Hut Tax War of 1898
Encyclopedia
The Hut Tax War of 1898 was a war of resistance to British colonialism
in Sierra Leone
.
It was initiated by Temne chief Bai Bureh
in 1898, and later involved other native peoples, including the Mende
. The war was an attempt by the local African kingdoms to maintain their independence in the face of Britain's 1896 declaration of a protectorate over Sierra Leone. The immediate precipitator of hostilities was the attempt by British officials to collect hut tax
.
Britain's imposition of the tax sparked off two rebellions in the hinterland of Sierra Leone in 1898, one by the Temne, led by Bai Bureh, the other by the Mende, led by Momoh Jah. The military governor, Colonel Frederic Cardew, had decreed that, to pay for the privilege of British administration, the inhabitants of the new Protectorate should be taxed on the size of their huts: the owner of a four-roomed hut would pay ten shillings a year, those with smaller huts would pay five shillings. Colonel Cardew was not an administrator, but a professional soldier who had spent years in India and South Africa. First imposed on January 1, 1898, the tax was often more than the value of the dwelling, and in many instances the dwellings were unoccupied. Cardew also demanded that the chiefs and inhabitants maintain the roads, taking labor needed for subsistence farming.
The hut tax aroused immediate and intense opposition, led in the first instance by the sixty-year-old Bai Bureh. The operations against him, from February to November, involved "some of the most stubborn fighting that has been seen in West Africa," wrote Colonel Marshal, the British commander. "No such continuity of opposition had at any previous time been experienced on this part of the coast."
The Northern front of the Hut Tax War was led by Bai Bureh, a Temne chief who refused to recognize the British-imposed tax on "huts" (dwellings). The tax was generally regarded by the native chiefs as an attack on their sovereignty
and the colonial government said that the Creoles had encouraged the natives not to pay taxes.
After the British issued a warrant to arrest Bai Bureh alleging that he had refused to pay taxes, Bai Bureh declared war on British in Northern Sierra Leone, with the full support of several prominent native chiefs, including the powerful Kissi chief Kai Londo
and the Limba chief Almamy Suluku
. Both chiefs sent warriors and weapons to aid Bai Bureh.
Bureh's fighters had the advantage over the vastly more powerful British for several months of the war. Hundreds of British troops and hundreds of Bureh's fighters were killed. Some innocent European and African victims were killed and in one case, Johnny Taylor, a Creole trader was 'chopped' to pieces by Bai Bureh's warboys.
Bai Bureh was finally captured on 11 November 1898 and sent into exile
in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), while 96 of his comrades were hanged by the British.
The Southern front of the Hut Tax War began after the Northern front and was based in the Southern provinces. The Southern front was led by mainly Mende (and a few Sherbro) warriors and chiefs. The Southern front was a slaughtering of Creole traders and civil servants living in the provinces. Creoles were burned, hacked to death, and in some cases women were raped by Mende warriors. American and European missionaries were killed in large numbers and oftentime raped.
The defeat in the Hut Tax war ended large scale organised resistance to colonialism; however resistance continued throughout the colonial period in the form of intermittent rioting and chaotic labour disturbances. Riots in 1955 and 1956 involved "many tens of thousands" of natives in the protectorate.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
It was initiated by Temne chief Bai Bureh
Bai Bureh
Bai Bureh was a Sierra Leonean ruler and military strategist who led the Temne and Loko uprising against British rule in 1898 in Northern Sierra Leone.-Early life:...
in 1898, and later involved other native peoples, including the Mende
Mende people
The Mende people are one of the two largest and most dominant ethnic group in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. The Mende make up 30% of Sierra Leone's total population or 1,932,015 members...
. The war was an attempt by the local African kingdoms to maintain their independence in the face of Britain's 1896 declaration of a protectorate over Sierra Leone. The immediate precipitator of hostilities was the attempt by British officials to collect hut tax
Hut tax
The hut tax was a type of taxation introduced by British colonialists in Africa on a per hut or household basis. It was variously payable in money, labour, grain or stock and benefited the colonial authorities in four related ways: it raised money; it supported the currency ; it broadened the cash...
.
Britain's imposition of the tax sparked off two rebellions in the hinterland of Sierra Leone in 1898, one by the Temne, led by Bai Bureh, the other by the Mende, led by Momoh Jah. The military governor, Colonel Frederic Cardew, had decreed that, to pay for the privilege of British administration, the inhabitants of the new Protectorate should be taxed on the size of their huts: the owner of a four-roomed hut would pay ten shillings a year, those with smaller huts would pay five shillings. Colonel Cardew was not an administrator, but a professional soldier who had spent years in India and South Africa. First imposed on January 1, 1898, the tax was often more than the value of the dwelling, and in many instances the dwellings were unoccupied. Cardew also demanded that the chiefs and inhabitants maintain the roads, taking labor needed for subsistence farming.
The hut tax aroused immediate and intense opposition, led in the first instance by the sixty-year-old Bai Bureh. The operations against him, from February to November, involved "some of the most stubborn fighting that has been seen in West Africa," wrote Colonel Marshal, the British commander. "No such continuity of opposition had at any previous time been experienced on this part of the coast."
The Northern front of the Hut Tax War was led by Bai Bureh, a Temne chief who refused to recognize the British-imposed tax on "huts" (dwellings). The tax was generally regarded by the native chiefs as an attack on their sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
and the colonial government said that the Creoles had encouraged the natives not to pay taxes.
After the British issued a warrant to arrest Bai Bureh alleging that he had refused to pay taxes, Bai Bureh declared war on British in Northern Sierra Leone, with the full support of several prominent native chiefs, including the powerful Kissi chief Kai Londo
Kai Londo
Kai Londo was a Kissi warrior from Sierra Leone who conquered a large territory . He built new roads and fortified towns and established a new capital at Kailahun.-Early life:...
and the Limba chief Almamy Suluku
Almamy Suluku
Almamy Suluku was a powerful Limba ruler from Sierra Leone who maintained his independence as long as possible through brilliant political strategy.-Early life:...
. Both chiefs sent warriors and weapons to aid Bai Bureh.
Bureh's fighters had the advantage over the vastly more powerful British for several months of the war. Hundreds of British troops and hundreds of Bureh's fighters were killed. Some innocent European and African victims were killed and in one case, Johnny Taylor, a Creole trader was 'chopped' to pieces by Bai Bureh's warboys.
Bai Bureh was finally captured on 11 November 1898 and sent into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), while 96 of his comrades were hanged by the British.
The Southern front of the Hut Tax War began after the Northern front and was based in the Southern provinces. The Southern front was led by mainly Mende (and a few Sherbro) warriors and chiefs. The Southern front was a slaughtering of Creole traders and civil servants living in the provinces. Creoles were burned, hacked to death, and in some cases women were raped by Mende warriors. American and European missionaries were killed in large numbers and oftentime raped.
The defeat in the Hut Tax war ended large scale organised resistance to colonialism; however resistance continued throughout the colonial period in the form of intermittent rioting and chaotic labour disturbances. Riots in 1955 and 1956 involved "many tens of thousands" of natives in the protectorate.