Lincoln Towindo
The National History Museum in London will this week submit a report to Zimbabwe detailing the origins of several human remains believed to belong to First Chimurenga heroes shipped to Britain during the early years of colonialism. The archival report traces the origins of individual skulls using documentation from that period.For months, the experts have been going through numerous documents stashed in British and South African archives to positive identification. The details will be checked against locally available documentation before consolidated information is submitted to Government.

The Sunday Mail understands that once the report has been submitted to Government, a directive will be given ordering the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe to facilitate DNA tests.

Skulls of First Chimurenga war heroes – believed to include those of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Chief Mashayamombe Chinengundu of Mhondoro and Chief Makoni Chingaira of Rusape – are being held at some British museums.

Government wants them repatriated and has secured Britain’s co-operation to that end. Recently, the National History Museum forwarded a list of ten human remains originating from Zimbabwe that it is holding on display in London for authentication and document corroboration by NMMZ experts.

NMMZ director Dr Godfrey Mahachi last week, “I will be receiving a report from the National History Museum (this week), which is basically a report on the archival research they have been conducting over the last few months.

“The research they were doing was meant to solicit documentary evidence that seeks to positively identify the remains. The researchers were tracing the paper trail to establish how the remains got to London as well as verifying their origins.

“They were basically building a story around individual skulls. The challenge, however, with research of this nature is that they may not have all the documents with them . . . some of the material arrived there via South Africa so they have to corroborate with fellow institutions in that country and that process is time consuming.

“Guided by what is contained in that report we will then verify and corroborate that information with what we have before submitting a report to Government. Government will then direct us on how we will then proceed.

“The likeliest scenario will obviously lead to DNA tests in order to positively identify the remains because we believe that documentary evidence on its own is not enough. “At the end of the day what we want is a situation where we care satisfied in terms of positive identification from a scientific point of view that is from the DNA tests as well as from the records.”

The remains were shipped to London around 1898. During the First Chimurenga, British invasion forces publicly beheaded resistance movement leaders. The decapitated parts were used as trophies and also attracted hefty rewards from colonial authorities.

Chief Mashayamombe was one of the leading figures during the First Chimurenga, trying to stop colonial occupation of the Mhondoro, Norton and Chegutu areas.

A ransom was paid for his head. Chief Makoni Chingaira led resistance in Rusape before he met his death at the hands of invading forces. Records indicate he too was beheaded. In 2011, Namibia’s government started a similar exercise, repatriating dozens of human skulls and skeletons from former coloniser, Germany.

The remains were of Namibians who died in a colonial concentration camp more than 100 years ago and whose heads were seized for research that hoped to prove white supremacy. The skulls were part of the anatomical collection of Berlin’s University Hospital.

Following German occupation of their land, the Herero and Nama people revolted in the early 1900s. Colonial authorities, led by General Lothar von Trotha, issued an extermination order and rounded up locals in prison camps, and let others die from malnutrition and severe weather.

Dozens were beheaded after their death and their skulls sent to researchers in Berlin. Records show that up to 80 000 Hereros lived in Namibia when the uprising began, but afterwards only 15 000 were left.