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Plans by the
National Heritage Council to repatriate the human remains of David Stuurman from Sydney were anticipated to be realised in April 2014, as a part of the events to commemorate and celebrate 20 years of democracy in South Africa. However, his remains were unable to be precisely located
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Stuurman was captured when he reached the mainland and was tried for his crimes. He was now a two-time escapee from Robben Island, but at the trial at least one white overseer vouched for him based off a previous incident, saying he owed his life to
Stuurman. Whereas Smit and Trompetter were
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in early 1809. On 11 September, David
Stuurman was officially charged and sent to Robben Island—he was among the first political prisoners to be jailed on the island. His crime was cited as “Disobedience to the Field Cornet”. Four of Stuurman's children were kept by Cuyler as slaves.
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In 1803, Klaas
Stuurman died during a buffalo hunting expedition and David succeeded him as the chief. Richard Collins later wrote that David was suspected, even by some Khoi, to be behind his brother’s death; however, contemporary sources do not seem to mention these suspicions.
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concerning the mistreatment of the Khoi and San at the hands of the colonialists, is a report on the poor treatment and physical abuse
Johannes “Hannes” Vermaak meted out to Stuurman. The missionaries report details how Stuurman was tied to a wagon and beaten with a
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On 13 June 2017, a traditional ceremony was conducted in Sydney to repatriate the spirit of David
Stuurman. The spiritual repatriation involved the use of umphafa tree branches to carry Stuurman’s spirit. A second spiritual repatriation was conducted at the
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because a train station was built over the cemetery where he was buried. After years-long negotiations between multiple stakeholders, including
Australian and South African authorities, traditional spiritual repatriation ceremonies went ahead in 2017.
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when he was captured again and put to hard labour on Robben Island. On the 9th of August 1820, Stuurman escaped from Robben Island again. This time during a prison mutiny orchestrated by Johan Smit, Hans
Trompetter and Abraham Leendert.
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with
Stuurman and the 11 other South Africans on board. After six years in government service, working at military barracks, Stuurman obtained a ticket of leave which allowed him to work for wages. His wife drew up a petition to
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In August, 1802, in an effort to regain Khoi independence, Stuurman led 700 men and 300 horsemen with 150 firearms, against
Uniondale field cornet. In an effort to establish peace after the skirmish, Governor
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people were systematically dispossessed of their lands under “on ordinance by the colonists”. This meant that Stuurman, and other indigenous people, were forced to live and work on their land as labourers.
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During the 1790s, when the second of the Xhosa Wars broke out, Stuurman, his brother Klaas, the chief and their family abandoned Vermaak's farm along with several other Khoi in the region.
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The Khoi joined forces with the Xhosa tribes and refused to return to the farm lands, thus they were labelled “the rebel captains”. They refused to return to the farms they were
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arrived in Table Bay, and Stuurman and eleven other convicts (including another Khoikhoi, Jantjie Piet) were moved onto the vessel. On 20 February of that year, the
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455:"Resistance and survival: Demolishing myths of disappearing people, minor chiefs and non-existent boundaries in the early 19th century Zuurveld of the Cape Colony"
208:. On 16 December 1820 he was sent to Robben Island for the third time, where he would wait until a suitable transport ship arrived. In 1823, the convict ship
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in honour of Stuurman’s memory. During the same year, protesters called for the removal of 112-year old statue of Queen Victoria which stands outside the
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As a teenager, Stuurman went out to work on the farm of the Vermaak family, who owned a farm at Gamtoos. Among numerous incidents reported by the
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248:. It is likely that his remains were relocated to Bunnerong Cemetery, which is now part of Botany Cemetery, though this is unclear.
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Many of the Khoi were bound into service, their livestock and land were confiscated, and David and three others were imprisoned in
507:. National Heritage Council, an agency of the South African Government Department of Arts and Culture. 13 May 2014. Archived from
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using whaling boats to reach the mainland. Most of them were recaptured, but Stuurman made his way back to the Eastern Cape.
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David Stuurman was a leader of the Khoi people, who fought against Dutch and British colonial rule in the
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set sail for Australia with the convicts on board. Stuurman never saw the continent of Africa again.
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about the matter of the fugitives and as a result, the authorities bore down on their settlement.
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for his freedom but nothing came of it, as Stuurman would die before his release was ordered.
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condemned to hang, Stuurman was sentenced to life imprisonment on the penal settlement at
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On 22 February 1830, David Stuurman died and was buried in the Roman Catholic section of
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91:. His active career as Khoi leader spanned twenty years (1799-1819) and the three
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In 2015, a statue was erected at the National Heritage Monument in
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659:"Two SA airports – and Port Elizabeth – just got official new names"
633:"David Stuurman: The South African who twice escaped Robben Island"
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After his brother’s death Stuurman offered refuge to escaped
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557:"Devonshire Street Cemetery | the Dictionary of Sydney"
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library and replace it with a statue of David Stuurman.
563:. Sydney, Australia: State Library of New South Wales
604:"Khoi Chief Stuurman's Remains Back from Australia"
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48:
30:
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391:"David Stuurman: "last chief of the Hottentots""
83:chief and political activist who fought against
583:"Devonshire Street Cemetery Reinterment Index"
188:By December, Stuurman and others had escaped
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401:(1). Witwatersrand University Press: 47–64.
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158:granted land to Klaas Stuurman and his men.
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195:He remained uncaptured until the fifth
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244:. This cemetery was later resumed for
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505:"David Stuurman's Return Postponed"
79:(c. 1773 – 22 February 1830) was a
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16:Khoi chief and political activist
723:Military history of South Africa
453:Wells, Julia C. (30 July 2020).
142:on and many went to live at the
95:which fell within this period.
89:British colonial administration
693:Khoi Resistance to Colonialism
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728:People from the Eastern Cape
428:"Tracking the Footsteps of…"
339:South African History Online
70:chief and political activist
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242:Devonshire Street Cemetery
407:10.1080/00020188008707549
280:to put Stuurman to rest.
561:The Dictionary of Sydney
533:'South Africa in Sydney'
389:Malherbe, V. C. (1980).
224:In April 1823, the
733:South African activists
246:Central railway station
285:Port Elizabeth Airport
146:Mission Station, near
283:On 23 February 2021,
639:. BBC. 16 March 2021
589:on 28 February 2019.
471:10.4102/nc.v84i0.38
301:Khoikhoi-Dutch Wars
276:Heritage Centre in
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567:28 February
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480:10394/36508
459:New Contree
144:Bethelsdorp
117:Bethelsdorp
58:, Australia
702:Categories
432:The Herald
312:References
306:Xhosa Wars
169:and other
140:indentured
99:Early life
93:Xhosa Wars
34:circa 1773
197:Xhosa War
182:Cape Town
171:fugitives
148:Algoa Bay
718:Khoekhoe
295:See also
258:Pretoria
228:reached
226:Brampton
214:Brampton
210:Brampton
643:10 June
486:10 June
125:sjambok
465:: 29.
341:. 2016
278:Hankey
252:Legacy
230:Sydney
167:slaves
56:Sydney
537:(PDF)
220:Exile
85:Dutch
671:2021
645:2024
616:2017
569:2021
544:2021
517:2017
488:2024
440:2017
414:2017
347:2017
87:and
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68:Khoi
49:Died
31:Born
637:BBC
475:hdl
467:doi
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