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The life of a trekboer

The life of a trekboer: self-sufficiency, the ox wagon, loan farms, nagmaal and whose land they moved onto. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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The trekboer’s world

  • The ox wagon carried the family and all it owned. A gun was essential; the commando system called up armed farmers to fight.
  • Schooling was hard: farms were far apart. The nagmaal journey was a long trip to town for church and trade.
  • They found their way by landmarks, stars and local guides. Khoikhoi and San people often worked for them.
A trekboer’s wagon and hartbeeshuisie.
A trekboer’s wagon and hartbeeshuisie.
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Why it matters

Trekboers resented VOC rules, prices and taxes, and moved away from the Cape’s control: that is how the colony spread inland. Resilience is the ability to recover from hardship. When shops and towns came, they bought more and moved less.

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Land dispossession

As trekboers moved deeper and deeper into the interior, the Khoikhoi and San lost their grazing land, water sources and livestock. They often had to work as labourers on the farms. This is called land dispossession: people’s land is taken away from them.

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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • Trekboers moved with their herds and lived off livestock and hunting; grazing was soon used up and water was scarce.
  • Self-sufficiency: soap (fat and ash), candles (tallow), biltong (salted and dried), clothes and shoes from tanned hides, home remedies from plants.
  • They had to obtain gunpowder, coffee, sugar and cloth, mostly by bartering.
  • A loan farm was rented from the VOC each year; a house was a wagon or a simple hartbeeshuisie.
  • They moved onto land used by the Khoikhoi and San; the eastern frontier is where they met Xhosa communities.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

The trekboer’s house had wheels: the ox wagon was home, store and transport.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

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Test yourself · Part 2

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