AY Honors/African Lore/Answer Key

The Xhosa people live in South Africa and Namibia.

History of the Xhosa

The name supposedly refers to one of their legendary chieftains of old. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language is known as isiXhosa — another prefix-oriented Bantu language. As their Bantu-speaking ancestors moved south, they may have absorbed some local Khoisan and Griqua populations, with a consequent impact on the language.

Although they are distributed across the country and into Namibia, they are concentrated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Under the pre-1994 South African system of bantustans, they were allocated to Transkei or Ciskei, now both a part of Eastern Cape.

Historically they were pushed west by expansion of the Zulus, as the northern Nguni put pressure on the southern Nguni, a process known as the Mfecane. Their ability to resist the British colonisers was weakened by the famines and political divisions that followed in the wake of the Cattle-Killing of 1856–1857 (see Nongqawuse).

The "Xh" in the word "Xhosa" is pronounced as a clicking noise.

Famous Xhosa People

Nelson Mandela is Xhosa, and they provide a significant portion of the African National Congress leadership.

External Links

Xhosa Folklore - a neat site which consists of Xhosa folklore collected in 1886.