2017/03/31 HIA: Fort Cox College Water and Sanitation Services 15 Chapter Findings 2 Heritage Indicators within the receiving Environment Regional Cultural Context Palaeontology See Palaeontology Impact Assessment report. Stone Age In 1929, archaeologists working in South Africa devised a system of dividing the Stone Age into 3 periods, namely the Early Stone Age, the Middle Stone Age and the Later Stone Age. The Early Stone Age (ESA) refers to stone tools made by Homo erectus groups and these tools date between 1,7 million and 125 000 thousand years ago. The most distinctive tool types of the ESA are handaxes, which are easy to identify and have been widely reported from the Eastern Cape. Handaxes were reported from the Gorah, but the site has recently been destroyed. None were discovered inside the study area during this survey, but they are known from the banks of the Bushmen’s River. Large numbers of handaxes were excavated from around a spring at an important ESA site called Amanzi. It is located near Uitenhage. The Middle Stone Age (MSA) refers to very different stone tools. They are often triangular shaped or long blades. They are frequently made on more finegrained stone and show more controlled use of stone. These tools date between 125 000 and 30 000 years ago. At Klasies River Cave near Humansdorp, they are associated with Homo sapiens (i.e. modern people). It is quite rare to find MSA remains in caves associated with bone and other food remains. The majority of MSA sites are surface scatters. Scatters of MSA tools are reported all along the Sundays River Valley, and also inland at Addo Heights and Korhaansvlakte. The Later Stone Age (LSA) people were ancestral to the San (Bushmen) and Khoekhoen (Hottentot) peoples who lived in Southern Africa between 30 000 years ago and colonial times. During most of the Holocene, South Africa was inhabited by small groups of mobile huntergatherers. When they lived at the coast, they exploited the marine resources such as shell fish, seal and sea birds. Many hundreds of shell middens are found along the coast in the Addo area. Inland groups frequently lived in caves and rock shelters and there are many sites in the Zuurberg which testify to this. Only a fraction of the caves sites in the area have been investigated but many have rock paintings and at least a shallow archaeological deposit. Excavations at sites such as Melkhoutboom and Vygeboom (inside Addo Park) have uncovered graves with rich grave goods indicating a complex belief system. The rock art too indicates the San occupants took part in trance before painting. The sites contain well preserved plant remains which indicate how they utilized their environment. The majority of huntergatherer groups had been pushed out of the Zuurberg by the 1820’s and was forced to move further inland to escape European settlement on their lands. Khoekhoen settlement Sheep and pottery were first introduced to South Africa by pastoralists groups some 2000 years ago. By the 16th and 17th centuries, these tribal groups were spread all along the coastal forelands from Namibia to the Eastern Cape. They were known to the colonists as Hottentots. Today the term
Transcript
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Chapter
Findings 2
Heritage Indicators within the receiving Environment Regional Cultural Context Palaeontology See Palaeontology Impact Assessment report. Stone Age In 1929, archaeologists working in South Africa devised a system of dividing the Stone Age into 3 periods, namely the Early Stone Age, the Middle Stone Age and the Later Stone Age. The Early Stone Age (ESA) refers to stone tools made by Homo erectus groups and these tools date between 1,7 million and 125 000 thousand years ago. The most distinctive tool types of the ESA are handaxes, which are easy to identify and have been widely reported from the Eastern Cape. Handaxes were reported from the Gorah, but the site has recently been destroyed. None were discovered inside the study area during this survey, but they are known from the banks of the Bushmen’s River. Large numbers of handaxes were excavated from around a spring at an important ESA site called Amanzi. It is located near Uitenhage. The Middle Stone Age (MSA) refers to very different stone tools. They are often triangular shaped or long blades. They are frequently made on more fine-grained stone and show more controlled use of stone. These tools date between 125 000 and 30 000 years ago. At Klasies River Cave near Humansdorp, they are associated with Homo sapiens (i.e. modern people). It is quite rare to find MSA remains in caves associated with bone and other food remains. The majority of MSA sites are surface scatters. Scatters of MSA tools are reported all along the Sundays