The Story of Na-Koi-Ja-Ma Island
“My name is Na-Koi-Ja-Ma and I am a small island.
I am not the typical green palm-tree island, surrounded by blue oceans, that you see in the movies…
No, I’m not that. I’m an island in the middle of a beautiful desert – surrounded by something else – DIAMONDS!
To be precise: By one million two hundred and sixty four thousand acres of diamonds.
And yet, in the last 96 years, not a single diamond – not even one – has ever been found on me, neither on my surface, or deep within my soil.
Over the years, humans, living in this desert have told many stories about my plight – mostly to their children, grandchildren and friends. Some have cried about my story, some did not have a care or concern about my story. Most have not worried or thought about it all.
So… here is my story, and I am going to tell it to you as I’ve heard it told so many times before… over and over again… by the humans.”
This is how the Humans like to relate my story…
Her name is Na-Koi-Ja-Ma. No one is a hundred percent sure – but they think that, in ancient West Coast language – “Na-Koi-Ja-Ma” roughly translates as: “something valuable, or something worth protecting.”
She is a very small island, only 44½ acres in size.
During the last century, the De Beers Mining Company in South Africa extracted hundreds of thousands of carets of diamonds from the desert floor that surrounded her. In all this time, she produced nothing – not a single sliver of a diamond – nothing, and yet, her name means “something valuable, or something to protect…”
Why?
Over time a small town was build right around this island, trees were planted on her corners, roads were constructed on her edges, but not one brick was laid upon her soil – until 1976.
The town expanded rapidly. Soon paths and services were laid down on the bedrock underneath her red desert sand.
One evening as the dust settled and as the sun set in the west, the last streaks of sunlight highlighted her broken and ripped apart soil. Instinctively, the people in the town knew they had crossed a line. They had made a mistake…
Almost overnight, things started to change and it changed rapidly: The diamonds of yesterday disappeared – as if vanished into thin air.
By 1978 – less than 24 months after invading her inner beauty and crisscrossing her landscape for self greed – the mine activities around the town had to close down. Shocked, but to save face, the mine managers said: ” it’s only temporary.”
As sad as the closing of the mine was for the miners, the local tribes-people smiled: “It is the spirits of Na-Koi-Ja-Ma that finally had the last word… they said: “No – No-More...”
Hundreds of miles away, deep into the Atlantic Ocean and along the coastline, the mining activities continued for a few more years but then, – as quickly as the diamond rush had started nearly a century earlier, it all collapsed.
The desert once again become quiet, reclaiming some of its land and some of its sand – but mostly lying bare for years.
Scarred and wounded, a broken landscape… then, almost overnight, a miracle happened.
It had been a bitter winter. The days were cold, the nights were freezing, but then, totally unexpectedly, it started to rain. It rained for weeks – a sight not seen in this desert for many, many years…
When the sun at last showed itself again, the wounded diamond fields in the Namaqualand desert, around our tiny island, turned itself into a natural wonder rarely seen before:
Carpets of flowers stretched as far as the eye could see.
The word spread quickly: those that could travel to experience this natural transformation first hand, looked at the carpet of miles and miles of indigenous flowers, and at this incredible miracle until their eyes hurt.
They took endless photos, and shared it with others, and those too shared it with their friends and families and more. People kept on taking photos and kept on sharing, year after year, so much so – that this pattern of taking photographs and sharing, has been going on now for more than 50 years.
At last, the Namaqualand desert gas given all of us a brand new treasure… a treasure far greater than all the diamonds in the world…
It is a treasure worth sharing. It’s a valuable treasure worth protecting – and now. for the very first time, after so many decades, we now know exactly what the words “Na-Koi-Ja-Ma” means.
She is an island so vulnerable and valuable that, when the sun sets at night in the desert, you can hear her crying out for help – begging to be protected.
It is said that those who help her will be blessed “by the gods in the stars” in ways that cannot be described in modern human language.
The proof, they say, can be felt at night…
The legend goes that if you stand on Na-Koi-Ja-Ma island, in the middle of this desert, in the middle of the night, the closest stars in our Milky Way – Alpha Centauri – are so bright, you can feel the warmth of the stars on your fingertips … when you try to touch them.
*********THE END*******
Side Note:
That is my story, and yes, it is true: diamonds surrounds me … but I don’t care about that anymore… I am about the flowers that surrounds me… it is these flowers that give joy to so many people around the world.
In a minute, I am going to tell you how you can assist me to protect this vital ecological treasure, but first… please follow the link below to read more of the plans in how best you can help me…
With a little research you will find that the flowers of Namaqualand have already inspired thousands of scientist and biologists from every corner on earth.
Hundreds of books have already been written about Namaqualand – movies have been cast about her, fans still talk about her and millions still celebrate her incredible flower-show every year.
Global warming has also left its mark here in the Namaqualand, and I’m sad to report – all is not well…
Today, the island of Na-Koi-Ja-Ma and the succulent plants that produces the landscape of flowers in Namaqualand every year needs your help.
Although broken, I am still here in the desert – as cute as ever. I am still surrounded by the roads and by the houses of yesterday, just like before – but today, the houses are home, not to diamond miners, but to environmentally friendly, loving people, who work every day to heal the landscape and the scars of the past.
These are the people who nurture and keep watch over the desert plants, quietly and patiently. They are the Goodwill Ambassadors of Namaqualand.
They are the un-appointed guardians of the Namaqualand desert flowers.
They are the ones who wait for the winter rains and when it comes, they map and record every single detail once more with their photos, and then they share it with the rest of the world.
It is here, on my fertile soil, on this island, in the center of this small and friendly town, that the Goodwill Namaqualand Ambassadors and would-be Ambassadors I spoke about earlier, want to establish a unique Wild Flower Garden & Reserve.
This garden, when it is completed, will consist of 1000’s of indigenous Flowers and Succulent Plants that only grows in Namaqualand, so that they can be protected for generations to come.
To make this dream a reality, we are going to roll this project out in 3 phases. Phase one is completed: It is with the Second phase and Third phase that I need your help.
You can help by buying gifts from this site.
When you CLICK ON THIS LINK you will be redirected to our online store.
Thank you.
