sign in sign up
<<
Home , Great Trek, Sarel Cilliers

T111L F.OUTH AFRICAN DIE RUID-AFRIKAANSI-

m 1'1'FST , r.F RACE RELATIONS INSTITUUTvmRASSEVERIlO' srrt'rs dien RACE RELATIONS SUJD-AFRIKA Official Quarterly Journal of the South African Institute of Race Relations h dcur Vol.V, No. 4 PRICEi ONE SHILLING —FREE TO MEMBERS November 1938 I. — Investigations on all problems arising out of I. — Navorsingsin verband met rasseverhoudings- race contacts in-Southern Africa. vraagstukke. II. — Publications piving the results of scientific II. — Publikasies. waarin resultate van wctenskap- investigations, accounts of conferences and like navorsing, konferensic-vcrslae n spce , - special articles. siale artikels gedruk word. CONTENT INHOUS— D III. — Information Bureau & Reference Library III. — Inligtingsbureau en NaslaanbibHoteeh — Introduction 70 fre— e servic r researcefo h workers, students. kostelose dien r navorserssvi , studcntc.spre- The Historica1 7 l Settin Greae . .. th f gt. o .. Trek . .. . LtoFoucht ...... speakers and writers, social workers, etc. ker n skrywerse s , maatskaplikcwcrkcrs. en , Prnfntor of History in the University of the \Vitv*tennnd. IV Secretaria.— severar fo l l scientific societied san IV Sekretarlaa.— r verskillcmlvi t c wctcnsknplike The Voortrekker Nativese th 2 7 d . A.I.san J . . .. A . gar-Hamilton...... welfare bodies. liggam vcrsorginpsligijamcn e . lecture Ibtore I Univenit th n i rn yi f Pretoriayo ; i authoNatnnTh f ro Policyt oth f V. — Organisatio Joinf no t Councils amone gth V. —OrganUasi e van Gesamentlifce Rade, vir Voortrekkm- various racial groups in South Africa : Eu- e verskillenddi c rasscproep n Suid-Afriki e a The Trek and its Legacy. A. H. Murray ...... 76 ropean-Africa ; nEuropean-Coloure - Eu d; -r-blankes en naturellc; blankes en kleurlinge, Profeuo f Ethicro Politicd Univenite *an th n *i f Capyo e Town. ropean-Indian. blankes en IndiCrs. Tree Th k Traditio Moderd nan n Problems . Kepftl-JonesM . A . 79 VI. — Social Welfare activitie plannin— s g and VI. —Bedrywighed e op pehicd van Maatskapltke Lecturer in History in the Univenity of the Witwateranod. initiatio f schemeso n d co-ordinatioan , f no Welvaat vcral— l inlexveroepin n nuwvn p e agencies. ondernemings e bevordcrindi n e , n dlrva g VII. — Conferences — regional and national — on samewerkin welvaartsorganisasien gva s problems of race relations. VII. — Konferensies — gewestelik en nasionaal — oor VIT1. — Lecture racn so e problem allied an s d topic*, rasseverhoudings-probleme. VOORTREKKER CENTENARY NUMBER and assistance to study groups. VIII. — Lcsing r rassoo se —n aanverwanle e vraag- stukk hul n atudiegroepee n t paa . VOORTREKKER EEUFEES UITGAWE THE INSTITUTE NEEDS- DIE INSTITUUT HET NOD1G— 1Jaartikse• Toelaes Oftenbarevan Liggame— 1. Annual Grants from Public Bodies— £10 of meer mask 'n liggam geregtig op twee r moro 0 e £1 entitle e grantinth s g bodo t y verteenwoordigers op die Raad (Aantal liggame o representativetw Councie th n so l (present e oomblidi wap o t k toclae* sken k33): . e GreaTh t Treitd s an kCentenar y Celebratio Lighe th f Grou o n ti n p 1 8 ...... Psychology ...... I.D. . .. MaeCrune ...... granting bodie 33): s . 2. Donasies van Firmat en Individue— Prolcsso f ['itehnlnifo r e Unlvenii(h e Wilwatennnn i th y t a y d; autho f Rateo r 2. Donations from Firms and Individuals— 0 perjaar(of'nenkelPerson£1 t ewa e donasie Altitude* in Suaih Afriea. r £10(o . 0a . giftp Donor0 ) £1 vot r f o fo se van £100) skenk, mag stem vir vyf verteen- Future Race 4 Relalion8 . .. Soutn i i . .. h Africa. .. . MK a. . f.. ?, t. hews . .. five representatives on the Council (present woordigers op die Raad. (Aantal skcnkers op Lecture Socian ri l Anthropology •niSoute th l Nativn hi Africaw Ij e n Native College, Donors : 35). die oomblik : 35). t-'ort I (UK. 3. Annual Subscriptions from Firms Individualsor — 3. Jaarlikse Subskripiies n Firmasva n Individue—e Race Relations of the Future in the Light of the Past. Edgar II. Brocket ... 86 Principal of Ad*ms ColkRC ; Senator representing the Nttive* of Natal ; author of Subscribers of £1, or over, vote for six repre- Intekenaars wat £1 of mrer beiaal, mag vir srp TV flistorv of Native Policy in South Africa iod Colour Pnblemt of South Africa. sentatives on the Counci|(presenl Subscribers verteenwoordigers op die Raad stem (Aantal Race Relation FuturPast e e Lighe th th th f f .s o o n t Rev.}.ei 3 8 Reyneke . .. nearly 700). intekenaara op die oomblik : oor die 700). Stcrctar e Nativth f o ye Albin Committe ee Federa

Qjfitiele Kvartaalbtad van die Suid-Afrikaanse tnstituut vir Ratsevcrhoudings

4 . DeeNo , V l SJIELINI'HYN EE S: GRATIG— LED N SEAA November 1933 INTRODUCTION HISTORICAE TH L SETTIN GREAE TH F TGO TREK LEO Foucini The Voortrckkcr Centenary celebrations which will culminate, on December 16th, in the laying of the Afte e laps centurya th rf eo Tree th , k appearo st distinction of race and religion ; so that it was Foundation Stone of the Voortrckker Monument, are for all South Africans the occasion for re-living in imagination u«, throug avenue yearse hth th f eo , lik greaea t moving intolerable for any decent Christian to bow down the mingled romance and traced}' of the-, and for thinking out afresh the significance of VoortrekVer drama, in which all the races in our country were beneath suc ha yok e; wherefor rathee w e r with- History Voorlrckked an , r Traditio r presennfo Souty da t h Africa which population i , problemsd nan s becomha , e involved. British and Dutch, Bantu, Bushmen and drew, tn order thus to preserve our doctrines in differeno s t fro Soute mth h Afric hundrea f o a d years ago. Griquas—even the