König Ringu mit Gefolge (König Kingu mit Gefolge?) | King Ringu with his entourage (King Kingu with his entourage?)

Aleksander Dandelski (1863–1944) was a Prussian officer who participated in a military expedition to German East Africa, located in what is now Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. He served in 1893 in the area of present-day Tanzania, where the photograph depicting a local king with his entourage was also taken. The king, of full-figured build, sits on a throne positioned in front of the group accompanying him, holding symbols of authority in his hand. Directly behind him stand women dressed in distinctive skirts and shawls, along with children – likely the king's wives and offspring. Beside them sit men in white garments, holding staffs or umbrellas. These are local dignitaries – tribal elders, probably related to the ruler. The Germans, being few in number in their colonies, relied heavily on the influence of local leaders, who were the backbone of colonial administration in the region. They helped collect taxes, establish plantations, and supported colonial forces in battles against groups resisting the German invaders. The brutality of German colonial policy led to numerous uprisings, the first of which occurred in 1888, three years after the colony was established. Another took place between 1891 and 1898, when the Hehe (Wahehe) groups, led by Chief Mkwawa (1855–1898), resisted the Prussian colonisers for seven years. The rebellion's collapse was partly due to the Germans receiving support from groups competing with the Hehe. This photograph is dated to the period of the Hehe rebellion. It is possible that it depicts one of the chiefs who competed with Mkwawa and cooperated with the colonial authorities. Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron