Doman's Khoikhoi name was Nommoa but he is more commonly known by the name the Dutch gave him. Doman's Dutch name may be derived from the Afrikaans "dominee" meaning 'parson', but it might also be derived from the Khoikhoi (
!Kora) word "domma" meaning 'voice' in the
Khoekhoegowab language. He was one of two interpreters employed by the Dutch at the suggestion of their first interpreter, a Khoikhoi chief
Autshumato, to act for the Dutch whilst Autshumato was absent from the settlement (the other was Khaik Ana Ma Koukoa, known as
Krotoa or Claes Das to the Dutch).
Jan van Riebeeck's diarist noted that Doman "seems to be well-disposed towards us" and "is serving the Hon. Company better than anybody else - up to the present at any rate".
Rijckloff van Goens, advising van Riebeeck on defence matters, took Doman to Java in the Dutch East Indies in April 1657 where he witnessed how the local people had been forced to submit to Dutch rule. During the trip he witnessed the resistance attempted by the Bantamese against the Dutch in north Java. When he returned, Doman clashed frequently with Krotoa, who he claimed had tried to curry favour with the Dutch and betray her people. Doman was the only voice to speak out when van Riebeeck took several Khoikhoi leaders hostage in 1658. Given the importance of his trip to Java in shaping Doman's political consciousness, Dutch administrators at the Cape described him as the "Batavian Hottentoo". Though they overran most of the outlying settlements and farms they lacked the means to storm the Dutch fort at the Cape. ==Legacy==