Portuguese—all had their part to purity". e SoutTh h African Institut f Raceo e Relations, havin membershiga p drawn fro l racesm al dealind an , g with play o regar race T . affai e e Treon th f donlth o s rk a y Thus, in a spirit of distrust and despair, they gird n proble f nationamo l importance, wishe joio l s n wit l otheal h r organization doinn i s g honou e memorth o t r f yo is mere perversity. p theiu r loin d trekan s . They abandon their Native the Voortrekkers. The story of the great exodus, with its clash of landhorrew seeo t ne , whicn ki a , h white supremacy Hence presene th , t e Institute'issuth f eo s quarterly journal, Race Relations^ s beeha n devote articleo dt n so races s warrinit , g ideologies s sloit , w development would be maintained and preserved unchallenged. the Great Trek and its bearings on race relations, past, present, and future, in our country. toward inevitabln sa egreae doomth n ti traditios i , f no curtaie plae th An th o y ds nd begin goean p su o st Greek dramatragedya s i t I . minglina , horrorf go d san unroll before us. The contributors whose generous co-operation the Institute has been fortunate to secure, include represent- heroism recora , f higdo h resolve, stark endurancd ean atives of both the and the English-speaking sections of the White South African population, and one ultimate frustration—a theme which would have Act I shows the Trekkers taking leave of their outstanding leader of the Bantu peoples. Each has been left free to treat the topics in which he was invited to write, inspired an Aeschylus. homes and kindred. There is real tragedy here. In in the way which he thought best, and through the language medium of his own choice. The aim of the issue was I the I surprisee t yar Ac Mosilikatze'y db a bandsd an ; The stage is set on the eastern and north eastern described to the writers as a "twofold one, (1) to seek a better understanding end appreciation of the best qualities dangethiw ne s r forces the o munit t organized an e . of the Voortrekkers and the contributions they have made to our national life ; (2) to suggest the lines along which frontiers of the ; the latter ravaged by a In the next Act they proceed to the fair land of Natal, succession of droughts, the former by the terrible in- harmonious race relation e developeb n e futurca th s n di e wit e regare besdu hth t o dt tradition Trek"e th f so . their Promised Land, althoug hsinistea r figure lurks roads of the Xhosas, which had reduced the Europeans Unfortunately, thre r foueo f thoso r e originally invited were alread o fullyto y engaged with contributions elsewhere ther threateo et n theiZule th ur V prospectsI t Ac n I . there to ruin and despair. The actors are the frontier in connection wit e Voortrekkehth r celebrations. Thi s possiblsha y resulte e absencth n di e fro e symposiumth m ogre strikes—terrible, shattering blows, under which farmers, who, like their ancestor hundrea r sfo d years, of point f vieso w which would have mad t eveei n more fully representative . thais t ni Trekkere th s reel. Disaster, massacr "weepingd an e " had been struggling incessantly to maintain themselves keynotee arth eScenese th f so . e pointth Eve f vie, o sso nw from whic e variouth h s contributors have writte e sufficientlar n y diverso et against wild beasts, and barbarous tribes. In the course illustrate the truth that the Voortrekker tradition has ceased to be the special and exclusive possession of the of this long struggle thecomd y ha loo o et k upon their Trekkere th t e lasIth nAc t s triumph over their Afrikaner people. When the Union was founded, "Dingaan's Day" was a day of sacred memory only to the Native enemies as creatures beyond the pale, heathen cruel enemy. Blood River and the overthrow of Din- "nationala s i t i northe w oth f "No .holiday . Voortrekker histor Voortrekked yan r tradition have becom integran ea l savages wero wh ,e separated fro e Europeanmth y b s gaan brin dram e closes gth it o at . part of South African history and South African tradition. No doubt, they will remain in a special sense precious an impassable barrier—racial, social ind religious. For the Trekkers, Blood River was clearly the to the Afrikaans-speaking section, but in modem South Africa no "national'* tradition belonging to any one The frontier had become acutely group- climax. They believed that peace would now ensue. .section can be a matter of indifference to any other section. In this spirit was the present issue of Race conscious because they fough r whitfo t e supremacy. The t toldy knoo ye t wer t ,t wno eno thas tale th wa tc Relations planned. In this spirit, we hope, it will be found to have been written. Moreover, their enemies were not merely savages, they that fate had further tribulations in store for them. were heathens ; whereas the Europeans \vere Christians Whil writero etw s have see importance nth emotionae makinf th eo f o bes e e gth lus t Voortrekkee valuth f eo r p theiu The t r se yRepubli f Natalico d lookean a d tradition, they have not failed to point a warning finger where they think that tradition may become sterile and —and Calvinists at that. forward to the enjoyment of their hard earned indepen- enslaving. Nothing would be more disastrous to the soul of the nation than to become covered over with this stale Their hard life required a stern religious code. dence in a real "white man's land". crus f customaro t y thought. Even tradition musmore th liveo ted t changpowerfus an i , t i f ei traditioe th l e nth They were stoics, as Professor HaarhofT has pointed But thereckoned yha d withou Nativee th t . They more it changes with changing times. The