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You guys have touched my life in SO MANY ways.
Thank you for your lovely supportive words, i highly appreciate it.
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I broke my NDA and solicited Eliot's opinion about Flickr Video. I think he's just bitter because he didn't get invited (or he's just ready for naptime).
ENJOY a fast and fun drift boat fish trip down the Salmon River in Pulaski NY covering 4 miles in 4 minutes during the Splendor of our Winter and Fall fishing seasons.
To view the Entire video and CHECK OUT the World Record Steelhead we caught that day @ end of drift boat video! ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmTTVnAzVEw
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There is a drift boat seat reserved and waiting....... This fish catching machine awaits you. - www.yankeeangler.com/salmon-river-drift-boat/
Superb Salmon River Pulaski NY Fishing U-Tube Videos - www.youtube.com/c/YankeeanglerFishingGuideSalmonRiverPula...
All Steelhead Fishing Tutorial Videos Salmon River Pulaski NY - www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlWqnCjYul-QrKK15mfz7iTwku...
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Enjoy drift boat fishing on the world renowned Salmon River in Pulaski NY for hard fighting salmon or steelhead during the splendor of the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Whether it's trophy sized steelhead or salmon that you're after, I am dedicated to introducing both new and experienced anglers to the exciting world of freshwater fishing.
For novices, I place emphasis on Fly/Spin fishing skill and supplement the day with knots, fly/bait selection, fish habitats, and prey species. For the more experienced sportsman, I'll work with you to hone your fishing skills. I guarantee a rewarding experience.
I have a firm belief 100 % of my energy and time should be focused on you and helping you attain your goals, during our time together and not fishing along side you during this time.
I am a thoroughly proficient and professional year-round fly/spin fishing guide with 35 + years of fresh and salt water experience.
At 16 feet, this 285 pound guide drift boat is comfortable and a very stable platform . It is outfitted with a propane heater to keep you nice and toasty on even the coldest days. While you can Spin or Fly fish from the drift boat, I will often stop to let clients wade and fish a particularly productive run on the Salmon River NY. When the Steelhead or Salmon are concentrated in particular locations wading is the preferred option. At other times a drift boat is the only way to get to the fish. While I will give booking anglers a recommendation, you may want to experience one method over another. All you have to do is ask.
My Current Local Salmon River Pulaski NY Fishing News
Todays Fishing Guide Report - www.yankeeangler.com/salmon-river-fishing-report/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/Guide-Salmon-River-Pulaski-NY-Drif...
I'm a full-time professional fly/spin fishing guide with over 35 years of experience.
During the Fall, Winter, and Spring I run drift boat trips on the World Class Salmon River, Pulaski N.Y. using fly/spin and floats for Steelhead, Brown Trout, Coho, Atlantic's and King Salmon.
Phone 315 963 2065 Email: RandyJones@YankeeAngler.com
$275 for 1 angler Fly or Spin Fishing.
$350 for 2 anglers Fly or Spin Fishing.
Orvis Fly - Spin fishing equipment, tackle provided. Please bring your own Lunch, Polarized Glass's and Chest Waders.
Trips are 8-9 hours from the time we meet until we hit the drift boat ramp at day's end. (May run over)
Gift certificates are available for Trips
Q's? - www.yankeeangler.com/salmon-river-fishing-information/
September through April
The Salmon River is located in Pulaski NY on Lake Ontario's eastern shore, 30 miles north of Syracuse. Its reputation for large runs of Salmon, Steelhead and incredible average size of all species is unsurpassed by any other fishery in New England.
September 1 - October 30
Tackle busting King Salmon averaging 10-20 lbs. will amaze you with their freight train runs. Trying to harness the raw power of a 12 lb Coho Salmon running in 20 different directions in a blink of an eye will keep you on your toes (and hopefully not on your back!)
October 15 - November
Brown Trout. Like Salmon and Steelhead you measure these Fish by the pound and not by the inch. They have entered the river to spawn and will weight from 3-10 pounds. While they are not as numerous as the Salmon or the Steelhead, these are an optional trophy of a Fishing life time.
October 20 - May 1
Steelhead 8-15 lbs. The Fall Steelhead is without a doubt, one of the hardest fighting Fish that swims in the Salmon River NY. They'll take you into your backing in seconds, then jump start your heart with tail walking antics that will live in your memory forever.
Winter - This is one of my favorite Drift Boat Guide Fishing times of the year. With colder temperatures the crowds disappear. Steelhead continue to come into the river from the lake. A winter Drift Boat trip aboard our heated Drift Boat is a great way to learn the river and experience it's beauty.
The end of February, March and April are great Steelhead Fishing days as new Fish move into and out of the river on a daily basis. As the river temperatures rise, so does the aggressiveness of the Steelhead. Often, sight fishing is possible as they move into the shallows.
We can Spin or Fly Fish for Salmon or Steelhead either by wading or using the Drift Boat..
I invite you to join me and enjoy what is an unquestionably one of the finest fresh water fisheries in the eastern United States.
