ABSTRACT
Before the peaceful conditions were established the BaVenda lived in large villages. Each village was ruled by a petty chief and formed a strong, compact community, living inside an enclosure and ready at a moment's notice to mobilize in full strength to protect itself against surprise attacks of enemy invaders. In common with most other Bantu people of South Africa, the BaVenda economic life is influenced by a mixture of the pastoral and hoe cultures. Whilst being great lovers of cattle they regard them more as a source of wealth than as a means of livelihood and depend for subsistence almost entirely upon agriculture. Before the coming of the European only the chiefs and important headmen owned cattle, the ordinary people using hoes as the medium in the lobola of wives. Both sheep and goats are kept by the BaVenda. The former are not numerous, but every one possesses goats which among the poor people take the place of cattle.
