VOC begins sustained livestock barter with Khoikhoi communities

From 1652 the VOC station sought cattle and sheep from Khoikhoi communities to feed its workforce and supply passing ships. Early exchanges involved goods such as copper, tobacco and other imported provisions. Company officials regulated the trade, while Khoikhoi leaders and herders decided whether to approach the station, what animals to offer and which terms to accept. The trade also involved other products, including ostrich eggs, hides and ivory in some recorded exchanges.

The station’s demand soon exceeded what nearby communities were willing or able to supply on company terms. Dutch officials responded by seeking trade with communities farther from the peninsula, restricting private exchange and considering farming and other ways to secure provisions. These pressures made livestock barter a continuing site of negotiation and conflict rather than a single agreement.

Significance

Livestock exchange supplied the station and ships while creating a relationship increasingly strained by unequal expectations, restricted access and Dutch territorial expansion.