1.0 Social historical perspectives
The original early people of Hehe Land in Iringa District were known as Vamia followed by
Vigaviro who lived at the foot of Uyaninka hills and Lyandembela river Valley engaging in
cultivating, hunting, guarding cattle and engaging in war near the recent township of Ifunda,
during 17th Century.
These former early people under the Leadership of Chief Ngaona Lupembe were unified into the
Hehe tribe followed by Chief Muyugumba the father of the famous Chief Mkwawa who fought
against Germany Colonials several times during his mysterious dynasty.
Chief Ngaona Lupembe is remembered for his ability to be getting innumerable Children. His
chiefdom situated around Uleling’ombe and Iwawa, 70 Km from Iringa Municipal Council. He
died in 1820 and his graveyard is still kept by his royal members of the family, because it has
been used as super natural aid in periods of difficulty such as drought, Illness, emotional conflict,
etc.
Chief Muyugumba who took over in 1820 succeeded Chief Ngaona Lupembe. Soon after he
became chief, Muyugumba attacked several neighborhoods lesser chiefs of Ilole, Ilula, Image,
Ilambo, etc. where many of them surrendered and others fled to Wota, Malolo, and Usagara
which currently situated in Mpwapwa District in Dodoma Region.
One of Muyugumba’s daughters had been given as a wife to the Sangu Chief Merere Towela
Mahamba of the current Mbeya Region as a defensive mechanism against invaders. However at
one time Mereres wife was blinded by small pox and his husband insulted Chief Muyugumba to
return her daughter to him. Due to that Circumstance Chief Muyugumba responded by attacking
the Sangu of Mbeya Region under Merere Chiefdom, where upon that battle Merere with many
of his subjects fled to Kiloli in Ukimbu, currently located in Tabora Region that was 1875.
Despite of Muyugumba’s daughter being married by Chief Merere Towela Mahamba, and two
daughters of Chief Merere having marriage with Chief Mkwawa, yet the two chiefs never made
peace, because Towela Mahamba’s son chief Mugandilwa assisted the Germans in their wars
against the Hehe.
When the British Explorers Elton and Cottrell arrived in October 1877, the Sangu under Chief
Merere returned from Ukimbu in Tabora Region and built a new fort at Mfumbi against the
Hehe. Also the Ngoni of Ruvuma Region in turn, organized a counter raid against the Hehe.
Due to this, Muyugumba, the father of famous Mkwawa took refugee in a cave where he became
ill. Soon after the Hehe had driven off the Ngoni, he died in 1879.
Therefore the external threat to chief Muyugumba was the people of Ubena, the Ngoni, the
Sangu and Maasai.
Both Muyugumba and Mkwawa had local war medicine known as
Amahomela and their success in war was seen as proof of its potency and of their fitness to rule.
They were wealthy and had many wives, great hoards, much cloth and Ivory, great respects, and
was buried in a special way. Muyugumba the founder of Mkwawa dynasty was buried at
Lungemba near the grave of his maternal grand father Kindole.
After Muyugumba’s death, his son Chief Mkwawa led successful expeditions against the
Nyamwezi and Kimbu of Tabora, the Gogo from Dodoma and the Sangu from Mbeya Regions.
Also the Ngoni and Zulu descendant of Chief Chaka Zulu of South Africa and the Maasai who
were raiding into Uhehe were routed out. Even the Arab slave traders did not venture into Uhehe
instead, it was Mkwawa who levied tribute on all trade caravans that passed through the
dominions. Mkwawa fogged the Hehe into the most feared and warlike tribe in this part of
Africa.
In 1888 after German Rule in Zanzibar, Mkwawa was summoned to Bagamoyo along the coast,
but declined the invitation and continued to raid the caravans passing through his dominion. In
1891 a German column of 1000 strong soldiers left Kilosa to pace the Hehe. Mkwawa sent
convoys against the Germans, convoys. Hehe ambush Germans at a place known as Lugalo near
Ilula, Germans panicked and erroneously fired them selves and many were killed. The graves
memorial to Commemorate their death can be seen 16 miles east of Iringa Municipality on the
way to Morogoro.
Mkwawa continued to raid the Germany Caravans because he was encouraged by the first
victory. But in 1894 a second Germany expedition was sent into Uhehe. By then, Mkwawa had
built the Fortified Stone and Mud wall 12ft high and 8 miles in Circumference around his
headquarter at Kalenga, 9 Kms. from Iringa Municipality. In 1894 after a fierce hut-to-hut fight,
Mkwawa’s Fortless was destroyed and taken, but he managed to escape. However due to
extremely loyality of Hehe people to their leader, his tribe continued to carry guerrilla warfare
against Germans who were forced to put a reward of 5000 rupees on his head.
In July 1898, the Germany received news that Mkwawa was in Pawaga area on the Ruaha plains.
A patrol was sent and after searching him for four days he was found with his bodyguard
Mwasimba. To avoid being captured, he shot himself and his bodyguard. His head was cut off
and sent to Germany.
The Versailles Treaty required the Germany to return the skull of chief Mkwawa within six
months from the coming inforce. In 1954 the British Governor Sir Edward Twinning traced it to
Bremen Anthropological museum and in the same year, Germans ceremoniously handed it over
to Adam Sapi Mkwawa, the grandson of Mkwawa. The skull of the late chief Mkwawa now
resides in the tribal and National Museum at his Fortress Kalenga.
That was how Mkwawa’s resistance to foreign invaders and Arab Caravans in Hehe Land.
However after Independence of Tanganyika currently Tanzania, the area has ever remained calm
and safe with mixed tribes from different regions
ABDU ADAM SAPI MKWAWA (CENTRE) THE CURRENT CHIEF ( MTWA) OF WAHEHE