Piet Draghoender's Lament

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Periodical article

Title:	Piet Draghoender's Lament
Author:	Peires, Jeffrey B.
Year:	1988
Periodical:	Social Dynamics
Volume:	14
Issue:	2
Period:	December
Pages:	6-15
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	Coloureds segregation oral literature (form) Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Development and Technology Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Politics and Government
External link:	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02533958808458448
Abstract:	This paper contains the text of 'Piet Draghoender's Lament', a remarkable piece of oral literature composed spontaneously by a 76-year-old coloured farmer facing eviction from his birthplace. The story was recorded by the author in 1984. Purpose of the paper is to provide a context for the lament. The paper explains the claim of the Draghoenders to their land - the Kat River Settlement, South Africa - in terms of the concept of 'bloedgrond': the blood which they inherited and the blood which they spilled to 'free' the ground and to make it their own. It also analyses the agonized conflict in Draghoender's mind between his innate resentment and his religious conviction that it is his duty to submit to the will of God. The paper concludes by recounting the subsequent history of the Draghoender family, which illustrates the way in which their religious beliefs undermined their ability to fight for their rights. Bibliogr., notes.