A history of the Qwathi people from earliest times to 1910
- Authors: Ndima, Mlungisi
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Qaba (African people) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2550 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002402 , Qaba (African people) -- History
- Description: This is the first history of the Qwathi to appear. It relates all the events which have shaped the historical consciousness of the Qwathi people. The first chapter deals with the foundation of the Qwathi chiefdom by Mtshutshumbe and his followers who emigrated from EmaXesibeni to Thembuland before 1700. It also covers the development of the various Qwathi clans. The reign of Fubu which is discussed in Chapter Two was characterised by warfare. The most important of these wars was the Qwathi-Thembu war of the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its importance lies in the fact that although the Qwathi were a small chiefdom, they were able to goad the Thembu nation into war, the results of which were indecisive, hence, in subsequent years, the Thembu were always cautious in their dealings with the Qwathi. Fubu's other wars, including those of the Mfecane, are also discussed. Chapter Three deals mainly with the Qwathi-Thembu relations during the reign of Dalasile, Fubu's son. These were at first cordial but they became strained when Ngangelizwe took over as Thembu king in 1863. Dalasile refused to involve the Qwathi people in Thembu conflicts with their enemies and he desired to pursue an independent line. In 1875, when Ngangelizwe accepted colonial control, Dalasile stood out against it but, under pressure from the agents of colonialism, he gave in. The period from 1875 to 1880 was one of passive resistence to colonial control. This erupted into Dalasile's rebellion against the colony from 1880 to 1881. Chapter Six deals with the surrender, relocation and the introduction of a new system of control called the "Ward System". The ruling house was replaced by appointed headmen most of whom were drawn from non-Qwathi communities. Chapter Seven deals with the rise and Fall of the Qwathi peasantry. The fall of the peasantry facilitated labour migracy which contributed to further deterioration of the Qwathi both economically and physically.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Ndima, Mlungisi
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Qaba (African people) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2550 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002402 , Qaba (African people) -- History
- Description: This is the first history of the Qwathi to appear. It relates all the events which have shaped the historical consciousness of the Qwathi people. The first chapter deals with the foundation of the Qwathi chiefdom by Mtshutshumbe and his followers who emigrated from EmaXesibeni to Thembuland before 1700. It also covers the development of the various Qwathi clans. The reign of Fubu which is discussed in Chapter Two was characterised by warfare. The most important of these wars was the Qwathi-Thembu war of the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its importance lies in the fact that although the Qwathi were a small chiefdom, they were able to goad the Thembu nation into war, the results of which were indecisive, hence, in subsequent years, the Thembu were always cautious in their dealings with the Qwathi. Fubu's other wars, including those of the Mfecane, are also discussed. Chapter Three deals mainly with the Qwathi-Thembu relations during the reign of Dalasile, Fubu's son. These were at first cordial but they became strained when Ngangelizwe took over as Thembu king in 1863. Dalasile refused to involve the Qwathi people in Thembu conflicts with their enemies and he desired to pursue an independent line. In 1875, when Ngangelizwe accepted colonial control, Dalasile stood out against it but, under pressure from the agents of colonialism, he gave in. The period from 1875 to 1880 was one of passive resistence to colonial control. This erupted into Dalasile's rebellion against the colony from 1880 to 1881. Chapter Six deals with the surrender, relocation and the introduction of a new system of control called the "Ward System". The ruling house was replaced by appointed headmen most of whom were drawn from non-Qwathi communities. Chapter Seven deals with the rise and Fall of the Qwathi peasantry. The fall of the peasantry facilitated labour migracy which contributed to further deterioration of the Qwathi both economically and physically.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
A history of the Thembu and their relationship with the Cape, 1850-1900
- Authors: Wagenaar, E J C
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Tembu (African people) -- History Missions -- South Africa -- Cape of Good Hope South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878 Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government Land tenure -- South Africa -- Cape of Good Hope
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2569 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002422