true test of the Voortrekker tradition in the future will be its power out. Therefore Calvinism, whic s beeha h n called hasooneo dn r destroye Zule dth u menacef , o tha t nou to enable the people to meet and overcome changing conditions by changes within themselves. Pathetic grieving "baptized stoicism", fitted them like their own skins. a hundred hidden kloof d cranniesan s , thousandf o s for past glories will brin futuree hopo th g n r efo . They were the elect; the heathen, the children of Ham, Natives—the broken remnants of tribes destroyed by were fore-ordaine remaio t d n "servant f servants"so . beliee th fn I that "the truth shall mak free u thad eyo an "pase tonln faitth justifiee ca tyb n i h d through the Zulu tyrants—came running to them, to share the courage for the future, this number of Race Relations is offered to the public of South Africa of all races, creeds Now, suddenly, this fundamental belie s rudelwa f y peac d securitan e y whic e Whiteth h broughtd ha s . and colours in respectful rcmemberance of the best elements in the Great Trek—in which Bantu and Briton, as challenged by an alien Government, which seemed The Trekkers could not wash their hands of the wel s Boer a lsomd ha , e honourable share—and wit earnesn ha tbette a ple r fo a r appreciatio humae th f no n possi- determined to place the Native races on an equal Native. The repudiated brothera yha s a m .dhi They bilities, activ latentd l sectionean al r varie n ,ou i f sdo population contributy ma thao s l , al t increasinn ei g measure footing with the European colonists. keepers hi e woulb . t Neverthelessno d , ther wase eh . well-beine th o Statee t th f go . Whateve teachy pase th re futurma t th , e rests fashiono witt s hu . Thu e e threadramath sth e "argument"f o dth , , Something had to IK done with him. . ALFREF . R D HOERNL President£— is the conflict between two hostile and irreconcilable So the Trekkers decided to seyrcjjatc trurir Natives. J. D. RHETNALLT JONES — Adviser ideals—between colouequalite th d r an ybar . They proceeded to do so, and in such vigorous fashion, e TrekkerTh Relief's s(a s sister, Anna Steenkamp, that sooe Britisth n h Government intervened an d explain childrenr he o st ) coul t stomacdno heathee hth n annexed their infum Republic. Thus they lost their "being placed on an equal footing with Christians, cherished independence largely through their Native e naturath d lan d contrary Go e b\v th f o s o t policy. 70 71 A few ycr.rs nficr Wood River, the majority of "eminently understandable", and could he justified on lh< Trckkrrs were on the move ap.iin ; back across the the plea of self-preservation. thing—their managemen f Nativo t e affairs. Heret i , Cape Colony legislation in respect of Hottentots, Drakenshrrp. in srek the Promised Land once more, * * + would seem, historians have been less than just to the vagrancy, and slaves. this time in the fnr interior. administration e BritisTh . h governors wer e firsth e t a hundre Thas wa t d year r intervalsth apon I . , to introduce a considered policy and to support it with Practical grievances were capabl f settlemento e , Some, who had perhaps given up the hope, of Native conditions have change l recognitiond al tin f o t . considerable military forcee failurTh .tha f eo t policy, or might have been forgotte coursn ni s f timwa eo t i e: findin Eden ga n fre f Nativeso e , were conten settlo t t e e samwhileth t ea , time e Europeanth , s have been with its principles of the annexation of Native land, precisely this theory of equality which aroused the in tht- Free Stale. Others—and these were the real experimenting continuously, trying out various policies military patrols organized an , d reprisals dues ,wa , partly irreconcilable opposition of the frontier farmer. To die-hards—moved int prcae oth t empty spaces nortf ho and systems on the Native. e shortsighteth o t d militaris e officialsth f mo , which many people of that day political equality must have been easily confused with racial miscegenation. There e Vnalth , left invitingly har y inter-tribah e l wars. It is therefore very strange indeed, that (to judge Philip and Stockenstrom condemned, but principally is evidence that rumours were spread abroad through Here, surely, was the Promised Land at last. by our latest experiment—the Native Acts of 1936), strategis it o t c impossibility Professos A . r Walkes ha r the frontier districts that the Government sought to we seem to have been moving in a vicious circle, put it, to protect the scattered Europeans of the eastern Pul here again they proved their own tin-doing. encourage, or perhaps even compel, the intermarriage back to the Trckkers. For these Acts are the complete frontier would need "all the King's horses, and all the Their intre presence, acting like some irresistible of white blacksd san t eve Bu n. without thiherrind sre g embodiment of the Trekker policy. King's men". ro;ti*nct, drrw tho\isands of Natives from every side, the theory of legal equality was hotly contested, and to Feel; protection tinder their winp. Wherever the Such is the iudibria rertttn wnrtalium. But it would be a mistake to lay undue stress on the traditional "proof texts" which arc taken to illu- Trekkcrs turned, the Native was in their path. militare th y sid f Nativeo e polic causa s y a unrestf eo . Moreover, we have adopted the Trekker policy, strat cause e Tree eth th f kso wil xvelo d l l enough here. Stockenstrom pointed out that "the country beyond Did they realize, in the end, that they were trying without the Trekkers' excuse for it. We do not fear Anna Steenkamp's "it is not so much their free- e boundarth beed yha n