1 ‘We have seen the son of Heaven/We have seen the Son of Our Queen’
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Hilary Sapire
Abstract
This chapter describes the ceremonial encounters between Prince Alfred, youngest son of Queen Victoria and several African chiefs and leaders during his visit to the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Natal in 1860. The first of a series of royal tours designed to solder the loyalty of Britain’s diverse colonies to the crown, and to cultivate an association between the British Royal House and indigenous monarchies, the physical presence of the son of the reigning monarch amongst her African subjects played a crucial role in making flesh the mythology of the ‘Great White Queen’ as protector, redeemer and source of rights and liberties of all peoples of the Empire. Taking place prior to the final phases of dispossession and colonisation, the chapter demonstrates the different ways in which chiefs such as Sandile of the amaNgqika Xhosa, Moshoeshoe of the BaSotho and Moroka of the Barolong; and Natal chiefs such as Ngoza and Zikhale responded to the symbolism and ceremonial stage provided by the tour. The chapter argues these encounters were deeply ambivalent, but that they were significant in the establishment of a tradition of ‘black loyalism’ with all its ambiguities and contradictions.
Abstract
This chapter describes the ceremonial encounters between Prince Alfred, youngest son of Queen Victoria and several African chiefs and leaders during his visit to the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Natal in 1860. The first of a series of royal tours designed to solder the loyalty of Britain’s diverse colonies to the crown, and to cultivate an association between the British Royal House and indigenous monarchies, the physical presence of the son of the reigning monarch amongst her African subjects played a crucial role in making flesh the mythology of the ‘Great White Queen’ as protector, redeemer and source of rights and liberties of all peoples of the Empire. Taking place prior to the final phases of dispossession and colonisation, the chapter demonstrates the different ways in which chiefs such as Sandile of the amaNgqika Xhosa, Moshoeshoe of the BaSotho and Moroka of the Barolong; and Natal chiefs such as Ngoza and Zikhale responded to the symbolism and ceremonial stage provided by the tour. The chapter argues these encounters were deeply ambivalent, but that they were significant in the establishment of a tradition of ‘black loyalism’ with all its ambiguities and contradictions.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of maps and figures vii
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xii
- Maps xiii
- Introduction 1
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Part I Monarch, metaphor, memory
- 1 ‘We have seen the son of Heaven/We have seen the Son of Our Queen’ 25
- 2 ‘We rejoice to honour the Queen, for she is a good woman, who cares for the Māori race’ 54
- 3 ‘The faithful children of the Great Mother are starving’ 78
- 4 The politics of memory and the memory of politics 100
- 5 ‘My vast Empire & all its many peoples’ 125
- 6 Māori encounters with ‘Wikitoria’ in 1863 and Albert Victor Pomare, her Māori godchild 144
- 7 Southern African royalty and delegates visit Queen Victoria, 1882–95 166
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Part III Sovereign subjects?
- 8 Sovereignty performances, sovereignty testings 187
- 9 Bracelets, blankets and badges of distinction 210
- 10 Chiefly women 228
- Select bibliography 246
- Index 249
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of maps and figures vii
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xii
- Maps xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I Monarch, metaphor, memory
- 1 ‘We have seen the son of Heaven/We have seen the Son of Our Queen’ 25
- 2 ‘We rejoice to honour the Queen, for she is a good woman, who cares for the Māori race’ 54
- 3 ‘The faithful children of the Great Mother are starving’ 78
- 4 The politics of memory and the memory of politics 100
- 5 ‘My vast Empire & all its many peoples’ 125
- 6 Māori encounters with ‘Wikitoria’ in 1863 and Albert Victor Pomare, her Māori godchild 144
- 7 Southern African royalty and delegates visit Queen Victoria, 1882–95 166
-
Part III Sovereign subjects?
- 8 Sovereignty performances, sovereignty testings 187
- 9 Bracelets, blankets and badges of distinction 210
- 10 Chiefly women 228
- Select bibliography 246
- Index 249
