Paramount Chief Mkwavinyika Munyigumba Mwamuyinga (1855 – 19 June or 19 July 1898¹), more commonly known as Chief Mkwawa, was a Hehe tribal leader in German East Africa (now Tanzania) who opposed the German colonisation. The name "Mkwawa" is derived from Mukwava, itself a shortened form of Mukwavinyika, meaning "conqueror of many lands". Mkwawa was born in Luhota and was the son of Chief Munyigumba, who died in 1879.

In July 1891, the German commissioner, Emil von Zelewski, led a battalion of soldiers (320 askaris with officers and porters) to suppress the Hehe. On 17 August, they were attacked by Mkwawa's 3,000-strong army at Lugalo, who, despite being equipped with only spears and a few guns, quickly overpowered the German force and killed Zelewski.

On 28 October 1894, the Germans, under new commissioner Colonel Freiherr von Schelle, attacked Mkwawa's fortress at Kalenga . Although they took the fort, Mkwawa managed to escape. Subsequently, Mkwawa conducted a campaign of guerilla warfare, harassing the Germans until 1898 when, on 19 June, he was surrounded and committed suicide rather than be captured.

After his death, German soldiers removed Mkwawa's head and sent his skull to Bremen, not Berlin, by way of Lt. Prince. The city of Bremen was possibly a strong supporter of German imperialism. The skull's return was stipulated in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles:

"ARTICLE 246. Within six months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, ... Germany will hand over to His Britannic Majesty's Government the skull of the Sultan Mkwawa which was removed from the Protectorate of German East Africa and taken to Germany."

This was not done straight away, however, and the skull was finally returned on 9 July, 1954, and now resides at the Mkwawa Memorial Museum in Kalenga, near the town of Iringa.

Notes

1. Some websites report the date of Mkwawa's death as 19th of July [1], [2]. Others give the date as 19th of June: [3], [4].

See also

• Maji Maji Rebellion

References

• Baer, Martin & Schröter. "Eine Kopjagd". Doebold, Holger, "Schutstruppe Deutsch Ostafrika" 'SmallWars'. Iliffe, John, "Modern History of Tanganyika". Nigmann, E., "Die Wahehe". Patera,Herbert, "Der Weisse Herr Ohnefurcht". Prince, Tom von, "Gegen Araber und Wahehe". Redmaayne, Alison, 'The Hehe' "Tanzania Before 1900". (DOAG)

External links

• A site by Mkwawa's great-grandson
• "The colonial wars of imperial Germany"