Dagga (Afrikaans pronunciation:[ˈdaχa]) is a word used in certain areas ofSouthern Africa to describecannabis flower. The term, dating to the 1660s, derives from the worddaxa in theKhoekhoe language used to describe the plant as well as various species ofLeonotis. The leaves of specifically theLeonotis leonurus resemble the cannabis leaf and is known locally aswild dagga.[1] The word has been spelled many different ways over time as various groups of people began using the term and some examples of these are:daggha, dacha, dacka, dagha, tagga, dachka, daga.[2][3][4]According to theOxford Dictionary,[clarification needed]dagga was also used by the Khoekhoe to describe the sensation of intoxication.[5]
While it's fairly well known that the first written use of the term was inJan van Riebeeck’s journal in 1658 and spelleddaccha, it was most likely as a reference to the indigenous "wild dagga" that has a similar leaf shape with the jagged edges. The two plants have a very different flower however and some scholars have questioned people's inability to tell them apart.
Another theory put forward by two scholars (Hahn and Lichtenstein) in 1963 proposed that theDutch word fortobacco,tabak, which was then referred to astwak, was morphed over time intotwaga and later totoaga and finally intodagga. Brian du Toit, in his book,Cannabis in Africa (1980) disagreed suggesting the Khoekhoe worddaXa-b (tobacco), is the root noun from which the worddagga was derived. Their word for green is!am and when added todaXa-b it resulted inamaXa-b namely green tobacco. This theory is supported by Jean Branford, who in her 1978 book,A Dictionary of South African English drew similar conclusions.[6]
In 1948, theNational Party came to power; they, like their predecessors, continued theprohibition of the plant. Being anAfrikaans political party and given that the phonetic ‘ga’ already expressed disgust in the language, they embraced the use of the word to extend criticism towards the drug and anyone that used it. This gavedagga a social stigma over time and as such, most pro-cannabis enthusiasts still refuse to use it.[7] This has changed in more recent times as people involved in theanti-prohibition movement such as theDagga Couple and theDagga Party "reclaim" the word in an attempt to remind people of its history and meaning.[8][9]
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