Amafengu celebrated their 171st anniversary at the weekend.
The tribe, also known as Abambo, relocated from around Tsomo, Butterworth and Dutywa to Peddie on May 14 1835.
Recollecting the historic day, Mnyanda Stamper said his forefathers had held their very first meeting under a milkwood tree, where vows were made on how as a tribe they would do things in their new-found home.
The village, which is now named after the milkwood tree (eMqwashinwi in isiXhosa) used the very same tree as their meeting venue on Saturday to renew their vows.
The group pledged to be patriots, respect their traditional leaders, educate their children and honour God.
“We commit to honour no-one but our own leaders as South Africans,” said Stamper.
AmaMfungu are originally from KwaZulu-Natal. On their arrival in the Cape Colony, Xhosa King Hintsa offered them land between Butterworth and the Kei River. But the frontier wars saw some being relocated to Peddie.
About 300 people attended the celebrations. Stamper said the event was not as popular as it used to be, because of misinformation about the history of amaMfengu over the years.
The celebrations were discouraged by the Lennox Sebe regime of the then Ciskei, and ever since fewer people had involved themselves in the celebrations.
“Some people have been spreading wrong information about the event. We would like the event to go back to its former glory. This is about the history of us as Abambo. It is where we come from and why we settled in this place. This is history that needs to be told,” said Stamper.
“Till today May 14 has been celebrated as the pillar of our unity as Abambo and a source of identity, the preservation of cultural heritage of a people whose struggle is recorded in the history books of our country,” he added. — lulamilef@dispatch
Tribe honours heritage in renewing vows
The tribe, also known as Abambo, relocated from around Tsomo, Butterworth and Dutywa to Peddie on May 14 1835.
Recollecting the historic day, Mnyanda Stamper said his forefathers had held their very first meeting under a milkwood tree, where vows were made on how as a tribe they would do things in their new-found home.
The village, which is now named after the milkwood tree (eMqwashinwi in isiXhosa) used the very same tree as their meeting venue on Saturday to renew their vows.
The group pledged to be patriots, respect their traditional leaders, educate their children and honour God.
“We commit to honour no-one but our own leaders as South Africans,” said Stamper.
AmaMfungu are originally from KwaZulu-Natal. On their arrival in the Cape Colony, Xhosa King Hintsa offered them land between Butterworth and the Kei River. But the frontier wars saw some being relocated to Peddie.
About 300 people attended the celebrations. Stamper said the event was not as popular as it used to be, because of misinformation about the history of amaMfengu over the years.
The celebrations were discouraged by the Lennox Sebe regime of the then Ciskei, and ever since fewer people had involved themselves in the celebrations.
“Some people have been spreading wrong information about the event. We would like the event to go back to its former glory. This is about the history of us as Abambo. It is where we come from and why we settled in this place. This is history that needs to be told,” said Stamper.
“Till today May 14 has been celebrated as the pillar of our unity as Abambo and a source of identity, the preservation of cultural heritage of a people whose struggle is recorded in the history books of our country,” he added. — lulamilef@dispatch
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