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'''Afrikaner''' is term applied to a group of [[South Africa]]n people, descended from the original 17th century [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[Huguenot]] settlers. During [[British]] colonial rule they were also referred to as ''Boers'', as many of them were pastoral farmers. In an attempt to free themselves of British rule, small groups left the [[Cape Colony]] and headed for the interior, thus opening up the rest of the country, in what is known as the [[The Great Trek]].  

'''Afrikaner''' is term applied to a group of [[South Africa]]n people, descended from the original 17th century [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[Huguenot]] settlers. During [[British]] colonial rule they were clearly distinguished from the ''Boers'', as none of them participated in the inland migration of the "Boers" from the Cape Colony, but chose to remain in the Cape. In an attempt to free themselves of British rule, small groups of "Boers" left the [[Cape Colony]] and headed for the interior, thus opening up the rest of the country, in what is known as the [[The Great Trek]].

The derogatory word ''Boer'' also gave rise to the term [[Boer War]] to describe the two wars fought between the British and majority Afrikaner forces during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. These have subsequently been renamed the [[South African Wars]]. [[Afrikaans]] is the language spoken by Afrikaners.

The derogatory word ''Boer'' also gave rise to the term [[Boer War]] to describe the two wars fought between the British and Boer forces during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. These have subsequently been renamed the [[South African Wars]]. Despite an attempt to assimilate the two groups after the Second Boer War, the [[Boers]] have remained a seperate ethnic group to this day.  

The [[South African National Party|National Party]], which came into power in 1948, received a large amount of support from the Afrikaner community, fueled by anti-British sentiments carried over from the legacy of the [[South African Wars]] and pro-[[Nazi]] sentiment amongst its founders, many of whom were members of the subversive [[Ossewa-Brandwag]] (''Ox Wagon Torch Guard'') during [[World War 2]]. It was this party that later formalised the already-existing [[Segregation|racial segregation]], imposed first by the [[Dutch]] and later by the [[British]] colonialists, giving it the name [[apartheid]].

[[Afrikaans]] is the language spoken by Afrikaners. Most Afrikaners are Christians, but church attendance among them have declined rapidly over the past couple of decades.

[[Category:South Africa]]

[[Category:South Africa]]