The Waldesians of our Valleys
There has always been an argument discussion amongst the people of the Western Cape, both South African and Italian regarding certain surnames, which were always thought to be of direct Huguenot descent. What has made research difficult regarding the Waldesians is the changing of national borders over the hundreds of years, to what they at present to-day. The people of the Waldesian Valleys too-day, speak both French and Italian, and amongst themselves a dialect called ‘’Patois’’, which is very similar to the Piedmontese dialect, which is also very much so influenced by the French language.This basically a Francophile area, the same as from Aosta, in the north of Piedmont to the border with Switzerland, which is predominantly French speaking. It is here too in the summer months; one will find the Italians busying themselves making biltong, and hanging it out to dry in the crisp mountain air.
Between 70 – 120 A.D. people started to occupy the area of the Waldesian Valleys. Where they originally came from know one really knows. Part of the Indo-European nation, they probably were Celts who forever moving west, and north westerly, settling eventually as far as the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, although they never united as a nation. Legend has it that St. Paul preached to the people of these valleys, converting them to Christianity, before travelling on further to Spain.
They lived humbly, amongst themselves, not caring too much about the goings on in the outside world beyond the mountains. At the end of the 11th Century, they became discontent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and started to disassociate themselves, moving to form their own religious group. The Roman Catholic
Church of the day became very unhappy, and nervous regarding these early Protestants, which eventually was to turn to the most violent anger, burning their houses, putting them to the sword, hanging or burning them at the stack, and abducting their children, sending them to be reformed in Catholic schools.
Despite this the Waldesians continued their protest, resisting the Catholic Churches threats, living in voluntary poverty, refused to take oaths of any kind, or participate in any war, and later still rejected the doctrines of transubstantiation, purgatory, and the
Invocation of saints. They held their friendship, with other protestant groups, such as the Albigenses and Cathcars, although they differed differently in belief. They also had more friendly relationships with the Huguenots. There were no controlled border posts
In those times, and people moved back and forth as they pleased.
From the South African present day families who are associated with the Waldesians, are Cronje (Cronier); Kortje(Cordier); De Villiers; Du Rand; Du Plessis; De Klerk (De Clerq); Faure; Fourie; Fouche; Gouws (Gauch); Jacobs; Malan; Minnaar (Mesnard); Malherbe; Jordaan, Jordan (Jourdan); Joubert (Jaubert); Roux; and Theron (Therond).
After 1525, when again the Waldesians had to flee their valleys, they were taken in by the Huguenots, settling in various parts of France, for about 3 generations, and were unable to return. With the Suspension of the Edict of Nantes, everyone had to flee, eastwards to Switzerland and Germany and some even as far as Hungary and Poland.
Speaking to Dr. Hercules Malan of the ‘’Malan Family Association’’, in November of 2009, he reported that he had found a Waldesian Museum in the Black Forest of Germany, which he visited, and never existed before. Mrs. Patrizia di Gia, President of the Piedmontese Association for the Western Cape (Piemontese nel Mondo), who’s mother hails from Torre Pelice in the Waldesian Valleys, was to say that the surnames of
Malan, Du Toit and Du Plessis are still very common in that area. Many Waldesians of course returned to their valleys, when freedom of speech was declared in 1689, although the Roman Catholic Church, still maintained their right of their religion only in
that area. Dr. Hercules Malan organised the ‘’International Malan Family Conference’’, at the Hotel Gilley in Torre Pelice in the year 2000, where delegates explained about the families from the Waldesian Valleys had immigrated. Many were still living in Western Europe and England, while others were in the U.S.A., Brazil, Argentina and Australia.
The largest amount of Malans were in South Africa, over 9000 of them, and all directly related. Also the highest amount in the world. Many other Waldesians arrived in Uruguay in the 1800’s and became farmers there. Diego Malan was to establish their church and religion there.
The Waldesian Protestant Church, started when 1170, Pierre Valdot, a wealthy merchant of Lyons in France, after attending some of these very early religious meetings, sold all his worldly possessions, and became a street preacher. He was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, for preaching and not being an ordained fully fledged Priest. He proceeded to the Waldesian Valleys, and established
His own religious group there. They were forced by the Catholic Church to go underground, but still they continued in their faith, despite the dangers.
