ABSTRACT
The South African population is officially divided into three ‘race’ groups, namely: Black, White and Coloured. In June 1975 Walmer Estate and part of Woodstock were officially proclaimed together as a ‘Coloured area’. Interest in women among social anthropologists developed with the awareness that the bulk of field research, while purporting to reflect the character of a society as a whole, really depended on its male informants. Two traditional value-systems have had an important influence on this community. First, European (mostly British) missionaries and social workers who came to live in District Six during the first half of this century gave the people hope that by acquiring the cultural attributes of the European they would gradually become assimilated into White South African society. Secondly, a strong Islamic influence has been maintained through the Moslem members of the community.
