The 4th June marks a hundred years since the death of Abraham Morris, one of the lesser-known Nama leaders of the early 1900s. I searched for his grave in the mountains around the Orange River to pay my respects . . .
There are many Nama leaders who made their mark in the 1904 to 1907 war against the German colonial government. Among them are Hendrik Witbooi, Simon Koper, Jacob Morengo and Cornelius Fredericks. One seldom hears about Abraham Morris, however, who fought beside his peers and gave his life fighting for the rights of his people.
I had read the book ‘The last tribal war: A history of the Bondelswart uprising’ by Richard Freislich and was fascinated by Morris’s life journey. I camped in the rugged and beautiful mountains around the Orange River while reading the account of his last battle and searched for the pile of rocks he was supposedly buried under. I tried to imagine what kind of life he had led. Remembered as being intelligent, honest and fiercely courageous, he fought on the side of the Bondelswart Nama against the Germans and later assisted the South African army as a guide during WWI, only to die at their hands several years later. I slowly started to piece together the story of his life.
Born around 1870, he is believed to be the son of James Morris, who hailed from a well-known South African trading family that had its roots in Britain. His mother was Ennie (Anna), the eldest daughter of Abraham Schyer, a Bondelswart church elder in Warmbad (southern Namibia). Abraham Morris went to school both in Warmbad and in the Cape where he learned to speak Dutch fluently. Afterwards, he found employment driving the post cart in Warmbad.
At the outbreak of the hostilities in the early 1900s, he and his brother Jacob joined Jacob Marengo to raid military stations, farms and transport wagons in the southern part of the country. They were known for their excellent guerrilla tactics and well-planned ambushes. Their intimate knowledge of the area made it difficult for the Germans to pursue them to their hideouts in the Karas and Orange River Mountains. According to German governor Theodor Leutwein, they did not harm the farmers nor did they steal the cattle from the Rhenish Mission in Keetmanshoop. At the end of the uprising, they were considered outlaws and moved southwards across the Orange River into South Africa with about six hundred people.
The group first stayed at a refugee camp in Steinkopf and then moved to the Roman Catholic Mission Station of Matjieskloof near Springbok. When the Peace Treaty with the Germans was signed at Heirachabis in January 1907, Morris chose not to return, but signed the treaty at Ramansdrift on the southern side of the Orange River. He is reported to have said: ‘The fight is over, and it is over for good as far as I’m concerned’. In 1912 and 1913 he worked as a translator for the South African anthropologist Winifred Hoernlé when she visited the Bondelswarts in the area. During WWI Morris was employed as a scout for the intelligence section of the South African Mounted Riflemen on German territory. Afterwards, he returned to Steinkopf where he worked as a shop assistant and cattle herder.
In 1919, when Jakobus Christian returned to South West Africa (as Namibia was then called), Abraham Morris started to secretly visit and consult with the Bondelswarts, who were disgruntled that the South African government would not return the land taken away by the German government. During one of his visits, Lieutenant Prinsloo, who knew Morris from his participation in the world war, followed him to arrest him for entering the country armed. Morris had already crossed the border into South Africa and Prinsloo followed him to the Henkries Valley where he was staying. During their conversation, Prinsloo was so impressed by Morris that he asked him to consider becoming a policeman under his command, should the necessary permission from the authorities be obtained.
When Abraham Morris’s wife died in December 1921, he decided to return to South West Africa and spend the last part of his life with his people. Together with eight families and some small livestock, he travelled northwards crossing the Orange River on 16 April 1922, continuing to the villages of /Guruxas and /Haib. He was welcomed by the Bondelswarts, who hoped he would be able to assist them in regaining their land. As the group was armed, the news of their arrival spread quickly. When the South African police tried to arrest Morris for bringing in stock and weapons illegally, the Bondelswarts protested and a scuffle ensued. Despite some efforts for a peaceful settlement, antagonism mounted on both sides, resulting in the South African forces bombing the villages of /Haib and /Guruxas on 29 May.
Now committed to fight to his last breath and not to fall into the hands of the enemy, Morris headed to the Orange River Mountains with 60 horsemen and 250 men on foot. Lieutenant Prinsloo was appointed to pursue the group and set off after them with 32 horsemen. After several encounters, Morris and some of his men were forced into a side gorge of the /Haib River where he was shot several times. He later died from his injuries.
The fatal shots were fired by Prinsloo, who had held him in high esteem such a short time before. A reporter from the Cape Times wrote on 7 June 1922: ‘Something must have surely been amiss with a system which turned an ally like Abraham Morris into an embittered foe.’
While I was in the mountains, I tried to understand the fear, anger and resentment that builds and erupts between groups, resulting in so many unnecessary deaths. A century later, the !Gami-#nun (Bondelswarts), once inhabiting a vast area, are still confined to a small low-rainfall area living under harsh conditions and although there is now political freedom, their economic struggle continues. The genocide discussions of the Nama-Herero/German war of the early twentieth century is ongoing. I was grateful, however, that time had moved on and that Namibia had since gained its independence, granting equality to all its ethnic groups – and finally peace.
A long-overdue book about Abraham Morris is presently being written by distinguished Namibian historian, Prof Robert Gordon, recounting the story of his life.
And, continuing to tie up the loose ends of the man who was referred to as ‘the exiled hero’, I heard recently that Morris’s grave had finally been found in the mountains of the Orange River. Today, on the 4th June, a hundred years after his death, we acknowledge him and remember him among the brave Namibian leaders who fought for justice and freedom.