Griqualand East (

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

: ''Griekwaland-Oos''), officially known as New Griqualand ( Dutch: ''Nieuw Griqualand''), was one of four short-lived Griqua states in Southern Africa from the early 1860s until the late 1870s and was located between the Umzimkulu and Kinira Rivers, south of the Sotho Kingdom. Griqualand East's capital, Kokstad, was the final place of settlement for a people who had migrated several times on their journey from the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

and over the mountains of present-day

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

. The territory was occupied by the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

and became a colony in 1874, shortly before the death of its founder and only leader, Adam Kok III. A short while later, the small territory was incorporated into the neighbouring

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), 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. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

. Though for a long time overshadowed in history by the story of the Voortrekkers, the ''trek'' of the Griquas has been described as "one of the great epics of the 19th century."''"...een van die epiese gebeurtenisse van die 19de eeu."''
Webster, Roger. Die Adam Kok-Trek. in:''Langs die Kampvuur. Waare Suider-Afrikaanse stories.'' Spearhead. p84f

History

Background

Before the arrival of migrants from the west and north, the area formed part of the Mpondo kingdom under King Faku, who ruled as sovereign of the ethnically Xhosa dynasty from 1815 to 1867.Kropf, Albert. ''Das Volk der Xosa-Kaffern im östlichen Südafrika nach seiner Geschichte, Eigenart, Verfassung und Religion.'' Evang. Missions-Gesellschaft. Berlin:1889. p75 During his reign, Faku initially welcomed many refugees who came over the territory's north-eastern border, fleeing from the incursions and raids by the army of

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reform ...

(leader of the

Zulu Kingdom The Zulu Kingdom ( ; ), sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire, was a monarchy in Southern Africa. During the 1810s, Shaka established a standing army that consolidated rival clans and built a large following which ruled a wide expanse of So ...

from 1816 to 1828). As Faku eventually realised that his warriors could not defend the eastern part of his kingdom against Shaka, he decided to evacuate the area, leaving behind what became known as ''Nomansland'' (often spelled ''"No-man's land"'' in contemporary sources). Meanwhile, a group of Griquas who had left the Cape of Good Hope in the 18th century and had settled in the area around present-day Philippolis in 1826 faced the prospect of their area coming under the control of the emerging

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

(Oranje Vrijstaat - officially established as a Boer republic in 1854).History of Kokstad
, Greater Kokstad Municipality website. Accessed 2009-07-31. In 1861 most of these inhabitants embarked on an exhausting journey, leaving to move southwards over ''Ukhahlamba'' also called ''intaba zokhahlamba'' that means mountains of Ukhahlamba (today known as the ''

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Zulu language, Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho language, Sotho: Maloti, Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, Southern Africa, Great Escarpment, which encloses the central South Africa#Geography, Sout ...

'' mountain range), but first-hand witnesses give two differing narratives of the reasons and motivations for their last ''trek''.

Arrival and settlement

According to the account of John Robinson, first Premier of Natal, the inhabitants of Philippolis were invited by Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

, administrator of the area on behalf of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, to settle in the aforementioned ''Nomansland'', south of what had by then become the British

colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies t ...

. Their settlement there was to avoid a potential conflict with the Free State and simultaneously serve as a buffer against

Bushmen The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the Indigenous peoples of Africa, oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged fro ...

and "their predatory raids upon the farmers and natives of Natal" After their leader Adam Kok III had sent an advance party to survey the area, the entire group agreed to the arrangement and arrived there in 1862.

More recently recovered official documents, however, tell the story of a deal that was negotiated between the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

and the Free State in 1854, long before the Griquas had any knowledge of their fate.Morris, Michael John Linnegar. ''Every step of the way. The journey to freedom in South Africa.'' Ministry of Education, South Africa. HSRC Pres. Cape Town:2004. p102 The Colonial Office agreed to undertake the expulsion of the entire population in exchange for a settlement of a border conflict between the

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch people, Dutch Settler colonialism, settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony, 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. '' ...

and the Cape colonists. According to the sources, Adam Kok III and his followers only learned about the plans six years after the official document had been secretly signed. Realising that they could not muster a fighting force that could match the colonial army, and after having voiced their opposition to becoming either subjects to the Crown in the Cape Colony or servants in the Free State, they left their homeland under duress to go into

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

in 1863. Ultimately, all sources agree that the last great Griqua leader's followers ended up in the area around Mount Currie and set up a ''Laager'', a simple settlement site made up of small huts, where they remained for over half a decade. In 1869, Reverend Dower of the ''London Mission Society'' visited the place and agreed to establish a church if the people were to move once more. Kok consulted with the populace, and they chose an area farther south of the mountain. The Griquas moved there in 1872, and founded the town of Kokstad, named in honour of their leader. The state that was established around Kokstad, while Griqua ruled, was populated overwhelmingly by the pre-existing Xhosa speaking peoples, with the Griqua forming only a very small, politically-dominant minority.

