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| Title: | People of Mier: Between the Kalahari Desert, Colonialism and Apartheid |
| Author: | Erasmus, P.A. |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Periodical: | South African Journal of Ethnology |
| Volume: | 20 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Period: | September |
| Pages: | 114-118 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | South Africa |
| Subjects: | rural society natural resource management Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Ethnic and Race Relations colonialism History and Exploration Economics and Trade |
| Abstract: | This article is a case study of Mier, a frontier society in the harsh environment of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, in the period 1865 to 1994. The present land tenure system in Mier is to a large extent the result of the political economy of colonialism and apartheid. Originally there was a system of private landownership which entitled most of the people to land. Later, when Mier was colonialized, the Crown Lands concept was introduced. This led to a severe deterioration of the environment and the impoverishment of the people. Apartheid took it further: it empowered only those people who supported it politically. The Mier community distinguishes between Coloureds and Basters. The Coloureds regard themselves ans descendants of the original San and Khoikhoi who mixed with the white and Baster groups. They settled at Mier in the thirties and forties. By utilizing the opportunities of the apartheid system, they were able to gain political power and improve their living conditions. The Basters regard themselves as descendants of Dirk Vilander who settled in the area around 1865, and as the rightful owners of Mier. At present they are an impoverished, landless class. Bibliogr., sum. in Afrikaans and English. |