Sekuru Kaguvi (Kagubi, Kakubi), was a ''svikiro'' (

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

), a traditionalist leader in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, and a leader in the

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people ** Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today ** Shona languages, a wider group of languages defined in the early 20th century ** Kingdom of Zimbabwe, a Shona stat ...

rebellion of 1896-1897 against

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an rule, known as the

First Chimurenga The Second Matabele War, also known as the First Chimurenga, was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region that later became Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The conflict was initially between the British South Africa Company and the Mata ...

. The sobriquet "Kaguvi" was a designation given at times those who were said to speak for the traditional Shona supreme deity

Mwari Mwari Is the word for God in Shona (Mwali) also known as Musikavanhu / Musikavhathu, Musiki, Tenzi and Ishe, is the supreme creator deity according to Shona and Venda traditional religion. It is believed that Mwari is the author of all things an ...

. The name "Kaguvi" is normally associated with the man called Gumboreshumba (c.1870-1898), who claimed to speak for the original Kaguvi's spirit. Some Ndebele historians say that the form "Kaguvi" is the anglicised rendering of his name by Europeans, and that his real name was "Kakubi Ncube", although Kaguvi was not an ethnic Ndebele. In 1896 he coordinated together with Nehanda, to help in organising the opposition to colonial administration. He ensured that the Shona would rebel to support the uprising of the Ndebele people in the First

Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in Shona. The Ndebele equivalent is not as widely used since most Zimbabweans speak Shona; it is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical terms, it also refers to the Ndebele ...

, although that conflict was already almost over by the time that the Shona joined in. Gumboreshumba was one of several mediums of famous traditional spiritual personae during the First Chimurenga. Gumboreshumba (meaning: "lion's paw"), lived in Chikwaka's village by

Goromonzi Goromonzi is a rural community in East Mashonaland, Zimbabwe, southeast of the country's capital city of Harare. The people are principally from the Shona tribe. The village serves as a trading centre for commercial, communal and co-operative f ...

Hill, Zimbabwe. He had four wives, one of whom was Chief Mashonganyika's daughter. The other three wives were received from a headman named Gondo. It is alleged that Gumboreshumba Kaguvi was known as a source of good luck in hunting and that he was able to speak to trees and rocks. He was believed to be the spirit husband of the other great

''svikiro'', Nehanda. When the rebellion collapsed, he was charged with the murder of an African policeman called 'Charlie', whom he had accused of collaborating with the colonial authorities. Kaguvi was found guilty and hanged in 1898. The judgement docket and other documents from the legal case against Nehanda and Kaguvi are now kept at the National Archives of Zimbabwe in Harare. In 2015,

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added this collection to the

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, recognising it as documentary heritage of global importance.

Notes

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Sources

*Rasmussen, R.K., and Rubert, S.C., 1990. ''Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe'', Scarecrow Press.

External links

Life and Times of Sekuru Kaguvi
1896 in Southern Rhodesia 1897 in Southern Rhodesia