The San & Khoi Mapping Project

TI created a map that reflects Indigenous San and Khoi traditions, in particular place names. This involved using existing published data from various sources, especially the Toponymica Hottentotica by Nienaber and Raper and the New Dictionary of South African Place Names by Raper, Moller, and du Plessis. Over the course of this summer, I worked with South African-based partners, including Professor John Parkington at the University of Cape Town to discuss source material, gain community-based insight on place names, and talk about the potential to add further elements, including newly obtained interview data as well as rock art and other archaeological data. Eventually, I hope that the map that I started this summer will exhibit such information in open-access format, with a view to museums, schools and the wider public. The overall project is a collaboration with the San and Khoi Unit (SKU) of the University of Cape Town.