my father always called me. ‟Kolase”. When my father was ill he would call me ‟Kolase”, and I loved my father very much, neef [NvR]. I see the Griekwas here in Douglas don’t cooperate too well, but the other people cooperate well. Some who work together as Griekwas is Poon van Rooy [NvR] and the ouma up there who still puts in the hokmeisies… auntie Bella [Ouma Martha ‟Bella” Bekers]…
NvR Yes.
BS … who still puts hokmeisies in. And my intention was to put these little ones in the hok in future when they are bigger and to let their grandmothers come from Campbell to put them inside, but they tell me they don’t want to be chickens [in a cage].
[laughing]
BS As if they were chickens…
NvR That is so.
BS Yes.
MM Oh no.
NvR They only look at you, at the, at the afvra [‘asking for permission to marry’] too…
BS Hmm.
NvR …when he… the girl… the young man says, ‟I want this girl…”
BS Yes.
NvR ‟… I want to marry you…”
BS Hmm.
NvR Then I hear her say, ‟You must ask my parents,” but if he then… if he comes to the mother, then the mother says, ‟You have to be afgevra [‘asked permission for’].” Then you hear her say, she isn’t a chicken…
BS Hmm.
NvR … or a goat. She does not want to be sold, but she doesn’t realise she is casting her luck away.
MM Hmm.
AS Hmm.
NvR This is what happens then.
BS Yes.
MM She does.
NvR Yes.
MM And your culture too… everything.
NvR And the culture, yes yes, she casts the culture away too.
BS Hmm, yes.
NvR Because she doesn’t want to… uh uh… she doesn’t want her mother… look, she has passed matric, she has done everything, now she doesn’t want to pay back her mother. Now she is just taken [by a man] and a shanty is built and the child stays there.
BS Yes. This is life today.
NvR This is life today.
BS Hmm. Our children are fighting bitterly against that which they don’t want to hear, neef. They don’t want to, don’t want to, don’t want to…
NvR They don’t want to.
AS Hmm.
BS We grew up that way. And the old people were strict and you may not –neef Poon [NvR] knows– you may not even… if you dish up food for your husband, you can’y just, you have to tuck your skirts around your legs.
NvR Yes.
BS If you grill roosterbrood [roosterkoek/griddle cake], you have to sit like this when you grill roosterbrood…
NvR Yes.
BS You cannot sit deurtrekker [you have to sit modestly]
[laughing]
That’s how strict our people were, that’s how I grew up and many people don’t get along with me. My father always said to me, when my father spoke the [Xri] language with me, he said, “You have to go and ǀ’amaxuu [sic ǁ’ama ‘buy/get’, xuu ‘thing’] me ǂxon-xuku [‛sweet stuff’].” Then I said, ‟What ǂxon-xuku ǀ’amaxuu, my father?” I had to go and ask sugar from Griet…
[laughing]
… and that is how my father said, ‟You have to go and ask for sugar, ǃon-xuku ǃ’amaxuu [sic] is sugar.”
[laughing]
And if he asked for meat, it’s surube ǀ’amaxuu [sic surudeb ‘debt’, meaning ‛buy on credit’]. Neef, the people speak a mixed-up language. Hmm.
NvR They confuse us, honestly [laughing]
BS Yes, but I was taught.
NvR Yes.
BS I don’t regret it.
NvR That’s right.
BS I don’t regret it, I was taught.
MM And does Ouma remember any other words of the old language?
BS No meneer. I don’t have any other words.
MM Hmm.
BS Hmm.
MM And Ouma moved from farm to farm as well…
BS Hmm.
MM …and worked there…
BS Hmm.
MM … and ended up here in Breipaal?
BS Yes, I did, but I… left here and when I came to Breipaal I worked for the Shaws, I worked for the Shaws in town, those boere who had the butchery. Then I went [away] for six years… [inaudible]
[coughing]
…and then I came back and came and stayed here. I still go back and forth because I am used to them and then I come back home. But I worked for them for six years, the Shaws. You get used to each other as you know…
NvR Hmm.
BS … hmm, so you cannot part company.
NvR Part from each other.
MM Hmm.
BS When I go to the Free State –they live in the Free State now, but they live in town, my children are working for them– I go to the Free State, and go to [visit] them, we are so used to each other.
