Manasse Tyiseseta (25 April 1850,

Otjimbingwe Otjimbingwe (also: Otjimbingue) is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8,000 inhabitants. History The area was already a temporary settlement of some Herero in the early 18th century. Their chief Tjiponda co ...

– 17 April 1898, Omaruru) was the leader of a group of

Herero Herero may refer to: * Herero people, a people belonging to the Bantu group, with about 240,000 members alive today * Herero language, a language of the Bantu family (Niger-Congo group) * Herero and Namaqua Genocide * Herero chat, a species of b ...

with their headquarters in Omaruru in what is today

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 ...

Life

Tyiseseta studied at the

Augustineum Secondary School The Augustineum Secondary School, established in 1866, is among the oldest schools in Namibia. Originally situated in Otjimbingwe, it was relocated to Okahandja in 1890, and finally to Windhoek in 1968. Previously also known as the Augustineum ...

in Otjimbingwe. In 1867, he journeyed with Christian Wilhelm Zeraua to Omaruru. Manasse taught at the local school from 1871 to 1882. Tyiseseta married Zeraua's daughter Albertina Tjiseseta Zeraua (1851–1951). They had 3 children: Michael Tyiseseta (1872–1924), Hugo Tyiseseta (1877–1951), and Charlotte Tyiseseta Zeraua (1881–1951).

Victor Franke Erich Victor Carl August Franke (21 July 1865 – 7 August 1936) was a German military officer and last commander of the ''Schutztruppe'' in German South West Africa. Franke was born in Zuckmantel, Austrian Silesia. He was ''Bezirksamtman ...

claimed that during the rinderpest epidemic of 1897, Tyiseseta would not allow his cattle to be vaccinated. Tyiseseta died on 17 April 1898 of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. His grave is located next to that of Christian Zeraua in the cemetery of Omaruru.

Leadership

Tyiseseta was the half brother of chief Tjaherani (tenure: 1860–1884). After the deaths of Tjaherani and Christian Wilhelm Zeraua in 1884, Tyiseseta became the Herero leader of Omaruru. He signed a treaty of protection on 3 November 1885 with

Heinrich Ernst Göring Heinrich Ernst Göring (31 October 1839 – 7 December 1913) was a German jurist and diplomat who served as colonial governor of German South West Africa. He was the father of five children including Hermann Göring, the Nazi leader and comman ...

and the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. The missionaries Carl Gotthilf Büttner and

Gottlieb Viehe Friedrich Wilhelm Gottlieb Viehe (27 March 1839 – 1 January 1901) was a German missionary of the ''Rheinische Missionsgesellschaft'' (Rhenish Missionary Society) and an early settler in present-day Namibia. He was born in Mennighüffen, (now ...

were also present. Tyiseseta kept his tribe independent of the Germans and the chieftain

Samuel Maharero Samuel Maharero (1856 – 14 March 1923) was a Paramount Chief of the Herero people in German South West Africa (today Namibia) during their revolts and in connection with the events surrounding the Herero genocide. Today he is considered a na ...

for many years. trading with

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

for weapons, ammo, and other goods. He had his own armed forces. Samuel Maharero was named the chief Herero leader under German auspices in Augustus 1891, but other chiefs objected. That November 26,

Theodor Leutwein Theodor Gotthilf Leutwein (9 May 1849 – 13 April 1921) was colonial administrator of German Southwest Africa from 1894 to 1904 (as commander of its Schutztruppe, and from 1898, governor). Life and career Born in Strümpfelbrunn in the ...

negotiated a meeting between

and Zacharias Zeraua, both agreeing to meet with Tyiseseta. From then on, Tyiseseta's political dominance was backed up by German military might.

External links

(en) Findagrave
Biography

Bibliography

(de) Joris de Vries: Manasse Tjiseseta, chief of Omaruru 1884–1898, Namibia. Cologne: Verlag Köppe, 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyiseseta, Manasse People from Erongo Region Namibian chiefs 1850 births 1898 deaths Augustineum Secondary School alumni Herero people Indigenous people in German South West Africa