swarming with emigrantr fo s to escape the inescapable ? Apparently; for they the Native to-day like the Trekkers did in their day. dom ... as their being placed on an equal footing with e leaderyears"th d san , took their fateful decisioo t n settled down in the two Republics, surrounded by Yet we have adopted their Policy of Fear. Christians contrary to the laws of God, and the natural Natives. trek before the outbreak of the Sixth Kaffir War. distinctions of race and religion" merely amplifies Whe n explanatio a e see r nw kfo f thio n s strange Contemporary account explanationd san s ten throo dt w Boshof's objection "that the blacks arc encouraged to Trekkere Th quarrelled sha d much among them- retrogression, psychologists tel thaton, s obsese lu t,we ar - the emphasis upon more concrete grievances, arising consider themselves upon an equal footing with the selves. On one matter only they were alway over-masterinn a s y b d se Nativege feath f t thio r ;bu s fear out of the settlement of those problems which the whites in their religious exercises in Church", while unanimous. They knew what they wanted wito lod h ia secretf , hidde e nspirit th fea f o r, which mane yar British administrator d inheriteha s d from their pre- the Transvaal Constitution of 1853 sought to close Nativee th . Sinc case coule h eh t t offdwoulno e h , e db ashamed to admit. If the psychologists are right, it seems decessors—the question of the status of the Hottentots the whole matter by stating the principle : "the people Unrated off, segregated—racially, politicall- so d an y a great pity tha cannoe w t t thele t m psycho-analyse eth and of the slaves. desire to permit no equality between coloured people cially. Doth Republican constitutions laid down this European Soutn si h Africa whole — th millio o I s etw u f no * Thero neen o argus t di e e right d wrongsan s — ane whitth d e inhabitants eithe Churcn i r r State.ho " principl e mosth n tei definite terms. e Articlth f o 9 e If that coul e donedb t mighi , t then well appear Transvaal Grondwet read s: "Th e people will permit the slave-owners of Jamaica resented abolition just as Agains doctrine th t legaf eo l equalit e frontiersyth - that this fear is entirely without logical substance, a muc e Capes thos ha th expressed f ean o , d themselves equalito n y between coloure whitd dan e inhabitants, merimaginingn ow e r spoomighe ou W f k.o t discover theora t se differentiatiof yo n ma raciad nan l subordina- eithe Churcn i r r State.ho " most forcibly upo e subject nth e farmere Th th . t a s t necessarilopinios no hi tion s d nwa an , y prejudicer o d that, like Frankenstei e storyth nre n ew ni , hag-ridden Cape would have been more than human if they had by a monster of our own invention. arbitrary e intellectuaTh .e twentietth f o l h century The colour bar was to stand guard eternally failed to protest when the Government tampered with s beeha nn atmospher u brough n i p u f tscientifi o e c between Black and White. Perhaps we shall wake up some day, to find our- the problem which plagues every farmer throughout evolution, and is taught to view history as a wide pano- The Trekkers' policy towards the Natives was the selves castin f thagof t foolis he woulw fear s a d, cast e world—hith s labour supply. Mer approace w e e hth ram n whici a h race s wela ss empirea l s d fallrisan e. expressio f theino r fears. They wer merea e handful, baselese ofth f s fabri nightmarea f co ! crux of the dispute. Financial losses bulk large in these The farmer's training had placed him in a static uni- early manifestos t they provbu ,ma y e misleadingt I . surrounded by a sea of savages, against whom they That will be a happy day for all of us, Black and verse populated, hy a single Act of Creation, with was not so much an objection to specific acts which could barely hold their own. Their fear complen xwa White alike ; for when panic ceases, sanity returns. certain immutable types. White and black differed in moved the farmers of the eastern frontier, as a deep- characteristics xvhich, it seemed, were not matters of rooted e Admini distrus bace th ideae th i th ku t f sa o t- degree but of kind. White was white, and black was THE VOORTREKKER AND THE NATIVES stration's policy. black eacd an ,h would remai inviolabls it n ni e category The rulers of Britain in the earlier years ot the until the end of time. The whites were dcmonstrahly J. A. I. AGAR-HAMILTON nineteenth centur scarceln yca callee yb d democratic— the favoured race, the coloured folk equally obviously "revolutionarye th " Reform Bil utmosle whicth s thwa destined to be their servants. e GreaTh t Trea singls les f o kwa s e movement limit of concession in I832wouldbe impossibly reaction- usual care against the danger of the easy generalization, In such circumstances, to regard the "coloured meano n y b s n i clea t thai reran d na whe an , n thaa er t ary to-day-1—but they had accepted a* part of their y distinguis t non ma bu e lea e th eh s h three phasen i s man as capable of citizenship, or to negotiate with the began, or where we arc to fix its close. There was constitutional heritag e principlth e e equalitth f eo f yo callee b whae Nativy dth ma t e policVoortreke th f yo - tribes beyond the boundary as if thcv could appreciate neither single leader nor uniform plan, and the inhabi- beforn al e me e questio lawl shoulo th eTh .wh f dno kers, correspondin theio gt e Colonrth lifn i ey before e motiveth d conduct onle whitesan sno th y s f o twa , tants of the Eastern Province whence it emerged were make and administer that law was another matter. It setting out, their coriduct upon their long journey, and