I have reflected on the history and origins of my family tree, branching into multiple directions, each bringing enlightenment for myself. With this exploration into my past, I’ve transfered the stories by means of symbolism, through totems.
It was know to me that both my grandparents on my fathers side and my grandmother on my mothers side were from a ‘not so much’ rural area called Genadendal. I’ve discovered that in Genadendal there were an indigenous Khoi tribe from there and these natives were met with a German missionary, George Schmidt, of the Moravian Church and settled on the 23rd April 1738 in ‘Baviaanskloof’ and “began to evangelise among the Khoi people”. However it was believed that the Khoi from that area were taken and served as slaves.
Since 3 of my grandparents a come from Genaldendal, their families and they themselves were either baptised or confirmed in the Moravian church, this includes my parents as well. This shows that the Moravian church has a big presence or connection to my families history, however my father, as a young man, made the decision to break away from the church and follow the path of Rastafari which is a monotheistic religion/culture that worships Jah and has Judeo-Christian similarities and didtinquish themselves in life and include livity which is ‘living a balanced life’.
I’ve chosen 7 images that all i cooperatively work together to symbolise my history, which are the horns of a Kudu, a male Lion, Khoi hunter, a Sheep, a beer barrel, a Eagle and, a bow and arrow. I’ll explain how this is achieved and give reasoning below:

Kudu Horns
The Kude is Khoi and seTswana name for antelope. They are found in the savanna, dipicting the environment and conditions the Khoi lived in. They were hunted for their meat, hides and horns. Thier hides were used for clothing or shelter and along with their horns were used for musical instruments commonly used during ritual ceremonies. This also symbolises how many South Africans, such as myself come from similar origins, if not the same, and branch out having our own usefulness and purpose.

Male Lion
Lions are one Africas biggest predators and are hunters of the kudu as well. However they also symbolise courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, which I believe are all qualities found in the Khoi people. Lions also carry Judeo-Christian symbolism and according to Lionalert.org “The Christ-lion, the Lion of Judah, is a beacon of light, courage, bravery, agility and dignity and he is a fighter, symbolic of the line of David and of Kings. Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and is mentioned as being the Lion of Judah in Revelation”. This relates to my father and his faith in Rastafari. Another symbolism for the Moravian church of the lions symbolisim in the bible according to Lionalert.org “The lion, being a sun symbol like Jesus represents the light of the world, but is also the great destroyer of darkness, bringing light back into the world. The prophecy of the coming of the Lord to ‘judge the world’ as the Lion of Judah is clear all through Revelation 5:1-5”.

Khoi Hunter
The khoi hunter represents my heritage and roots, conecting with my part of my families oringins in Genaldendal.

Sheep
The Sheep is a symbolism for the Moravian church, the idea of using a sheeop originates from the Moravian church’s emblem is the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) holding the flag of victory and is surrounded by a Latin inscription that says “Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur”, which means ‘Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him’. While some close members of my family have certain qualities, mentioned above, of a lion such as my father, mother, stepmother, baby brother and grandmother (fathers side), the sheep reminds me of my little sister and my grandmother (mothers side). This is because in the Bible sheep are gentle, quiet, innocent animals.

Beer Barrel
The beer barrel represents my lineage from germany. Germany is known for beer centuries ago in Germany, drinking beer was safer than drinking the water, it was regarded as safe, nutritious and caloric. Also according to citybrewtours.com “Germany’s Weissbier (Type of beer) history begins in the 12th century in Bohemia”. Athough it’s been stated that the beer barrel links to my family having German blood, it also links to the Moravian church and Genadendal, all because of Bohemia and it’s stated by moravian.com “The name Moravian identifies the fact that this historic church had its origin in ancient Bohemia and Moravia in what is the present-day Czech Republic”. According to britannica.om “Bohemia (together with Moravia) became a German protectorate until the Czechoslovak state was restored”.

Eagle
The Eagle is another Symbolism to the German part of my family tree. The Eagle is symbolic in Germany because it’s a symbol of the sun, the life-force and the highest deity.
Bow and Arrow

This relates to the Khoi and by being the tools a tribe depends on for life/ longevity, to keep surviving and moving forward. In turn the Bow and Arrow represents how many of us depend/ should depend on our history and elders whom made us who we are and could mold us to become better in the future.