Guest Testimonial's:
Randy, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge to make our trip an unbelievable experience for us. With me having 8 to 9 hookups, and my friend Tim with somewhere between 5 to 6 that is more fish on in a single day than some people have for an entire season. I'm a true believer in that hot spot on "Pucker Brush Creek :)
As a matter of fact Tim and I went back on our own the next day and the fish were there waiting for us just like you said they would be. Again we had a combined count of over 10 hookups and Tim had the hot hand that day with his 6 weight fly rod. Our only regret was that we did not have enough days left to explore some of the other high percentage areas you showed us as we had to go back to work sometime.
Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks?:) Tim and I have been coming up there for over 15 years, and yet we still learned a few valuable lessons from you, thanks again. I'm just sorry that the season is almost winding down, definitely want to get back up there for another trip.
I would highly recommend you to anyone, beginner or experienced steelheader, it's the combination of little things and techniques that make all the difference in the world. Feel free to pass on my contact information if you need any references for anglers, I would be more than happy to vouch for your professionalism, knowledge, and stream courtesy to fellow anglers anytime.
Thank You, Ted
Randy,
Every time I go fishing, the optimist in me says "This might be the day." Athletes pray for days like this, hoping they play in "the zone." I think fishermen do too. Surely, this is what keeps many of us thrashing the water with a piece of string. I can count on one hand the number of days when this has happened. Two of them have been with you. The first was two years ago today, Oct. 8, when I hooked 40 or 50 fish, including a 35 lb male king that now sits above my fireplace as an reminder of that one remarkable day of fishing. The other was last Friday. Not only did I land a pair of nice Kings, I also caught my first Cohos, a beautiful male brown and three fall run steelhead, my first grand slam on the Salmon River. All told, I had maybe 20 hookups, while my buddy Myles had almost as many and landed cohos, a brown and several steelhead. It wasn't as if this was a great day on the river. I saw many long faces and shaking heads as other anglers came up empty, lost lead and flies to the river bottom and called it quits by midday. The credit for my experience is all yours. I know there are many fishermen who can work the Salmon River and catch plenty of fish, especially when a run is on. I can do it on my own sometimes. But putting it all together when the fishing is slow as you did is a testimony to your skill, knowledge and hard work. Looking forward to my next trip with you and the chance to yell "Fish On"!
Regards, Jim
Thanking you for your many kind and generous words! My head almost didn't fit thru the front door after those :) Randy
The Steelhead and Salmon fishing of your dreams...... ............ we'll mak'm reeeeeeeeeeeeeel
You lie about the size of your fish and I'll swear to it!
May all your door knobs smell of BIG fish!
Best Steelhead and Salmon Fish's,
Randy Jones - www.yankeeangler.com/
Dedicada a mi tocayo y amigo José María cuellar, con mi agradecimiento por un testimonial que me llena de orgullo por el hecho de proceder de uno de los fotógrafos que más admiro en este universo de flickr.
En algún lugar de la isla de Tenerife, entre Santiago del Teide y Garachico.
Mas fotos en éste monográfico:
Me llena de tristeza y de consternacion que en este ultimo dia de nuestra campaña de la No Violencia contra La Mujer, me entero de la fatidica noticia de esta joven de 28 años en estado de gestacion , quien fue asesinada por su esposo, quien no le dio ni una sola oportunidad a ella y a su bebe de salvar su vida, y quien por fallas de nuestro sistema judicial, por la incompetencia a la hora de ejecutar justicia , su agresor sale victorioso de una manera impune, como si la vida de Barbara y su bebe fueron menos importante, que se le encotrara culpable solo por el delito tener su licencia del arma de fuego vencido.
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Bárbara Carolina
Escrito por: Susi Pola (susipola@gmail.com)
Roberto Antonio Jiménez Rodríguez asesinó dentro de su propia vivienda y de un balazo en la frente, a su compañera Bárbara Carolina Amparo Perdomo, de 28 años, y a su hijo de 32 semanas de embarazo, alegando frente a las autoridades haberlo hecho “accidentalmente”, con una Smith & Wesson, calibre nueve milímetros, cuyo permiso estaba caducado.
Las violencias anteriores, mediatas e inmediatas, atestiguadas por familia y vecindario y comprobadas por el informe forense, indican que se maltrató a Bárbara con saña, preparando el escenario de su muerte. Roberto Jiménez subió el radio a todo volumen al golpear a Bárbara quien asustada y maltratada logró encerrarse en su habitación; Jiménez rompió la cerradura para entrar y tirar un tiro “accidental” que, de acuerdo a la necropsia No. A-0041-2009, fue “con entrada en región frontal izquierda […] a 3.0 cms por encima del arco ciliar en su borde interno, la cual describe una trayectoria de delante hacia atrás, de izquierda a derecha […] con salida en región occipital en su lado derecho […] a 8.5 cms por encima de la inserción superior del pabellón auricular”.
Más datos periciales y testimoniales fueron aportados, como: el comportamiento del victimario que dejó pasar el tiempo sin auxiliar a su víctima embarazada, permitiendo que no se pudiera salvar al feto; no pidió ayuda al la vecindad; puso el cuerpo malherido de Bárbara, en el bonete del vehículo y dio reversa con él allí, luego lo introdujo en el asiento delantero de pasajero; volvió a la casa y cerró la puerta, saliendo pistola en mano, y de ahí, manejó erráticamente, dando vueltas como si buscara la mejor manera de deshacerse del cuerpo, para finalmente llevar el cadáver al hospital, donde fue detenido por los agentes policiales quienes utilizaron la fuerza para someterlo.
