SA Celebrates Ouma Katrina Esau, the Last Native Speaker of an Ancient Tongue: “A True Queen”

• Ouma Katrina Esau from the Northern Cape is the last native speaker of a critically endangered language spoken by the San people
• As a way to preserve the language, Ouma Katrina and her family, particularly her granddaughter, Claudia Snymna, have opened a school
• Hearing the linguist's story, many South African social media users praised the iconic woman for her determination to share her heritage

Ouma Katrina Esau, 92, is widely celebrated as the last native speaker of N|uu, a critically endangered language spoken by Southern Africa's San people, who primarily reside in the Northern Cape. This Heritage Month, people are giving her her flowers while she can still collect them.

According to CNN Africa, Ouma Katrina is one of three remaining speakers, and alongside her granddaughter, Claudia Snyman, hopes to preserve her heritage and language. The fluent N|uu speaker and her family members established a school in an attempt to reestablish the language.

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While honouring Ouma Katrina, a content creator named Paulvin shared on his Facebook account that she teaches children from her home in the Northern Cape. Ouma Katrina, who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town, also published the first N|uu children’s book, titled !Qhoi n|a Tjhoi.

"By sharing her mother tongue with others, she is ensuring that N|uu will be remembered and understood for generations to come."

South Africans appreciate Ouma Katrina Esau

While some social media users couldn't help but comment that Ouma Katrina resembled the late Nelson Mandela, wondering if they were related, others celebrated the icon for preserving her mother tongue.

Mary Adams pointed out to the public:

"Her language is so unique because it's only her people that can talk and understand it. It's not our everyday Afrikaans or our everyday isiXhosa language, but a totally different language."

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Rolien Britz wrote under the post:

"Her passion for preserving the N|uu language is contagious. Dr Esau is an inspiration to us all!"

Luthando Langie Mabhulu Makhenyane added in the comment section:

"May God bless her with many more years until N|uu is well recognised."

Magdalene Koopman had a message for the respected woman, writing:

"You're a true queen, Dr Esau! Your work is empowering and will continue to inspire others."

Shadrack Moloi told people online:

"All hail the true queen of Southern Africa."

Anna-Mari Pieterse, who claimed to have crossed paths with Ouma Katrina, shared:

"I was privileged to meet her during the Walk for Ubuntu Conscious South Africa event that we held at Freedom Park. This was 2013 or 2014."

Glenda Manchest said to the online community:

"I thought someone photoshopped Madiba. Is this truly her picture because she's the spitting image of Mandela?"

Take a look at the Facebook post below:

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3 Other stories about Khoisan people

• In another article, Briefly News reported that travel content creator Siphelele 'Popi' Sibiya was on a quest to find Khoisan community members. She travelled parts of South Africa before heading to another country.
• In 2022, it was reported that the Khoi and San communities would receive approximately R12.2 million from South Africa's rooibos industry in recognition of their traditional knowledge.
• Modern Khoi and San youth captivated online audiences when they partook in an enthusiastic performance of the centuries-old rieldans. People were proud to see a representation of ancient heritage.

Source: Briefly News