![]() Some archaeological evidence has been discovered that suggests that Xhosa-speaking people have lived in the area since the 7th century AD. Historical evidence suggests that the Xhosa people have inhabited the Eastern Cape area from as long ago as 1593 and most probably even before that. This was also the place where the great chief of the Xhosa, Zandile, was wounded and died, hidden beneath a blanket of leaves. Some of the fiercest clashes took place here and the forests were left full of memories and spirits from these mighty battles. The forests of the Eastern Cape were the natural retreats of the Xhosa people during the many Frontier Wars that raged in this area. The most notable of these is the Pirie Forest near King William's Town. ![]() Characteristic of this area is its many rivers, rapids, waterfalls, deep gorges and alluvial valleys.Īlong the East Coast, east of the present-day city of Port Elizabeth, patches of high forest abound on mountain slopes and in other scenic settings. South of this river lie the beautiful, rolling grass-covered downlands of the Eastern Cape. ![]() The Mtamvuna River, also called "the reaper of mouthfuls", (when it overflowed its banks), marks the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The Kei (Great) River marks the boundary of what was once the southern border of the former Transkei. The Xhosa live mainly in the Eastern Cape Province (the former Ciskei and Transkei). Ex-President Nelson Mandela belongs to this ethnic group. They even repulsed the mighty Zulu chief, Shaka. Not only were they to become the second largest group of Black Africans in South Africa but they were also the only ones that were never defeated or enslaved by any other tribe. The early immigrants formed the backbone of the Xhosa nation and have good reason to be proud. Some returned to Zululand when peace was declared, but those who remained became known as the Mfengu and were assimilated into the Xhosa nation. These were the tribes that Shaka, the Zulu king, drove out of Zululand. However, a second group of Nguni-speakers joined these tribes later. The first group of early Nguni immigrants to migrate to South Africa consisted of the Xhosa, (made up of the the Gcaleka, Ngqika, Ndlambe and Dushane clans), the Thembu and Pondo. Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of the Xhosa, Tembu and Bomvana ("the red ones"). ![]() The name Xhosa is a generalised term for a diversity of proud clans, the Pondo, Bomvana, Thembu and the Xhosa tribe itself. The Xhosa, also often called the "Red Blanket People", are of Nguni stock, like the Zulu. ![]()
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