Trekboer

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The Trekboers were descendents of Dutch colonists / French Huguenot refugees / German Protestants & smaller number of Belgians / Scandinavians / Scots (& also some Indians & Khoi due to intermarriage & aborption) who began migrating from the area near Cape Town during the 1690s & into the eastern Cape frontier throughout the 1700s.

The Trekboers were semi-nomadic farmers also simply known as Boers (which is Dutch for "farmer") & spoke a language called Eastern Border Afrikaans: which started out as a modified Dutch dialect but became a distinct language over time with a number of words having non Dutch origins, mainly of French, German, Malay, Khoi & later English origin.

Some Trekboers resist Dutch rule & set up independent republics in the towns of Swellendam & Graaff-Reinet in 1795. Later reversed by the British upon their acquisition of the Cape. Some Trekboers resist British legislation in 1815 which leads to a rebellion at Slagters Nek in which the British execute some of the Boer leaders of the rebellion. After experiencing further British encroachments & constant border wars with the Xhosa to the east as well as growing land shortages: a large number of Trekboers become Voortrekkers.

Though some Trekboers crossed the Orange River at least a decade before the Voortrekkers did. A Trekboer named Coenraad Du Buys (surname of French Huguenot origin) fled from the British & became the first White inhabitant of the (western) Transvaal in 1815 where he set up a farm.

During the nineteenth century both Trekboers (Afrikaans speaking migrants from the 1600s & 1700s who trekked into the eastern frontiers) & Voortrekkers (Afrikaans speaking pioneers who trekked into the interior during the 1830s & 1840s) would simply be called Boers During the Twentieth century both Boers & the Cape Dutch -those who did not trek eastward & remained in the Western Cape- would become known as Afrikaners. A term which was applied to all White Afrikaans speakers.

While the term Trekboer has become obsolete: there is still a cultural / linguistic (accents & some terms) & geographic defference between the Boers of Voortrekker / Trekboer / Republican descent to those who are of Cape Dutch (as they were called mainly by trekking Boers) / Western Cape descent.