Griqua people
The Griquas (/ˈɡriːkwə/; Afrikaans: Griekwa, often confused with !Orana, which is written as Korana or Koranna) is a subgroup of mixed race heterogeneous former Khoe-speaking nations in Southern Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the Dutch Cape Colony. Under apartheid, they were given a special racial people classification under the broader category of "Coloured". They are Cape Coloureds who participated in the Great Trek, forming "Griqua States" (the Coloured Afrikaans equivalent of "Boer States", which were White Afrikaans states formed after the Great Trek).
Griekwa | |
|---|---|
Adam Kok III The Captain of the Griqua people | |
| Total population | |
| 775,000 Coloured Afrikaans outside the Cape | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| South Africa, Namibia | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Christian Protestant denominations, particularly Dutch Reformed Calvinist | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Coloureds, Khoikhoi, Basters, Oorlam, Afrikaners, Tswana, Xhosa |
Similar to the Trekboers (another Afrikaans-speaking group of the time), they originally populated the frontiers of the nascent Cape Colony (founded in 1652). The men of their semi-nomadic society formed commando units of mounted gunmen. Like the Boers they migrated inland from the Cape and in the 19th century established several states in what is now South Africa and Namibia.