The dynamics of political factionalism in a rural Ciskei village from 1880 to 1950

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Periodical article

Title:	The dynamics of political factionalism in a rural Ciskei village from 1880 to 1950
Author:	De Wet, C.
Year:	1987
Periodical:	African Studies
Volume:	46
Issue:	1
Pages:	57-78
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Ciskei South Africa
Subjects:	local politics Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) History and Exploration Politics and Government
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/00020188708707664
Abstract:	Chatha is a rural African village in the Keiskammahoek magisterial district of the Ciskei (South Africa). It was established after the Frontier War of 1850-1853 when a group of Mfengu, under their headman Jama, were settled there by the British administration. This article traces the development of political factions in this village, with the aid of both archival and oral sources, using oral sources to illuminate archival material such as petition lists, and archival sources to fill in gaps in the oral material. Oral evidence emphasizes the importance of two territorially based factions within the village and the role they played in the period 1910-1950. Archival evidence suggests that these two factions go back as far as the 1880s. Sections: The territorial base of factionalism in Chatha - The first phase of the headmanship: the establishment of the Jama lineage in the headmanship (1854 to 1912) - The second phase of the headmanship: factionalism unfurled (1912 to 1950). Bibliogr., notes, ref.