Hehe people

The Hehe ( Wahehe ) are an ethnic group in Tanzania.

Emergence of the Hehe

The Hehe company whose settlement is focused around the city of Iringa, was formed out of a merger of several originally independent, but related units, the middle of the 19th century were united by Chief Munyigumba from the Muyinga Dynasty. During this time they developed into the most important factor of power in the region.

The Hehe under German colonial rule

Under Chief Mkwawa they made long fierce resistance against the German colonial power. In 1891 they succeeded in the Battle of Lula Rugaro a victory over a German military expedition commander Emil von Zalewski, who made ​​a lasting impression on the German public. It was only in October 1894 they were subjected to violence by the German colonial forces under Frederick von Schele. Chief Mkwawa led until 1898 a guerrilla war against the colonial power, whose culmination was the suicide of the Chiefs.

In the Maji Maji rebellion (1905-1908), the Hehe behaved, however loyal to the German auxiliary troops and presented ( Rugaruga ).

Language

The Kihehe, the language of the Hehe heard within the Niger - Congo languages ​​of the Bantu languages. The number of speakers is estimated at 750,000 (1994).