Veld

For information on the town of Veldt, see Veldt Township, Minnesota.

Veld

The term veld (often spelled veldt) refers primarily (but not exclusively) to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub. The word veld comes from the Afrikaans (ultimately from Dutch), literally meaning 'field'.

However, this simple translation does not convey the subtleties of the many idiomatic nuances and technical applications of the term. A typical authoritative dictionary will devote columns, or even pages to the subject. Veld can be compared to the Australian terms "outback" or "bush," to "the prairie" of North America, or to the "pampas" of South America but the comparisons are not exact. A Yorkshireman might equate "wandering across the moors" to "walking through the veld."

By extension, the veld can be compared to 'the boondocks' or those places 'beyond the black stump' in Australia. There is a sense in which it refers in essence to unimproved land (and is therefore not the equivalent of the English "paddock") and does not include areas used both for pastoral activities and the planting of crops. These areas are referred to as fields. The word is less appropriate for land that is heavily forested, mountainous, or urban. The simplest explanation will be to say the word “veld” means “natural vegetation”; excluding vegetation like swamps and forests. It does include mountains with vegetation but not deserts or mountains without natural vegetation. (On the other hand, a carefully husbanded sports field on which the game of Rugby is played in the middle of cities such as Cape Town or Johannesburg is referred to as a "rugbyveld" in the Afrikaans language). Whereas mountainous peaks and forests are not really welcomed on the veld, bushes are acceptable. The area then becomes "bosveld." There are minor examples of bosveld here and there but the term is used mainly to describe Die Bosveld ("The Bushveld"), which is both a loose botanical classification and a specific geographical part of what used to be known as the Transvaal (see, for example, Jock of the Bushveld).

The word "veld" also carries military connotations. The word "field" in English has a strong association with "war," as evidenced by the expression "the first foe in the field" and the lines of the ballad 'Lord Marlborough' (see John Churchill): "You generals all and champions bold, that takes delight in field, that knocks down churches and castle walls but now to death must yield". The same relationship is paralleled in Afrikaans. Just as the English Army has its Field Marshals, the Boer armies had their Veldkornets and Veldkommandos.

Highveld and Lowveld

Much of the interior of southern Africa consists of a high plateau known as the Highveld, starting east of the Johannesburg centre. These higher, cooler areas (generally more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level) are characterised by flat or gently undulating terrain, grasslands and a modified tropical or subtropical climate. In some areas there is a distinct escarpment bordering the plateau, while in others the boundary is not obvious.

Some surrounding, lower areas are known as Lowveld and are generally hotter and less intensely cultivated. Before the middle of the 20th century, much of the Lowveld was home to the tsetse fly, which transmits sleeping sickness. These areas used to be known as "fever country" and were avoided by mounted travellers, owing to the susceptibility of horses to a form of the disease. Malaria was in the past also a major problem in the hotter parts of the Lowveld. This disease is carried by mosqitoes.

Quote

“	How well I remember the years I spent tending the cattle on the large farm, roaming over all its far expanse of veld, in which every kloof, every valley, every koppie was endeared to me by the most familiar associations. Month after month I had spent there in lonely occupation—alone with the cattle, myself and God. The veld had grown part of me, not only in the sense that my bones were a part of it, but in that more vital sense which identifies nature with man ... Having no human companion, I felt a spirit of comradeship for the objects around me. In my childish way I communed with these as with my own soul; they became the sharers of my confidence.	”
—Jan Smuts

Alternative meanings

• The Veldt is a short story by Ray Bradbury.
• "The Veldt" was the name of a North Carolina alternative rock/ shoegaze band active during the 1990s [1].
• "Veldt" is the name of a band from England [2].
• "Veldt" is the name of a song from Simple Minds' 1979 Album Real to Real Cacophony.
• "The Veldt" is the name of a song from Doomtree member Sims' 2011 album Bad Time Zoo.
• In the video game Final Fantasy VI, the Veldt is a large flatland in which the characters can fight most previously encountered enemies, including several bosses.
• "Veldt" is a Dutch surname.

we can find

• Coastal plain
• Coastal prairie
• Field
• Flooded grasslands and savannas
• Flood-meadow
• Grassland
• Meadow
• Outback
• Pasture
• Plain
• Prairie
• Rangeland
• Savanna
• Steppe
• Water-meadow
• Wet meadow

The Rhodesian Ridgeback dog was famous for hunting large game on the African Veldt. As a tribute to this wonderful breed many Rhodesian Ridgeback breeders incorporate the word "veld" or "veldt" in their kennel prefix. Once such notable example is the kennel prefix "Veldthund" who have been breeding and showing Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Australia since 1984. The dog Ch Veldthund Sabre ET appears on the pedigree of many of the top Rhodesian Rdigebacks around the world.