AVOORTREKKER - THE LONG AND VIOLENT GREAT TREK OF AFRICA’S DUTCH-SPEAKING COLONISTS

SOUTHERN AFRICA, 1835-1846

The Dutch first established a colony at Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in 1652, but when the British took control in 1814, their way of life began to change. In rebellion, many decided to leave the Cape and travel inland to establish a new settlement independent of British rule. Thousands of these Voortrekkers, most of whom were pastoral farmers called trekboers, packed up their belongings and ventured north on what is now known as the Great Trek. However, it was far from an easy journey, and resulted in many violent conflicts with the indigenous people of Africa they encountered along the way.

GET DRESSED

The traditional dress of the Voortrekker included a short dopper coat buttoned from top to bottom, a bonnet called a kappie, and handmade leather thong shoes called riempieskoene. Those prepared for battle would also carry a muzzle-loading rifle, a 20-centimetre-long knife and a powder horn containing gunpowder. A bandolier containing bullets would be strapped to their belt.

LOAD THE WAGON

Each wagon had a load capacity of a ton, and would be packed with clothes, furniture, family heirlooms, farming equipment, coffee, sugar and weapons. Cages of chickens hung underneath, and 16 oxen pulled from the front. The wagons moved at walking pace, and when travelling downhill the back wheels were replaced with heavy branches that acted as a brake.

NEGOTIATE A DEAL

As much of the Southern African interior was already inhabited by native tribes, the Voortrekkers met some resistance. In 1838, trek leader Piet Retief negotiated a deal with Zulu king Dingane, offering to recover his rustled cattle in exchange for some land, but was later betrayed, leading to several bloody battles with the Zulu warriors.

PREPARE FOR BATTLE

For protection in battle, 40 or more wagons were arranged in a square or circle called a laager, with the draught pole of one pushed under the other. The spaces between the wheels were filled with thorn branches, which the Voortrekkers could hide behind and fire through when the enemy approached. Extra wagons in the centre of the laager were used as a hospital.

OPEN FIRE

The rifles, called sanna, used by the Voortrekkers were quite complicated to load, and so the entire family was often drafted in to help. While aiming and firing at the enemy with one gun, the trekker’s wife or children would be loading up another. They would often saw into the bullets to make them split and fly in different directions.

CATCH MALARIA

As well as resistance from native tribes, the Voortrekkers also had to contend with the perils of the native wildlife. Their journey involved passing through the tsetse fly belt, plagued with malaria-carrying insects. One group of trekkers, led by Louis Tregardt, made it all the way to Delagoa Bay, then succumbed to malaria and died one by one.

SING PSALMS

The Voortrekkers had a strong Calvinist faith, but when they set off on the Great Trek, no Dutch Reformed Church minister was willing to go with them. The church disapproved somewhat of the emigration, believing that it would lead to ‘godlessness and a decline of civilisation’. As a result, they relied on missionaries and non-ordained ministers to lead Sunday services and the singing of psalms each evening.

MOVE ON

When it was time to continue on their journey, the Voortrekkers would load up their wagons and round up their thousands of cattle, horses, sheep and goats, which could take several hours. They would also take with them any young African children they had captured in battle, and keep them as slaves to help with farming.

In "All About History" UK, n. 51, 2017, excerpts pp. 62-66. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.