In 1655 a military expedition was sent against them, known sadly as the ‘’Piedmontese Easters’’, which arose protests from all over Europe, with the intervention by England’s Oliver Cromwell; it also inspired the well known poem by Milton "On the late massacre in Piedmont". In 1686, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, many Waldesians were killed, and only a few thousand found refuge in Switzerland, where the Waldesians are also found to-day. After 3 years they were able to return to their beloved valleys in a memorable trek over the Mess.
During the Napoleonic Wars, General Charles Beckwith, was wounded at the final ‘’Battle of Waterloo’’. He became a born again Christian, and proceeded to the Waldesian Valleys, where he did good work in educating the Waldesians. A street in Torre Pelice via Beckwith is named after him.
In 1979 the Waldesians were united with the Methodists of Italy, the Lutherans, and Baptist Churches, making a joint membership of 30,000. There are also 15,000 Waldesians in South America. Half of the Italian Waldesians live in the Valleys still to-day.
The work is in the hands of 100 Pastors and 25 lay workers. Pastors are trained at the
Theological College in Rome. The system of the Waldesian Church is based on the Presbyterian system.
The Waldesians who arrived at the Cape, from 1688 onwards on various Dutch East India ships, together with the French Huguenots, were settled on farm land at the ‘’Wagon makers Valley’’, outside of Wellington, and Stellenbosch. Jacque de Savoye, who had two daughters only, was the leader of this group, and often protested the governance of Adriaan Willem van der Stel. Amongst the Huguenots and Waldesians, was one Italian, namely Ignace Mare from Calabria, who was a widower, and settled in the Drakenstein area. He too had become a Protestant, and therefore also had to flee for his life. The surname is also spelt Maree to-day.
With the re-establishing of the Waldesian Church in Torre Pelice, a Missionary Society was also formed. Two mission stations were established in Egypt, one at Alexandria, and one at Cairo.
In the late 1800’s Luisa Malan and her husband Jacques Weitzecke, both natives of Torre Pelice, arrived in Kimberley, where they soon, after visiting the Italian diamond workers there, as requested by their government, were able to persuade the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State to set up trading links with their country, which lasted
Until the start of the Anglo-Boer War in 1899.They were able to fulfil their missionary duties in Lesotho, amongst the Sesotho people, and were to write a book of their experiences there.
Also active Waldesian missionaries in Barotseland and Zambia were the cousins Luigi and Adolfo Jalla. A photo of Luigi Jalla and his wife can be seen at the Africana Museum in Johannesburg, in the ‘’Hall of the Missionaries’’. In 1906, at a trade fair in Milan in Italy, these mentioned missionaries put up an exhibition of the work they had been performing, with different tribal clothing and traditional African items on display, plus a handwritten document by the King of the Barotse people, and a map of Africa, depicting where their mission stations were located.
In 1989 the ‘’Waldesian Cultural Centre Foundation’’, was established, celebrating the 300th anniversary of the ‘’Glorious Return’’ from exile to Piedmont in 1689.A library was established, including a documentation facility. The Waldesian Museum, founded in 1889, has been reorganised into two categories of past and present history of the different time periods of life times in the Waldesian Valleys. Here too the statue of their founder Pierre Valdot can be seen. Guided tours are also available – also in English to places of interest. The Waldesian Choir, based at the ‘’Teatro D’Angrogna’’, called ‘’Montana e Liberta’’, can also be heard. The choir visited Cape Town, for the first time in November of 2009, putting on a display of folk music from their part of the world, which was very entertaining. Amongst this group were 3 Male and 1 female Malan family group. Dr. Hercules and Dennis Malan, at the end of their performance, rushed forward to greet them, like long lost family members. It was truly heart warming to see this happen.
With the Waldesians of the Valley spreading the good news around the world, so more people have also become more conscious of their roots, which hopefully will grow and develop swiftly, through further research in South Africa.
by Andre Martinaglia