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Rethinking the Aborigines Protection Society through its Informants This blog post was originally published on the Bodleian Libraries Blog at https://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archivesandmanuscripts/2023/02/24/rethinking-the-aborigines-protection-society-through-its-informants/.    Within the archives of the Anti-Slavery Society are the correspondence records of its cousin, the Aborigines’ Protection Society (1837-1909), which merged with…

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There were Victorian Indigenous Rights Activists? Originally published at https://medium.com/@DarrenReidHistory/there-were-victorian-indigenous-rights-activists-ec5243eb709c. The history of the British Empire in the 1800s has a pretty bad reputation, for good reason. The British were blatantly and unashamedly racist. They became rich by stealing other people’s resources.…

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Resisting the forced labour system in colonial South Africa, 1877–1879 Originally published at https://medium.com/@DarrenReidHistory/resisting-the-forced-labour-system-in-colonial-south-africa-1877-1879-56007f12f07d. The five decades of Apartheid (1948–1994) are often considered the pinnacle of racial oppression in South Africa. But Apartheid was just an evolution of centuries of racial conflict. One…

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Shadrach Boyce Mama The APS received a single letter from Shadrach Boyce Mama dated 29 December 1879. Mama was born in 1855 as a nephew of the chief of the Gqunukwebe Xhosa, who had been expelled from the Neutral/Ceded Territory in 1819…

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Samuel Moroka’s correspondence The Aborigines’ Protection Society received six letters from Samuel Moroka between 26 December 1883 and 7 February 1884. Samuel Moroka was born circa 1840 to Moroka II, chief of the Thaba Nchu Barolong. Samuel was the third son by…

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Mqikela’s correspondence The Aborigines’ Protection Society received three letters from Mqikela between 1 August 1883 and 12 July 1884. Mqikela was born circa 1841 to Faku, paramount chief of the Mpondo kingdom. Mqikela was not Faku’s eldest son, but his mother was…

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John Tengo Jabavu’s correspondence The most prolific African correspondent with the APS was John Tengo Jabavu. He wrote eighteen letters in total, the first dated 6 May 1880, and the last 28 November 1887. Jabavu was a mission-educated journalist of Mfengu ancestry.…

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