419 



THE NATIVES AND AGRICULTURE. 



BY 



W. Hammond Tooke. 



Read July 13, 1921 



"Les pays du paturage sont peu peuples parce que peu de gens 



v trouvent de l'occupation ; les terres a ble n'occupent plus 

 d'hommes." — Montesquieu: "De l'Esprit des Lois." liv : XXIII, 

 Chap. 13. 



The Bantu tribes situated South of the Zambezi and the 

 Cunene rivers are divided by scientists into five groups. The fifth 

 comprises the Ova Herero and Ova Mpo ; of which the former have 

 recently been practically extirpated by a civilised soldiery more 

 savage than the most bloodthirsty African warrior. The popula- 

 tion of the other four groups may be estimated and distributed as 

 follows : — 



Union. Non-Union. Total. 



A. Zulu Kaffir: — 



Union 2,658,000' 



Swaziland 1,000,000- 



Portuguese East Africa 780, 000 2 4,438,000 



B. Tekeza or Thonga : — 



Portuguese East Africa 1,000,000 s 1,000,000 



C. Kalanza : — 



Southern Rhodesia ... 750, 000 3 750,000 



D. Bechuana : — 



Union 1,282,000' 



Basutoland 400, 000 1 



Bechuanaland Protectorate 120,000- 1,802,000 



3,940,000 4,050,000 7,990,000 



When the Fecani wars, originated by the Mtetwa tribe, had 

 gradually subsided, most of the tribes north of the Orange River 

 were recent arrivals, driven here and there, fugitive and vagrant, 

 or placed by the emigrant Boers on the locations assigned to them. 

 It is not necessarily to be inferred that the latter were thus estab- 

 lished either lawfully or by due authority, or by any other right 

 than the arbitrary will of the strongest. 



The Bechwana (including the Basuto), who cover the largest 

 extent of territory with which we have to deal, occupy the eastern 

 part of what is called by botanists the "Kalahari region," a wide 

 outland basin drained by the Orange River and its northern tribu- 

 taries. It embraces that portion of the Cape Province north of the 

 Orange, which used to be called "Griqualand West" and British 



1 In round numbers based on the Union Census of 1911. 

 - Estimated. 



3 Including a number of Matabele which belong to Class A. 



4 Lagden's ''The Basutos." 