- Description: Present day Thembuland is situated roughly between the Mthatha and Kei rivers. It lies within the south-western portion of the political unit which has been known since 1976 as the Republic of Transkei. It comprises the territories formerly known as Emigrant Thembuland (now the districts of Cala and Cofimvaba) and Thembuland Proper, i.e. the districts of Mqanduli, Umtata, Engcobo and Bomvanaland. We have evidence that Thembu people had already settled in Thembu land Proper, at the Mbashe river, by the beginning of the 17th century. Pioneering clans many have entered the territory at a much earlier date. In the 1830's some clans broke away from the Mbashe settlement, and moved to the region of present day Queenstown. In 1853 their lands were included in the so-called Tambookie Location, which in 1871 became the district of Glen Grey. Emigrant Thembuland came into existence in 1865 when four chiefs from Glen Grey accepted Sir Philip Wodehouse's offer to settle on the lands across the White Kei whence the Xhosa chief Sarhili had been expelled in 1857. This thesis deals with the history of the people who lived in these territories between 1850 and 1900.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Wagenaar, E J C
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Tembu (African people) -- History Missions -- South Africa -- Cape of Good Hope South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878 Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government Land tenure -- South Africa -- Cape of Good Hope
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2569 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002422
- Description: Present day Thembuland is situated roughly between the Mthatha and Kei rivers. It lies within the south-western portion of the political unit which has been known since 1976 as the Republic of Transkei. It comprises the territories formerly known as Emigrant Thembuland (now the districts of Cala and Cofimvaba) and Thembuland Proper, i.e. the districts of Mqanduli, Umtata, Engcobo and Bomvanaland. We have evidence that Thembu people had already settled in Thembu land Proper, at the Mbashe river, by the beginning of the 17th century. Pioneering clans many have entered the territory at a much earlier date. In the 1830's some clans broke away from the Mbashe settlement, and moved to the region of present day Queenstown. In 1853 their lands were included in the so-called Tambookie Location, which in 1871 became the district of Glen Grey. Emigrant Thembuland came into existence in 1865 when four chiefs from Glen Grey accepted Sir Philip Wodehouse's offer to settle on the lands across the White Kei whence the Xhosa chief Sarhili had been expelled in 1857. This thesis deals with the history of the people who lived in these territories between 1850 and 1900.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
A political history of the Bhacas from earliest times to 1910
- Authors: Makaula, Anderson Mhlauli
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Bhaca (African people) , South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002400 , Bhaca (African people) , South Africa -- History
- Description: The Bhacas are people whose history has not yet been clearly written. Unlike the Mpondo, Xhosa and Thempu chiefdoms, the Bhacas are comparatively recent immigrants into the Cape area. The first chapter deals with origins of the Bhacas and introduces the reader to Bhaca affairs. The chiefdom is said to have been a victim of the disruptive Tshakan wars of the early 19th century, and Madzikane, who later on assumed the reputation of being the architect of the Bhaca nation, left Natal seeking a place where to establish his independence. He collected a large number of fugitives scattered in the southern part of Natal and migrated to the Embondzeni Great Place in Mount Frere. The second chapter concentrates on the habits and customs of the Bhacas. The Bhacas of Mount Frere district are divided into two autonomous chiefdoms according to the descendants of Sonyangwe and Ncapayi, sons of the renowned Great Bhaca chief, Madzikane. Bhaca customs are characterised by their First Fruit Festival dialect.(ingcubhe) and their distinctive Thsefula Then comes the era of Ncapayi who had been renowned for his warlike propensities, and the controversial Voortrekker attack of 1840. It was however, during his reign that mission work started amongst the Bhacas. This left an indelible impression among the Bhacas because Osborn Mission Station was established in 1858 during Mamjucu's reign, the widow of Ncapayi, many years after his death . The influence of missionaries coupled with the problems encountered by Makaula, Ncapayi's son from the surrounding chiefdoms, led to the acceptance of colonial rule. This leads us to chapters 6, 7 and 8 where the colonial government interfers in the Bhaca traditional administrative system especially in matters relating to the allocation of land, appointment of headmen, relations between Makaula and Nomtsheketshe and relations between the Bhacas and the Mpondo. It was during Makaula's regime that many denominations were established in the Mount Frere district. A great measure of credit should be given to these churches for placing systematically before the Bhacas the higher standards of belief and conduct. The history of Bhacas from the 1860's was characterised by change and modification due to the increasing contact with the white man's culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Makaula, Anderson Mhlauli
