In the Dutch colonial era, form the 17th century on, indigenous tribespeople and slaves of Malabar slaves imported form the east adapted Western musical and ideas.
The Khoi-Khoi, for instance, developed the rampie, a guitar with tree or four strings, based that of Malabar slaves, and used it to blend Khoi and Western folk songs. western music were played by orchestras, and travelling musicians of mixed-blood stock move around the colony entertaining at dances and other functions, a tradition that continued into the era of British domination after 1806.
