The Hehe were the people who lived in the southern highlands of Tanganyika. By 1850, the Hehe were a disunited group of people who lived in 30 chiefdoms under Munyubumba. The Hehe had fought two wars against the Ngoni invaders and this made them united, enabled them to acquire war tactics and weapons. Mukwawa led the Hehe resistance against the German ruler

Causes of the Hehe Rebellion

Mkwawa's refusal to go to the coast where the Germans had invited him instead Mkwawa sent his messengers. This forced the Germans to declare war on him for his arrogance.

The killing of Mkwawa's messengers. After Mkwawa had sent his messengers to the coast, the Germans killed them and in response, Mkwawa also declared war on the Germans.

The expansion conflict, the Germans expanded their empire from the coast towards the interior while Mkwawa also expanded his empire from the interior to the coast and this competition led to war.

The Germans threatened to grab Hehe land for opening up of plantation farming.

The Hehe also feared and hated the taxes, which the German rulers were forcing Africans to pay.

The German traders also threatened to monopolise the ivory trade along among the Hehe.

The Germany missionaries also threatened to abolish slave trade, which the Hehe resented.

The Germans despised African culture as barbaric, backward, and uncivilised. Thus the need for cultural independence led to the war.

The missionaries encouraged the spread of Christianity; they also condemned African religion and practices and this led to the war.

The need to protect their independence led to the war with the Germans.

The Hehe controlled the major route of long distance trade, which the Germans wanted to capture.

The Hehe also hated the German policy of forced labour on roads, plantations e.t.c.

The Hehe also hated the appearance of the white man and called them ghosts and devils that must be destroyed.

The Germans hated heavy customs (taxes), which Mkwawa (Hehe leader) charged on the German traders who crossed Hehe country.       

Before 1 891 the Germans had imprisoned some Africans at Usagara, however the Hehe warriors helped the prisoners to escape. This led to war between the Germans and the Hehe.

 The course of the Hehe rebellion      

The war started when the Germans killed Mkwawa's messengers at the coast.

In 1 891 , Mkwawa ambushed and killed about 290 German troops including the division commander Von Emin.

During this ambush, Mkwawa defeated the Germans at the battle of Uringa. He also captured three German rifles.

Up to 1893, Mkwawa remained independent with his people.

On the 30^th 0ctober 1894, the war broke out again between the Germans and Hehe due to continued clashes.

A large Germany force however defeated Hehe at Kalenga near Uringa. The Germans captured Kalenga the Hehe capital.

Mkwawa escaped and took refuge among his people.

He fought a guerrilla war but the Germans promised 400 pounds to anybody who could lead to the capture of Mkwawa or who could report where Mkwawa was hiding.

In 1898, the Germans surrounded Mkwawa's place of refuge and this forced Mkwawa to take off. However the Germans still followed him.

Later Mukwawa committed suicide for fear of capture but the Germans still wanted him dead or alive.

Mkwawa's dead body was later found and the Germans cut off his head and sent it to Germany until 1954 when it was returned after the Hehe had demanded for it.

MKWAWA OF HEHE (1891-1898)

Mkwawa  was a chief of Hehe in Southern Tanganyika.  He was a courageous and persistent freedom fighter. He put up outstanding resistance against the German colonial administration in Tanganyika till his death in 1898. He was a great expansionist leader. He expanded Hehe territories towards the coast between 1880-1898.  This partly brought the clash with the German colonial administration.

Mkwawa was also determined to control the trade routes from the coast to Nyamwezi.  He therefore started harassing both Africans and the coastal Swahili and Arab traders. This forced the German administration to intervene and protect the people under their rule and to destroy Mkwawa's military arrogance.

Mkwawa put up his first resistance in 1891.  This was when the Germans refused to accept Mkwawa's offer of gifts and treated it as a point of weakness and acceptance of German rule. The Germans instead of sending back gifts organised a military expedition against Mkwawa.  It was intended to punish the Hehe for imprisoning the people of Usagara. Mkwawa reacted by ambushing the German forces using spears at a close range. 

As a result, the German commander Zelewski and his forces were destroyed that is 10 Europeans 200 Africans and 100 porters were killed. At this moment, the Germans were demoralised and decided to deal with other rebellions like the one of chief Isike of the Unyanyembe.

