Jager Afrikaner ( Nama name: ǀHomǀaramab, baptised Christian Afrikaner (?) at ''Roode Zand'' near

Tulbagh Tulbagh, named after Dutch Cape Colony Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the "Land van Waveren" mountain basin (also known as the Tulbagh basin), in the Winelands of the Western Cape, South Africa. The basin is fringed on three side ...

, South Africa – 18 August 1823 at Blydeverwacht, South-West Africa) was the third Captain of the

Orlam The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorlammers, Oerlams, or Orlamse Hottentots) are a subtribe of the Nama people, largely assimilated after their migration from the Cape Colony (today, part of South Africa) to Namaqualand and Dam ...

in South West Africa, succeeding his father

Klaas Afrikaner Klaas Afrikaner ( Nama name: ǃGaruhamab, born before 1760, died after 1800) was the second Captain of the Orlam Afrikaners, first in the Cape Colony, then in South-West Africa. Klaas became leader of his tribe after his father Oude Ram died in ...

at around 1800. He was one of the founders of Namibia's first systematic settlement in an engineering sense,

ǁKhauxaǃnas ǁKhauxaǃnas (Khoekhoegowab: ''passively defend people from an enemy'', Afrikaans / Dutch name Schans Vlakte: ''fortified valley'') is an uninhabited village with a ruined fortress in south-eastern Namibia, east of the Great Karas Mountains. It ...

. After his death in 1823 his son

Jonker Afrikaner Jonker Afrikaner ( 1785, ''Roode Zand'' near Tulbagh, South Africa – 18 August 1861, Okahandja) was the fourth Captain of the Orlam in South West Africa, succeeding his father, Jager Afrikaner, in 1823. Soon after becoming ''Kaptein'', h ...

succeeded him as Captain of the Afrikaner Orlams.

Biography

Jager Afrikaner was born around 1769 in a region of Southern Africa, now part of the modern

Republic of Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. He was the son of

, and a member of the

ethnic group. Klaas and his sons would join farmer Petrus Pienaar on cattle rustling trips to the interior of the country. They joined Pienaar in settling to the Hantam area in 1790, with Jager succeeding his father five years later as captain. Tensions increased between the Orlam and Pienaar from 1793 onwards, resulting that Pienaar was murdered by Jager Afrikaner in March 1796 following a quarrel. The Orlam under Jager fled to the islands of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

and began raiding local settlements. Following a raid into the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

and the death of a white farmer, Jager was outlawed in 1799. Local farmers could not be encouraged to pursue Jager, but instead formed alliances which eventually led to the formation of the

Griqua people The Griquas (; af, Griekwa, often confused with ''!Orana'', which is written as ''Korana'' or ''Koranna'') are a subgroup of heterogeneous former Khoe-speaking nations in Southern Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the Cape ...

in combined defence against Jager and his allies. In 1803, Jager led the Orlam north, migrating the

Cape Dutch Cape Dutch, also commonly known as Cape Afrikaners, were a historic socioeconomic class of Afrikaners who lived in the Western Cape during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The terms have been evoked to describe an affluent, apolitical se ...

language north of the Orange River. By 1806, he had given up the raider's life, instead seeking to become a leader of a respectable settlement. He allowed Christian Missionaries to preach in his area, and followed them when they moved on eventually settling east of Warmbad. This peaceful period ended in 1810, when Jager led an attack on the London Missionary Society at

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

following the illegal sale of some of the Orlam's cattle. They continued to raid the local area until the intervention of a German Christian missionary in 1815, who converted Jager and his brother Hendrik to Christianity. Jager was taught to read and write by other missionaries, and adopted the Christian name of Christiaan. In February 1819, he travelled to the Cape Colony to petition

Lord Charles Somerset Lord Charles Henry Somerset PC (12 December 1767 – 18 February 1831), born in Badminton, England, was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator.Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volu ...

to set aside the outlaw charge. When the missionaries left the Orlam, Jager adopted the position of religious teacher and leader. Jager died in 1823, a week after his father. Jager's second son,

, succeeded him.

Notes

References

External links

Cape Slave Heritage
Picture of Jager Afrikaner {{DEFAULTSORT:Afrikaner, Jager 18th-century births 1823 deaths People from the Cape Winelands District Municipality Namibian politicians Oorlam people