[laughing]
He says to me, ‟You can see a hardworking woman, who works hard and loves work,” neef. My husband often tells me, ‟Don’t work so hard.”
[laughing]
First I use the small hoe and then the small fork and I work extremely hard, then baas Paul says, one can see I am a hardworking woman, because you know a hardworking woman by her hands…
[laughing]
MM Hmm.
BS Neef, you know I don’t back away from anything. No. And I now want the children to do this, but the children tell me we are too old-fashioned.
NvR Yes, yes.
BS They say we are hopelessly old-fashioned.
MM They don’t understand, do they?
BS They understand nothing.
************
Extract from Transcription of a recorded interview with Ouma Bettie and Ouma Abel Stewart, conducted by Martin Mössmer, with Oupa Poon van Rooy
Location: Breipaal, Douglas, Northern Cape
Date: 08 July 2018
BS= Ouma Bettie Stewart
AS= Oupa Abel Stewart
NvR= Oupa Niklaas (Poon) van Rooy
MM= Martin Mössmer
MM Ouma kan maar vertel waar ouma vandaan kom, en…
BS Nee, ek kom van Grukwastad [d.w.s. Griekwastad] af, heeltyd of Grukwastad gewerk by blanke mense, Korabie’s [familie naam], gewerk, in’ie huis gewerk, baie hard gewerk. En toe kry ek nou dié boyfrien’, toe trek ons nou daarvan af, toe trek ons nou, uh, dinges toe, uh, Plot Een [Die Erwe, -29.073987403724402,23.745446205139164] toe, by baas Erik de Klerk se plot. Daar het ek nou, ek het twee kindertjies gehad… Wat hy my vat toe’t ek twee kindertjies, en daar het ek nou gekom werk-werk op’ie plaas, en ek het báie lank by daai boere gewerk, rêrigwaar, by die de Klerke ’t ek lank gewerk, kan sê ek het ein’lik daar groot geword en oud geword. En toe’t die man ook daar gewerk, toe wil’ie man nie meer op’ie plaas werk’ie, toe trek ons nou, uh, oor’ie rivier na die dingese toe…
AS Cilliers
BS …na die Cilliers toe, daar het ek o’k loop gewerk, maar ek was ‘n hardwerkende vroutjie, ek hóu van werk en ek werk hárd. En, uh, so’t ons daar gebly-bly-bly, toe vra baas Erik hom [AS] wéér, toe trek ek wéér terug baas Erik toe, daar het ons nou gewerk-gewerk-gewerk, daar by baas Koos Cilliers se plek, en toe trek ons weer oor’ie rivier, toe’s o’s doer by Prieska distrik, by die Niewejaars Kraal [-29.392944263140052,23.1536865234375]. Daar het hy [AS] gaan gewerk, hard gewerk, by die trekkers. Ek het toe wéér daar by baas Gert van Niekerk in’ie kombuis gewerk. En so’t ons maar ge-, saam geloop en saam geloop, maar eindelik is ek van Grukwastad, ‘k is ‘n régte Griekwa. My pa’t nou Tshwana [Tswana] gepraat en Griekwa gepraat, my pa’t ons nou nie baie geleer van, van dinges [Xri] ’ie, toe’t o’[ns] nou daar getrek, wat ek ‘n jongmeisie is, van Grukwastad af…
AS (sit daar) [to child]
BS …kom bly o’s hier op Brakkies [-29.17284772865804,23.253250122070312] by die, by die Hagerse se plek. Daar het ek nét so lank gewerk op ’aai plek, toe’t ek nog’ie dié man’ie, wat ek ‘n jongmeisie is. Daar het ek lank gewerk, en dáár het ons nou, soos ons nou sê, nǃabasas [sic ǀ’habasas, ‘ingewyde jong vrou’] geword, eers my oudste suster Trooi –hy’s oorlede, hy’t vir Neels Basson gehad [d.w.s. was met hom getroud]– daar het ons nou nabasas [sic] geword, en ons wat Griekwas, ons Griekwas het mos geloof, daar is ons in die geloof gesit [d.w.s. ingewy]. Ons is in’ie geloof gesit daar, toe’t my pa vir my ‘n vet skaap geslag en ek het vir die hele maand in’ie huis gebly, nie soos vandag se jongmeisies ‘ie, hele maand in die huis gebly, en dan daai skapetjie is geslag, ek moet hom alleen eet. Neef [NvR], een eet aan daai skapetjie en hy’s o’k in my kamer gehang, ek is in ‘n goiingsakketjie toegemaak in die hoek, ek mag’ie uitkyk vir jongmannetjiese nie, sien neef? En daar het ek gebly, en my pa’t toe die skaap geslag en die skaap is toe afgeslag en die mis is gevat, en ek het my ouma-goed gevra hoekom maak hulle so, my ouma het in die huis ingekom –dis onse geloof– my ouma’t in’ie huis