Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Feb. 13, 1982, edition 1 / Page 19
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A' . sat., n::-j;-ir 11.1:22 txj Cr-irar::::3 -n onizing of the "New World was1 analogous to prisoner-of-war; i.e.i all captured enemies became daVM' hut thw nftfn ninvH imnv nftka rinUtm of their captors; ; f V;. r;:':'--. . - r When this 'new'! ? concept 5 of slavery was understood, the blacks began to resist in the section " of the Kongo then known as Ndongo, -now as Angola. Ann Nzinga (also recorded as "Zingha and . Jinga" in various writings), the sister of the king of Ndongo was a fierce abolitionist and Supreme Commander of the army who waged incessant bat- , ties with her (sometime) allies the Jagas against the Portuguese, for years, guerrilla type warfare was carried out by Nzinga, her strong amazdn army and loyal male-warriors until, after repeatedly defeating the Europeans, a peace conference was called in 1622. Ann was appointed her country's emissary. Upon entering the conference room she and her. -escorts quickly determined that alt -whites were seated, but no such provision had been made for her! In a swift movement, the magnificnet carpet brought with them was rolled out and anattendant fell to all fours tp form a human throne upon which ', Nzinga sat. . , . Uncompromisingly, she refused to recognize the Portuguese "right" to rule her country and demanded that they leave the capital of Kabasa. The one area of agreement , was that prisoners-of-war would .be exchanged. Thus was the treaty enacted. If was quickly nullified when the Por tuguese began raids for slaves in the Kongo almost at onc,e. In ; 1623, after her brother had died, Nzinga! became Queen and relinguished the name of Anna acquired during her conversion to Christianity the year before while at the peace conference. To secure her position of strength and believing firmly in abolition, she declared that the area she controlled was a free country, the only such on the entire con tinent, and thus a haven for any and all slaves who -could reach Angola. In addition, she sent agents in to the Portuguese army to infiltrate the ranks and encourage masses of the black soldiers fighting under Portugal to defect to her array bringing their guns and ammunition with them. Frightened, the Portuguese attacked and forced' her to retreat and flee the country. Accepting her flight as a signal of defeat, Portugal appointed a vassal as King Philip I of Ndongo, Nzinga's people refused to accept this for through drum signals they were made aware that she would return when the time was right. Return she did in 1627 at the head of a stronger army of her dauntless amazons and well-trained men. Those at home had not abandoned her; in stead, they flocked together in a force of black uni-. ty that has not been duplicated. The Portuguese could not countenance such a show of Black Power and offered a huge reward for her, dead or alive, with freedom and land to be included. Freedom under her they already had, but rather than sacrifice her people's lives in an all-out defense of her, she again slipped out of the country and ordered the rumor be spread that she had been killed. Once again in 1629, she reappeared, this time with the Jaga as her ally. Again the Portuguese were clearly defeated and a new peace treaty was offered. She refused the majority of their demands. For over . three decades she continued warring against the Portuguese and allying herself with the Dutch (who had by now entered the continent to contest the Portuguese for colonies) when it seemed expedient. Queen' Nzinga spent the last decade of her life' rebuilding her country and a stable economy. It re mained a haven for all who were against slavery. Today, Angola continues to fight colonization in the spirit of Nzinga. I j Sbaka, King of the Zulu (1786-1S2S) Born the son of the Zulu King Senzangak na, he early acquired the attitudes and posture of one destined to rule. Over six feet tall and; well coordinated, Shaka excelled in physical contests. His burning ambition to become the catalyst for black unity and rule in southern Africa created ex-' cesses that have been well documented; excesses that the noted black historian Chancellor Williams DLACIC HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL SECTION, PART I ' .' to unify the various tribes and areas into one. He began by building a superior army, drafting youths into service at thirteen. For four years of rigorous training they remained in special camps until assign ed to a regiment. In the interest of national supremacy, Zulu warriors were expected to ( be fearless in battle, and only the victorious survived. Celibacy was .demanded (most particularly .the; " members of the elite corps called Fasimba) until a Suitable mate was chosen for the warrior. Even in -marriage strict rules of behavior were enforced; divorce and adultery were punishable by death. ;; New, techniques were adopted; the long, throwing spear was shortened to the assegai, a stabbing spear! similar to a bayonet. Each man was responsible for , his weapon and was instructed to return from battle" with it or lose his life. Shoes were eliminated for fleetness, and the Zulu warrior could march 30-50 miles in a day