Kraal (also spelt craal or kraul) is an Afrikaans word for either an enclosure for horses, cattle and the like, or a native village surrounded by a palisade, mud wall, or other fencing, roughly circular in form. The word is derived possibly from a native African word, but probably from the Spanish corral, or Portuguese curral. The term has been more broadly used to describe the way of life associated with the kraal that is found among some African, especially South African, peoples. Among certain peoples of KwaZulu Natal, for example, the kraal consists of a collection of huts.
Folds for animals and enclosures made specially for defensive purposes are also called kraals.
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