e Hyinfac th f Providence» en i g a wilfu t bu , l deniaf o l a communit o variouys s tha e t difficulmighi b t t no t t is important altio to notice that in curly Nineteenth thirdly, their changed circumstances after they had cold and obvious scientific fact. to find individuals to justify the diverse judgements of established themselves in their new homes. Century England there was no question of social Barrow, Lichtenslei e Mistd r d resemblo , an n e th e equality cither. lit dealing with the problems of e frontieth n I r farmer's trsiiniiu e Capth t u ec sturdy, God-fcarinp Covenanters who figure in Theal. In the Colony the attitude of the frontiersman to colonial administration the same policy of subordinating administration must have Itccn :\ luri^c i-lcincnt ol that The historian of the Trek must guard with more than e officialth t Capa s e Tow s conditionewa n e on y b d all cili/cns equally to the law was applied.,and it forms hopeless exasperation which \vc Ice I in ihe t'ace of crass the sole unifying principle behind the rather disjointed and invincible stupidity sensiblA . n coulma e d nnl 72 73 continu livo et e under these conditions remede th d y,an

examination of the early days of the Trek is that the not the view of the other parties to the transaction. A ling of TheaPs story of wholesale Basuto infiltration. wa o inipratit s . 1 establishin communitw ne i g: y whose leaders mad o attempn e n subordinatt t Native th e e Native custom known as'Moba" provide grane th r t sfo Anyone who has attempted a careful study of the leaders would h.i\r some contact with political reality. tribes. Moroko, Dinpaan Sekwntid an . n turi . n wrrr of permission (o a strnngcr to graze his cattle in the Griqua-Free State boundary know masa s ss thawa t i t Trekkee th o T r ihis decision must have seemee th d treated as independent A strict political sccrqcrttion area claime cultivato t trib n i y edam b e land payn o , - of interlocking and conflicting jurisdictions, while the obvious rejoinder delivere doctrinairo dt e enthusiasm in which Native and European communities should ment of a bcnst to the Chief in recognition of its rights. extensio westere th f no n Transvaalimite th f so l settle- commoy b n sense. remain distinc mutualld tan v independent, unexpressed, t I seems most probable that Native peoples whoo ,t m e traceb menn d ca tfro e Schoonspruimth e th o t t thein o t rsoos journeA ou the s t na y se emi e yth - hut none the less fundamental, forms the basis of all the sale and transfer of land was n thing unknown, Maquassi, from Maquass e Hartth o st i Riverd an , grant fanners found themselve contacn si t with organiz- negotiations. believed that they were entering int otransactioa f no thence to the limits of on the very edge of ed communities of Natives, whom they now met on a Trekkere th t Bu s were movin numbern gi s which this kind. In that case they regarded the treaty, which the Kalahari. new footing- The second phase in the evolution of to the whites was an alienation of land, as a solemn were without precedent theid an , r former experience One of the difficulties of the situation was that the their Native policy had begun. In these new circum- needed modification. It was no longer sufficient to recognition of their own prior rights. Compared with Native agriculturalists sa s occupie compacda t village stances their previous experience must naturally serve the large areas which are mentioned in these documents "make known chiefe th arrivae o partsth a t " f f o lyo with immediately adjacen tpastoralists a fields t bu , s as guide. Long journeys into the interior were no new the remarkably small purchase prices pai signifie dar - Europeans : they needed security of tenure, n title on distributed their herds at a number of cattle posts over thing in the life of a frontiersman, and individuals had cant. which they could bas State,somethinea facgn i t which a wide area of the surrounding country. The expansion wandered over a cood deal of the plains which now was more like a formal treaty inter gtnta. Potgieter's * The next stage in the history of Trekker Native f Europeano s into this area would pass almost unnoticed form par f Rechuanalano t westere th d ndan Transvaal, early negotiations with the Griquas and with Makwana policy begins with the establishment of the communi- at first, then a few outlying posts might be drawn in, visiting Native villages, and spending some months on were probabl informae th f yo lat ls 184 s a typeea d 5 ,an ties which later coalesce d developean d d inte th o as the herdhoys found their watering places occupied the way. Families and small groups of emigrants had he seem havo st e been content wit hverbaa l bargain Republics importans i t f , notico t t e thaoriginae th t l by newcomers. At length the day would come, probably been living beyon northere dth n bordeColone th f o ry wit Pede hth i Chief Sekwati more th et methodica,bu l settlements were strictly limite n i area—thad f o t durin gseasoa f droughtno , whe tribe nth e would find for some years. Relief felt the need of a formal cession of the Natal for instance was bounded by the itself without sufficient cattles wateit lono r S s fo rg. a When the farmer came to trek he needed only territory from Dingaan n thiI liiae s.h y have been Schoonspruit—bu farmee soos th a d ts estabna ha r - there was room to spare the Natives fell back, into the apply this experienc conditionsw ne o t e . Whee h n influenced by the need of some document to set up lished himself upon the land the age-old process of drie lesd sran favourable country time th e t cam,bu n ei though future th musf e o eh t t have