La persona que preside el tribunal del caso, sentenció para Roberto Antonio Jiménez Rodríguez, asesino feminicida, la pena de dos años de prisión, por andar matando con un arma que tenía el permiso vencido. Respecto al asesinato de Bárbara, a sangre fría, planeado mientras pateaba la puerta y desmontaba la cerradura para darle “Un solo y limpio tiro mortal en la frente”, el tribunal consideró en su “íntima convicción”, que “no existen evidencias para declararlo culpable”.
Es grave que Bárbara Carolina haya sido asesinada por ser mujer. Es grave que a su hijo, su propio padre no le haya permitido nacer. Es grave que una sentencia tan inconcebible ocurra en noviembre. Pero lo más grave es que todavía en los tribunales dominicanos haya administradores y administradoras que no conocen el fenómeno de la violencia basada en el género y sus consecuencias. Es grave que las autoridades no cumplan con la ¡Tolerancia Cero!
--
Susi Pola Z.
(809)575-2866
(809)752-2067
(829)770-6864
Santiago, R. Dominicana
Por favor comparta esta informacion con todos sus conocidos, levantemos nuestra voz, para que este crimen no quede impune.
Caption:
Can you believe this? Laurie has been using KG4 for 25 days and is down 10 lbs and a total of 10.5 inches! Go Laurie!
Celebrating 10 years at Beith Juniors Kenny McLean was awarded a testimonial. The match was between the current Beith Juniors side and an all stars team made up of players that have played with Kenny during his 10 years at the club and some of Kenny's close friends. Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions the match was abandoned at half time. However it was still a great day celebrating 10 years of Kenny McLean.
Thanks to destello-de luz for the lovely testimonial you should check out her stuff its purrrttyyy fantastic www.flickr.com/photos/call_the_sun/
Late Fred Miller wrote this testimonial for me at Flickr I share with all of you , he passed away recently and is fndly remembered by all his Flickr friends .
Fred Millaer was a gifted Wordsmith ,
FredMikeRudy says:
"He's a Blogger and a Poet
and wouldn't you know it,
an accomplished Tailor, to boot.
He's so far-out that he's in
with Trannies ( in the skin )
and their tricks, that he picks
for a shoot.
See, he's a prolific photobug -
not a Papparazzi photo thug
shooting freely, in pursuit
of the downcast and unwanted
who forever are haunted :
low life in hi-res his route.
Wordplay captures Swordplay
for his cache; with sash-ay
he flashes his rings
on his fingers and ears
and yet, his sight no one fears
for it's just simple Love that he brings.
Catch him on Flickr
see him at Wordpress
marvel at all that he's done
in this life. He's resolving,
injustices absolving
Firoze IS Photographer No. 1 !"
I am no more at Wordpress ,
A mother speaks of her son who has been in detention for a long time as one who crossed a border to take care of his family. A multi-faith demonstration in front of the ICE Detention Center in San Francisco. The clergy leaders translated to English.
Backlit trees, Canaan Valley Resort State Park, Tucker County, West Virginia. Taken the last morning of the Potomac Highlands photography workshop (Randall Sanger Photography). I posted an earlier edit of this photo (below), but the results of a new edit with different software are different enough to warrant posting it, as well; it looks as I remember the scene. Recently I started using Lightroom 5, after learning Apple is abandoning Aperture. Although Lightroom came to market 14 months after Aperture -- and uses the same non-destructive editing approach, in which edits are simply instructions to the software for altering an image when viewed on screen or exported as a JPEG, TIFF, or some other sort of file -- it is now on version 5.7 while Aperture is on version 3.6. Adobe has advanced the approach considerably.
I had not come close to completing my move from Photoshop Elements to Aperture, and now I'm moving everything to Lightroom. It's time-consuming, but I'm enjoying the results -- even much of the process; because of the strength and flexibility of Lightroom's global adjustment tools, time-consuming targeted adjustments are far less numerous. Getting started in Lightroom -- importing photos and learning to edit them -- has taken the time I've had for photography in the last few weeks, but I hope to spend some time on Flickr this weekend while avoiding the throngs of shoppers.
This really should be viewed on black -- press "L"
faure/macassar, western cape- kramat of sheikh yussuf
A Kramat is a shrine or mausoleum that has been built over the burial place of a Muslim who's particular piety and practice of the teachings of Islam is recognised by the community. I have been engaged in documenting these sites around Cape Town over several visits at different times over the last few years. They range widely from graves marked by an edge of stones to more elaborate tombs sheltered by buildings of various styles. They are cultural markers that speak of a culture was shaped by life at the Cape and that infuses Cape Town at large.
In my searches used the guide put out by the Cape Masaar Society as a basic guide to locate some recognised sites. Even so some were not that easy to find.
