Nongqause (c. 1840–c. 1900)

19th-century Xhosa woman whose vision resulted in the great cattle sacrifice of 1856–57. Name variations: Nongqawuse. Born around 1840 in what is now South Africa; died around 1900.

Nongqause was born into the Xhosa tribe in what is now South Africa around 1840, at a time when the Boers and the British were pushing into the territory the Xhosa, a settled people who cultivated cattle and agriculture, had long occupied. In 1856, Nongquase had a vision in which her ancestors promised the Xhosa a millennium of freedom from European intruders in exchange for the sacrifice of their material wealth. She disclosed her revelation to her uncle Mhlakaza, who was also a prophet, and he relayed the prophecy to Sarili, the leader of the Gcaleka Xhosa.

The Xhosa greatly venerated visions and dreams. To fulfill Nongqause's vision, Sarili ordered over 150,000 cattle killed and crops and grain reserves destroyed, an action which took some ten months to complete. The hoped-for freedom never arrived, but widespread devastation did, as tens of thousands of Xhosa perished in the ensuing famine. Many others had to move to Cape Colony to seek assistance from or work for white settlers in order to survive. Mhlakaza was killed for his part in the tragedy. Nongqause escaped the fate of her uncle by fleeing to British colonial authorities, who took her into "protective custody." She was eventually released, after which she lived quietly until her death sometime around the turn of the 20th century.

Ruth Savitz , freelance writer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania