Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies (JAIS): ISSN 2523-6725 (online) November, 2020 Vol. 4, No. 11 Citation: Temu, E. L; Itule, V; Nyoni, F. P; Banzi, C & Ulimboka, R. (2020). The Cultural Heritage of the Great Chief Mkwawa in Msembe Area, Tanzania. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(11), 72 – 93. The Cultural Heritage of the Great Chief Mkwawa in Msembe Area, Tanzania By Emanuel Lucas Temu, Victor Itule, Frowin Paul Nyoni, Celina Banzi and Rehema Ulimboka Abstract Mkwawa’s cultural heritage in Msembe area entails all the material signs associated with Chief Mkwawa throughout his life history and therefore defines and enrich Hehe and Tanzanians cultural identities in general, It is these cultural heritages that have carried and stored Mkwawa’s history and experiences. The identification and documentation of Mkwawa’s heritage would be crucial in the preservation and transmission of Mkwawa’s past experiences to future generation. Such cultural heritage gives each particular place its recognizable features and it is the storehouse of human experience (UNESCO 1989). Notwitstanding, existing literature on Chief Mkwawa’s history discusses mainly the wars of the period between 1890 to1898 between Mkwawa and the Germans, however, less is known about the cultural heritages of Chief Mkwawa in Msembe area. This article addresses identification, description and analysing the significance and conservation status of Chief Mkwawa’s heritage in Msembe area. The study used documentary review, oral interviews, focus group discussions, field visits and observations to collect data. The major findings of this study established rich evidence of Chief Mkwawa’s heritage, including both tangible and intangible heritage. Furthermore, the conservation condition of heritage sites and materials vary accordingly, from those sites which are at extreme danger of disappearance, at fair condition and those which are in good condition. Generally, all sites require respective attention. The study recommends for immediate action to salvage the sites in collaboration with local communities and other stakeholders and utilize the same to promote historical and cultural tourism. Key words: Cultural heritages, Chief Mkwawa, Heritage sites, conservation, and preservation 72 Copyright © 2020 Centre for Democracy, Research and Development (CEDRED), Nairobi, Kenya. http://cedred.org/jais/index.php/issues Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies (JAIS): ISSN 2523-6725 (online) November, 2020 Vol. 4, No. 11 Citation: Temu, E. L; Itule, V; Nyoni, F. P; Banzi, C & Ulimboka, R. (2020). The Cultural Heritage of the Great Chief Mkwawa in Msembe Area, Tanzania. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(11), 72 – 93. The Cultural Heritage of the Great Chief Mkwawa in Msembe Area, Tanzania By Emanuel Lucas Temu, Victor Itule, Frowin Paul Nyoni, Celina Banzi and Rehema Ulimboka Background and Introduction Msembe area is an area which constitutes the current Ruaha National Park, Kalenga and neighboring villages. The area harboured the headquarters of Chief Mkwawa’sKingdom and it is where he spent most of his life time. This is the place where Mkwawa grew up, rose to chieftainship, built his headquarters, and it is in this area where he ended his life and his post cranial remains were buried. It is within this area where there is also a Mkwawa museum preserving the Hehe history and Mkwawa’s skull after it was returned from German in 1952. Mkwawa’s history in the Ruaha National Park is justified by a number of evidences; In the first place chief Mkwawa monopolized elephant hunting within the park using his Makua elephant hunters. These hunters made use of the gun that Mkwawa obtained from coastal traders. Secondly, the park was in close proximity with Kalenga, Mkwawa’s fort and therefore, provided him with recreational, ritual and hideouts. Thirdly, the area covering modern day Ruaha National Park was inhabited by the Vakosisamba who were led by Ngakamo having his capital at Igula. These were conquered by Mkwawa and Ngakamo was killed Hence the significance of the area to the cultural heritages and legacy of Chief Mkwawa. Given this interesting and rich evidence of Chief Mkwawa’s heritage, the current study aims at unfolding and documenting this heritage for current and future generation. Statement of the Problem Tanzania is home to abundant cultural and natural heritage resources. The area of Msembe which constitute Kalenga and Ruaha National Park hosts rich natural, historical and cultural heritage of the Hehe under the Great Chief Mkwawa. Academic evidence indicates that most studies conducted in the area focuses on generating knowledge related to natural heritage resources. For example, issues