In the context of the Muslims at the Cape, historically the kramats represented places of focus for the faithful and were/are often places of local pilgrimage. When the Dutch and the VOC (United East India Company aka Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) set up a refuelling station and a settlement at the Cape, Muslims from their territories in the East Indies and Batavia were with them from the start as soldiers, slaves and 'Vryswarten'; (freemen). As the settlement established itself as a colony the Cape became a useful place to banish political opponents from the heart of their eastern empire. Some exiles were of royal lineage and there were also scholars amongst them. One of the most well known of these exiles was Sheik Yusuf who was cordially received by Govenor van der Stel as befitted his rank (he and his entourage where eventually housed on an estate away from the main settlement so that he was less likely to have an influence over the local population), others were imprisoned for a time both in Cape Town and on Robben island. It is said that the first Koran in the Cape was first written out from memory by Sheik Yusuf after his arrival. There were several Islamic scholars in his retinue and these men encouraged something of an Islamic revival amoung the isolated community. Their influence over the enslaved “Malay” population who were already nominally Muslim was considerable and through the ministrations of other teachers to the underclasses the influence of Islam became quite marked. As political opponents to the governing powers the teachers became focus points for escaped slaves in the outlying areas.
Under the VOC it was forbidden to practice any other faith other than Christianity in public which meant that there was no provision for mosques or madrasas. The faith was maintained informally until the end of the C18th when plans were made for the first mosque and promises of land to be granted for a specific burial ground in the Bo Kaap were given in negotiations for support against an imminent British invasion. These promises were honoured by the British after their victory.
There is talk of a prophecy of a protective circle of Islam that would surround Cape Town. I cannot find the specifics of this prophecy but the 27 kramats of the “Auliyah” or friends of Allah, as these honoured individuals are known, do form a loose circle of saints. Some of the Auliyah are credited with miraculous powers in legends that speak of their life and works. Within the folk tradition some are believed to be able to intercede on behalf of supplicants (even though this more part of a mystical philosophy (keramat) and is not strictly accepted in mainstream contemporary Islamic teaching) and even today some visitors may offer special prayers at their grave sites in much the same way as Christians might direct prayer at the shrine of a particular saint.
photographer's note-
sheikh yussuf was the brother of the king of Goa (Gowa) with it's capital of Makassar. yussuf fought in battles against the Dutch and was eventually captured. he was transferred to the cape of good hope in 1693. he died in 1699. he had 2 wives, 2 concubines, 12 children and 14 male and female slaves.
*********************************************
Die Kramat van Sjeg Yusuf, Faure
Die Kramat1 van Sjeg Yusuf (Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep)2 op 'n klein heuwel naby die mond van die Eersterivier in Makassar, Faure, is 'n terrein waarheen Kaapse Moslems oor die laaste drie eeue pelgrimstogte onderneem. Yusuf is op 23 April 1699 oorlede en op die heuwel begrawe. Volgens predikant en skrywer, Francois Valentyn (1666-1727), wat sy graf in 1705 besoek het, was dit "een cierlyke Mohammedaansch tombe, wat van zeer hoog opgezette steenen, verheerlykt was".3 Dit is nie heeltemal duidelik of hy van 'n hoog opgeboude graf of 'n struktuur daaroor praat nie.
Dié tombe moes mettertyd veranderings en verbouings het en volgens Biskop Patrick Griffith (1798-1862) wat dit meer as 'n eeu later op 25 Januarie 1839 besoek het, het dit heel anders daar uitgesien...
and proceeded to a Mr Cloete's where we took horses and road (sic) to a Malay Mosque [i.e. the kramat] situated on the summit of a hill, to which we ascended by a rude Stone Stair Case, rather Circular and partly cut out of Limestone rock, by an hundred steps. We left our horses below tied to the door of a Caravansery where the Pilgrims who come every year from Cape Town and all around, lodge while they go thro' their devotions. Both Lodging House and Mosque are at present deserted and we cd. only see the Exterior of both. The Mosque has a small Mineret (sic) in the centre and contains the Tomb of some Prince and Priest of the Sect. The Building is square and low with a portico: the windows are screened within and all that could be seen through some chinks in the walls was some drapery. A curious sight, however, exists outside: graves covered with white Clothes, five or six of which graves are enclosed together with a low wall round them; two or three more are apart; each has a round black stone at the head round which a Malay handkerchief is tied, with another black stone at foot, represents the feet, so that with the white sheet over the body, one wd. imagine at first view that it was a corpse was directly before him, the representation of it is so like reality. These White cloths (of calico) are renewed every year and we found some sixty or more rotten ones under each of the last white Coverings."1
Die terrein is in 1862 deur die imam van die Jamia-moskee in Chiappinistraat, Abdol Wahab, aangekoop,5 maar die gebou het tot vroeg in die 20ste eeu bewaar gebly, hoewel dit by verskeie geleenthede klein veranderings en herstelwerk moes ondergaan het.
Die Oostenrykse wetenskaplike, diplomaat en ontdekkingsreisiger, Karl Ritter von Scherzer (1821-1903) het die Kaap in Oktober 1857 aan boord die Novara, op 'n omseilingstog van die wêreld, aangedoen. Hy het die volgende waardevolle beskrywing, deurdrenk met sy eie voor- en afkeure, nagelaat:
"The following morning we drove to a hill, ahout a mile and a half distant from Zandvliet, known as Macassar Downs, on which is the spot of interment, (Krammat or Brammat), of a Malay prophet.
