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Willem Beukes is from Calvinia. He did not have formal education and worked on a farm named Witkraal for many years.
Willem Beukes shares stories of Jan Thomas and Grietjie Kekkelbek, similar to the stories of Kaatjie Kekkelbek.
Willem Beukes is from Calvinia. He did not attend school and worked on a farm named Witkraal, leading donkeys on ropes. He speaks a little about Jan Thomas and Grietjie Kekkelbek in Moordenaarspoort, but it is difficult to make out what he is saying. They used to ride on the donkey cart and he describes how the boksak was made and what it was used for.
I’m 66 years. The 18th (??00:23) February, that is my birthday.
Beukes. Willem Beukes.
Tell us where you went to school and where you first started working.
No, no, I didn’t have any schooling.
Where you started working.
That was on Witkraal (?? 00:51).
Where is Witkraal?
Witkraal is this side of Middelpos. Next to the river.
I drove animals.
(inaudible 01:07) donkeys, everything that goes in front of a rope. Also worked sheep.
People told many stories in the past. Can you still remember one or two?
What did they say about Jan Thomas?
Jan Thomas was an otherwise person. Stealing, and work and pushing wheelbarrow. Tipped it, that is a wheelbarrow. That he also did, the jobs.
What kind of man was he? Tell us a story.
Slaughtering. Slaughtering. Slaughtering sheep. He would slaughter a sheep anywhere. Slaughter a sheep. Then he is outwitted (?? 01:51), to the horse. Until they tell him one day, they want to untie him, then I believe from here at Kwaaifontein (?? 02:03), th-e-r-e, he runs clean away from the horses, shjoee. When they arrive here in Calvinia, he’s sitting here at the, at the office. So (inaudible 02:21) those horses.
What do they say, what did he have with him?
He, he had this small violin with him. He was in handcuffs, then they untied him. Then they untied him and he played a bit, for the white people. Before the phone came, they say he just had to (?? 02:41) that violin once, then the tears ran, grown-up tears. So he then played for (inaudible 02:51).
How did they make those violins, do you know?
With a tin. With a tin, and with sheep gut. There weren’t nice strings in those days. Look, those years you used guts, you made them really thin so that they could really twang (?? 03:14), like a guitar string.
Hey, good heavens, man, that is now a bit uncomfortable for my head. I have high blood pressure, he’s*… not going to work so well.
Have you ever heard of the (inaudible 03:35) Kekkelbek?
O, yes, yes, no, I heard about that.
He* was doing the wrong things, wasn’t he.
It was here at Modderspoort (Moordenaarspoort ?? 03:53), there were… People got together there and killed each other because of the gossip [“kekkel”]. He* takes the story and comes to gossip with you, then he takes that story again and gossips with that man far away.
What was the name of the farm, or what was the name of the place?
Moorderspoort (?? 04:09).
Mooderderspoort. They were killing each other a lot there.
And that bunch of people who all came together. The last one who, who was left over, was she. Because of him* they were all killed. Yes.
So it was because of the gossiping that the people…
That gossip, and to and fro they… And so they carried on, until they met up with each other. In the poort*.
What is the name of the poort?
Did your father and them tell you ghost stories?
No, no, no, no. Also didn’t really spend time telling us stories and that kind of thing. You were just sent, and had to come back. If the guy sends you, you must go far to get him tobacco (05:10) and stuff. You musn’t waste time, you must come back. We got really good hidings with the donkey whip.
Did you ride a donkey cart?
Tell us about the donkey cart.
That time was nice with the donkey cart (inaudible 05:31 – 05:35), donkeys, horses, mules (inaudible 05:38) with them. And when we had to work, then we had to harness the horses and things, or the mules, or the donkeys that the guy had, we made a dam wall with them. And then there were sometimes four behind each other, then they had to pull the scraper.
Tell us a hunting story?
Porcupines and that kind of thing. And jackal. Look, it is uhh, it has something, but sometimes you have to use the dog to find it. Yes, it’s a wonderful thing, it doesn’t stay in one spot. If, if it’s been here, or it’s over there in that corner, then you get it there sometimes, but it isn’t every day that you’ll find it there. Yes.
Did you make goat bags?
My pa. My pa.
It was a nice food bag. Nice food bag.
We slaughter it in a different manner, from its backside. Look, the neck is… It isn’t cut through the middle, or open. It becomes like a bag that you can [gestures] here, make a carry bag. Then my pa treated it until it was ready. When it is ready, the guy can put it here behind his back. And so we grew up with it. With it.
Have you ever met a Bushman?
Your father and them…?
Do you know of any Bushman drawings around here?
No, no. I can’t really say, but there are some in this direction. Drawings. Yes.
Willem Beukes kom van Calvinia af. Hy het glad nie skoolgegaan nie en vir baie jare op ’n plaas genaamd Witkraal gewerk.
Willem vertel stories van Jan Thomas en Grietjie Kekkelbek, soortgelyk aan die stories oor Kaatjie Kekkelbek.
Ek is nou ses-en-sestig jaar. Die agtiende (??00:23) Februarie, dis my verjaar.
Waar’s Oom gebore?
Ek is van hier.
Wat is Oom se naam?
Vertel waar’t Oom skoolgegaan en waar het Oom eerste beginne werk.
Nee, nee, ek het glad nie skool gehad nie.
Waar Oom beginne werk het.
Dit is nou op Witkraal (?? 00:51).
Vertel vir ons waar is Witkraal.
Witkraal is nou hier duskant Middelpos. Teen die rivier.
Watter werk het Oom gedoen?
