Sekeletu
Encyclopedia
Sekeletu was the Makololo
King of Barotseland
in western Zambia
from about 1851 to his death in 1863.
and Queen Setlutlu
. He succeeded his half-sister Mamochisane
, who had decided to step down from the throne. It was she who proclaimed him new ruler, against the ambitions of Sekeletu's half-brother Mpepe, who unsuccessfully tried to block him by insinuating that he was not the lawful son of Sebetwane, since Sekeletu's mother had been previously married to another chief.
He appears to have been very young when he took power, as the explorer David Livingstone
presumed on first meeting him in Linyati in 1853 that he was about 18 years old. Sekeletu's relations with the explorer appear to have been very good, as confirmed by the 27 Makololo that under their king's orders went with Livingstone with the goal of finding a road between Barotseland and the port of Luanda
, capital of Portuguese West Africa.
His relations with another group of European missionaries were not so good. Like Livingstone, these were members of the London Missionary Society
. When they arrived in 1860, headed by Holoway Helmore, they were treated with hostility. Eight of the twelve members of the expedition died (Helmore included) in Barotseland, possibly poisoned.
Sekeletu eventually proved himself an unsuccessful ruler, generating discontent among the Lozi
, the people who had formerly ruled the land. When he contracted leprosy
, Sekeletu no longer trusted the Lozi whom he suspected of having bewitched him as a leper. Therefore, many Lozi were put to death. Due to this, a year after his death the Makololo's power crumbled and the Lozi regained self-rule. Sekeletu had two sons, Princes Litali and Sesane. Members of Sekeletu's tribe believed that their king has died from God
's punishment.
His uncle Mbololo
later took the kingship.
Makololo
The Makololo are a people of Southern Africa, closely related to the Basotho, from which they separated themselves in the early 19th century. Originally residing in what is now South Africa, they were displaced by the Zulu expansion under Shaka and migrated north through Botswana to Barotseland in...
King of Barotseland
Barotseland
Barotseland is a region in the western part of Zambia, and is the homeland of the Lozi people or Barotse who were previously known as Luyi or Aluyi. Its heartland is the Barotse Floodplain on the upper Zambezi River, also known as Bulozi or Lyondo, but it includes the surrounding higher ground of...
in western Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
from about 1851 to his death in 1863.
Biography
Sekeletu was a son of the King SebetwaneSebetwane
Sebetwane was a Southern African king, Basotho chief. He established the large and powerful Makololo nation in what is now southwestern Zambia after an arduous migration from his original home - Free State Province....
and Queen Setlutlu
Setlutlu
Setlutlu was a Queen as a consort of King Sebetwane, chief of Makololo tribe. She is also known as Masekeletu.Her brother-in-law was the king Mbololo.- Biography :...
. He succeeded his half-sister Mamochisane
Mamochisane
Mamochisane was a Makololo Queen who ruled over many people, but especially the Lozi in Barotseland, today's Western Zambia, and was a wife of King Sipopa Lutangu.Her uncle was the king Mbololo.- Biography :...
, who had decided to step down from the throne. It was she who proclaimed him new ruler, against the ambitions of Sekeletu's half-brother Mpepe, who unsuccessfully tried to block him by insinuating that he was not the lawful son of Sebetwane, since Sekeletu's mother had been previously married to another chief.
He appears to have been very young when he took power, as the explorer David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
presumed on first meeting him in Linyati in 1853 that he was about 18 years old. Sekeletu's relations with the explorer appear to have been very good, as confirmed by the 27 Makololo that under their king's orders went with Livingstone with the goal of finding a road between Barotseland and the port of Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
, capital of Portuguese West Africa.
His relations with another group of European missionaries were not so good. Like Livingstone, these were members of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
. When they arrived in 1860, headed by Holoway Helmore, they were treated with hostility. Eight of the twelve members of the expedition died (Helmore included) in Barotseland, possibly poisoned.
Sekeletu eventually proved himself an unsuccessful ruler, generating discontent among the Lozi
Lozi people
The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi are also found in Namibia , Angola and Botswana.-Name:...
, the people who had formerly ruled the land. When he contracted leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
, Sekeletu no longer trusted the Lozi whom he suspected of having bewitched him as a leper. Therefore, many Lozi were put to death. Due to this, a year after his death the Makololo's power crumbled and the Lozi regained self-rule. Sekeletu had two sons, Princes Litali and Sesane. Members of Sekeletu's tribe believed that their king has died from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's punishment.
His uncle Mbololo
Mbololo (king)
Mbololo was a Litunga of Makololo tribe, a successor of Liswaniso. He ruled 1863 - 1864. He was the last king of Makololo dynasty.-Family:...
later took the kingship.
Literature
- Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, "Sebetwane" - http://www.ischool.zm/media/textbooks/history/history_module2/unit04_centralised_societies.pdf Centralised Societies - The Luyi (Lozi)