This individual, so honoured in death, was, if we are to believe the Malays, a direct descendant of Mahomet, named Sheikh Joseph, who, expelled from Batavia by the Dutch Government for political reasons, settled in the colony about a century and a half ago, and died and was buried in the neighbourhood of Zandvliet. An especial deputation came over from Malacca to Cape Colony to fetch away the corpse of the defunct prophet, for conveyance to the land of his birth; but at the disinterment it happened that the little finger of the prophet, in spite of the most persevering research, could nowhere be found. This circumstance appeared to those simple believers sufficient reason for erecting a monument over the spot in which the finger of a Malay prophet lay hid from view. Even to this day the Malays from time to time perform a pilgrimage to the Colony and celebrate their religious ceremonies at the Mausoleum. Four followers of the prophet are buried with him, two of them Mahometan priests, who are regarded with much veneration by the Malays.
An extensive flight of stone steps leads to the tomb, the exterior of which is very insignificant, and, but for a small pointed turret, hardly differs from an ordinary dwelling-house. On entering, a low-roofed vault is visible, a sort of front outhouse, which rather disfigures the facade, and much more resembles a cellar than the portal of a Mausoleum. Above the arch of this vault an Arabic inscription has been engraved with a stylus but this is so painted over in brick colour that it has already become almost illegible. Judging by the few words that have been deciphered, it seems to consist of the first propositions of the Koran.
The inner room, provided on two sides with modern glazed windows at irregular intervals, is about the size of an ordinary room of 12 feet long, 9 wide, and 7 high (3.66m long, 2.74 wide, and 2.13 high). In the middle rises the monument, to which access is had by some more brick steps. Immense quantities of unwashed white linen cloth are heaped upon it, which seem occasionally sprinkled with a brown odoriferous liquid (dupa). As at the head of Sheikh Joseph, so at his feet several figures, resembling those in enamel used to ornament tarts, are drawn upon the linen cloth with the overflowings of the unguent. These have undoubtedly been formed accidentally, and it appears wrong and unfair to attribute to them any more recondite significance. The monument rests upon four wooden pillars, with pyramidal pinnacles or ornaments, and is richly decorated with fine white muslin, which gives to the whole very much the appearance of an old-fashioned English "fourposter," with its costly drapery and curtains. While the curtains are spread out all around, several small green and white bannerets stand at the upper and lower end of the sarcophagus. The whole interior is, as it were, impregnated with the incense which devout Malay pilgrims from time to time burn here, especially after the forty days' fast (Ramadan), or leave behind upon the steps of the tomb in flasks or in paper-boxes. On such occasions, they always bring wax-candles and linen cloth as an offering, with the latter of which they deck the tomb afresh, so that a perfect mountain of white linen rises above the stone floor. During their devotions they unceasingly kiss this white mass of stuff, and as they are continually chewing tobacco, this filthy habit produces disgustingly loathsome stains.
On the same hill which boasts the tomb of Sheikh Joseph, there are also, in ground that is common property, nine other graves of eminent Malays, enclosed with carefully-selected stones, and likewise covered over with large broad strips of bleached linen cloth, protected by stones from any injury by weather or violence. At the head and foot of each individual interred, is a single stone of larger size. Formerly the black inhabitants of the neighbourhood made use of this store of linen cloth to make shirts for themselves, without further thought upon the propriety of the matter. Latterly, however, a shrewd Malay priest spread a report that one of these ebony linen stealers had lost all the fingers off one hand, since which the graves of those departed worthies remain inviolate and unprofaned.
At the foot of the hill are some small half-fallen-in buildings, near a large hall, painted white, red, and yellow, consisting of a small apartment and a kitchen, the whole in a most dirty, neglected, and desolate condition. At this point the Moslems must have accomplished certain prayers, before they can climb the hill and proceed to visit the tomb. Over the door of this singular house of prayer some words are likewise engraved in the Arabic character, which, however, are now entirely illegible.
On quitting the Malay Krammat, we next undertook a tolerably difficult walk to the Downs or sand-dunes, which at this point extend along the entire coast line, on which the wax-berry shrub, as already mentioned, grows wild in vast quantities, and visibly prevents the further encroachments of the moving sand. The Eerst Rivier (First River) may be regarded as the limit of demarcation between the sand-dunes and the soil adapted for vegetation."6
'n Britse joernalis en historikus, Ian Duncan Colvin (1877-1938), beskryf sy besoek aan die Kramat vyftig jaar later in die begin van die 20ste eeu:
"It was in springtime that we made the pilgrimage, in October, the springtime of the south... We passed through cow-scented pasture and the cornlands of Zandvliet, and so towards the sea, guided by the white star of the tomb.
