Introduction:
In this essay the Frontier Wars will be discussed. This topic will be discussed with the main focus on the wars itself, their impact upon the Xhosa tribal structure, leading to the eventual subjugation of The Xhosa. According to Ryan Merkley, the Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, or “Africa’s 100 years war”, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa tribes and European settlers in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa (Jay, 2010). The Frontier or Xhosa Wars stretched over the time range from 1779 to 1879. According to South African History Online, the ever-changing frontiers of the Eastern Cape, was to be the set for a truly epochal smash between two worlds. These two worlds are the “white and European, …show more content…
The Xhosas were brought under control by the British. The British capture of the Xhosas for slavery. They also forced them out of their lands and took over their farms. The Xhosas lost their chiefs and peoples in masses and this also lead to the Cattle Killing in 1856 to 1858 (Offenburger, 2009). In April 1856, near the Gxarha River along South Africa’s Eastern Cape frontier, a Xhosa girl by the name of Nongqawuse received a message that only she could hear: “Tell that the whole community will rise from the dead; and that all cattle now living must be slaughtered” (Offenburger, 2009). The chiefs and people started killing their cattle and this only caused disappointment amongst the Xhosa people. The cattle-killing movement only caused the death off all their cattle and all their crops got burnt down so many Xhosas starved to death. Other died because of illnesses caused from the dead cattle (Offenburger, 2009). An equal number fled to the Cape Colony (Cana Richardson, 1911). Between January 1857 and December 1858, the population of the region decreased by 75%.2 (Cana Richardson, 1911). The 1820 settlers could now defeat the Xhosas and they now has full control over the Xhosas. This lead to the eventual subjugation of The Xhosa (Cana Richardson,
In this essay the Frontier Wars will be discussed. This topic will be discussed with the main focus on the wars itself, their impact upon the Xhosa tribal structure, leading to the eventual subjugation of The Xhosa. According to Ryan Merkley, the Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, or “Africa’s 100 years war”, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa tribes and European settlers in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa (Jay, 2010). The Frontier or Xhosa Wars stretched over the time range from 1779 to 1879. According to South African History Online, the ever-changing frontiers of the Eastern Cape, was to be the set for a truly epochal smash between two worlds. These two worlds are the “white and European, …show more content…
The Xhosas were brought under control by the British. The British capture of the Xhosas for slavery. They also forced them out of their lands and took over their farms. The Xhosas lost their chiefs and peoples in masses and this also lead to the Cattle Killing in 1856 to 1858 (Offenburger, 2009). In April 1856, near the Gxarha River along South Africa’s Eastern Cape frontier, a Xhosa girl by the name of Nongqawuse received a message that only she could hear: “Tell that the whole community will rise from the dead; and that all cattle now living must be slaughtered” (Offenburger, 2009). The chiefs and people started killing their cattle and this only caused disappointment amongst the Xhosa people. The cattle-killing movement only caused the death off all their cattle and all their crops got burnt down so many Xhosas starved to death. Other died because of illnesses caused from the dead cattle (Offenburger, 2009). An equal number fled to the Cape Colony (Cana Richardson, 1911). Between January 1857 and December 1858, the population of the region decreased by 75%.2 (Cana Richardson, 1911). The 1820 settlers could now defeat the Xhosas and they now has full control over the Xhosas. This lead to the eventual subjugation of The Xhosa (Cana Richardson,