The Hedge

Katie and I insisted on a slight detour to one corner of the Kirstenbosch grounds the other day to examine a rather plain looking hedge. We insisted on this because, well, we're both history nerds. This particular hedge was planted on that spot in 1660 on the orders of Jan Van Riebeeck, and it represented the first border between the Cape Colony and the local population, who were called the Khoikhoi.

Van Riebeeck, the first leader of the Dutch settlers who established an outpost at Cape Town, had been ordered not to interact with the Khoikhoi, except to barter for meat. So he told them there would never be any problems as long as they stayed on their side of the hedge.

The Khoikhoi are all dead now.

I suppose this hedge at the top of a hill in Kirstenbosch can be interpreted as a whimsical first attempt at brokering some kind of impasse with the people who had an earlier claim on the land.

Or, if you're me, you could view it with a mixture of deep despair and dark amusement, given the brutality and broken promises that came later.

No matter how you look at it, the appearance of this innocuous almond hedge amid the fantastic flowers and amazing plants at the botanical gardens is a pretty funny contrast.