- Voortrekkers can also refer to a youth organization, see: Voortrekkers (youth organization). Voortrekkers can also refer to the historical mass migration of the Afrikaner people see Voortrekkers.
The Voortrekkers (Afrikaans and Dutch for pioneers, literally "those who trek ahead") were emigrants during the 1830s and 1840s who left the Cape Colony (British at the time, but founded by the Dutch) moving into the interior of what is now South Africa. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 with the founding of Cape Town. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The Great Trek consisted of a number of mass movements under a number of different leaders including Louis Trichardt, Hendrik Potgieter, Sarel Cilliers, Pieter Uys, Gerrit Maritz, Pieter Retief, and Andries Pretorius. The Great Trek was an eastward and north-eastward migration during the 1830s and 1840s of the Boers ( Dutch / Afrikaans for "farmers" who Louis Trichardt (for a short period known as Makhado is a town situated at the foot of the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Limpopo province of South Africa Andries Hendrik Potgieter ( 19 December 1792 - 16 December 1852) was a Voortrekker leader Sarel Arnoldus Cilliers was a Voortrekker leader and a Preacher. Petrus Lafras Uys (more commonly known as Piet Uys) (1797 - 1838 was a Voortrekker leader during the Great Trek. Pieter Retief (usually referred to as Piet Retief (c1780 &ndash 6 February 1838) was a South African Boer leader Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius ( 27 November, 1798 &ndash 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the
The Voortrekkers mainly came from the farming community of the Eastern Cape although some (such as Piet Retief) originally came from the Western Cape farming community while others (such as Gerrit Maritz) were successful tradesmen in the frontier towns. The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho. The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. Some of them were wealthy men though most were not as they were from the poorer communities of the frontier. It was recorded that the 33 Voortrekker families at the battle of Vegkop lost 100 horses, between 4000 and 7000 cattle, and between 40000 and 50000 sheep. (These figures appear greatly exaggerated). Other members of the trekking parties were of Trekboer stock who came from a life of semi-nomadic herding; yet others were employees, many of whom had been slaves only a few years earlier. The Trekboers were nomadic pastoral descendants of Dutch (often Frisian) settlers of the Cape Colony, Flemish settlers French
The reasons for the mass emigration from the Cape Colony have been much discussed over the years. The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 with the founding of Cape Town. Afrikaner historiography has emphasized the hardships endured by the frontier farmers which have they blamed on British policies of pacifying the Xhosa tribes. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two Other historians have emphasized the harshness of the life in the Eastern Cape (which suffered one of its regular periods of drought in the early 1830s) compared to the attractions of the fertile country of Natal, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. The Natalia Republic was a short-lived Boer republic established in 1839 by local Afrikaans -speaking Voortrekkers shortly after the famous Battle The Republic of the Orange Free State (Oranje-Vrystaat Dutch: Oranje-Vrijstaat) was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa For the Russian theme park see Transvaal Park. The Transvaal (Afrikaans lit Growing land shortages has also been cited as a contributing factor. The true reasons were obviously very complex and certainly consisted of both "push" factors (including the general dissatisfaction of life under British rule) and "pull" factors (including the desire for a better life in better country. )
The Voortrekkers were mainly of Trekboer (migrating farmer) descent living in the eastern frontiers of the Cape. The Trekboers were nomadic pastoral descendants of Dutch (often Frisian) settlers of the Cape Colony, Flemish settlers French Hence, their ancestors had long established a semi-nomadic existence of trekking into expanding frontiers. A contingent of Voortrekkers migrated into Natal and negotiated a land treaty with the Zulu King Dingane. KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu (ca 1795-1840—commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan —was a Zulu chief who became king in 1828 setting Upon reconsideration, Dingaan doublecrossed the Voortrekkers, killing their leader Piet Retief along with half of the Voortrekker settlers who had followed them to Natal. Pieter Retief (usually referred to as Piet Retief (c1780 &ndash 6 February 1838) was a South African Boer leader Other Voortrekkers migrated north to the Waterberg area, where some of them settled and began ranching operations, which activities enhanced the pressure placed on indigenous wildlife by pre-existing tribesmen, whose Bantu predecessors initiated such grazing in the Waterberg region around 450 AD. The Waterberg Biosphere is a Massif of approximately 15000 square kilometers in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. A ranch is an area of landscape including various structures given primarily to the practice of ranching the practice of raising grazing livestock such as Cattle A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Bantu may refer to Bantu expansion, a series of migrations of Bantu speakers Bantu languages Bantu people These Voortrekkers arriving in the Waterberg area had believed they were in the Nile River area of Egypt based upon their understanding of the local topography. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. (Taylor, 2003)(Lumina, 2006)
