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The Dongas Tribe was a collection of road protesters and travellers in
Some of the 'original Dongas' (as they became called) of the mid 1990s were musicians who made a living by
From Diggers to Dongas: the Land in English Radicalism, 1649–2000
" ''
Dongas Tribe musical field recordings"Call for Donga for Rath Lugh"
Anti-road protest DIY culture Squatters' movements
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, noted for their occupation of Twyford Down
Twyford Down is an area of chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England next to St. Catherine's Hill and close to the South Downs National Park. It has been settled since pre-Roman times, and has housed a f ...
outside Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
. The name ''Dongas'' comes from the Matabele word for "gully", given by Winchester locals to the deep drovers' tracks on Twyford Down.
John Vidal, writing in ''The Guardian'' in 2012, said of The Dongas that "the 15-20 urban youths who camped out to try to defend Twyford Down in 1992 are recognised to have fired up British environmental protest and kickstarted a major shift in green attitudes in both government and the public."
History
The Twyford Down protest was a protest against the M3 motorway extension which destroyed some rich ecological sites, one of the very few habitats of the Chalkhill Blue butterfly and six species of rare orchid, and ancient monuments there (SSSI
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
and Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
). The Conservative government was planning to construct a new roadway through the area in order to save three minutes of transit time between London and Southampton.
Following "Yellow Wednesday", when hordes of police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
and security guards invaded the camp to bulldoze the area, the Dongas Tribe left Twyford Down for Bramdean Common
Bramdean Common is near Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Bramdean means "the valley where brooms grow" - broom being the gorse bush originally prevalent in the valley that carries a yellow flower. There was a Roman villa near the village, excav ...
. Earth First!
Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that originated in the Southwestern United States. It was founded in 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, Bart Koehler, and Ron Kezar. Today there are Earth First! groups around ...
, who had been heavily involved in the setting up and support of the camp and actions, continued the protests and restarted a camp in Plague Pits Valley.
They constituted about twenty people. Of them, seven were sent to prison in 1993 for breaking an injunction. In one incident, around fifty protesters chained themselves to a bridge, leading to the arrest of some. At least one protester (Paul Kingsnorth
Paul Kingsnorth (born 1972) is an English writer who lives in the west of Ireland. He is a former deputy-editor of ''The Ecologist'' and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project.
Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing tends to address macro themes l ...
) subsequently sued the police and received a $5000 settlement.
Some of the 'original Dongas' (as they became called) of the mid 1990s were musicians who made a living by busking
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
, sometimes using traditional music from Brittany.
The first child born in the Dongas tribe, to Rosie Lambert, was named May Brigit "Donga" Lambert and was born on 1 May 1994, Beltane
Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...
and May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
.
In late 2012, original members of the Dongas, as well as hundreds of others, returned to the hillside on the protest's 20th anniversary. They expressed warnings about the government's more than forty new road plans.
Influence
The Dongas road protests inspired a major change in green attitudes among both the public and the government, radicalizing a generation of British youth. Among them,Paul Kingsnorth
Paul Kingsnorth (born 1972) is an English writer who lives in the west of Ireland. He is a former deputy-editor of ''The Ecologist'' and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project.
Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing tends to address macro themes l ...
of The Dark Mountain Project
Paul Kingsnorth (born 1972) is an English writer who lives in the west of Ireland. He is a former deputy-editor of ''The Ecologist'' and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project.
Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing tends to address macro themes l ...
credits his arrest at Twyford Down as his impetus for engaging in further protests.
See also
*Direct Action
Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
*Rebecca Lush
Rebecca Lush is a British environmental activist who helped organise a number of major anti-road initiatives, including the support organisation ‘Road Block’. She joined Transport 2000 (now Campaign for Better Transport) as Roads and Cli ...
References
{{reflistFurther reading
*Alun Howkins
Alun Howkins (8 August 1947 – 12 July 2018) was an English social historian, specialising in the history of English rural society. Regarded as a leading historian of the English countryside and its working class, Howkins was a professor of histor ...
(2002),From Diggers to Dongas: the Land in English Radicalism, 1649–2000
" ''
History Workshop Journal
The ''History Workshop Journal'' is a British academic history journal published by Oxford University Press. ''History Workshop'' was founded in 1976 by Raphael Samuel and others involved in the History Workshop movement. Originally sub-titled "A ...
'' 54(1), pp. 1–23.
External links
Dongas Tribe musical field recordings
Anti-road protest DIY culture Squatters' movements