Fingoland
Fingolandwas a historical territory situated in what is now theEastern Cape,South Africa.It was inhabited primarily by the Xhosa people of theMfengu clans,and was located in the south-west portion of the "Transkei"region.
The region that was later known as the Transkei was originally divided into territories known as the Idutywa Reserve, Fingoland (Mfenguland) and Xhosaland. Fingoland lay by the borderlands in the far south of the Transkei, just north of theKei River.
Following their annexation by theBritishhowever, these territories were restructured into the divisions of Butterworth, Tsomo and Ngqamakwe for Fingoland; Centani and Willowvale for Xhosaland; and Idutywa for the Idutywa Reserve.
Location
[edit]The territory is located between theKeiand the Bashee rivers, close to the city of East London. Within theTranskeiregion, Fingoland is located in the far south-west corner on the coast, just south ofTembulandand west ofPondoland.
History
[edit]
The original inhabitants ofsouthern Africawere undoubtedly theKhoikhoiand San Bushmen. Iron-working, farming, speakers ofNguni languagesarrived in the first millennium AD, the fore-front of the great "Bantu Migration" from further north. TheFengu people,whose name means "Wanderers", arrived in the area in the early 1800s fleeing fromShaka'sZuluarmies in the east. After settling among the Xhosas they were assimilated into the Xhosa cultural way of life by the Xhosas. However they suffered repression from the Gcaleka Xhosa and fled further west towards the thenCape Colony.
They settled in their current area in 1835, on invitation from theCape Government,and became adept and fearsome military allies of theCape Colonyin itsfrontier wars.[1]
Fingoland was annexed to theCape Colonyby treaty and act of Parliament in 1877 (Act 38 of 1877(C)). The act ordered that the inhabitants of Fingoland were to elect two seats in the Cape Parliament. At the time, the Cape Colony operated under its multi-racial "Cape Qualified Franchise"system, so qualifications for suffrage applied equally to all male residents, regardless of race.[2]The full promulgation of the annexation act only took place several years later.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Kaffraria, Kaffres".Encyclopaedia Britannica(9th ed.). 1902.
- ^Dugard, John; Du Plessis, Max; Katz, Anton; Pronto, Arnold (2011).International Law: A South African Perspective.Juta. p. 136.ISBN978-0-7021-8646-2.