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Bhaca (African people) , South Africa -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002400 , Bhaca (African people) , South Africa -- History
- Description: The Bhacas are people whose history has not yet been clearly written. Unlike the Mpondo, Xhosa and Thempu chiefdoms, the Bhacas are comparatively recent immigrants into the Cape area. The first chapter deals with origins of the Bhacas and introduces the reader to Bhaca affairs. The chiefdom is said to have been a victim of the disruptive Tshakan wars of the early 19th century, and Madzikane, who later on assumed the reputation of being the architect of the Bhaca nation, left Natal seeking a place where to establish his independence. He collected a large number of fugitives scattered in the southern part of Natal and migrated to the Embondzeni Great Place in Mount Frere. The second chapter concentrates on the habits and customs of the Bhacas. The Bhacas of Mount Frere district are divided into two autonomous chiefdoms according to the descendants of Sonyangwe and Ncapayi, sons of the renowned Great Bhaca chief, Madzikane. Bhaca customs are characterised by their First Fruit Festival dialect.(ingcubhe) and their distinctive Thsefula Then comes the era of Ncapayi who had been renowned for his warlike propensities, and the controversial Voortrekker attack of 1840. It was however, during his reign that mission work started amongst the Bhacas. This left an indelible impression among the Bhacas because Osborn Mission Station was established in 1858 during Mamjucu's reign, the widow of Ncapayi, many years after his death . The influence of missionaries coupled with the problems encountered by Makaula, Ncapayi's son from the surrounding chiefdoms, led to the acceptance of colonial rule. This leads us to chapters 6, 7 and 8 where the colonial government interfers in the Bhaca traditional administrative system especially in matters relating to the allocation of land, appointment of headmen, relations between Makaula and Nomtsheketshe and relations between the Bhacas and the Mpondo. It was during Makaula's regime that many denominations were established in the Mount Frere district. A great measure of credit should be given to these churches for placing systematically before the Bhacas the higher standards of belief and conduct. The history of Bhacas from the 1860's was characterised by change and modification due to the increasing contact with the white man's culture.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
The history of Pirie Mission and amaHleke chiefdom
- Authors: Vazi, Clifford Mlandeli
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Presbyterian Church -- Missions -- South Africa , Pirie Mission , Ross, John , Xhosa (African people) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2528 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001857
- Description: This thesis deals with the history of the amaHleke people and Pirie Mission, which have become so closely associated that they cannot be separated. It covers the period from the time of Chief Hleke to 1967, the year in which the amaHleke cheiftainship was resuscitated. The first chapter relates the origin of the amaHleke, from the time of Hleke himself (17th century) to Jwarha (about 1820). It explains the relationship between the different branches of the Hleke royal line, and it covers the Hleke settlement at the Mgqakhwebe river. The second chapter deals with the establishment of Pirie Mission by the Presbyterian missionaries John and Bryce Ross. It discusses the various aspects of the mission operation, and explains why and how the amaHleke opposed it. But the situation changed as a result of the 1850-3 Frontier War. Whereas the other Xhosa were expelled from their lands, the Hleke connection with Pirie Mission enabled them to stay on. The Hleke were therefore united with the mission, whether they liked it or not. The remainder of the chapter describes the educational and cultural changes which the mission imposed on them. The third chapter covers economic change at Pirie. Like other mission stations, it was converted from communal to individual land tenure. This was opposed by Chief Jwarha as a blow to his authority, but it did not result in the growth of a peasant class. The chapter concludes with the implementation of betterment in 1963. The fourth chapter explains what happened to the mission after the death of Bryce Ross. The Ross missionaries had frustrated black aspirations in teh church. This was especially frustrating to Burnet and Ntsikana Gaba, the great-grandsons of the prophet Ntsikana. Burnet broke away under the banner of