Toulei. Vertel vir ons wat is …
(onhoorbaar 01:07) donkies, al wat voor ’n tou gegaan het. Ook skape gewerk.
Nou, mense het destyds baie stories vertel. Onthou Oom nog so een of twee?
Wat het hulle vertel van Jan Thomas?
Nee, Jan Thomas was ’n annerlike mens. Steel, en werk en kruiwastoot. Geloop tiep, dis nou ’n kruiwa. Dit het hy ook gedoen, die werke.
Watter tipe man was hy? Vertel vir ons. So ’n storie …
Slag. Slag. Slag skaap. Hy staan slag sommer net hier. Staan slag hy so ’n skaap. Dan word hy gepier (?? 01:51), teen die perd vas. Tot hulle nou eendag vir hom gesê het, hulle wil hom nou bietjie losmaak, toe smaak dit my hier van Kwaaifontein (?? 02:03) af, d-o-e-r, toe loop hy so droë van die perde af, sjoee. Toe hulle hier in Calvinia kom, toe sit hy hier by die, by die, by die, by die kantoor. So (inaudible 02:21) daai perde.
Hoe sê hulle, wat het hy gehad toe?
Hy, hy het so ’n viooltjie by hom gehad, hy was mos geboei gewees, toe maak hulle hom los. Toe maak hulle hom los, toe sny hy nou bietjie, daar by die wit mense, voor die foon gekom het, sê hulle hy moes net so een keer daai viool (?? 02:41), smaak dit my toe loop daar trane, grootmense se trane. So sny hy toe vir (inaudible 02:51).
Hoe’t hulle dié viole gemaak, weet Oom?
Met blik. So ’n blikkie, maar met skaapderms. Daai tyd was mos nie so lekker snare, kyk, daai jare gebruik jy daai derms, maak hulle so dun dat hy kan rêrig snou (?? 03:14), soos ’n kitaarsnaar.
En hoe onthou Oom Oom se kinderjare?
Haai, jitte, jong, dit is nou bietjie ongemaklik vir my kop. Ek het nou hoë bloeddruk, hy’s … gaan nie juis lekker vat nie.
Het Oom al gehoor van die (onhoorbaar 03:35) Kekkelbek?
O, ja, ja, nee, dié het ek ook gehoor.
Vertel bietjie vir ons.
Hy’t mos hier in die afdraande gewees het.
Dit was hier by Modderspoort (Moordenaarspoort ?? 03:53), daar was, daar’t die mense mos toe bymekaargekom en dood mekaar geslaan van kekkel. Hy vat mos die storie en loop kekkel by jou, dan vat hy weer daai storie en kekkel by doerie man.
Wat was die plaas se naam, of wat was die plek se naam?
Mooderderspoort. Daar’t hulle mos so gemoor onder mekaar.
En daai klomp mense wat almal na mekaar toe gedruk. Die laaste een wat daar, wat nog oor gewees het, toe is dit sy. Van hom het hulle sommer geheel na ’n kant afgemaak … Ja.
So was dit oor die kekkelbesigheid dat die mense …
Daai kekkelstories en oor en weer mekaar laat maak, en so het hulle aangegaan, tot hulle by mekaar uitgekom het … In die poort.
Wat is die poort se naam?
Het Oom se pa-hulle vir Oom spookstories vertel, of …?
Nee, nee, nee, nee. Ook nie eintlik met ons opgestaan met stories en daai klas dinge nie. Dis net stuur, en kom terug. As die ou jou nou gestuur het, jy moet doer vir hom twakke (?? 05:10) soek en goed, nie speel nie, jy moet terugkom. Ja. Nee, ons het sommer rêrig slae gekry met die donkieplak.
Het Oom donkiekar gery altyd?
Vertel vir ons bietjie van die donkiekar.
Daai tyd was dit lekker gewees met die donkiekar (inaudible 05:31 – 05:35), donkies, perde, esels (inaudible 05:38) met hulle. En as daar te werk is, dan moet perde en goeters, of die esels, of die donkies wat die ou het, ingespan lat, ons gooi nou hier ’n wal, nou ’n wal gegooi, met hulle. En dan is daar partykeer so vier agter mekaar, die blokskraper, dan moet hulle dié trek.
So, uhh, het Oom goed gejag?
Vertel vir ons daar so ’n jagstorie?
Ystervarke en dié goeters. En jakkals. Kyk, dis uhh, hy het iets, maar partykeer moet jy maar met die hond kyk waar jy hom kan kry. Ja, hy’s mos ’n wonderlike ding, hy lê mos nie by een plek nie. Hy lê, as hy nou hier gelê het, of hy lê nou daar in dié hoek, dan partykeer kom kry jy hom daar, maar dis nie enige dag wat jy vir hom daar kan kry nie. Ja.
Ja. Dis hy.
Het Oom nog boksakke gemaak?
Vertel vir ons hoe …
Dit was nou ’n lekker kossak. Lekker kossak.
Hoe het hy dit gemaak?
Ons slag hom mos nou op ’n ander manier af, van sy boudekant af, kyk hierdie nek word nou, hy word nie middeldeur gesny nie, of oop. Hy kom nou soos ’n sak wat jy kan [wys] hier, abbasak maak. So het my pa hom gebrei tot hy gaar is. Toe hy gaar is, kan die ou hom hier agter die rug sit en so het ons ook grootgeraak met hom. Met hom.
Het Oom al Boesmans ontmoet?
Oom se pa-hulle?
Weet Oom van Boesmantekeninge hier rond?
Nee, nee. Ek kan nou nie vir jou sê nie, maar diékant toe is. Tekeninge. Ja.