pictured himself against the written cessions made by the Zulus to expansion began once more. The system of landholding the next generation when they could retreat no farther, as fettling and running up a house beside a convenient individuals connected with the settlement at Port which develope Republice th n d i significant s swa A . and were oblige fighto dt . spring countrn i , y which promised s grazinhi r fo g exampln a t se e Natalh whic t followes bu , hwa d else- farmer, venturing forthuntina n ho g simpl a tri r po e A typical historinstance foune th b f o n dt i yo s ei herds, and paying a courtesy call on his Native neigh- where whes a ,e Republi th n f Andrieo c s Ohrigstad journey of exploration, would be attracted by the the Barolong, who settled at Schoonspruit after the bou o establist r h good relations. Whit blacd an ek sough writtea t n bargain wit Swaze hth i people. appearanc pieca f f elano eo d lying some distance off. e Matabeledefeath f o t , found themselves being would then keep themselves to themselves in dignified He would note the principal geographical features, It is worthy of note that the Relief Treaty docs not hemmed in by white farmers, and moved to the head- but not unfriendly reserve. This is exactly the picture give it a name, and register his prior claim with the really provide for any "consideration" to be rendered waters of the Molopo. From thence thcv were pushed conveyed by one of the paragraphs in Relief's famous landdrost, receiving from him an uittreksel, or extract in return for the cession of the land aouth of the Tugela. farther back, losing the great springs at Grootfontcin manifesto which Theal chos omito et : ' fro officiae mth l register,settin significane th t gou t details. Dingaan certainly stipulate e e returth th f r o nfo d and Lothlakana, until to-day thei rmoro n land e ar s purposee "W coursjourneyr e n th ou o f n ,ei o d ,an stolen cattle, but this was nominally a challenge to Now an iiittrektel was an article of commerce, and tha narrona w strip alon reachee Molope gth th l o so arrivin countre th gn i whicn y i shale hw l permanently Retief to prdve his bona fides, and in fact was probably might pass from han nominaa hano dt r dfo l price, below Mafeking. reside, to make known to the Native ribes our inten- witr intendewa h a Sikonyela involvn o i d» m e ehi Th . among people who quite possibly had no idea of the tions, and our desire to live in peace and friendly Treaty amounte littldo t e more tha formana l recognition site mentioned in it. When the Volksraad felt that new To sum up then : the dominating characteristic intercourse with them." by the Chief of the fact that the white men had arrived land should be thrown open to settlement, it advertised of the Trekker was his belief in the differentiation and intended to settle in his neighbourhood. the appointment of nn Inspection Commission, which between black and white, based on a scientific theory It sums up pretty well what we know of the of immutable types. This belief showed itself during relation f Louiso s Trichardt wit tribee hth s with which But it was clear that the tribes could not be specifiea n o t dme day. examine adjudicated dan d upon the various claims submitted, and proceeded to measure attempTren e a th n ki establiso t t specieha f segregaso - he cam n contactei practice Th . e survive Tree dth k expected to part with large areas of territory without tio race o n whici tw se werhth exiso et t sid sidy eb e itself. Even after the establishment of the Republics, some return, and there are several instances of the and beacon off the farms. Only then were titles issued and taxes payable. in mutually independent communities. The treaties farmers would settle beyon recognizee dth d limitf so "purchase f landRepublie o " Th . f Andrieco s Ohrig- which .were made with Native tribes sometimes stad r instancefo , , paihundree on d d hea f cattleo d , the white community, "notify" the neighbouring chief, n mosI t case occupatioo sn taked nha n placed an , mentioned a small purchase price, but in practice were and obtain some sort of title from him, in return for fifty down, and the balance within two years, to the the land might actually be inhabited by Natives, but intended rather as a formal recognition of the presence an annual payment. Many instance f thiso s sort occur Swazis. A large slice of the southern Free State the latter would he regarded as "squatters", and might whitee oth f sformee madth y b er inhabitantse Th . seems to have been the subject of a bargain which alon lowee gth r reacheVaale conflictind th f an ,o s g be ejected at the will of the European "landowner". European communities, however, Iwrea o expandt n , involved seventy ridinsheea d gpan horse. title deeds serve complicato t d e tas f eth Coloneo k l Thus there was a perpetual tendency for the limits of and their increasing numberpushinu o t d sgle bacf ko Moysey in straightening out the land problems of the European settlement to go on expanding, comparatively The emigrant farmers believed that after complet- the tribes. Keate Award Area. peacefully no doubt, but at the expense of the tribes. ing these documents they were legally "seised" of the • It is significant that at least three of the frontiers Such was the typical Vonrtrckkcr Native policy, l ratheal s rwa experimenta t I haphazardd an l t bu , territory therein mentioned to the exclusion of the but it would not be accurate to suej»csi that it remained the one point of principle which emerges from an rights of any previous inhabitant, but this was probably between ulute and black raised important political issues. There is the thorny matter of the Basiilo for long unchallenged. A desire to subjugate the tribes boundary, uhcrc the c (ins id e rat ions outlined above and annex their territory is to be fmuul soon after ihe Quoted in Nathan's "Tht Voortrekken of South Afiica". p-18- settlemen e interiorth f alted o c tSan an ih ,r d River 1 would ten co o Kicwict'dt e nd lin . nDr s sceptical hand- 74 75 agreement of IS??, it became the rccoenizcd policy of Prctorius lay sick at home, and soon hoth he and hi? of February, 1837 writee h , articlen si : n ste nind ean the northern Krpuhlic. Tlir Ornncc F-'rec State on the old rival Hcndrik Polgictc passed ha r w dne away e Th . "... and since we wish to keep the high regard "The commandants and field-cornets will take all other h;iml nlwsiys showe a d<1i?inr1maiin r Nativfo n e leaders e dominatioaimeth t n dn interiorti f o nd an , nf our brothers, and do not wish that they and possible care that no servant, of whatever class or subjects. Tlir Pa nd River agreement wa se communication followeth t cu do t b t y f ou Capo s t se r Colony the world should consider us capable of breaking maltreatey colour t wa wili y d l an an , d; n shali e b l e Itakucnattacn a th n ko f ScthSelco a d intermittenan . t hunters and trader* with the north. Hut thl? was the the holy bonds which bind the Christian to the be his duty immediately to report guilty parties, . pressure on the Hnthlapinp nntl the Barolone, but work of the younger generation whose history belongs land of his birth without having the fullest justi- irrespective of persons, in order that they may be v. hilc Schnlt7,"s harried Kolobcng. Andries rathe Soute th thao t rf ho t African Republic. ficatio r suc fo n acte finh a t w necessari ,d o t y give accompanyinth e g short statemene th f o t punished in accordance with the law. . . . The causes whic tako t hs e u havthi d f sele o step i am , commandant will also take precaution o thas t our intentions regarding behaviourour towardsthe nobody shall by force take possession of the native tribes with tahich ue will come into contact children of Bushmen or of other native tribes, LEGACS IT TREE D TH YKAN acrosi the frontier. ..." that nobody shall catch them by any unlawful Whateve havy ma er happene individuan di l casese th , means, nor shall take them away from their . MURRAH . A Y Grea treasone a Tres kwa d movement carriey b t dou parents or families, nor shall keep them in their men of sturdy and upright character with a settled possession. Guilty person sa fin f shalo y e pa l The after-effect ^hirh an historic event has on scientifi d interestinan c g psychological approacl o h outloo lifeaccustomen d ko an , establishen a o dt y dwa not more than 100 rixdaalders and not less than actione th d outlooan s f succeedino k g generations i s Professo . MacCronD . I rs worhi kn i e Rnct Altitudes of living. 50 rixdaalders. Further it will not be permitted an illusory quality which, like the black cat in the hi South Africa. Thi st onl authono y s developeha r d The philosophy and the personal characteristics to any person to violate any tribe or race which dark roo f metaphysicsmo s e i therb t s feli o ,t bu et is encountered on the journey in any way." a metho f studyino d e problemth g f raco s e relations which arc associated with the Voortrekkers were already exceedingly difficul o graspt e Great Th . t Tres ha k which holds great possibilitie s alsha o t prefacebu s d formed by the eighteen-thirties when the Trek started. It is • pity that the Great Trek and its people are not rk'htly been called "the central event in South Africa's s statisticahi l studies wit a hpsychological-historica l Indeed, from the ideological point of view the eigh- better known by direct acquaintance with the original history". It is an event, but it is also more than an analysis of the people of the eighteenth century which teenth century is more important in South African documents which have been made available ; enthus- embodimene eventth s i t i ;outloon a f o d tlifn ko an e is illuminating as taking us beyond the usual "account of history than the nineteenth, for while the lattor was iastic interpretations and explanations of it have only on things which became real and self-conscious in events" type of history. In his analysis Professor Mac- fulf incideno l eventd an te mentalit th , characted yan r too often obscured the finer points of character and e e courseven th d th whic f an s tstilo e ha ha greal t Crone stresses the development of group consciousness which shaped these events took forsubstancd man e outlook of the period. There U much to be said for a influence on the national life of the country to-day. f religioo importano tw d s an a n t factors whico t o g h in the eighteenth century. And the eighteenth century f>rima facie r firso t view accoun f thio t s significant e outcomth e Tres th f wa convictionkr o e Fo d an s influence the racial outlook of the time immediately ideology would have gone north, Great Trek or not, event. reasons—however rationalized these may have been— preceding and leading up to the Trek. Unfortunately e havfow r e recently learn o distinguist t n Souti h h Before Relief's untimely deat n i 1838—oh n and not of opportunism nor of individual lust for he somewhat o\'cr-empnasi«9 the "caste" nature of African history between the Vootrckkers and the trek- November 18th, 1837—he wrot Dingaao et n: adventure. The influences whicb'the Cape frontiers- descriptios thhi en i grou d f Calvinisan n o p; laye mh s boe'reo werwh e slowly moving ever inland with their "Yo believy uma e what your missionaries u telyo l men brought to the northern binterland were not the s