the "Wee Free" branch of the Church of Scotland. This church also could not accommodate Burnet's aspirations. The remainder of the chapter deals with educational developments, with an emphasis on the introduction of Bantu Education. The last chapter deals with the political history of Pirie after the death of Chief Jwarha. The Cape government tried to replace chieftainship by a headman and a Village Management Board. But the Board did not function satisfactorily, and it was scrapped in 1921. Pirie continued to be administered by headmen. Applications for the revival of chieftainship were turned down, partly because there was no agreement on Jwarha's heir. However, this was finally resolved in 1967 with the appointment of Chief Pani Busoshe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Vazi, Clifford Mlandeli
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Presbyterian Church -- Missions -- South Africa , Pirie Mission , Ross, John , Xhosa (African people) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2528 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001857
- Description: This thesis deals with the history of the amaHleke people and Pirie Mission, which have become so closely associated that they cannot be separated. It covers the period from the time of Chief Hleke to 1967, the year in which the amaHleke cheiftainship was resuscitated. The first chapter relates the origin of the amaHleke, from the time of Hleke himself (17th century) to Jwarha (about 1820). It explains the relationship between the different branches of the Hleke royal line, and it covers the Hleke settlement at the Mgqakhwebe river. The second chapter deals with the establishment of Pirie Mission by the Presbyterian missionaries John and Bryce Ross. It discusses the various aspects of the mission operation, and explains why and how the amaHleke opposed it. But the situation changed as a result of the 1850-3 Frontier War. Whereas the other Xhosa were expelled from their lands, the Hleke connection with Pirie Mission enabled them to stay on. The Hleke were therefore united with the mission, whether they liked it or not. The remainder of the chapter describes the educational and cultural changes which the mission imposed on them. The third chapter covers economic change at Pirie. Like other mission stations, it was converted from communal to individual land tenure. This was opposed by Chief Jwarha as a blow to his authority, but it did not result in the growth of a peasant class. The chapter concludes with the implementation of betterment in 1963. The fourth chapter explains what happened to the mission after the death of Bryce Ross. The Ross missionaries had frustrated black aspirations in teh church. This was especially frustrating to Burnet and Ntsikana Gaba, the great-grandsons of the prophet Ntsikana. Burnet broke away under the banner of the "Wee Free" branch of the Church of Scotland. This church also could not accommodate Burnet's aspirations. The remainder of the chapter deals with educational developments, with an emphasis on the introduction of Bantu Education. The last chapter deals with the political history of Pirie after the death of Chief Jwarha. The Cape government tried to replace chieftainship by a headman and a Village Management Board. But the Board did not function satisfactorily, and it was scrapped in 1921. Pirie continued to be administered by headmen. Applications for the revival of chieftainship were turned down, partly because there was no agreement on Jwarha's heir. However, this was finally resolved in 1967 with the appointment of Chief Pani Busoshe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
The life and times of Ethel Tawse Jollie : a case study of the transference and adaptation of British social and political ideas of the Edwardian era to a colonial society
- Authors: Lowry, Daniel William
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Jollie, Ethel Tawse, 1876-1950 Zimbabwe -- History -- 1890-1965
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2525 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001854
- Description: This is an appraisal of the career of Ethel Tawse Jollie (1876-1950), the first woman parliamentarian in Southern Rhodesia, and the British Empire overseas, prolific writer and leading intellectual of her political generation who played a key role in the achievement of responsible government in Southern Rhodesia in 1923. As the founder and principal organiser of the Responsible Government Association she imported from Britain a singular political philosophy which made a lasting impression on Rhodesia's political character and social identity. She was an influential figure in British imperialist circles and in the women's suffrage controversy. No other Rhodesian politician had achieved such prominence in the metropole, or possessed such a thoroughly formed, comprehensive ideology, and the propaganda skills necessary to give it effect. The study traces the formation of her ideas within the intellectual milieu of pre-1914 Britain and - through her - its subsequent adaptation in Rhodesia; how, through her