When Dr Treive Nicholas first encountered the tale of a 15-year-old girl blamed for the 1856-57 cattle killing, he felt something was amiss and so he embarked on a years-long quest for the truth, which culminates in his new book, In Search of Nongqawuse, set to be launched in East London this weekend.
Nicholas, a research scientist with a professional career in commerce based in the UK is the author of previous works based on the Eastern Cape, such as A Nun and The Pig: Tales from South Africa, released in 2021. He has spent 45 years teaching in the Eastern Cape, enraptured by its beauty and the rich complexity of its history.
Despite this, it was only seven years ago that Nicholas first heard the story of the widely derided Nongqawuse — the young girl who, according to historical accounts, was blamed for the deaths of 40,000 amaXhosa in the mid-1850s.
These accounts claim she convinced her people, based on divine instructions from the ancestors, that killing their cattle would lead to renewed prosperity, the return of healthy herds, and a future free of colonial settlers in the aftermath of the frontier wars.
Nicholas, moved by an inkling that Nongqawuse may have been unjustly maligned for this tragedy, set out on a journey that covered hundreds of kilometres across the Wild Coast all the way to a cemetery in Cambridgeshire in the UK, to make sense of what happened almost 200 years ago and to remove the shame that has stalked Nongqawuse’s name for almost two centuries.
“On the first reading I felt very uncomfortable with much of the blame being heaped on a teenage girl. I could smell the injustice because she felt like an easy target for the mistakes of others.
“At first I struggled to comprehend how the amaXhosa could place so much faith on the promises of their ancestors and to understand I had to leave behind the 21st century Western way of thinking.
“Think about the amaXhosa culture of those times, how they were feeling after eight brutal frontier wars, cattle disease, crop disease and the eastern expansion of European settlers.
“Consider how the previous Xhosa king has been killed and mutilated by colonial soldiers some 20 years earlier. Add this to their everyday engagement with the ancestors and a less incredulous picture unfolds.
“Desperate people do desperate things, irrespective of century or culture. Pushed, people both individually and collectively become compelled to do things that previously seemed unthinkable.
“Nongqawuse was by no means the first person at the time to suggest killing cattle for intercession of the ancestors and a better future.
“Her message resonated most because of the unique distressed circumstances.
“The book has taught me, and I hope will teach readers, to think twice before looking for simple one line solutions because there were numerous factors which collectively triggered the events in 1856.”
The book bridges the gap between academic research and accessible storytelling as it blends thorough historical research with personal narrative to bring this history to life in a way that is compelling and credible. He draws lines between the past and the present that reveal how the legacy of the cattle killing still echoes in contemporary life and politics of the Eastern Cape.
Nicholas physically retraced locations tied to Nongqawuse’s story, from the Gxara River to her final resting place which gives the narrative the immediacy and connection that traditional academic work lacks. He places oral histories and colonial records on equal footing ensuring that amaXhosa voices are heard and respected.
Beyond that, he weaves in psychological and political insights that help us understand how deeply colonial trauma affected decision-making and resistance.
Magdaleen Snyman from Kwela Books believes Nicholas’ book is vital tool for promoting cultural understanding as across generations, the cattle killing has been told in ways that misrepresent and even shame amaXhosa people.
Snyman added: “Nicholas approaches this history with the care and respect it deserves, allowing communities to reconnect with their past from a place of dignity and not blame.
“It’s a humanising, thought-provoking portrait that reflects the broader effort to reexamine the roles of women and indigenous leaders in history.
“This isn’t just an important book. It’s an enjoyable one! In Search of Nongqawuse is a gripping, thought-provoking adventure through history, culture, and landscape. It entertains as much as it informs.”
The book launch is hosted by the Border Historical Society, which also had a hand in assisting with the research that underpins the book for which Nicholas said he is greatly indebted.
The society said: “It is such an important and complex topic there are always likely to be new and different interpretations which help our collective understanding.
“The past must help us inform the present and future. In telling his personal story, Nicholas celebrates the beauty and culture of the Eastern Cape.”
The launch will be held on May 10 at the EL Museum at 2.30pm. For any enquiries please contact: border.historical. society@gmail.com.