Government

Though, in historical terms, constantly on the move, with permanent settlements existing only for short intervals, the people of Griqualand East managed to establish a ''Raad'' (or '' Volksraad''), a gathering of 12 members which made decisions on behalf of the Griqua population and formed delegations to deal with the surrounding polities.History of the Griqua Nation and Nomansland
Accessed 2009-07-30

Currency

In 1867, after the Bank of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

had begun printing its own banknotes, Kok and his followers embarked on a similar experiment of their own and had about 10,000 one pound-notes printed for use in the area. The plans to actually introduce them never materialised, and, with the exception of a few remaining samples, almost all of them were destroyed without ever being in circulation.Griqua One Pound Bank Note and Currency
(History of the Griqua Nation & Nomansland) on ''www.tokencoins.com''. Accessed 2009-07-31.
After the move to Kokstad, however, a new venture in introducing a local currency was more successful in 1874; designed by Strachan and Co. and minted in Germany, several coins were used (see picture) and remained in circulation long after the disestablishment of the country.Rare Coins
South African Mint Company. Accessed 2009-08-03 Confirmation that the Strachan and Co circulated as money in the region from 1874 comes from the local Standard Bank at Kokstad . and the Managing Director of Strachan and Co

Symbolism

The seal included in the information-box is a rough replica of a seal shown on the first set of banknotes of 1867 which is the only known and surviving depiction. On the banknote itself, it is flanked to the left and right by a band or ribbon which reads ''"GOUVERNEMENT VAN , NIEUW GRIQUALAND"'' and includes a helm with mantling. The actual implied colours are unknown.
The Griqua flag is a vertically flipped version of the ''"Vierkleur"'' used by Transvaal and the

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

. A single source dates its first documented appearance to 1903, but the flag itself might have been in use earlier; whether or not independent Griqualand East actually deployed it is uncertain.

British Annexation (1878)

In the differing sources and versions of history, the end of Griqualand East's story is as contested as its beginning, and the reasons for the country's dissolution remain hazy. Local Cape sources record an official (but heavily qualified) request in 1869, from Adam Kok III, for the establishment of British rule, on condition that land title be respected and that Griqualand East should under no circumstances be incorporated into the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies t ...

. Contemporary reports claimed that the Griquas then sold much of their land voluntarily, and that the overall annexation of the territory took place "at the wish of the inhabitants themselves." On the other hand, opinion among the Griqua people themselves seems to have been divided. A quote by Adam Kok III, upon learning of the Colonial Offices' plans, suggests that there was misunderstanding or even deception involved in the annexation of Griqualand East: "There you have it... we were not consulted. We can say nothing." The British assumed direct control of the territory in 1874. What is known for a fact is that the Griqua leader, whose name still adorns the town he founded, died in December 1875 after being severely injured in a wagon-accident. At his funeral, his cousin commented that with Kok's death, the Griquas' last hope for an independent state in Southern Africa had died as well. After coming under British rule, Griqualand East was administered by the British as a separate colony for several years. During this time, the

put considerable pressure on the government of the neighbouring

to annex the costly and turbulent territory. However the Cape, newly under a system of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

, was reluctant to assume responsibility for Griqualand East due to its considerable expenses and its considerably resentful population.

Incorporation into the Cape (1879)

Although initially the Cape had refused to annex the territory, agreement was reached after substantial negotiation and in 1877 the Cape Parliament passed the Griqualand East Annexation Act (''Act 38 of 1877'').''The Westminster Review.'' Trübner & Co. London:July/October 1886. p179 The act was only promulgated two years later on 17 September 1879, when four magistrates were set up, at Kokstad, Matatiele, Mount Frere and Umzimkulu. The territory was also given two elected seats in the Cape Parliament, which at the time was elected through the multi-racial "

Cape Qualified Franchise The Cape Qualified Franchise was the system of multi-racial Suffrage, franchise that was adhered to in the Cape Colony, and in the Cape Province in the early years of the Union of South Africa. Qualifications for the right to vote at parliamenta ...

" system, whereby qualifications for suffrage were applied to all males, regardless of race.''Scottish Geographical Magazine.'' Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Edinburgh:1886. p480 The Griqua people had only ever been a small, ruling minority of the population of Griqualand East. Once independent Griqua rule was ended, the Xhosa speaking Pondo people, who had long constituted the majority of the Griqualand East population, came to own increasing amounts of land in the area, together with newly-arriving European settlers. These demographic factors led to a further dilution of Griqua identity and a century later, under

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

, the territory was incorporated into the Xhosa "homeland" of the

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River, he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

Contemporary Griqualand

When the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

was formed in 1910, the Cape Colony changed its name to "Cape Province", and during the 1980s, part of former Griqualand East was partitioned off into the

, one of the four nominally independent

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

s. In 1994, shortly before the first all-inclusive elections, it was incorporated into the southern part of the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

province. Kokstad retained its name and is today one of the main cities of the Harry Gwala District Municipality.Bergh, J.S., and J.C. Visagie. ''The Eastern Cape Frontier Zone, 1660–1980: A Cartographic Guide for Historical Research''. Durban: Butterworths, 1985.

References

{{Coord, 30.5500, S, 29.4167, E, source:wikidata, display=title Griqua people History of the Northern Cape Cape Colony 1860s in South Africa 1870s in South Africa Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa States and territories established in 1862 States and territories disestablished in 1879 1862 establishments in Africa 1870s disestablishments in Africa 1874 establishments in the British Empire 1870s disestablishments in the British Empire 19th century in South Africa Former republics