marriage to Archibald Colquhoun - explorer, writer and Cecil Rhodes's first Administrator of Mashonaland - she became steeped in the ideology of the Edwardian Radical Right - that reaction to imperial decline denoted by the slogan 'National Efficiency'. By 1915. when she arrived in Rhodesia, she had come to believe that by 1915, when she arrived in Rhodesia, she had come to believe that the salvation of the Empire lay in its 'patriotic' periphery where it was possible to create new societies on Radical Right principles. Both in and out of parliament she gave to Rhodesian public policy and identity a distinct Radical Right hue, which she further enhanced by her involvement in various extra parliamentary pressure groups. It is a life and times study and considerable use is made of contemporary ballads and novels in the belief that immersion in the atmosphere of the period is particularly useful in an intellectual biography of this kind. Comparisons are also made with other British peripheries notably Ulster, Canada and New Zealand. The study challenges the traditional view of Rhodesia as a neo-Victorian intellectual backwater; seeing it rather as a society which continued to import selectively ideas from elsewhere in the Empire. It should interest Commonwealth and - because of its central character - women's historians.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Lowry, Daniel William
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Jollie, Ethel Tawse, 1876-1950 Zimbabwe -- History -- 1890-1965
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2525 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001854
- Description: This is an appraisal of the career of Ethel Tawse Jollie (1876-1950), the first woman parliamentarian in Southern Rhodesia, and the British Empire overseas, prolific writer and leading intellectual of her political generation who played a key role in the achievement of responsible government in Southern Rhodesia in 1923. As the founder and principal organiser of the Responsible Government Association she imported from Britain a singular political philosophy which made a lasting impression on Rhodesia's political character and social identity. She was an influential figure in British imperialist circles and in the women's suffrage controversy. No other Rhodesian politician had achieved such prominence in the metropole, or possessed such a thoroughly formed, comprehensive ideology, and the propaganda skills necessary to give it effect. The study traces the formation of her ideas within the intellectual milieu of pre-1914 Britain and - through her - its subsequent adaptation in Rhodesia; how, through her marriage to Archibald Colquhoun - explorer, writer and Cecil Rhodes's first Administrator of Mashonaland - she became steeped in the ideology of the Edwardian Radical Right - that reaction to imperial decline denoted by the slogan 'National Efficiency'. By 1915. when she arrived in Rhodesia, she had come to believe that by 1915, when she arrived in Rhodesia, she had come to believe that the salvation of the Empire lay in its 'patriotic' periphery where it was possible to create new societies on Radical Right principles. Both in and out of parliament she gave to Rhodesian public policy and identity a distinct Radical Right hue, which she further enhanced by her involvement in various extra parliamentary pressure groups. It is a life and times study and considerable use is made of contemporary ballads and novels in the belief that immersion in the atmosphere of the period is particularly useful in an intellectual biography of this kind. Comparisons are also made with other British peripheries notably Ulster, Canada and New Zealand. The study challenges the traditional view of Rhodesia as a neo-Victorian intellectual backwater; seeing it rather as a society which continued to import selectively ideas from elsewhere in the Empire. It should interest Commonwealth and - because of its central character - women's historians.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
The life and times of Kama Chungwa, 1798-1875
- Authors: Yekela, Drusilla Siziwe
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Kama, William, 1798-1875 , Shaw, William, 1798-1872 , Methodist Church of Southern Africa -- Missions , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- History , Wesleyville mission , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- Kings and rulers , South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878 , South Africa -- History -- Xhosa Cattle-Killing, 1856-1857 , Converts -- South Africa , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2520 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001849
