THE BANTU SPEAKING PEOPLES OF SOUTH AFRICA

THE BANTU SPEAKING PEOPLES OF SOUTH AFRICA

Bantu is a linguistic term describing people with basic similar and interrelated language characterized by the common root word "Ntu" or Nduu referring to people. They make up over 70 percent of the population in South Africa. They were a well- built race, tall race that came from West Africa.

There is no definite agreement of their place of origin, but it is believed that they originated from the Niger Congo area and especially South-Eastern Congo basin. They are also believed to have originated in West Africa around Benue Valley in Eastern Nigeria or Western Cameroon.

The Bantu who migrated into South Africa were mainly composed of four major groups; the Shona- Rozwi and/ Kalanga, Sotho-Tswana, Nguni-Tsonga and the Herero-Ambo.

A number of factors explain why the Bantu speaking people migrated from their cradle land and finally settled in South Africa and other parts of Africa.

The Bantu people speak more or less similar languages. They began to enter Southern Africa at around A.D. 1000.

Reasons for the migration of the Bantu people into South Africa

The Bantu migrated due to the following factors;

There was over population in their cradle land, which led to scarcity of pressure on land. The affected Bantu moved in search of vacant places in Southern Africa.

They also migrated to South Africa because of constant attacks from stronger tribes in the Nile Valley like the Nuer, Shilluk and the Dinka.

There were internal conflicts among the Bantu, which forced them in search for safer areas.

They chose areas suitable for their economic activities.

They settled in areas where crop cultivation and livestock rearing was suitable.

They wanted areas, which were free of diseases and pests.

Rainfall reliability also determined their settlement.

They also relied on the Khoisan for their herbal and hunting skills.

Drought and famine might have contributed to migration of the Bantu speakers. They moved in search of lands, which were drought free and had more food.

Epidemics and other diseases forced the Bantu to migrate to Southern Africa. They were forced to look for land, which were free from animal and human diseases.

The Bantu also migrated in search of fresh pasture and water for their animals since such pasture in their land had got exhausted as a result of over stocking and overgrazing.

The Bantu skills of iron working also contributed to their migration to Southern Africa. They had Iron tools, which encouraged them to move without fear.

The youths among the Bantu speakers were tired of getting orders from the elders especially on matters of areas where they would be free and rigid customs.

Others migrated because their neighbors, friends and relatives were also moving.

The Bantu especially the youth were wanderlust wishing to move and see new things (love for adventure).

Movement and settlement of the Bantu speakers into South Africa

The Bantu settled and entered South Africa in Four distinct migration waves or groups;

Eastern Wave

This was followed mainly by the Nguni- Tsonga (Ntsonga)/ Nguni and Tsonga tribes. These moved from the Southern areas of the Great Lakes Region.

By 1300, they had settled on the upper part of River Umzihuvu (Mzimkhulu) and Tugela. By the Sixteenth Century, they had settled as far as River Umtata in the Natal Coastal plains.

They also took a South- Easterly route along the coast, as they traveled through the Lower Veld in Natal and Eastern Cape.

By the end of the eighteenth Century, the Xhosa tribe had settled beyond the fish river and where they encountered the Boer Trekkers.

By the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, most Bantu tribes had occupied the Eastern Coastal lands of Southern Africa, for instance, the present day Natal, Transvaal and Cape Colony.

Various ethnic groups developed from the Nguni-Tsonga, who included; Xhosa, Thembu, Pondo, Zulu, Mthenthwa, Swazi, Ndebele and Ngwane, among others.

Central Wave

This was followed mainly by the Sotho- Tswana tribes or speakers. It was the Second Group of the Bantu that moved into the Plateau between the Drankensburg Mountains and the Kalahari Desert.

This wave is believed to have moved from the plateau between Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi and settled in the north at the point where the Orange and Vaal River's meet.

It is believed that the Sotho-Tswana had by the Thirteenth Century settled in the Eastern part of their present area, around river Vaal and Orange River.

By the Fourteenth Century, the Tswana tribe had advanced and settled in present Botswana (the former Bechuanaland).

By the end of the Eighteenth Century, the Sotho had expanded and settled presently in Zulu land, Swaziland and parts of Lesotho.

Western Wave

This was one of the last major groups of the Bantu tribes to migrate and settle in South Africa. It comprised of the Herero and Ambo (Ambo-Aherero tribes), hence the name Ambo-Herero group.

They moved and settled in present Namibia from the south Congo basin around the Sixteenth Century.

The Ambo tribe reached Namibia or South-West Africa in present Amboland where climatic conditions favored subsistence agriculture and pastoralism. This is why they are called the South Western Bantu Group.

The Herero moved West Ambo land through Kaoko Veld and southwards in the grasslands of the Namibian plateau and Kalahari (Namib) desert fringes.

Other Groups of Bantu who moved into Southern Africa included the Shona and Venda (Bemba). These migrated from Cameroon and settled in Zimbabwe, but others continued southwards.

Note, that before the M’fecane, the Bantu speakers of South Africa were organized in communities of mixed fanners who were law abiding and relatively peacefu1.

By the eighteenth Century, the Bantu had become the most widespread of all people in South Africa although the Europeans especially the Dutch claimed to have come earlier than them. Up to date, they are the most numerous in the whole of Africa.

