Fengu people

The amaMfengu (in the Xhosa language Mfengu, plural amafengu) were a group of Xhosa clans whose ancestors were refugees that fled from the Mfecane in the early-mid 19th century to seek land and protection from the Xhosa. These refugees were assimilated into the Xhosa nation and were officially recognized by the then king, Hintsa.^[1]

The word Fengu comes from the old Xhosa word which is "ukumfenguza" which in the old Xhosa dialect meant to wander.

The Fengu people are of a confederation of clans from the Natal province near the Embo river, these clans include Miya, Ndlangisa, Gatyeni, Bhele, Tolo and Tshezi clans.

During the 6th Frontier War, they were promised by the Cape Colony independence from the oppressive Xhosa government and would be given their own land which would be called Fingoland, the southwestern portion of Eastern Xhosaland, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.^[2]

History

Formation and early history

The name amaMfengu does not translate as "wanderers" as many believe and the Mfengu people – like the

Early frontier wars (1835–56)

They subsequently became notable allies of the Cape Colony in the frontier wars against their former oppressors. In this capacity, they won several victories against their Xhosa enemies (particularly the Gcaleka Xhosa), and through shrewd and successful management of regional trade, formed a developed and materially successful nation. In addition, many bought farms and started businesses in the small towns that were springing up in that part of the Cape frontier.

The Cattle-killing movement (1856–58)

The Fengu people did not take part in the

Over a decade of relative peace and economic development, which peaked in the mid-1870s, was brought to an end by a series of devastating droughts across the Transkei, which began to place severe strain on intertribal relations. Their severity increased up until 1877, when the last major war that the Fengu people fought, the Ninth Frontier War, broke out after a bar fight between Fengu and Gcaleka guests, at a Fengu wedding. Many Fengu people were Cape citizens by this time, so the Cape Colony took a partisan view of the war, which brought it into conflict with the Gcaleka forces.^[5][6][7]

The Cape government appointed the Fengu Captain Bikitsha to co-lead the Cape's forces (composed primarily of Fengu, Thembu and Boer commandos) in the war. They inflicted a string of crushing defeats on the enemy and dispersed their armies in the space of only three weeks. The ingratitude of Cape Colony governor Sir Henry Bartle Frere, who promptly humiliated the Cape's Fengu allies by forcibly disarming them, caused the Fengu to begin to identify more with the Xhosa, partly also as a reaction to increasing persecution from the Colonial authorities.

Transkei and Ciskei

The Fengu lived in the

Christianity played a major role in the survival of the endangered Fengu people after the

His military genius in the frontier wars earned him considerable renown and he was widely acknowledged leader in the Cape Colony. His courage was also frequently referred to. He famously once jumped onto a wounded and charging lion, holding it by the tail, overpowered it and killed it. He was invited to London in 1889, where Queen Victoria requested to meet him to thank him for his services. He reputedly told her "We have never feared a white man, and we have never lifted our hand against any of your people."

He founded the Transkei General Council, and served as a juror and commissioner for the Cape Colony in later life^[14]

John Tengo Jabavu (1859–1921)

As Fengu history switched from military defense to political struggle, so the great Fengu politician and activist John Tengo Jabavu rose in prominence after Bikitsha's military leadership ended.

Jabavu edited the first newspapers to be written in the

British annexation

British Kaffraria had been annexed to the Cape Colony in 1866. Barring the brief revolt in 1877 and 1878, when the Gcaleka turned upon their Fengu neighbours, the British annexation of land east of the Kei River proceeded fitfully, but generally unimpeded. In September 1879 this was followed by Idutywa Reserve and Fenguland, and Gcalekaland in 1885. It is assumed that the restructuring of these territories into the divisions of Butterworth, Idutywa, Centani, Nqamakwe, Tsomo and Willowvale dates from these times.

Social change and adaptability

Originally farmers, the Fengu people had quickly built themselves schools, created and edited their own newspapers, and translated international literature into their language. The reason that the Fengu people were able to adapt so effectively to changing circumstances (like the coming of capitalism and urbanisation) was because they lacked a fixed tribal social-structure and hierarchy (having presumably lost it in their earlier flight from the Zulu). This state of social change and flexibility allowed them to quickly adjust to the European expansion, learn and adapt new techniques, and take advantage of the upheavals that followed. Other tribes were often suspicious of outside ideas and consequently resisted any change to meet the colonial threat. The Fengu had no paramount-chief as other tribes did, but the Cape Commander, Veldman Bikitsha, was a Fengu and held authority over the Fengu's military capacity.

Many Fengu have also subsequently intermarried with other ethnic groups, particularly with the Xhosa and Zulu, while some still live in Zimbabwe.

Territory

The region that was later known as the

Kei River

.

Following their annexation by the British however, they were restructured into the divisions of Butterworth, Tsomo and Ngqamakwe for Fingoland; Centani and Willowvale for Galekaland; and Idutywa for the Idutywa Reserve.

Present-day South Africa

Today virtually all the Fengu people have intermarried with other ethnic groups particularly with the Xhosa and Zulu. Many are now often considered – especially by outsiders – to be ethnically Xhosa and others Zulu, because of their common language and some similar customs. A considerable number have a mixed racial background, especially in and around the Cape provinces.

See also

• Mgolombane Sandile
• Xhosa clan names
• Xhosa Wars
• Fingoland
• Fingo Festival

References

1. S2CID 149374813
   .
2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fingo" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 376.
3. ^ "Nguni", US Library of Congress
4. JSTOR 220517
5. ^ J. Fage, R. Oliver: The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 6 (1870–1905). Cambridge University Press, 1985, p. 387.
6. ^ Spicer, Michael W. The War of Ngcayecibi 1877 - 8 (PDF) (Thesis). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
7. ^ C. Bundy: The Rise and Fall of South African Peasantry. University of California Press, 1979, p. 83.
8. ^
   ISBN 978-0-520-07420-0
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9. ISBN 978-0-521-58342-8
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10. ^ ^{a b} "Fingo leaders gather at Peddie". South African History Online. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
11. ^ J. Blumenfeld and M. Nuttall. "Grahamstown's Fingo Village: From Poverty to Paradise?". Reality Publications, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
12. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7974-4504-8
    .
13. ^ "PhD in Xhosa a real milestone". Herald Live. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
14. ^ "Veldtman Bikitsha". ancestry24.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
15. ISBN 978-1-4314-2375-0
    . p. 24.
16. ISBN 0-947008-90-X
    .

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