Andries Waterboer
Wikipedia’s article on Andries Waterboer (about 1772 to December 1852) says he founded the Waterboer dynasty of the Griqua of Griqualand West. It says he was of “pure Bushman (San) origin”, unlike most Griqua, who were predominantly of mixed descent, that he was born in the wilderness north of the Orange River (the birth date is uncertain, with estimates between 1770 and 1790), and that he joined the household of the ruling Kok family, took the name Andries Waterboer, and learned to read and write. The article carries a “needs more citations” banner dated 2016.
Captain of Griquatown
- In 1815 he led an armed revolt, called the “Hartenaaropstand”, against Adam Kok II and Barend Barends, and by 1816 had defeated both, who moved south-east with their followers.
- He was elected captain (kaptyn) at Griekwastad (Griquatown) on 20 December 1820.
- The article says his rise alienated other Griqua factions, including the nomadic Bergenaars, and led to wars with them and with the Korana; in 1827 Griekwastad was besieged by a large Bergenaar army after he executed six Bergenaar chiefs, and he won but was badly weakened.
- In 1823, allied with the Kok and Barends families, he won the Battle of Dithakong, which the article says diverted the Mfecane migrations away from Griqua land.
- In 1834 he signed a formal treaty with the Cape Colony in Cape Town, which the article calls the first with a neighbouring state, agreeing to keep peace among neighbouring states and secure the Cape’s border in return for money and weapons.
He died in December 1852 and was succeeded by his eldest son Nicolaas Waterboer. The article does not cover the later dispute over Griqualand West after diamonds were found there, which the Griqua article places after 1866 and ends with a British annexation in 1880.
What we have not read
The article’s sources are a probate record, a 2020 article by Gerald Groenewald on Nicolaas Waterboer’s 1872 journal, Zandberg’s Rehoboth Griqua Atlas and the New Dictionary of South African Biography; we have read none of them. We have not found the Waterboer family’s own account or who leads the line today.
Izithakazelo and totem
We have found no recorded praises or totem for the Waterboer family, so we are printing none. If you belong to the Waterboer family and want its history recorded here, we would like to hear from you.
Sources and further reading
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