Bondelswarts Rebellion

Quick Facts: Who was Bondelswarts Rebellion?

Subject:

Bondelswarts Rebellion

Known for:

A violent 1922 uprising by the Bondelswarts Khoikhoi against colonial administration policies.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Bondelswarts Rebellion of 1922 (also known as the Bondelswarts Uprising, Bondelswarts Affair, or Bondelswarts Punitive Expedition) was a controversial violent incident in South Africa's League of Nations Mandate of South West Africa, now Namibia. In 1917, the South African mandatory administration had created a tax on dogs, and they increased it in 1921. The tax was rejected by the Bondelswarts, a group of Khoikhoi, who were opposed to various policies of the new administration. They were also protecting five men for whom arrest warrants had been issued. There is disagreement over the details of the dispute, but according to historian Neta Crawford, "most agree that in May 1922 the Bondelswarts prepared to fight, or at least to defend themselves, and the mandatory administration moved to crush what they called a rebellion of 500 to 600 people, of which 200 were said to be armed (although only about 40 weapons were captured after the Bondelswarts were crushed)".

Career & Major Achievements

Gysbert Reitz Hofmeyr, the Mandatory Administrator of South West Africa, organised in 400 armed men, and sent in aircraft to bomb the Bondelswarts. Casualties included 100 Bondelswart deaths, including a few women and children. A further 468 men were either wounded or taken prisoner. South Africa's international reputation was tarnished. Ruth First, a South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar, describes the Bondelswarts shooting as "the Sharpeville of the 1920s".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

It was one of the first uprisings to be examined by the Permanent Mandates Commission under the new League of Nations mandate system introduced after the First World War. The application of the principles set out in the League of Nations mandatory covenants by the independent Permanent Mandates Commission led to a deepened international examination of the ethics of colonialism and of the actions of taken against subject peoples. The Bondelswarts (now the ǃGamiǂnun, a clan of the Nama people) initially inhabited a territory to the north and south of the Orange River, but as the Dutch administration at the Cape extended its sovereignty the Bondelswarts moved to the lands north of the Orange River to avoid interaction with the government of the Cape. European traders came to Namibia in the early nineteenth century but they were few in number and their activities were relatively low key, although they did facilitate access to European guns and some European made goods. In the early 1820s, at the time of the first contact with missionaries, the Bondelswarts inhabited the territory stretching 200 miles to the north of the Orange River in current day Namibia.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1917: 1917 Milestone — In 1917, the South African mandatory administration had created a tax on dogs, and they increased it in 1921.
2. 1922: 1922 Milestone — The Bondelswarts Rebellion of 1922 (also known as the Bondelswarts Uprising, Bondelswarts Affair, or Bondelswarts Punitive Expedition) was a controversial violent incident in South Africa's League of Nations Mandate of South West Africa, now Namibia.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Bondelswarts Rebellion

True or False: “The primary cause of the 1922 rebellion was solely the imposition of a new dog tax by the South African administration.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the increased dog tax in 1921 was an immediate trigger, the underlying causes included extensive land loss and general opposition to colonial policies.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aage Bohr — Historical peer (Born in 1922) (1922): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Agnes Nixon — Historical peer (Born in 1922) (1922): Pioneering soap opera writer and producer, creator of 'One Life to Live' and 'All My Children'.
• Abdullah al-Sallal — Historical peer (Born in 1917) (1917): Yemeni military officer and revolutionary who led the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962.
• Adolf von Baeyer — Historical peer (Died in 1917) (1917): Pioneering German chemist known for indigo synthesis and IUPAC nomenclature.
• Aaron Beck — Historical peer (Born in 1921) (1921): Father of Cognitive Therapy and CBT, revolutionizing psychiatric treatment.
• ʻAbdu'l-Bahá — Historical peer (Died in 1921) (1921): Successor to Baháʼu'lláh and guiding light of the Baháʼí Faith.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bondelswarts Rebellion