and stiUVgo into battle, j. v - Battle plans. were similar to Hannibal's, but the .main. force was in the center with surrounding, weaker .flanks on either side. Thus, G.K. Osei noted, Shaka . . .welded the Zulus into a military; . . force (as) fierce as the Vikings and as well disciplin ed as the Macedonian phalanx," , - In a few short years, what had begun as a smalt village state Shaka enlarged and unified into an area - bigger than France. It was at no small price hi human life that these gains were won, for the King of the Zulus would entertain no resistance without wreaking terrible havoc. In so doing, he gained the enmity of many and was assassinated by a half brother. '"'. '. ' During his rule, his nation became wealthy from the spoils of war and, as planned, none of the Euro- ? ' - pean powers attempted to seize the lands, that he claimed Shaka felt his council should have stopped, controlled. In addition, the name Zulu has become Nevertheless, Shalca must be counted among the . synonymous with fearlessness and victory, farsighted Mack Jeaders who tried ta resist the Mosesh, King of Basutoland (1790-1S94) European incursions and, subsequent domination of Fleeing the onslaught of Shaka and his their lands. devastating army, Mosesh led his tribe onto a In order to do so, Shaka recognized that Jhe had plateau in the Drakingbcrg Mountains in South 1 . Africa. There he established the Dasufd cation. Other refugees fleeing Siiaka sweHcd the population in this isolated, weft-fortified area. Here, they easily defended the land against the encroaching Doer S (Dutch) who were bang pushed out of Cape Colony by the British. Even though the Europeans had superior gun power, Mosesh and his superb horsemen constantly raided the Boers for cattle to', increase the Basuto's own herds. Any attempt to to-: vade Basutoland proved fruitless, for from their 1-; ; mountain fortress the Basutw proved to be invinci-.;bie- ..' ... . .. - '' '- -'-'.v. -'.'' -': Mosesh. however recognized- that whenever the. Europeans decided to unite against him. he would ; be at a distinct disadvantage. He then signed a ' peace treaty with the British (rather than the ' Dutch!), and requested missionaries front many -European countries to teach his people. This was designed to acquire "friends in high places", for Mosesh was well aware that Europeans were not too . well disposed toward pagans. : , v ? ; ".; When Basutoland was attacked by BritishBoer , forces, Mosesh was ready. General Cathcart, the ' . British governor of Cape Colony was the leader of . an army of well-trained white regulars and natives who advanced upon Basutoland with little or no understanding of the craftiness that Mosesh possessed. - The pastoral scene that greeted the European forces lulled them into a dangerous sense of relaxa tion. Cathcart ordered that the cattle he found graz ing upon the plateau (with old women tending them) be rounded up by a third of his force, while another third he sent to seal the pass to prevent the Basutos from fleeing. He then settled in with his re maining troops on a lower valley. . As soon as the cattle were being moved down the mountain, Mosesh sent a force of his cavalry swooping down the mountain, causing the cattle to stampede. The Europeans fled the disorganized animals in a most unmilitary like manner. (Continued On Page 20) M (KlfMSJ MLItSTffil r A ' ,m m a a mm 1 Trnnn3 1 ' 1 1 1 11 1 UUJ U LTUL& puntisv G.QdaotJEaainiG ITp An Individual Retirement Account could add' glitter to your golden yean. Visit any cf our convenient Raleigh locations. Well give you the facts about IRA Accounts, because nrfca tnu. . YOITRE SOMEBbDY SPECIAL! rtiECHAiacs a L JFART.1EESDAII 115 v;st Pirrlsh Strcsl 619 Fayettevllle $tr88t 411 E Chapel ,Ma StreeV 1 I., . . .. . x L. .. o Ji B3i6 ns bslui art ? osns iBJiffm -ncD .ssiilA strixinotoa moil 9qoiu3. bnirrntq .?n"!. cir n?. Long before black Americans made headlines on the olavine field; thv were making history. Lots of it. In fields like medicine, exploration, industry, and on the field of battle. The names pf these early "all-stars" probably aren't on the tip of your tongue. That's because they aren't in most histoid A black man was the first to reach the North Pole. Matthew Henson, a member of Commodore Perry's expedition, raised the flag there in 1909. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a black sureeon. oerformed the world's first sue- cessiui nean operation aimosi one nunarea years ago. i In 17r1 Rpniamin ftjinnptrfr HpcicmfH nnH hnilt trip firct ctrilrina rrrV v. . v'7 i'vjijwijiii viuuiwfiwi uvuiitvw wiim iuui uiw ill mui vtwiii It was also the first clock made entirely in America. And, on a September morning in 1864, thirteen black soldiers earned Congressional Medals of Honor. Thev led the Union Armv's successful assault on Chaff in's Farm, a Confederate stronghold on the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia.) There are thousands of stones like these. K 1 Enough to fill a library. And, thanks to efforts like BlackHistory Month, someday they will. 3 i mm, mm JJv A it, .iwwf. ... . m : . .a -m mi m f- . vw, ,jl ..
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Feb. 13, 1982, edition 1
19
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