The Rooikat
Elusive intelligence
The rooikat, a member of the Caracal branch of the cat family, covers vast territory as an efficient hunter. Its large paws, sturdy, agile legs, distinctively red pelt, lined face and sharply pointed ears have created folklore legend of this elusive and highly secretive animal. It is the symbol of the Katz Korana Royal house, currently led by Queen Shimida Katz, who succeeded her late father King Josias, whose royal traditional garments featured the skin of a rooikat.
We believe that the Creator in His wisdom included the cat family with a particular purpose.Their disposition is completely different from the wolf family’s. The domestic cat and dog as pets therefore differ according to their nature. Our life principle is khoi-/namxa-sib, that is, neighbourliness or sharing. The word nama comes from na-i-ma: bite-and-give. We’ll take a freshly baked ash loaf and everyone will break off a piece and then pass the bread – including to strangers who are visiting. However, Revd. G. Meyer, a missionary in Steinkopf (originally Kookfontein) noted in the early 1900s, that European incomers exploited our age-old principle for they turned out to be “unscrupulous land and copper thieves”.
More than any other animals, the dog and cat have become lovable pets, but unfortunately there’s a saying: “to live like cat and dog”. Leaders and members behaving like that deviate from a crucial aspect of our spirituality. The ears of the rooikat are sharply pointed and their hearing is extraordinary. God wants us to listen better to one another and not always cling to fixed ideas, but to hear other viewpoints.”
-Dr. Willa Boezak
Text from Struggle of an Ancient Faith: the Khoi-San of South Africa.
Cape Town: Bidvest Data, 2017.
