Kraal

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Kraal

Kraal (also spelled craal or kraul) is an Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
and South African English

South African English

South African English is a dialect of English language spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries with a large number of Anglo-Africans living in them, such as Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho....
word for an enclosure for cattle

Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
or other livestock, located within an African homestead

Homestead (small African settlement)

In the southern African context, a homestead is a cluster of several houses characteristic of the Nguni-speaking peoples of Africa. Each homestead will normally be occupied by a single extended family....
or village surrounded by a palisade

Palisade

A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure....
, mud

Sod

Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of this material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns....
wall

Defensive wall

A defensive wall is a fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements....
, or other fencing, roughly circular in form.

In the Dutch language a kraal is a bead

Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for yarn or stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter....
, but the term in the described meaning derives from the Portuguese curral, similar to the Spanish corral
Corral

Corral is a town and a commune in Valdivia Province, southern Chile. It is located south of Corral Bay, and according to the 2002 census the commune has 5300 inhabitants while the town had 3670: 1856 male, and 1814 female ....
, which entered into .

The term primarily refers to the type of dispersed homestead characteristic of the Nguni

Nguni

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Encyclopedia

Kraal (also spelled craal or kraul) is an Afrikaans

Afrikaans

South African English

Cattle

Homestead (small African settlement)

Palisade

A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure....
, mud

Sod

Defensive wall

Bead

Nguni

Nguni languages are mostly spoken by Nguni people, which are group of clans and nations living in south-east Africa.The languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in southern Africa including Zulu language, Xhosa language, Swati language, amaHlubi,Phuthi language and Ndebele language ....
-speaking peoples of southern Africa. Although from the period of colonization white South Africans commonly referred to the entire homestead as a kraal, ethnographers have long recognized that its proper referent is the animal pen area within a homestead, and that it is incorrect to speak of persons living in kraals. The several human dwellings within a homestead (Xhosa

Xhosa language

Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately Xhosa, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a Tone , that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation....
umzi, Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu , is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population ....
umuzi, Swati

Swati language

Swati is a Bantu languages of the Nguni group spoken in Swaziland and South Africa. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 1.5 million....
umuti) are called houses (singular indlu; plural Xhosa

Xhosa language

Zulu language

Swati language

Swati is a Bantu languages of the Nguni group spoken in Swaziland and South Africa. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 1.5 million....
'tindlu') by modern ethnographers.

Folds for animals and enclosures made specially for defensive purposes are also called kraals.

In Eastern

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and Central Africa

Central Africa

Central Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
, the equivalent word for a livestock enclosure is boma
Boma (enclosure)

A boma is a livestock enclosure, a stockade or kind of fort, or a district government office. The term is used in many parts of eastern, central and southern Africa and is incorporated into many African languages as well as colonial varieties of English language, French language and German language....
, but this has taken on wider meanings.

Other

The term Kraal is also used in scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society....
to name the team of Scout Leaders of a group. The Kraal is where the main decisions are taken.