emphasialhi le negativth n so doed e an aspecs t i f o t families and their flocks. The trtkbotre were in their about God and his government over the world. passinc contac exploree doubtfue th th f o tr rno l civiliza- t makno e sufficient mentio e verth yf no clea r philan- outlook one with the Voortrekkers, "the brave, patient, And I must advise you, in connection with these tion of the trader. The Voortrekkers brought with them thropic tendencies which were present even among industrious, orderly d religiouan , s r peopleSi f o " things, to speak often with these reverend men a settled outlook on life, experience in self government, those stern people (such as, for example, the custom of Benjamin D'Urban ,peopla e fon f famildo homed yan , who wis teaco bt God'u hyo s worr then fo ydca ; an dmoralitya sternnese th , f whicso justifies hwa y db lettin e servantth g s attend huisgodsdiens,e th n i d nn stern and sturdy, with a racial policy of separation and tell you with how great a power God has ever conditione th e timesr appreciatioth Ou f o s. e th f no Western Province the local movement towards the e paternalistith c dominanc e whitth f eo e e raceTh . ruled earthly kings d stilan ,l rule. s n themca I . effect of the Trek on the national life of to-day—the liberation of the slaves). Fourthly and finally we may Great Trek merely forced this ideology into expression a gooassur s u i thad t yo ei tthin g thau havyo t e topi f thico s paper—will depend largeljudger ou n y-o mentio e "escape-theoryth n e "land-hungerth r o " " and clear formulation. allowed teachers to stay in your land. And I can ment of the characters of the men and women who played theory described by Professor Eric Walker. This view- assur u thayo et they have com o yout e . because thin o s epi cf thei stageo d r an philosoph, f lifeyo . The men who led the Trek—Piet Relief, Andries ihela s p toward bettea s r understandin Treke th f g.o Pretorius, and the others—were represent- God gave it in their breasts; and they will prove There are many interpretations of the Trek. On Yet something more would e requireseeb mo a t r dfo outloow ne e ativkth whicf eo beins hwa g createe th n di to you out of the Bible that whni I say is true. e extremthon e ee romantitherth s i e c view which full appreciatio after-effectss it Tree d th kf an no n A . hinterlan e Capth f edo Colony wher e communitth e y As frien mus 1 de solem th t u telnyo l truth, that present Tre e glamoroua s th s ka s adventur f huntineo g economic interpretatioo n evenn d a f an no tr goefa o ss was being face unprecedented dan witw hne d situations. all—he they black or white—who do not wish to and shoo tind killing an e d whican , h misses whan ca t further, while in the Trek the men themselves, their o understanT after-effecte th d Greae th f to s Tren ko listen to God's word, will not be happy. . ." justifiably he called the "philosophic background" of outlook on life and the expression of this outlook in the national life of to-d;iy it is necessary to appreciate In a letter dated the 9th of September Relief, writes their institutions, social, politica d religiousan l c ar , the Trek; for it was nothing if not a motivated move- the characters of these men and their policy—and more lo Stockensirom as follows about ihe missionary, what matter. For, it is in these things that the Great ment. Then "class-strugglethere th s ei " interpretation particularly their policy in connection with the Native Archbell: Tree oth f k whic brin y littla hs ma g u e e neareth o t r Tre Soute th k n livei h n Africso to-dayf o a o undeT . r races in South Africa. Before Icavinc the Colony Piet "The reverend Archbell deserve e highesih s t real situatio t whicbu n h interprets local conditionn i s stand the Great Trek it is necessary to take it at ils Relief, in some ways the greatest and certainly the most praise for (he nature of the institution which lie term f overseao s s conception d developmentsan s d an , face value to a large extent ; from this standpoint the tragic figure of the Trek, had written : s createha d amonge b thes o t es i natives t i d an , which, like all over-simplified interpretations, is one- opening passage e manifestth f o s o which Relief pub- "Wherever we may gn the principled ol true hoped thai alt who profess to yuide and educate sided and inadequate. On a different level is the lished at Graliamatown in 1837 are revealing :' liberty will Ix: respected . . . we will draw up e nativth e will taknm s hi eexampl d wily an tr el prope r futurr ou law r esfo guidance." o guidl e ihem alon e samih y e path f pietyo s , 1 The original nppeared in Itn h. The following is a re-tnmltnion out of the Afriltnant, RS is also the we «ilh sume ol it* r: quoted further, llnlic* itre mine. In his Ittttmction to Commandants of Friday, the 21st industry and justice." 76 77 Uctk-ffi nttitudr towards mission-work—oe th f crowded round me I did simply as solemnly as the ri'.-lii kind— Is cniitimird in the policy of the short- Lord enabled me todoit, to the best of my memory live df Septembero republi h 7t f c ,V»i/(i/iVio cih ,n O . in tlu- following word : always adapte situationdw itselne o t f s tinde strese th r s The spirit of the people of the Trek also indicates 18.19, tin- r'ftlhsi,ititt nt Piflmnarii/hure decided to My Brother d Fellow-countrymenan s , here of internal construction, and it wilt always, be open to the approach to harmonious raci.il co-operation in L'r.int Dr. Ad:nn> n piece of lane! tor which he had we stand at this Moment before a Holy God the temptation of economic exploitation in a difficult r dayou . That spirit wil foune b l d scattered through a