It stands upon a sandstone rock which the Eerste River bends round on its way to the sea, and you can hear the breakers roaring, though unseen behind the sand-dunes. A little wooden bridge crosses the river beside the drift... On the farther side the little hill rises steeply, and under it nestles a row of very ancient and dilapidated cottages. One of them is used as a stable by the pilgrims and another as a mosque, and upon its porch you will see a little notice in English that 'women are not allowed inside the church', a warning signed with all the weight and authority of the late Haji Abdul Kalil... Inside, this little chapel is touchingly primitive and simple, with blue sky showing through the thatched roof, and a martin's nest plastered on the ceiling of the little alcove. Between these cottages and the stream is a field of sweet marjoram, no doubt grown for the service of the shrine, and the way up the hill is made easy by a flight of steps build perhaps centuries ago, and ruinous with age. With their white balustrades, and overgrown as they are with grass and wild-flowers, they are very beautiful, and in pilgrimage-time we may suppose them bright with Malays ascending and descending. We mounted them to the top, where they open on a little courtyard roughly paved and encinctured by a low white wall. On the farther side, opposite the top of the stairs, is the tomb itself, a little white building with an archway leading into a porch. Beyond is a door, of the sort common in Cape farm-houses, divided into two across the middle. Of course, we did not dare to open it and peep inside; but I am told by a Mahomedan friend that the inner tomb is of white stucco with four pillars of a pleasant design. It is upholstered in bright-coloured plush, and copies of the Koran lie open upon it. The inside of the room is papered in the best Malay fashion, and over the window is a veil of tinselled green gauze. From the roof several ostrich eggs hang on strings, and altogether it is the gayest and brightest little shrine. The ostrich eggs hanging on their strings made me think of a much more splendid tomb which Akbar, the first greatest of the Moguls, build for his friend Selim Chisti, a humble ascetic, in the centre of the mosque at Fatehpur Sikri.7 If any of my readers have made a pilgrimage to that wonderful deserted city, they will remember the tomb build of fretted marble, white and delicate as lace, in the centre of the great silent mosque of red sandstone – surely the finest testimonial to disinterested and spiritual friendship that exists in the world. And, if they look inside, they will recollect that around the inner shrine of mother o’pearl hang ostrich eggs just as they hang in Sheik Joseph’s tomb on the Cape Flats. But this digression is only to show that the Malay of Cape Town knows what is proper to the ornamentation of kramats. The shrine is tended with pious care, kept clean and white by the good Malays – a people of whom it may be said truly that they hold cleanliness as a virtue next to godliness."8
Hierdie beskrywing kom ooreen met dié van Scherzer en 'n foto in die Elliot-versameling in die Kaapse argief. Die minaret wat deur Biskop Griffith genoem en deur Scherzer geïllustreer is, en moontlik van hout gemaak was, het intussen verdwyn.
In 1925 het die Indiese filantroop, Hadji Sulaiman Sjah Mohamed Ali, opdrag vir 'n nuwe tombe gegee en is die huidige vierkantige en gekoepelde Moghul- of Delhi-inspireerde struktuur opgerig. Die argitek was F.K. KENDALL wat van 1896 tot 1918 in vennootskap met Herbert BAKER praktiseer het.
Die kramat vorm deel van die sogenaamde beskermende "Heilige Sirkel van Islam" wat strek van die kramatte teen die hange van Seinheuwel bo die klipgroef waar die eerste openbare Moslemgebede aan die Kaap gehou is, deur die kramatte op die rug van die heuwel en die kramat van Sjeg Noorul Mubeen by Oudekraal, en om die berg na die kramatte van Constantia, Faure, Robbeneiland, terug na Seinheuwel.
Sjeg Yusuf van Makassar (1626-1699)
Sjeg Yusuf (Abadin Tadia Tjoesoep) is in 1626 te Gowa by Makassar (Mangkasara), op die suidwestelike punt van die Sulawesi-eiland (voorheen Celebes) langs die Straat van Makassar, gebore. Toe die Portugese dit vroeg in die sestiende eeu bereik het, was dit 'n besige handelshawe waar Arabiese, Indiese, Javaanse, Maleise Siamese en Chinese skepe aangedoen en hulle produkte geruil en verkoop het. Met die koms van die Nederlanders, wat die speseryhandel wou monopoliseer en Britse deelname daaraan wou stuit, is die tradisie van vrye handel aan die begin van die 17de eeu omvergewerp. Nadat hulle die fort van Makassar ingeneem het, is dit herbou en as Fort Rotterdam herdoop. Van hier het hulle die vestings van die Sultan van Gowa geteiken.
Toe hy agtien jaar oud was, het Yusuf op 'n pelgrims- en studietog na Mekka vertrek waar hy verskeie jare deurgebring het. Met sy terugkeer het hy die Nederlanders in Makassar vermy en hom in Bantam in Wes-Java aan die hof van Sultan Ageng (Abulfatah Agung, 1631-1695) as onderwyser en geestelike rigter gevestig. Hy het die sultan se seuns onderrig en met een van sy dogters getrou. Hy was deeglik in die Shari'ah (Moslem kode en godsdienstige wet) onderlê en diep betrokke by die mistieke aspekte van sy geloof met die gevolg dat sy reputasie as 'n vrome persoon en heilige kenner en geleerde vinnig versprei het.
Hoewel die Nederlanders die handel op Java beheer het, het Bantam 'n sterk mate van onafhanklikheid behou. Yusuf was 'n vurige teenstander van die VOC en het en ook 'n rebellie teen die Europeërs gelei toe 'n ouer vredesooreenkoms tussen hulle in 1656 gebreek is. 'n Nuwe ooreenkoms is in 1659 bereik, maar 'n interne tweestryd in die Sultanaat het in die VOC se kraam gepas. Die sultan se seun, later as Sultan Hadji bekend, het met die hulle saamgespan teen sy vader en jonger broer wat voorkeur aan die Britse en Deense handelaars gegee het. Die breuk het in 1680 gekom toe Ageng oorlog teen Batavia (Jakarta) verklaar het. Hadji het 'n opstand teen sy vader gelei wat Ageng tot sy woning beperk het. Hoewel sy volgelinge teruggeveg het, het die Nederlanders Hadji te hulp gesnel en is Ageng na die hooglande verdryf waar hy in Maart 1683 oorgegee het. Hierna is hy na Batavia geneem waar hy oorlede is.
