Kanuni (c. 1900 – February 18, 1972) was a ''hompa'', or queen, of

Kwangali Kwangali is a traditional Kavango kingdom in what is today Namibia. Its people speak the Kwangali language Kwangali, or RuKwangali, is a Bantu language spoken by 85,000 people along the Kavango River in Namibia, where it is a national language, ...

in the Okavango region of

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. She is one of only two female ''hompas'' to have retained her traditional position during a period when tribal leadership was masculinized by the South African government. Little is known of Kanuni's background, save that she was a member of the Kwangali royal clan. She became regent in 1923 after the death of the previous ruler, Kandjimi; she was not only his sister but also sister to the newly-chosen ''hompa'', Mbuna, who died in an accident in 1926 before taking power himself. Beginning in that year Kanuni began to rule under her own name, although some sources state instead that she became regent for another brother, Sivute, who was only a minor. It was at this time, in 1926, that she permitted the opening of a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

mission station in

Tondoro Tondoro is a settlement in the Kavango West region of northern Namibia, and the administrative centre of the Tondoro Constituency. It is located south-east of Nkurenkuru, and it is inhabited primarily by the Uukwangali people. There is a Catho ...

; in 1929, she allowed a Catholic mission school to be started at

Nkurenkuru Nkurenkuru (1.093 m above sea level) is a town on the south-western banks of the Kavango River. It is the capital of the Kavango West Region of northern Namibia, located west of Rundu. It is also a former Mission (station), mission station of the ...

. Sivute, for his part, soon came to covet the throne, and began waging physical attacks on his sister's retinue while publicly undermining her. On one occasion, after hearing of an assault upon an attendant, Kanuni began to fight Sivute with a

knobkerrie A knobkerrie, also spelled knobkerry, knobkierie, and knopkierie (Afrikaans), is a form of wooden Club (weapon), club, used mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa. Typically they have a large knob at one end and can be used for throwing at animals ...

, eventually winning the day. Fearing for her life, however, she fled to what is today southern

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. Sivute complained to senior policeman, Luben Manuere, who in turn handed off his reports to Native Commissioner Harold Eedes. The reports suggested that the Kwangali preferred a male ruler, and consequently in 1940 Eedes removed Kanuni from her position, replacing her with Sivute. Kanuni continued in exile, living in Siurungu, but was eventually invited by Eedes to join her brother at Musese. Harold Eedes died in 1958. Sivute did not enjoy good relations with either his people or the colonial administration, and with the administrator's death he was deposed. Kanuni returned to power, reigning until her death. Kanuni was not popular with the South African authorities during her reign. Both Eedes and an earlier Native Commissioner,

Roger Carr Roger Dale Carr (born July 1, 1952) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Colts. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1976 s ...

, felt that their difficulties in recruiting migrant labor from among the Kwangali were due in part to her gender; for her part she explained that young men of her district were afraid to travel o South Africa for work for a variety of reasons, not least their own personal safety. She remains an important figure in the modern history of northern Namibia.

References

{{authority control Year of birth uncertain 1900s births 1972 deaths 20th-century rulers in Africa Women rulers in Africa People from Kavango Region Namibian women in politics Kavango people 20th-century Namibian politicians 20th-century women rulers