However, in 1894, the Germans organised a large force against Mkwawa.  It attacked and destroyed his fort at his capital Kabalega.  Many of Mkwawa's soldiers and gun powder supplies were destroyed.

The Hehe were heavily defeated but Mkwawa escaped capture.  The Germans decided to set up a station at Iringa for cracking down the rebellion.  The Germans even relaxed their pressure Mkwawa hoping that he would submit or give. To their surprise, Mkwawa organised serious guerrilla warfare after 1896 until his death in 1898.  He used a method of hit and run which caused a lot of problems to the Germans.

In response, the Germans used the method of scorched earth policy to weaken the Hehe resistance.  They destroyed food and water source thereby causing widespread hunger and diseases.  This broke down resistance area by area.

By 1898, Mkwawa had been deserted by most of his experienced forces.  To avoid being captured, Mkwawa committed suicide in 1898. The Germans even cut off his head and kept it until 1954 when they returned it. The death of Mkwawa marked the end of the Hehe resistance to the establishment of German colonial administration in Tanganyika.  But even after this, Mkwawa is remembered as one of the active resisters against colonial rule in Africa.

 

Why the Hehe were defeated during the war

The Hehe used inferior weapons e.g. Spears, arrows, stones, etc. The Hehe used poor war tactics during the war. The Hehe failed to get an ally to support them because the Yao, Nyamwezi, the Ngoni, and Coastal Arabs refused to assist them. The Hehe were few in number so they were easily defeated.

The Hehe lacked food supplies during the war, the fighters therefore starved. The scorched earth policy weakened the strength of the Hehe fighters.

The Hehe believed in the support of their gods, anchors, spirits that did not helped them.

The Germans were militarily stronger and experienced than the Hehe. The Hehe also failed to secure an alliance with the Ngoni.

The Muslim Arabs from the coast helped the Germans to defeat the Hehe.

The war took too long and it enabled the Germans to reinforce for the defeat of the Hehe.

Isike's refusal to ally with the Hehe led to their defeat, the Hehe had tried to negotiate an alliance with Isike of Tabora but he refused.

The Germans were determined to have the Hehe abated in order to occupy their areas.

Poor leadership i.e. Hehe leaders like Mkwawa gave up the war and started a guerrilla warfare which was less effective.

 

Effects of Hehe Resistance   

It led to the loss of life among the Hehe.  There was great loss of lives on both sides of the Hehe and the Germans.

It led to the loss of the Hehe leader Mkwawa who was forced to commit suicide. Chief Mkwawa was forced to commit suicide instead of being taken as a prisoner.

The Hehe lost their independence.

It led to the depopulation of the Hehe area. Because people were killed while others migrated to safer areas.

It led to the defeat of the Hehe and this made them German subjects. The German occupied Hehe land and it became part of the German East Africa protectorate.

It led to the loss of land amongst the Hehe, the Germans grabbed Hehe land for settlement. The agricultural farms were destroyed and this led to wide spread famine.

Taxation was continued among the Hehe as away of raising revenue.

The war exposed how harsh, brutal and inhuman German rulers were. They cut off the head of Mkwawa after his death.

The German missionary encouraged the spread of Christianity amongst the Hehe.

The Hehe learnt a lesson indeed they never fought again.

The Hehe fighters were disarmed.

The Germans captured and destroyed the Hehe Capital Kalenga in 1894.   

There was loss of property e.g. huts, food, domestic animals.                            

After the defeat, the Hehe collaborated with the German rulers.                        

The Hehe lost control of their trade in ivory and other items.

There was poverty, famine, and starvation due to scotched earth policy.       

Plantation farming (Sisal and Cotton growing) was introduced amongst the Hehe.

The diseases spread among these people and claimed many lives e.g. small pox, dysentery.

The Hehe revolt laid a foundation for the spirit of nationalism in Tanganyika where the people fought for their future independence.

The Germans became brutal and cruel, therefore there was increased suffering of Africans.

The Africans and Swahili who assisted the Germans in the suppression of Hehe resistance gained materially and posts in the local administration.