Yusuf het die verset voortgesit en is eers teen die einde van 1683 gevange geneem waarna hy ook na Batavia geneem is. Sy invloed in die Moslemgemeenskap van die VOC se hoofkwartier in die Ooste, waar hy as heilige vereer is, asook die aandrang op sy vrystelling deur die vorste van Gowa (Makassar) – wat toe bondgenote van die VOC was – het daartoe gelei dat Yusuf en sy gevolg eers na Ceylon (Sri Lanka) en daarna na die Kaap verban is. Sjeg Yusuf en sy "aanhang", soos in die notules van die Politieke Raad aangedui is, het op 31 Maart 1694 aan boord die Voetboog in Tafelbaai aangekom. Hier is hulle gul deur goewerneur Simon van der Stel ontvang, maar in die Kasteel gehou totdat daar in Junie besluit is om hulle na die mond van die Eersterivier, wat oor die plaas Zandvliet van ds P. Kalden uitgekyk het, te stuur.9
Hier in die duine, wat later as Makassar en Makassarstrand bekend sou word, het Yusuf en sy gevolg hulle gevestig. Volgens oorlewering was dit die eerste sentrum van Islam en Islamitiese onderrig in Suid-Afrika en het die terrein 'n sakrosante ereplek gebly na Yusuf se afsterwe op 23 April 1699 en sy begrafnis op die heuwel. Hoewel sommige skrywers nie oortuig is dat ook Yusuf se oorskot na die Ooste terug is nie, argumenteer André van Rensburg dat dit wel gebeur het.
"Hoewel 'n aanvanklike versoek van 31 Desember 1701 dat Yusuf se oorskot opgegrawe en na Indonesië gestuur word, geweier is, is in 'n verslag van 26 Februarie 1703 deur die Here XVII gelas dat die sjeg se naasbestaandes en sy oorskot na Indonesië weggebring moes word.
Op 26 Februarie 1704 het die amptelike geskrewe instruksies van die VOC in die Kaap aangekom. Die weduwee van Yusuf, hul jong kinders en ander lede van sy gevolg moes toegelaat word om na Indonesië terug te keer.
Daar is ook bepaal dat die oorskot van Yusuf onopsigtelik opgegrawe moes word sodat die naasbestaandes dit kon saamneem. Voorsorg moes egter getref word dat ander Oosterse bannelinge nie ontsnap deur voor te gee dat hulle naasbestaandes van sjeg Yusuf is nie."10
Die gevolg van Sjeg Yusuf het op 5 Oktober 1704 aan boord van De Spiegel uit Tafelbaai met sy oorskot vertrek en op 10 Desember in Batavia anker gegooi. Hierna is sy hulle na Makassar waar sy oorskot op 6 April 1705 op Lakiung in Ujung Pandang herbegrawe is. Bo-oor Yusuf se nuwe graf is 'n kramat of ko'bang deur die Chinese bouer Dju Kian Kiu opgerig. Ook hierdie Kramat word druk deur pelgrims besoek.
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Kramat is die algemeen Kaapse term vir die tombe van 'n [Moslem] heilige of Wali van Allah; in Urdu verwys karamat of keramat na die wonderwerking van 'n heilige, soms word dit ook as sinoniem vir heilige gebruik.
Die meer algemeen gebruikte spelling word hier in plaas van die erkende Afrikaanse "Joesoef" gebruik.
Raidt, E.H. 1971. François Valentyn Beshryvinge van de Kaap der Goede Hoop met de zaaken daar toe behoorende. Kaapstad: Van Riebeeck Vereniging, Vol. 1, p. 198.
Brain, J.S. (ed.). 1988. The Cape diary of bishop Patrick Raymond Griffith for the years 1837-1839. Cape Town: Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, pp. 189-90.
Aktekantoor, Kaapstad, Akte 6/3/1862, no. 121.
Scherzer, K. 1861. Narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by the Austrian frigate Novara, (commodore b. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,): undertaken by order of the imperial government, in the years l857,1858, & 1859. London: Saunders, Otley & Co, pp. 244-248.
Seremoniële hoofstad [Fatehpur = stad van oorwinning] van 1569 tot 1574 deur die Mughale Keiser Akbar (1542-1605) by Sikri, die hermitage van sy spirituele gids, Sjeg Salim Chisti, opgerig. Die tombe wat deur Colvin beskryf word, is deur Shah Jahan (1592-1666) herbou.
Colvin, I.D. 1909. Romance of Empire, South Africa. London: TC & EL Jack, pp. 16168.
Böeseken, A.J. 1961. Resolusies van die Politieke Raad III 1681-1707. Kaapstad: Argiefkomitee, p. 283 (14.06.1694).
Van Rensburg, A. & Van Bart, M. 2004. Waar rus Sjeg Yusuf: van die Kaap tot in Makassar. Kultuurkroniek, Bylae by Die Burger, 10 Julie, pp. 12-13
Van Rensburg, A. & Van Bart, M. 2004. Waar rus Sjeg Yusuf: van die Kaap tot in Makassar. Kultuurkroniek, Bylae by Die Burger, 10 Julie, p.13.