River Valley, and also inland at Addo Heights and Korhaansvlakte. The Later Stone Age (LSA) people were ancestral to the San (Bushmen) and Khoekhoen (Hottentot) peoples who lived in Southern Africa between 30 000 years ago and colonial times. During most of the Holocene, South Africa was inhabited by small groups of mobile hunter-gatherers. When they lived at the coast, they exploited the marine resources such as shell fish, seal and sea birds. Many hundreds of shell middens are found along the coast in the Addo area. Inland groups frequently lived in caves and rock shelters and there are many sites in the Zuurberg which testify to this. Only a fraction of the caves sites in the area have been investigated but many have rock paintings and at least a shallow archaeological deposit. Excavations at sites such as Melkhoutboom and Vygeboom (inside Addo Park) have uncovered graves with rich grave goods indicating a complex belief system. The rock art too indicates the San occupants took part in trance before painting. The sites contain well- preserved plant remains which indicate how they utilized their environment. The majority of hunter-gatherer groups had been pushed out of the Zuurberg by the 1820’s and was forced to move further inland to escape European settlement on their lands. Khoekhoen settlement Sheep and pottery were first introduced to South Africa by pastoralists groups some 2000 years ago. By the 16th and 17th centuries, these tribal groups were spread all along the coastal forelands from Namibia to the Eastern Cape. They were known to the colonists as Hottentots. Today the term
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Khoikhoi (correct spelling Khoekhoen) is more acceptable. The earliest archaeological evidence for the Khoekhoen in the region comes from Cape St Francis and dates to 300AD. There are numerous place names in the Addo Park which are derived from Khoekhoen. For example, Kaba, Coerney (originally Koernoe), Nanaga (although this cannot be confirmed by Nienaber & Raper 1997), Boknes, Gorah, Kabouga, Kariega, Sapkamma, etc. These names confirm that this part of the Eastern Cape was settled in the 17th and 18th centuries by various Khoekhoen tribal groupings such as the Inqua, Damasqua and Gonaqua. They were absorbed into the colonial lifestyle of the 18th century, becoming farm workers for the Dutch and British or clients of the Xhosa where they were engaged in elephant hunting. A few groups settled at missions such as Enon, Bethelsdorp and Theopolis (edited from De Klerk, 2002).
Figure 4. Sundays River Finds - Kudu Ridge Website
Iron Age The first phase of a project to determine the distribution of pre-colonial farming settlement through space and time in the former Transkei, Eastern Cape, was carried out during 1983-87. This archaeological reconnaissance, using a stratified random sampling method, located 15 Early Iron Age settlement sites within and two next to five of the 12 study areas searched. These findings have largely escaped subsequent attention. An additional site was found adjacent to the Great Kei River after the project finished. The distribution and altitude of these sites indicate that they are confined to localities in deeply incised river valleys (as predicted from the pattern in KwaZulu-Natal), but at decreasing distances from the sea and declining altitudes in a south-westerly direction across the Eastern Cape. This might reflect the operation of a human rather than a physical geographical factor. One possibility is the early presence of Khoekhoen herders, perhaps with seasonal camps along rivers, westward of about 29°E. The distribution of a) rivers with names derived from Khoekhoen, b) isiXhosa dialects with a strong Khoekhoen component, and c) herder pottery along the coastline, all strongly support this proposal. The geographic limit of Early Iron Age settlement south-westward of East London remains to be determined. Woodland disturbance by early farmers in the larger, incised river valleys would have initiated processes of plant succession in a geographical patch-work in the later first millennium AD, that continue in places today, albeit with far greater intensity. This can be relevant to the management of such vegetation in protected areas (Feely, J. M.;; Bell-Cross, S. M., 2011). Early Xhosa Settlement In addition to the Stone Age discussed above, archaeology can also inform us on the early contact period with black farmers in this area. While the majority of black farmers lived to the west of the Fish River, which forms an important ecological boundary between summer (eastern) and winter (western) rainfall, the amaRharabe were settled around Bedford/Fort Beaufort, while the amaGcaleka were living along the coastal areas around 1820.
