Xhosa Wars

Xhosa Wars (1779–1879) The wars between the Xhosa people and Dutch and British colonists along the east coast of Cape Colony, between the Great Fish and Great Kei rivers. From 1811 the policy of clearing the land of Xhosa people to make way for Europeans began and, following a year of fighting (1818–19), some 4000 British colonists were installed along the great Fish river. As they pushed the frontier east, however, the colonists met greater resistance, cattle raids resulting in retaliation. The war of 1834 to 1835 yielded 60,000 head of cattle to the colonists and was followed by the longer struggle of 1846 to 1853. The war of 1877 to 1879, which yielded 15,000 cattle and 20,000 sheep, was vainly fought by tribesmen returning from the diamond fields in a last bid to regain their land. Afterwards all Xhosa territory was incorporated as European farmland within Cape Colony.