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Schalk W le Roux, Gordonsbaai, Februarie 2013
See also Van Bart, M. & Van Rensburg A.
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Wording on Minaret:
IN MEMORY OF
SHEIKH YUSUF
MARTYR & HERO
OF BANTAM
1629 - 1699
THIS MINARET
WAS ERECTED BY
HAJEE SULLAIMAN
SHAHMAHOMED
IN THE REIGN OF
KING GEORGE V
MAY 1925
_____________________
THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED
19TH DECEMBER 1925 BY
SIR FREDERIC DE WAAL
KCMG:LLD:FIRST ADMINISTRATOR
OF THE CAPE PROVINCE
IN THE YEAR WHEN THIS
DISTRICT WAS VISITED BY
HIS ROYAL HIGNESS
THE PRINCE OF WALES
4TH MAY 1925
_____________________
THE "DARGAN" OF ASHBAT
[COMPANIONS] OF SAINT SHEIKH YUSSUF
[GALERAN TUANSE] OF MACASSAR.
_____
HERE LIE THE REMAINS OF FOUR OF FORTY-NINE
FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS WHO AFTER SERVING
IN THE BANTAM WAR OF 1682-83, ARRIVED WITH
SHEIKH YUSSUF AT THE CAPE FROM CEYLON,
IN THE SHIP "VOETBOOG" IN THE YEAR 1694.
_____
THIS COMMEMORATION TABLET WAS ERECTED
DURING THE GREAT WAR ON 8 JANUARY 1918.
BY HAJEE SULLAIMAN SHAHMAHOMED.
SENIOR TRUSTEE.
Wording on plaque:
PRESIDENT SOEHARTO
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
VISITED THIS SHRINE ON 21 NOVEMBER 1997
TO PAY RESPECT TO THE LATE SHEIKH YUSSUF OF
MACASSAR UPON WHOM THE TITLE OF NATIONAL
HERO WAS CONFERRED BY THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT
ON 7 AUGUST 1995
Writings about this Kramat of Sheikh Yusuf
Davids, Achmat. 1980. The Mosques of Bo-Kaap - A social history of Islam at the Cape. Athlone, Cape: The South African Institute of Arabic and Islamic Research. pp 37-40.
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De Bosdari, C. 1971. Cape Dutch Houses and Farms. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pp 73.
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De Kock, WJ. 1976. Suid-Afrikaanse biografiese woordeboek : Deel 1. Kaapstad: RGN/Tafelberg. pp 429-430.
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Du Plessis, Izak David. 1944. The Cape Malays. Cape Town: Maskew Miller. pp 4-7.
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Jaffer, M. 2001. Guide to the Kramats of the Western Cape. Cape Town: Cape Mazaar (Kramat) Society. pp 17-19.
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Jaffer, Mansoor. 1996. Guide to the Kramats of the Western Cape. Cape Town: Cape Mazaar Kramat Society. pp 17.
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Le Roux, SW. 1992. Vormgewende invloede op die ontwikkeling van moskee-argitektuur binne die Heilige Sirkel aan die Kaap tot 1950 . Pretoria: PhD-verhandeling: Universiteit van Pretoria. pp 201-202.
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Oxley, John. 1992. Places of Worship in South Africa. Halfway House: Southern Book Publishers. pp 63-64.
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Potgieter, DJ (Editor-in-chief). 1975. Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa [SESA] Volume 11 Tur-Zwe. Cape Town: Nasou. pp 567.
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Potgieter, DJ (Editor-in-chief). 1972. Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa [SESA] Volume 6 Hun-Lit. Cape Town: Nasou. pp 454-455.
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Rhoda, E. 2010. Hajee Sullaiman Shahmahomed and the shrine of Shayk Yusuf of Macassar at Faure. : Unpublished manuscript.
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Van Selms, A. Joesoef, Sjeik: in De Kock, WJ. 1976. Suid-Afrikaanse biografiese woordeboek : Deel 1: pp 429-430
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Shaykh Yusuf was born at Macassar in 1626. He was also known as Abadin Tadia Tjoessoep. He was of noble birth, a maternal nephew of King Biset of Goa. He studied in Arabia under the tutelage of several pious teachers.
When Shaykh Yusuf arrives at the Cape, on the Voetboeg, he was royally welcomed by Governor Simon van de Stel. His Indonesian background necessitated that he and his 49 followers be settled well away from Cape Town. They were housed on the farm Zandvliet, near the mouth of the Eeste River, in the general area now called Macassar. He received an allowance of 12rix dollars from the Cape authorities for support of himself and his party. At Zandvliet Shaykh Yusuf’s settlement soon became a sanctuary for fugitive slaves. It was here that the first cohesive Muslim community in S.A. was established. The first settlement of Muslims in South Africa was a vibrant one, despite its isolation. It was from here that the message of Islam was disseminated to the slave community living in Cape Town. When Shaykh Yusuf died on 23 May 1699, he was buried on the hill overlooking Macassar at Faure. A shrine was constructed over his grave. Over the years this shrine has been rebuilt and renewed. Today it remains a place of pilgrimage.