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practice as it usually took away numbers of people from their schools and
churches, where the missionaries were in the process of consolidating their
activities.
In 1869, when missionary Beyer was building his congregation in the
Blouberg-Makgabeng area, the time for circumcision disrupted his
congregation as only ten individuals were left as the rest went for
circumcision schooling 325 . This was negatively viewed by the missionary as
the reversal of his progress. During the term of Missionary Robert Franz in
Leipzig, he showed his dislike of the circumcision institution by burning one
circumcision kraal which he claimed was deliberately built next to the
mission station 326 . This was an indication of missionary arrogance because
it was the missionaries who built their institutions on land provided by the
same Blacks who were then accused of building their institutions next to the
missionaries’ station.
The institution of circumcision was therefore a source of tension between
missionaries and Black communities. By attacking the institution of
circumcision, the missionaries were trying to destroy one of the most valued
identity markers among the Black communities such as those in
Makgabeng. Circumcision was used to define people’s status in a society as
it separated different age groups. However, because of the fact that cultural,
325 M. Jackel, Gananoa, p. 11.
326 Ibid, p. 24.
184