Autshumato

Autshumato was an interpreter who worked for the Dutch during the mid 1600s. Historians haven’t been able to track his time of birth, but he was known to live in the time range of 1625-1663. Autshumato was the leader of a group of people called the Gorinhaikonas, who were traditional cattle farmers. The group eventually changed their way due to the arrival of European settlers, changing their skill from farming to trade in almost a blink of an eye.

About a year after the arrival of Europeans, Autshumato traveled to Indonesia to learn the English language. Because of his studies in both his native language and English, he was hired as an interpreter on Robben Island, where he also worked as an negotiator and postmaster.

Twenty years later, he left his job on the island to work for the Dutch. The job provided him with a fairly decent amount of money. Autshumato was a highly respected interpreter due to his knowledge in nearly five languages, including Portuguese and French.

Soon after Autshumato landed a job with the Dutch, he was imprisoned during the first Khoikhoi Dutch war. He was sent to Robben Island along with several other men of his kind. Unlike them, Autshumato found a way to escape the island, being the first person in 400 years to do so. Right after his prison break, he went back to working for the Dutch.

Autshumato was believed to have died in 1663 at an unknown age. South Africa remembers him for his incredible amount of knowledge and effort he put towards his home country.