Tag Archives: timber history

History of the Southern Cape forests (pre-modern to 1795)

Mike Hampton Posted on by

Pre-modern history The Outeniqua region was inhabited by the Khoi and San (Khoisan), who lived off the land for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The extinct San (Bushmen) were semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. They occasionally visited the forests, but did not dwell in or exploit them. Groups of San hunters occasionally smoked animals out of the forests during hunts, and this could have been the cause of some forest fires in the past which possibly contributed to the fragmentation of the forests. The Khoi people were pastoralists and frequently … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

Colonial History of Knysna 1770-1890 (Part 4)

Mike Hampton Posted on by

The History of Knysna – Municipality of Knysna: By the early 1870’s Knysna had 25 settler dwellings with a population of 200. Also in early 1870, Arnt and Matheus Thesen and their families arrived to settle in Knysna. The Thesen’s had travelled from Norway on their sailing ship, the Albatros, and brought with them much needed sailing, commercial and practical skills. The Albatros was immediately put to use as a coastal trading vessel. The large family soon set to work in the vast indigenous forests, extracting and exporting timber on … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!

History of the Southern Cape Forests

Mike Hampton Posted on by

Natures Valley, Tsitsikamma – photo public domain Paul Venter How can education exclude one’s home area? Unfortunately, it often does. Ryno Joubert’s history of Southern Cape forests should be taught in schools. The road to regulation, through woodcutters and colonialism, was tough, recognition.. Although Joubert’s research isn’t political, the reader would early note that many modern South African ‘leaders’ emphasis on black versus white’s right to the land is simply rhetoric at harsh expense to truth. The Khoi and San (Khoisan) occupied the Outeniqua region (Garden Route) for thousands of … Read the full article…

The truth may be bitter but sharing it is sweet!