South Africa -- Description and travel; South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909; South Africa -- History -- To 1836
The Galekas, the Pondos, and Tembus will be found in the map in their
proper places on the eastern side of the Kei River; and, as being on the
eastern side of the Kei River, they were not British subjects when this
chapter was written. When the reader shall have this book in his hand
they may probably have been annexed. The Gaikas, I am afraid he will not
find on the map. As they have been British subjects for the last
twenty-five years the spaces in the map of the country in which they
live have been wanted for such European names as Frankfort and King
Williamstown. Those however whom I have named are the real
Kafirs,--living near the Kei whether on one side of the river or the
other. The sharp-eyed investigating reader will also find a people
called Bomvana, on the sea coast, north of the Galekas. They are a
sub-tribe, under Kreli, who have a sub-chief, one Moni, and Moni and the
Bomvanas seem to have been troubled in their mind, not wishing to wage
war against the Queen of England, and yet fearing to disobey the
behests of their Great Chief Kreli.
It will thus be seen that the Kafirs do not occupy very much land in
South Africa, though their name has become better known than that of any
South African tribe,--and though every black Native is in familiar
language called a Kafir. The reason has been that the two tribes, the
Gaikas and the Galekas, have given us infinitely more trouble than any
other. Sandilli with his Gaikas have long been subjected, though they
have never been regarded as quiet subjects, such as are the Basutos and
the Fingos. There has ever been a dread, as there was notably in 1876,
that they would rise and rebel. The alarmists since this present affair
of Kreli commenced have never ceased to declare that the Gaikas would
surely be up in arms against us. But, as a tribe, they have not done so
yet,--partly perhaps because their Chief Sandilli is usually drunk. The
Galekas, however, have never been made subject to us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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