ingekom en daai skapetjie se mis gevat, hy’t my kop afgeskeer heel, en my ma en my ouma het vir my gebesmeer an die mis, en my ouma –ek mag’ie terug praat’ie, ons is baie stram grootgemaak, ons Griekwas, ek mag’ie terug praat’ie– daar het my ouma ne my ma my gesmeer met daai mis, en ek het daar gebly, kaalvoet, hulle maak my dík toe in’ie dag onder’ie kombers, ek mag’ie uitloer al hoor ek ‘n jongmannetjie praat. En toe’t hulle my vir my die hele maand daar gehou, en my ouma, voor laat ek af gaan rivier toe het my ouma vir my gewas, afgewas, en my ouma is baie vroe’ weg veld toe, my ouma het die rooiklip [d.w.s. oker] loop gevat en my ouma het hom fyngemaal, daai rooiklip, en my ouma besmeer my weer van daai rooiklip, héél gesmeer met daai skapetjie se vet. En ek moes daar bly, ek moet maar net ‘n een dingetjie aantrek om toe te maak, en my –o’s was strám mense gewis [d.w.s. gewees], my pa-goed was baie stram met o’s– toe’t e ui’die hok uit gekom, toe’t hulle vir my krale aangesit –daarvoor hou ek nóu nog so van’ie krale– hul’t vi’ my krale aangesit, hulle’t dit oor kruis gevleg, en ek het my twee skilpadjies gekry –Griet [haar dogter] het my skilpadjies, hulle’s nou nog vol boegoe– skilpadjies is loop gevang in die veld, van my oupa, en daar’s twee gatjies gemaak en hulle’t alkante [d.w.s. weerskante aan haar heupe] gehang, hulle’s vol boegoe gemaak, daai boegoe wat mens in die veld loop grou, vol boegoe gemaak en hulle’t vir my aangesit en vir my uitgeblom. En die jongmannetjies ‘et gevra kan hulle ó’k kom kyk, toe sê my ouma hulle kan ó’k kom kyk. Toe’t ek daar uitkom toe’s ek baie wit, toe skrou die jongmannetjies, eerlik, my ouma moe’ net keer en ek loop ín’ie mittel [d.w.s. middel] van’ie oumas –daarvoor speel ek mos nou nog mondfluit– en hulle’t vir my rivier toe gevat en hulle’t loop geslaan daar in’ie rivier met die rooi rooikliplatjies [latte wat met oker en boegoe gesmeer word, waarmee die water se oppervlak geslaan word om die Waterslang ‘mak’ te maak] alkant gelsaan-gelsaan-gelsaan, en my ouma’t vir my gesê, as ek sien ‘n ding kom hie’ uit die rivier uit, uit die rivier uit, as ‘n ding uit die rivier uit kom dan moet nie vir hulle in die skande sit, ek moet’ie weghol’ie, ek moet laat daai ding uitkom uit die water uit en hy moet my voete kom lek, en so’t ek gesit en so’t die slang uitgekom –al sê hulle daar is’ie Rivierslang’ie, daar ìs Rivierslang– en hy’t uigekom uit die water uit en my voete gelek en my ouma slaan die latjiese nét so [weerskante van haar in die water] en hulle praat op’ie taal, slaan’ie latjies nét so, en ‘aai skapetjie se been is ó’k in ‘n sak gesit, ín my kamer het die bene gehang –maar die ysbene van die skaap word’ie uitmekaar uit gesny nie want die slang moet hom kom kry– en my ouma-goed het [die water] geslaan-slaan en die ding [d.w.s. die waterslang] kom toe hier op en ek is bietjie soe’[s]erig maar ek moet nou maar nou sit want dis my leering wat ek kry, en daai slang kom vat die bene, toe die slang’ie bene kom vat en my ouma-goed praat weer met hom, praat weer met hom –want my ouma-goed gesê o’s mag’ie boyfriend-e aanhou nie, ons mag’ie, an’ers is o’s nǀ’axa [sic ǀ’haaxa ‘onrein’], die Griekwase sê as jy baie woel in die water dan’s jy nǀ’axa, jy moet stil sit– toe sit ek doodstil en die slang vat die bene, en hy gaan met die bene en my ouma sê vir my, “Sien jy wat gaan, sy maanhaar op’ie water gaan só.” En hy vat daai sak bene en hy’s weg met ‘om, en ek moet my rokke inslaan, en ek kom uit en ons kom by die huis, die jongmannetjies is gelos by die huis. Hulle sit so agtermekaar op ‘n stoel. En my ouma sê vir my, “Gooi van’ie boegoe op jou hand, gooi van’ie boegoe op jou hand –dis ons geloof– en trek deur hulle se bene, anders kan hulle nie van hierdie kos smaak wat geëet is en kooke nie want anders kry hulle pyn op die maag.” En só het ons grootgeword. Ons het baie stram grootgeword.
