Griquatown
Encyclopedia
Griekwastad is a country town in South Africa. It is sometimes still called Griquatown, a name which is now considered historical. The town is situated in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa
about 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) from the city of Kimberley
. It was the first town to be established in the country north of the Orange River
.
and Cornelius Kramer, of the London Missionary Society
, established a station among the Griqua at Leeuwenkuil. The site proved to be too arid for cultivation, and in about 1805 they moved the station to another spring further up the valley and called it Klaarwater. Their second choice was little better than their first, and for many years a lack of water prevented any further development. The name of the settlement was changed later to Griquatown or Griekwastad in Afrikaans
.
They lived among a mixed nomadic community of the Chaguriqua tribe and "bastaards" (people of mixed origin) from Piketberg
. Their two leaders Andries Waterboer
and Adam Kok II later had a dispute and Kok left for Philippolis
.
From 1813 - 17 July 1871, the town and its surrounding area functioned as Waterboer's Land. Waterboer himself lived in a "palace", which in reality was a house with six rooms. A monument for Waterboer was later erected near the town's hospital.
Dr. Robert Moffat
and his wife Mary, on their way to the town of Kuruman
, were residing in Griquatown when their daughter, also Mary (later Mrs. David Livingstone
) was born in 1821. There is now a museum that strangely is dedicated to her rather than the founder of the town, William Anderson.
That Griekwastad was later the capital of British Colony Griqualand West
from 1873–1880, with its own flag and currency, before it was annexed into the Cape Colony
.
Nowadays, the town is best known for the semi-precious stones found there, particularly Tiger's eye
and Jasper
. Sheep farming occurs with dorpers, a South African breed, which can now also be found in places such as Australia
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
about 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) from the city of Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. It was the first town to be established in the country north of the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
History
In 1801 William AndersonWilliam Anderson (missionary)
The Reverend William Anderson of Griquatown was an English Christian missionary who relocated to South Africa under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. He was one of the earliest missionaries in the region...
and Cornelius Kramer, of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
, established a station among the Griqua at Leeuwenkuil. The site proved to be too arid for cultivation, and in about 1805 they moved the station to another spring further up the valley and called it Klaarwater. Their second choice was little better than their first, and for many years a lack of water prevented any further development. The name of the settlement was changed later to Griquatown or Griekwastad in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
They lived among a mixed nomadic community of the Chaguriqua tribe and "bastaards" (people of mixed origin) from Piketberg
Piketberg
Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....
. Their two leaders Andries Waterboer
Andries Waterboer
Andries Waterboer was a leader of the Griqua people. He was elected as their Kaptijn at Griquatown in 1820....
and Adam Kok II later had a dispute and Kok left for Philippolis
Philippolis
Philippolis is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded as a missionary outpost for the Bushman in 1823, making it the oldest settlement in the Free State. It was named after John Philip of the London Missionary Society. Adam Kok II, a Griqua leader, settled here with...
.
From 1813 - 17 July 1871, the town and its surrounding area functioned as Waterboer's Land. Waterboer himself lived in a "palace", which in reality was a house with six rooms. A monument for Waterboer was later erected near the town's hospital.
Dr. Robert Moffat
Robert Moffat
Robert Moffat was a Scottish Congregationalist missionary to Africa, and father in law of David Livingstone....
and his wife Mary, on their way to the town of Kuruman
Kuruman
Kuruman is a town with 12,701 inhabitants in Northern Cape province of South Africa, famous for its scenic beauty and the Eye of Kuruman, a geological feature bringing water from deep underground to the surface in the Kalahari Desert....
, were residing in Griquatown when their daughter, also Mary (later Mrs. David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
) was born in 1821. There is now a museum that strangely is dedicated to her rather than the founder of the town, William Anderson.
That Griekwastad was later the capital of British Colony Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
from 1873–1880, with its own flag and currency, before it was annexed into the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
.
Nowadays, the town is best known for the semi-precious stones found there, particularly Tiger's eye
Tiger's eye
Tiger's eye is a chatoyant gemstone that is usually a metamorphic rock that is a golden to red-brown color, with a silky luster. A member of the quartz group, it is a classic example of pseudomorphous replacement by silica of fibrous crocidolite...
and Jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
. Sheep farming occurs with dorpers, a South African breed, which can now also be found in places such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.