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Of particular interest in terms of this research, is the tantalizing possibility that the headquarters of two Xhosa chiefs were located in the Addo Park footprint. These two sites have not been explored, but they offer the opportunity of archaeological research, which may inform us of 19th century Xhosa kraals. The first site is `Congoskraal’. It was reported to WHR Gess (an amateur archaeologist) in 1962. According to his accounts `we have the suspicion that this is a Bantu site, as the farm was ca. 1820 the home of a Bantu chief’. According to Skead (2002) this would have been Chungwa’s Kraal. Chungwa was a Gqunukhwebe (a mixed Khoekhoen/Xhosa group) Chief. There is a small hill nearby which is now called Bailey’s Kop, but which the local Xhosa calls Ntaba kwaChungwa. The second Xhosa kraal is reputed to be that of Chief Habona of the `Donge’ and was reported to have been near the Zuurberg Pass in the late 18th century. After coming across this reference, our attention was drawn by John Adendorff to some aerial photographs, which showed several circular stone features on the farm Bassons Kloof. These stone circles resemble stone kraals, which clearly need to be investigated to determine their age (edited from De Klerk, 2002). The Historic Era The town of Alice in the Eastern Cape Province began as a Mission established by the Glasgow Missionary Society for the Xhosa people in 1824. It was named after Princess Alice (a daughter of Queen Victoria) and became the seat of a magistracy in 1847 and a town in 1852. Fort Cox College Timeline: 1834-1835: Fort Cox was established as military post during the sixth Frontier- War by Major William Cox of the British Army under orders from the Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Benjamin D’Urban.
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Figure 5. Fort Cox in 1835
1850: Around Christmas, when the Sir Harry Smith was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Cape Colony, he was actually besieged at Fort Cox with a party of Cape Mounted Rifles at the start of the Eight Frontier War. After the war, the Ngqika lands were sold to farmers and white magistrates who then had total administrative powers over the land and its people, thus replacing the chiefs. The chiefs were given land by magistrates for their personal use and, indeed, until recently, a grandson of the famous Chief Sandile (Nqgika’s son and successor) lived at Chwaru, a village adjoining Fort Cox.
1926: Under the influence and guidance of great leaders such as Professor D. D. T. Jabavu and Mr. M. Peteni, the Magistrate of Kieskammahoek, Mr. E. Beal recommended that Fort Cox and a portion of land around it, be purchased, with a view to establish what was then termed the “Native Agricultural School” and this was agreed to.
1927: The property of 650ha was eventually purchased from Mr. Timlett. Shortly thereafter the contract for building the school was given to Lovedale College at Alice.
1930: The school was officially opened in September by then Minister of Native Affairs, Hon. E. G. Jansen.
1934: Further 704ha was purchased from Chief Sandile, bringing the total area of the College grounds to 1 354ha. In these early years the College provided training in agriculture only up to 1969.
1970: In January the forestry students and staff of Swartkops College near Pietermaritzburg were transferred to Fort Cox College, and diploma course in forestry was instituted.
1974: The construction of the “New College” campus began on the land bought from Chief Sandile in 1934. This phase of the additional development of Fort Cox College was completed in 1976.
1977: Opened officially on 9th February by then Chief Minister of Ciskei. Mr. L. L. W. Sebe, the New College campus comprised the administration block, classrooms, student residences, staff residences and workshop.
1982: When the College was first opened as an agricultural school in 1930, the entrance requirement was Standard 6. This was raised to Standard 8 in 1950. In 1982 it was further raised to Standard 10 or National Senior Certificate, and the duration of the training was increased from two and a half to three years.
1983: Phase 2 of the New College campus saw the construction of the sports stadium and the assembly hall. The latter was named the Mgolombane Hall in memory great Xhosa Chief Sandile.