MM Tot hoe oud was ouma op Griekwastad?
BS Ek was op Griekwastad een-en-twintig, ek het groot jongmeisiekind gewis [d.w.s. gewees], toe’t ek my eerste kind o’k kry, toe’s ek al óór een-en-twintig. Ek het baie goed grootgeword, ek het baie goed leering gekry. My mense was bitterlik stram gewis. En my pa was báie kwaai op my; ek hoor hulle roep [d.w.s. noem] my “Betjie”, maar eindelik het my pa my geroep “Kolase”. My pa was vir my baie lief gewis.
MM Wat beteken die naam?
BS “Kolase” is nou ‘Griekwa meidjie’
MM Mmm?
BS Mmm
[NvR laughing]
‘Griekwa meidjie’, so het my pa my altyd geroep “Kolase”. As my pa o’k siek gewis het dan roep hy vir my, “Kolase”, en ek was my pa baie lief gewees, neef [NvR]. Ek sien die Griekwase werk’ie so lekker saam hier op Douglas’ie, maar’ie ander werk lekker saam. Een wat lekker saamwerk as Griekwas, dis neef Poon van Rooy [NvR], en die ouma daar bo wat nog die hokmeisies… ‘ant Bella [Ouma Martha ‘Bella’ Bekers] …
NvR Ja
BS …wat nog hokmeisies nog nou nog insit. En my verlangste was só gewis, ek wil ó’k hier’ie kleintjies as hulle groot word laat hulle se oumas van Cam’ell [d.w.s. Cambell] vir hulle ó’k in’ie hok kom sit, maar hulle sê vir my hulle wil’ie hoenders wis’ie
[laughing]
BS As hulle hoender was…
NvR Daai ding ís so
BS Ja
MM Haai, nee
NvR Hulle kyk jou nou net so by die, by die, by die afvra o’k…
BS Mmm
NvR …wan’er hy… die meisie… die mannetjie sê, “Ek wil nou dié meisiekind…”
BS Ja
NvR “…ek wil jou trou…”
BS Mmm
NvR Dan hoor ek hy sê, “Jy moet my ma-hulle vra,” maar dan as hy nou die… as hy by die ma kom, dan sê die ma, “Jy móét afgevra word”, dan hoor hy hy sê hy’s’ie ‘n hoender’ie…
BS Mmm
NvR …of ‘n bok’ie. Hy word’ie geverkoop’ie, maar min weet hy hy gooi sy geluk wég
MM Mmm
AS Mmm
NvR Dis wat daar gebeur
BS Ja
MM Doen sy.