Organization of the Bantu speakers of South Africa

The Bantu had well developed social, economic and political institutions or organization as below;

Social Organization

The Nguni and Sotho shared basically a common culture. Both were iron workers, which made it possible for them to use iron implements that were superior to those used by the San and the Khoikhoi.

Cattle fulfilled religious needs. They were the only acceptable sacrifice on important ritual occasions and their possession was the sign of social status and prestige. Their cattle enclosures or/ Kraals were at the center of every settlement not in the physical, but also in a social sense. This area was ritually a taboo to women, as men would gather to discuss questions or problems pertaining to their families or/ clans.

The basic family unit often consisted of a considerable number of people closely related in the male line. A single-family head would abdicate the family over minor dispute(s). Members of the same family lived near one another and their huts forming a family compound with a larger settlement. The distribution of family settlements was determined by geographical as well as social considerations. For example on the East Coast, where permanent sources of water were comparatively numerous, families formed isolated family compounds.

On the interior plateau, the Sotho tended to live in more concentrated village settlements and in areas near the fringes of the Kalahari Desert where water was scarce, the Tswana lived with substantial towns around their homesteads.

The Nguni and Sotho were polygamous as wives of a polygamous husband were divided into a number of households with a fixed order of prestige and different rights to inheritance of property.

Persons who traced descent from a common ancestor constituted a clan. They shared a common name and could not intermarry until after many generations had passed and when a chief wanted to marry within his own clan.

Both Nguni and Sotho tribes practiced a system of initiation into manhood. It was only after initiation that a young man would marry and take part in the Council meetings of his community. Initiation among the Sotho and Nguni was performed under the authority of the Chief. All those who attended the same initiation ceremony formed an age- group regiment, which was associated with a particular Prince.

In times of war, members of the age regiments would fight together as a unit under the leadership of their royal age- mate.

Economic Organization

Land was communally owned, as it was regarded as property of the clan and tribe. For its use, the Chief controlled the distribution exercise.

The Bantu practiced mixed farming, for example their economy comprised of cattle, sheep, goats and cultivation of crops such as sorghum, millet, beans, yams and pumpkins.

The Bantu enjoyed high material standard of living than the Khoisan, for example they had enough food supply and used animal skins for clothing.

Black Smith was also practiced by the Bantu, for example the Sotho had metal work industries at Mabotsa with the making of iron equipment and tools like axes, hoes, knives, arrow and spearheads were made.

Trade was largely less important among the Bantu but they bartered Ostrich feathers, eggshells, and hoes, tin and copper with the coastal traders.

The Bantu also practiced hunting, which was common especially, among the Sotho. Hunting provided game products such as meat, ivory, and honey and sometimes fruits.

Their iron implements or efficient tools helped them to clear large forests and thick bushes for agriculture.

With their metal weapons, they were able to defend themselves from their enemies. And because of their increased numbers, there was increased demand for land, which led to territorial expansion that was done at the expense of the San and the Khoikhoi.

The Bantu were cattle keepers and cattle provided food and clothing. Cattle- were also the only currency in which dowry and validation of marriage could be paid.

The Sotho and Nguni also practiced Agriculture with millet as the staple crop, which was mainly planted by women as com, which was not needed for immediate consumption was stored in covered pits. The Portuguese introduced maize to them in the later years.

With this mixed economy, the Bantu were able to maintain a relatively high population density and to develop a more complex social and political organisation in situations than their predecessors.

Political Organization

Among the southern Bantu tribe, the family was the basic political unit, though it was larger than that of the Hottentots, usually consisting of only a few thousand members.

At the core of every tribe was a central lineage. The chief was always a member of this and his close relatives often held subordinate offices or were members of his council. In addition to members of the central clan, most Bantu tribes contained families who belonged to their clans. These were commoner families who associated themselves with the traditions of the royal clan to a considerable extent. The ancestors of the chief were regarded as the guardian spirit of the whole community and the tribal name was taken either from that of an outstanding ruler or from a totem.

The territory was subdivided into a number of sub divisions, provinces and districts. Each of these was under an official called an Induna. Administrative authority among the Bantu was therefore distributed between the chief with a hierarchy of subordinates. The Chief’s position was of great importance, as he was the civil, military, judicial and religious head of his people. His council was the Supreme Court of Appeal and his decision was final in all political matters.

As the living link between the community and the ancestors, the Chief was the main celebrant in many important rituals like the annual first fruit ceremony.

The Chief was expected to rule with the advice of leading men and in accordance with custom and the general consensus of opinion.

On many important occasions, a wider council of all-important subordinate Chiefs would be held before decisions were taken. All adult male members were free to attend the proceedings and anyone interested would speak his mind and even criticize the Chief severely.

Though the Chief always had the last word, he very much respected public opinion. Whenever a ruler became unpopular, some families could transfer their loyalty to another tribe. Such an action restrained rulers from acting contrary to public opinion in the society.

The Chief was assisted by at least one permanent official or Induna who was supposed to inform the Chief about public opinion and guard against conspiracies.

Each tribe laid claim to a definite territory. The Chief with the name of the tribe controlled the right to the use of land within his area. Permanent ownership of land was not recognized. A chief could allow other communities to temporarily use their tribal land, in return for payment in recognition for his authority.

Conflicts among the Bantu tribes were common and often resulted into fighting. Fighting was normally limited to cattle seizure or grazing lands and rarely proceeded to the extent of crushing an enemy tribe completely.

Attachments

No attachments