Koranna

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The Koranna (also ! Kora, Kora,! Korana or Korana ) were a population group in today's South Africa until the 19th century . They are mainly descended from the Khoikhoi and lived in a wide strip from the Atlantic coast to the Basotho settlement area near the Drakensberg .

history

The Koranna originally lived in what is now Cape Town . They were driven out by the arrival of white settlers from 1652 onwards. They moved northeast until they settled on the Orange River around 1750 and partially mixed with Batswana . They spoke the Khoikhoi dialect Korana and lived semi-nomadically as ranchers and occasionally as cattle thieves. At the beginning of the 19th century the number of their thefts increased, as there were numerous Basotho and Batswana defenseless in their settlement area due to the emergency of the Mfecane . They competed partly with the Griqua , who also descended from Khoikhoi, but also from other ethnic groups. A Kaptein ("captain") acted as head , such as Jan Bloem and Berend Bloem with the Koranna living on the Vaal , who were called Springbok Koranna. Other Koranna lived near Clocolan in what is now the province of Free State . Koranna also lived in the area of ​​today's city of Pofadder in the North Cape Province - the city is named after the Koranna Kaptein Klaas Pofadder.

In 1834 the mission station Bethanien was set up for the right-handed Koranna by the Berliner Missionsgesellschaft (BM) southwest of Bloemfontein . The Griqua demanded submission to the Koranna as a price. Again and again there were conflicts with the Griqua. The Koranna, with their semi-nomadic way of life, did not want to embark on a sedentary existence either. Finally, in 1846, most of the Koranna left the station heading north under their captaincy.

In 1845 the BM founded the mission station Pniel for the Springbok Koranna on the Vaal. Diamonds were found in their vicinity from 1867 onwards , so that numerous whites came to the area and the station could only be preserved with difficulty. Forced relocations of Koranna took place in the 1840s. The Koranna vainly claimed the mission as their property. In 1847 missionaries founded the Sarou station north of the Vaal for the Link Koranna, but it was destroyed by British troops in 1854.

In 1868–1869 and 1878–1879 the two "Koranna Wars" took place on the northern edge of the Cape Colony - so called by the British opponents . The first Koranna War was triggered by a drought , so the Koranna stole cattle from Boer farmers in order to survive. The captains Piet Rooi and Jan Kivido led the Koranna. The Boers fled south. In the Parliament of the British-ruled Cape Colony, the Northern Border Protection Act (about: "Act to protect the northern border") was passed. The colonial authorities set up a military base in Kenhardt . The Koranna Cupid Pofadder worked on the British side. Although numerous Koranna were killed by Cape Colony soldiers, cattle thefts continued. Rooi and Kivido were eventually captured. On January 26, 1870, a peace treaty was signed that established the southern border of the Koranna region on the Orange River, but without its strategically important river islands. The northern border remained undefined. Koranna leaders became pofadder in Koranna Land West and Klaas Lukas in Koranna Land East, while Rooi, Kivido and other leaders were imprisoned on Robben Island .

In 1877 the next drought occurred, so that the Koranna stole cattle again because they could not move north into the Kalahari desert . At the same time, the Griqua in Griqualand West rebelled against the colonial authorities. The Koranna joined the Griqua; the British set up a base again in Kenhardt. Griqua and Koranna occupied river islands in the Orange River. In total there were over 1000 rebels. For a long time the British could not achieve any notable successes. Under the new commander McTaggert, they managed to capture around 400 opponents, but no Koranna leaders. At the same time, insurgent Boers and Nama (also Bondelswarts ) intervened on the side of the Griqua and Koranna in the fight. However, when the British made further forays into the Kalahari, almost all Koranna fighters were captured. Pofadder himself was placed at Kakamas . The area was renamed Baster Land and populated by Baster farmers. In 1883 the surviving former Kapteins were released under certain conditions, but could no longer assume a leadership role. The Koranna had lost their ethnic identity.

The asteroid (1505) Koranna was named after the Koranna in 1939. South African cities like Kakamas, Prieska and Keimoes have Koranna names. During the apartheid period , the descendants of the Koranna were considered colored . Since the end of apartheid there have been efforts to recognize the Koranna as an ethnic group.

literature

  • Andrea Schulze: "In God's name building huts": Church land ownership in South Africa: the Berlin Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa between 1834 and 2005. Frank Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, pp. 245–291 Digitized (excerpts)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 143.
  2. ↑ a b Andrea Schulze: “In God's name building huts”: Church land ownership in South Africa: the Berlin Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa between 1834 and 2005. Frank Steiner Verlag, 2005, p. 246. Digitized
  3. ↑ Andrea Schulze: “In God's name building huts”: Church land ownership in South Africa: the Berlin Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa between 1834 and 2005. Frank Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, p. 266. Digitized
  4. ↑ Andrea Schulze: "In God's Name Building Hütten": Church land ownership in South Africa: the Berlin Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa between 1834 and 2005. Frank Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, p. 273. Digitized
  5. ↑ a b c d e The Koranna Wars at southerncape.co.za ( Memento from July 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 24, 2014
  6. ^ Piet Erasmus: The 'lost' South African tribe - rebirth of the Koranna in the Free State (Abstract) North-West University (English), accessed on February 24, 2014