NvR Ja
MM En julle kultuur ook… alles
NvR En die kultuur, ja ja, hy’s gooi o’[k] nog die kultuur nog
BS Mmm, ja
NvR Want hy, wil’ie… uh uh.. hy wil’ie sy ma… kyk, hy’t nou matriek gemaak, hy’t alles gedoen, nou wil hy nou nie sy ma terug ploeg’ie. Nou word hy sommer gevat en loop word daar shanty opgesit en bly, loop ‘ie kind
BS Ja, dis vandag se lewe
NvR Dis vandag se lewe
BS Mmm. Nou ons, onse kinderse stry verskriklik vir die wat hulle nie wil hoor’ie, neef. Hulle wil’ie, hulle wil’ie, hulle wil’ie…
NvR Hulle wil’ie
AS Mmm
BS So’t o’s grootgeword. En die ou mense wis kwaai gewis, en jy mag’ie – neef Poon [NvR] weet – jy mag o’k’ie jou man… as jy jou man kos skep, dan maak jy nie e’n’lik, jou rokke moe’ jy bymekaar vat
NvR Yes
BS As o’s roosterbrood o’k braai, jy moet só loop sit as jy roosterbrood braai…
NvR Yes
BS Jy kannie deurtrekker sit’ie
[laughing]
Só was ons mense kwaai, só het ek opgegroei en baie mense kom’ie reg met my nie. Nou’t, my pa’t my al’yd gesê, as my pa nou met my met die taal praat dan sê hy, my pa, vir my, “Jy moet vir my ǂxon-xuku [‘soet-goed’] loop ǀ’amaxuu [sic ǁ’ama ‘koop/kry’, xuu ‘ding’]”, dan sê ek, “Watse ǂxon-xuku ǀ’amaxuu, my pa?”, ek moet nou vir hom loop suiker vra by Griet…
[laughing]
…en so’t my pa vir my gesê, “Jy moet vir my loop suiker vra, ǃon-xuku ǃ’amaxuu [sic] is suiker.”
[laughing]
En as hy vleis vra, dis surube ǀ’amaxuu [sic surudeb ‘skuld’, dus ‘skuld-koop’]. Neef, die mense praat die goete deurmekaar. Mmmm.
NvR Hulle maak ons deurmekaar, rêrig [laughing]
BS Ja, maar ek is geleer
NvR Ja
BS Ek is’ie spyt’ie
NvR Dis reg
BS Ek is’ie spyt’ie, ek is geleer
MM En onthou ouma nog enige ander woorde van’ie ou taal?
BS Nee, meneer. Ek het’ie verder nie
MM Mmm
BS Mmm
MM En, ouma het saam van plaas tot plaas getrek…
BS Mmm
MM … en daar gewerk…
BS Mmm
MM … en toe hier opgeëindig op Breipaal?
BS Ja, ek het nou, toe’t ek net… toe’s ek weg hiervan af, wat ek nou hier op Breipaal kom toe’t ek gewerk by die Shawse, ek’t mos in’ie dorp by die Shawse gewerk, daai boere wat die slaghuis gehat ‘et. Toe gaan ek bietjie vir ‘n ses jare… [inaudible]
[coughing]
… en toe kom ek nou weer terug, toe kom sit ek nou. Noiu, ek gaan nou nog heen en weer want ek is hulle mos nou gewoon’, en dan kom ek weer terug huistoe. Maar ek vir hulle toe ses jaar kom gewerk, die Shaw-se. Mens word mos so gewood vir mekaar…
NvR Mmm
BS … mmm, dat julle nie kán uitmekaar’ie
NvR Mekaar uitgaan nie
MM Mmm
BS Gaan ek Vrystaat toe –hulle bly nou in’ie Vrystaat, maar hulle bly in’ie dorp, my kjinners werk nou onder hulle– gaan ek Vrystaat toe, dan gaan ek maar weer hulle toe, o’s is te gewoond vir mekaar
[laughing]
Hy sê vir my, “Jy kan ‘n hardwerkende vrou sien wat hard werk, en wat liéf is vir werk”, neef. My man praat baie met my, “Moenie so hard werk’ie”
[laughing]
Dán het ek’ie skoffelpikkie, dán het ek maar die vurkietjie, en ek werk omtrént hard, nou sê baas Paul vir my, mens kan sien ek ís ‘n hardwerkende vrou, want ‘n hardwerkende vrou word by sy han’e gesien…
[laughing]
MM Mmm
BS Kyk hier, neef. Nee, niks staan ek voor terug’ie. En ék wi lnou hê die kjinners moet dit doen, maar die kjinners sê vir my óns is te outyds
NvR Ja, ja
BS Hulle sê ons is hopelos te outyds
MM Hulle verstaan nie, né?
BS Ja, hulle verstaan niks
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