1985: A Ciskei Special Committee chaired by Professor T. J. Bemridge was appointed by the then President of Ciskei, Chief L. L. W. Sebe, to investigate and recommend measures that might improve the standard of training of all levels of manpower engaged in agricultural and rural development. The existing agricultural training programme at Fort Cox College was scrutinized closely and the College authorities unanimously accepted modifications recommended by the committee.
1986: College introduced a three-year diploma in nature conservation. This was inaugurated in July.
1990: Of particular significance is the fact that, in April, Decree No. 5 of 1991 of former Ciskei, granted Fort Cox College autonomy, thus making it the only College of Agriculture of its own kind in South Africa to date.
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1991: The College became affiliated to the University of Fort Hare. A memorandum of agreement by and between the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development of Ciskei on the one hand, and the University of Fort Hare on the other, was signed at Fort Cox College on 11th June 1991.
1993: Phase 3 of building programme started in June with the construction of new classrooms, laboratories and residences, a new library, a diagnostic center and a boardroom as well as new livestock handling facilities and a new field irrigation system.
1994: Phase 3 was completed and Fort Cox College could now boast some of the best facilities and amenities for student training in Southern Africa.
2000: Fort Cox College, like other colleges decided to remain under HE and offer training under quality assurance criteria set by the accrediting CHE (Council on Higher Education).
2002: Fort Cox academic programmes received full accreditation from CHE.
2004: The accreditation status of the academic programmes of Fort Cox College was re-affirmed by CHE.
2010: The curriculum of Fort Cox College was reviewed and implemented in line with the industry and socio economic needs of the country.
2010: Fort Cox hosted South African Agricultural Colleges Rugby tournament for the first time in its history. Fort Hare College: The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice. Originally, Fort Hare was a British fort in the wars between British settlers and the Xhosa of the 19th century. Some of the ruins of the fort are still visible today, as well as graves of some of the British soldiers who died while on duty there. During the 1830s, the Lovedale Missionary Institute was built near Fort Hare. James Stewart, one of its principals, suggested in 1878 that an institution of higher education of black students needed to be created. He would not live to see his idea created into reality. In 1916, Fort Hare was established with Alexander Kerr as its first principal with D.D.T Jabavu as its first black staff member who lectured Latin and black languages. In accord with its Christian principles, fees were low and heavily subsidized. Several scholarships were also available for indigent students. Fort Hare had many associations over the years before it became a university in its own right. It was initially the South African Native College attached to the University of South Africa. Then as the University College of Fort Hare associated with Rhodes University. In 1959, with the passing of the Promotion of Bantu Self Government Act, higher educational institutions would be strictly segregated along racial lines which would see Fort Hare becoming a black university in its own right in 1970, though strictly controlled by the state government. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style academic education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black African elite. Fort Hare alumni were part of many subsequent independence movements and governments of newly independent African countries. Several leading opponents of the apartheid regime attended Fort Hare, among them Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo of the African National Congress, Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Robert Sobukwe of the Pan Africanist Congress, Desmond Tutu, Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. Mandela who studied Latin and physics there for almost two years in the 1940s, left
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the institution as a result of a conflict with a college leader. He later wrote in his autobiography that “For young black South Africans like myself, it was Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, all rolled into one.” During the apartheid years, the school was nationalized and segregated along racial and tribal lines;; blacks had previously gone to classes with Indians, coloureds and a few white students. It became part of the Bantu education system and teaching in African languages rather than English was encouraged. After the end of apartheid, Oliver Tambo became chancellor of the University in 1991. Sources: https://global.britannica.com/place/Alice-South-Africa http://www.fortcox.ac.za/about/history.html Maaba, Brown Bavusile (2001). "The Archives of the Pan Africanist Congress and the Black Consciousness-Orientated Movements". History in Africa. 28: 417–438. Samuel G. Freedman (27 December 2013) Mission Schools Opened World to Africans, but Left an Ambiguous Legacy New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2013. Cultural Landscape The cultural landscape in the study area is strongly associated with rural developments and farmland. The old Fort Cox College Campus is a substantial landmark in the area. At the junction of the road to the college is a memorial stone dedicated to the British soldiers that died in the frontier wars.
Figure 6. Fort Cox College
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