like park expansion and its impacts to local communities (Sirima, 2016), Community involvement in park decision and fair distribution of resources by (Mtahiko, 2004), the decrease of elephants at Ruaha National Park and other related studies. Beyond, there is an evidence of the existence of Ruaha General Management Plan, which actually directs its efforts in the conservation and management of natural heritage resources, mainly the natural environment and the wildlife. However, little is known about the history of Mkwawa and his cultural legacy in Msembe area which was part of his former territory. This study therefore intends to fill the gap by identifying, documenting and examining the state of heritage conservation in msembe, and alert the heritage managers to take appropriate measures. Objective of the Study The main objective of the study is to establish the heritages of Chief Mkwawa and the cultural richness of Msembe area. 73 Copyright © 2020 Centre for Democracy, Research and Development (CEDRED), Nairobi, Kenya. http://cedred.org/jais/index.php/issues Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies (JAIS): ISSN 2523-6725 (online) November, 2020 Vol. 4, No. 11 Citation: Temu, E. L; Itule, V; Nyoni, F. P; Banzi, C & Ulimboka, R. (2020). The Cultural Heritage of the Great Chief Mkwawa in Msembe Area, Tanzania. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(11), 72 – 93. Specific objectives i. To identify Chief Mkwawa’s heritages and evidence from Msembe area, Tanzania. ii. To document cultural heritage. iii. To examine the state of cultural heritage assets conservation Review of Related Literature The concept of Cultural Heritage The term cultural heritage is not friendly to most people. Some people have no any idea of what cultural heritage is. Harrison (2013) in (Marshall et.al. 2015) argues while researching for his study on cultural heritage, some books written “there is no such thing as cultural heritage”, the other one contend that “cultural heritage is anything you want”. Furthermore, many indigenous languages have no word for cultural heritage as such. Such a diversity of understanding is a challenge for any protected area manager where the cultural heritages exist including Ruaha National Park. Universal definition of cultural heritage emerged after the Second World War where people started to recognize the need to protect the monument as part of their national identity (Lennon, 2006) in (Marshall, et al. 2015). Since that period, defining a common terminology and scope of heritage has been guided by the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) which arose at the Venice Charter of the 1964 (Ahmad, 2006) in (Marshal et. al. 2015) In 1992 UNESCO’s definition was expanded to include cultural landscape, modification by humans and in 2003 it was again amended to include intangible heritage and practices (Marshall et al. 2015). Whereas, the modern scope of cultural heritage embraces all the signs that document human activities over time. It relates to the tangible built environment in an ecological context, and requires the reading of layers of evidence present in environment. Cultural heritage also encompasses the intangible heritage of culture such as language, dance, music, folk ways and craft skills. Intangible heritage is often associated with particular localities, giving meanings and significance to these places. The inclusion of cultural land scape and intangible heritage in the definition of cultural heritage has a significant impact on the way protected areas like Ruaha National Park are managed. Cultural heritage is no longer about a disconnected past instead it is linked to a contemporary society which wants to ensure its heritage is adequately managed and which also holds the information that gives values to that heritage. Meanings and values linked to cultural heritage are embedded in dynamic changing social context; it has been argued that cultural heritage is a process in itself (Marshal et. al. 2015). Cultural heritage is significant because it can help us understand the world and the means by which we shape it. It is rooted in our cultural identities. It also provides a sense of wisdom and knowledge to strengthen sustainable development policies (Marshall et. al. 2015). Archaeology Archaeology is the study of material remains of human history, from the time of our earliest ancestors up to date. The earliest period, archaeology dealt with paleontology in the study of 74 Copyright © 2020 Centre for Democracy, Research and Development (CEDRED), Nairobi, Kenya. http://cedred.org/jais/index.php/issues Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies (JAIS): ISSN 2523-6725 (online) November, 2020 Vol. 4, No. 11 Citation: Temu, E. L; Itule, V; Nyoni, F.