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For its use as a derogatory term of abuse, see Kaffir (ethnic Slur) . For other uses of the term, see Kaffir (disambiguation) . The word Kaffir was used in English from the 16th century to the early 20th century as a term for black people of southern Africa . Outside this limited historical context, the word is used today only as derogatory and offensive term of abuse. HISTORICAL USAGE The earliest use of the term in English is by Richard Hakluyt in 1589 , who used the name Caffar for the inhabitants of southern Africa, a region roughly coinciding with the present territories of Zimbabwe , South Africa , and Mozambique . groups. This usage has disappeared except in terms of historical reference but is not always considered vulgar or derogatory. For example, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford originally labelled many African artifacts as Kaffir in origin. ETYMOLOGY The word derives from the Arabic word Kafir (''The Oxford Dictionary of South African English'', 1996), which is commonly translated as " Infidel " or "unbeliever" , i.e. someone who does not believe in God . The term existed before rise of Islam and meant, "one who denies the existence of God" or Athiest . The term was originally applied to non-Muslim people in the south and east of the continent by coastal Arab traders. SEE ALSO
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