Andries Pretorius filled the leadership vacuum hoping to enter into negotiations for peace if Dingaan would restore the land he had granted to Retief. Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius ( 27 November, 1798 &ndash 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the When Dingaan sent around twelve thousand Zulu warriors (impis) to attack the local contingent of Voortrekkers in response, the Voortrekkers defended themselves at a battle at Nacome River (called the Battle of Blood River) on 16 December 1838 where the vastly outnumbered Voortrekker contingent defeated the Zulu impis (warriors). In the Battle of Blood River ( Afrikaans: Slag van Bloedrivier; Zulu: iMpi yaseNcome) on 16 December 1838 470 Voortrekkers Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common This date has hence been known as the "Day of the Vow" as the Voortrekkers made a vow to God that they would honor the date if He were to deliver them from what they viewed as almost insurmountable odds. The Day of the Vow ( Afrikaans: Geloftedag or Dingaansdag) is the name of a religious public holiday in South Africa until 1994 when it was renamed The victory of the besieged Voortrekkers at Nacome River was considered a turning point. The Natalia Republic was set up in 1839 but was annexed by Britain in 1843 whereupon most of the local Boers trekked north joining other Voortrekkers who had established themselves in the region. The Natalia Republic was a short-lived Boer republic established in 1839 by local Afrikaans -speaking Voortrekkers shortly after the famous Battle Year 1839 ( MDCCCXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common
Armed conflict, first with the Ndebele under Mzilikazi, then against the Zulus under Dingane, went the Voortrekkers' way, mostly because of the technological superiority of their muzzle-loading rifles. This article relates to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe For other uses of the term please see Ndebele. Mzilikazi (meaning The Great Road) (ca 1790 - 9 September 1868) also sometimes called Mosilikatze was a Southern African king A muzzle-loading rifle is one in which the projectile and propelling charge is loaded through the Muzzle, in contrast to a breach loading rifle This success led to the establishment of a number of small Boer republics, which slowly coalesced into the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The Boer Republics (sometimes also referred to as Boer states were independent self-governed Republics created by the Dutch -speaking (proto Afrikaans) inhabitants The Republic of the Orange Free State (Oranje-Vrystaat Dutch: Oranje-Vrijstaat) was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa This article is about the former country in Africa For the present-day country see South Africa; for the region where both are located see Southern Africa These two states would survive until their annexation in 1900 by Britain during the Second Boer War. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans:
The Voortrekkers are commemorated by the Voortrekker Monument located on Monument Hill overlooking Pretoria, the erstwhile capital of the South African Republic and the current and historic administrative capital of the Republic of South Africa. The Voortrekker Monument is a Monument situated in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. This article is about the former country in Africa For the present-day country see South Africa; for the region where both are located see Southern Africa The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Pretoria was named after the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius. Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius ( 27 November, 1798 &ndash 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the
The Voortrekkers had a distinctive flag, used mainly by the Voortrekkers who followed Hendrik Potgieter, which is why it was also known as the Potgieter Flag. Andries Hendrik Potgieter ( 19 December 1792 - 16 December 1852) was a Voortrekker leader This flag was used as the flag of the Zoutpansberg Republic until this republic was incorporated into the Transvaal Republic also known as the South African Republic. A version of this flag was used at Potchefstroom, one of the first independent Boer towns and republics established by local Voortrekkers. Potchefstroom is an Academic city hosting the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (previously known as Potchefstroom University
See also
References
- William Taylor, Gerald Hinde and David Holt-Biddle, The Waterberg, Struik Publishers, Capetown, South Africa (2003) ISBN 1-86872-822-6
- Lumina Tech, C. The Weenen massacre refers to the massacre of Voortrekkers by the Zulu on 17 February 1838. Michael Hogan, Mark L. Cooke and Helen Murray, The Waterberg Biosphere, Lumina Technologies, May 22, 2006. [http://www.luminatechnologies.org/lumaw.html
External links
- The Voortrekker Monument.
- History of the Voortrekker monument (in English)
- History of the Voortrekker monument (in Afrikaans)
- Voortrekker Monument in Depth.
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