A South African cattle kraal (Photo by Richard Jones).

In the Dutch language a kraal is a bead, but the term in the described meaning derives from the Portuguese curral,^[1] similar to the Spanish corral.

The term primarily refers to the type of dispersed homestead characteristic of the Nguni-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 umzi, Zulu umuzi, Swati umuti) are called houses (singular indlu; plural Xhosa and Zulu 'izindlu', Swati 'tindlu') by modern ethnographers.

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

In Eastern and Central Africa, the equivalent word for a livestock enclosure is boma, but this has taken on wider meanings.

A South African homestead with a cattle kraal in the foreground (Photo by Richard Jones).

Other

The term Kraal is also used in scouting to name the team of Scout Leaders of a group. The Kraal is where the main decisions are taken.

References

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