Following the Anglo-Boer War, large numbers of malcontents would not, or could not, return to the land of their birth. In what emerged as the Afrikaner diaspora, some emigrated to Argentina, others to East Africa, and a third group settled in the American Southwest. Most of the latter became farmers in the Texas-New Mexico area. Raised in the Boer tradition in South Africa, Brian Du Toit recounts the cultural background of these early settlers. In "Boer Settlers of the Southwest," he traces the family traditions and provides genealogical charts for the Viljoen and Snyman families.
First settling in Chihuahua, Mexico, most of the Boers moved north into the English-speaking regions where they established farms and excelled at grain and vegetable farming rather than ranching. The settlement held together for a number of decades but gradually dissolved as economic conditions necessitated other forms of employment.
One of the leaders, and a person who left a lasting imprint on the Mesilla Valley, was General Ben Viljoen. Locally he introduced farming innovations and modernized irrigation, preparing for water from Elephant Butte Dam. He was a delegate in negotiations for New Mexico statehood, involved in the Mexican revolution, and was Mexico's representative to pacify the Yaqui Indians in Sonora. Viljoen and other Boers firmly established the production and marketing of local produce in emerging towns such as El Paso.
Brian Du Toit grew up in South Africa, earning an M.A. degree at the University of Pretoria and completing his doctoral studies at the University of Oregon. He has conducted fieldwork among Native Americans, in the highlands of New Guinea, among settlers in Argentina and on various subjects in South Africa. His studies and publications have been concentrated on urbanization, drug studies, aging, and migration. Extensive travels have served to satisfy an insatiable appetite for "other cultures."
Southwestern Studies No. 101
ISBN 0-87404-197-X, paper, $12.50
94 pg. photos, appendices, biblio.
To order, write: Texas Western Press, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968-0633--or use the Texas Western Press toll-free number (for ordering only): (800) 488-3789--or order by e-mail