- Description: Few students of History understand the derivation and/or origin of the Gqunukhwebe oath "Ndifung' uChungw' efel' ennyameni: I swear by Chungwa who is lying dead at Mnyameni (Alexandria)." A desire to eludicate this point and other related facts inspired me to undertake a close examination of the history of the Gqunukhwebe people, selecting as my main theme the life-work of Chief Kama. In the first chapter I am discussing the creation of the Gqunukhwebe Chiefdom under Khwane by the Xhosa King, Tshiwo. The central theme here is the Black-White confrontation of the 17th - 18th centuries on the Cape Eastern Frontier. As a result of the collision the Gqunukhwebe people were forced to make a home on the banks of the Thwecu River along the east coast. It was here that Kama reached early manhood. The second chapter describes the establishment of Wesleyville Missionary Station by William Shaw in 1823, the first Methodist Missionary Institution in all Xhosaland. In chapter three the discussion centers on the significance of Kama's conversion. An unforeseen outcome of his public profession of the Christian faith was that it not only stigmatized the latter religion as a force destructive of the old order in Xhosa society, but it also reshaped Kama's political image for the good of his religious life. He not only fled from the neighbourhood of his relations and sojourned in a strange land, but also reinforced the Colonial forces in the contemporary frontier struggles. His integrity, self-sacrifice and pro-Colonial inclination eventually won him Middledrift. Chapter four opens with Kama's settling in Middledrift. The theme here is two-pronged. It presents the 'Cattle-Killing' delusion as a source of new trials for the 'priest-chief', and at the same time exposes the Colonial Government's efforts to gain ascendancy above the Xhosa chiefs. Kama's land was the first testing ground in this respect, and the Chief was initially agreeable to the scheme. Chapter five alludes to instances of Chief Kama's unco-operative attitude as signs that his compromising spirit had its limits. An atmosphere of disregard towards Kama pervades the period. But the adversities that threatened to dominate his later life did not by any means shake his Christian principles and convictions. The traces of his good works may to this day be seen in Middledrift, the traditional home of the Kamas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Yekela, Drusilla Siziwe
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Kama, William, 1798-1875 , Shaw, William, 1798-1872 , Methodist Church of Southern Africa -- Missions , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- History , Wesleyville mission , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- Kings and rulers , South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878 , South Africa -- History -- Xhosa Cattle-Killing, 1856-1857 , Converts -- South Africa , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2520 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001849
- Description: Few students of History understand the derivation and/or origin of the Gqunukhwebe oath "Ndifung' uChungw' efel' ennyameni: I swear by Chungwa who is lying dead at Mnyameni (Alexandria)." A desire to eludicate this point and other related facts inspired me to undertake a close examination of the history of the Gqunukhwebe people, selecting as my main theme the life-work of Chief Kama. In the first chapter I am discussing the creation of the Gqunukhwebe Chiefdom under Khwane by the Xhosa King, Tshiwo. The central theme here is the Black-White confrontation of the 17th - 18th centuries on the Cape Eastern Frontier. As a result of the collision the Gqunukhwebe people were forced to make a home on the banks of the Thwecu River along the east coast. It was here that Kama reached early manhood. The second chapter describes the establishment of Wesleyville Missionary Station by William Shaw in 1823, the first Methodist Missionary Institution in all Xhosaland. In chapter three the discussion centers on the significance of Kama's conversion. An unforeseen outcome of his public profession of the Christian faith was that it not only stigmatized the latter religion as a force destructive of the old order in Xhosa society, but it also reshaped Kama's political image for the good of his religious life. He not only fled from the neighbourhood of his relations and sojourned in a strange land, but also reinforced the Colonial forces in the contemporary frontier struggles. His integrity, self-sacrifice and pro-Colonial inclination eventually won him Middledrift. Chapter four opens with Kama's settling in Middledrift. The theme here is two-pronged. It presents the 'Cattle-Killing' delusion as a source of new trials for the 'priest-chief', and at the same time exposes the Colonial Government's efforts to gain ascendancy above the Xhosa chiefs. Kama's land was the first testing ground in this respect, and the Chief was initially agreeable to the scheme. Chapter five alludes to instances of Chief Kama's unco-operative attitude as signs that his compromising spirit had its limits. An atmosphere of disregard towards Kama pervades the period. But the adversities that threatened to dominate his later life did not by any means shake his Christian principles and convictions. The traces of his good works may to this day be seen in Middledrift, the traditional home of the Kamas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
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