7 Southern African royalty and delegates visit Queen Victoria, 1882–95
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Neil Parsons
Abstract
This chapter discusses a number of visits to Queen Victoria in England by a number of southern African kings or their envoys. It argues that in nearly every case, the warm reception by the queen was contradicted by the cold refusal of the Colonial Office to consider the indigenous viewpoint. It briefly discusses the resonances of nineteenth century experiences and ideas, showing that up to the 1960s Queen Victoria remained for many a symbol of the more beneficent aspects of British imperialism by contrast with the rapacious colonialism of white settlers. It ends with reference to one statue of her has been defaced in the opening years of the twenty-first century, reminding us that elite attitudes do not necessarily reflect mass opinion.
Abstract
This chapter discusses a number of visits to Queen Victoria in England by a number of southern African kings or their envoys. It argues that in nearly every case, the warm reception by the queen was contradicted by the cold refusal of the Colonial Office to consider the indigenous viewpoint. It briefly discusses the resonances of nineteenth century experiences and ideas, showing that up to the 1960s Queen Victoria remained for many a symbol of the more beneficent aspects of British imperialism by contrast with the rapacious colonialism of white settlers. It ends with reference to one statue of her has been defaced in the opening years of the twenty-first century, reminding us that elite attitudes do not necessarily reflect mass opinion.
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
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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
