| Accession Number | AA-ESS-0002 |
| Author / Creator | Tinashe Hwindingwi |
| Publisher | Abantu Archives |
| Year | 2023 |
| Record Type | Book |
| Collection | Website Only |
| Subject | Profile |
| Geography | Zimbabwe |
| Access Status | Online — Abantu Archives (abantuarchives.com); no physical or printed copy exists |
Profile – In 1894, Rhodesia witnessed the inception of the Native Affairs Department. An office established under the auspices of the British South African Company to oversee the welfare of black Africans settled in tribal trust lands.
As part of its growth and function, the department would go on to publish the first issue of the Native Affairs Department Annual in 1923. This was a means to record the experiences of its Native Commissioners and shed light on historical and cultural mores noted among the various tribes within the colony. Besides European contributors, African writers also submitted to the journal. Among those who contributed were the late Gordon Lloyd Chavunduka, a sociologist and traditional healer who served as former Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, and Aeneas Chigwedere, a former Minister of Education and noted historian.
The Annual would run continuously over the next fifty-six years until Independence in 1980, which then saw the publication and department finally close. Though not rigorously peer-reviewed, it provided keen insights into various aspects of African life, touching on such topics as dialects, totemic history, oral traditions, praise poetry, traditional religion and its hierarchies, chieftainships, and traditional praise and war songs.
Sources:
1. Aeneas Chigwedere. Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
2. Dr. Gordon Chavunduka, biography. Colonial Relic — colonialrelic.com
3. Department of Native Affairs. Rhodesian Study Circle — rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk
#1923 #1980 #Annual #Article #BSAC #Culture #History #Native #Poetry #PraiseSongs #Religion #Rhodesia #Totemic #Traditional #Tribes #Zimbabwe
Archival Significance
An original piece of research produced by Abantu Archives itself, rather than an acquired historical item, examining the Native Affairs Department and its Annual publication as a primary window into colonial-era ethnographic recording in Rhodesia.
Institutional Context
Authored and published directly by Abantu Archives.
Content Summary
Profiles the Native Affairs Department from its 1894 founding under the British South Africa Company through the 56-year run of its Annual publication (1923–1980), including its African contributors, Gordon Chavunduka and Aeneas Chigwedere among them.
Research Utility
A primary reference for researchers using this Archive — 18 issues of the Native Affairs Department Annual (NADA) are catalogued directly, spanning 1941 to 1980, making this one of the largest single-institution clusters in the collection.
Abantu Archives Note
An original Abantu Archives publication, not an item acquired from an external source.