The 1884 Kolama Treaty: A Historical Record Connecting Kolama, Akassa and the West African Coast
Preserving an Important Chapter of Coastal History
The ENGO Holdings Repository presents this historic 1884 document as part of the continuing effort to preserve, document and make accessible important records concerning the history of the coastal communities of the Niger Delta and the wider West African region.
The document reproduced here is headed “AFRICA (West Coast)” and records a treaty involving the Kings and Chiefs of Kolama and District and representatives of the British Crown.
Dated 30 July 1884, the document records an agreement intended to maintain and strengthen peaceful relations between the parties.
The Treaty of 30 July 1884
According to the document, Her Majesty Queen Victoria appointed E. H. Howett, Esq., Her Majesty’s Consul for the Bights of Benin and Biafra, to conclude the treaty on behalf of the British Crown.
The document states that the Kings and Chiefs of Kolama and District agreed with the British representative on a series of articles concerning their relationship.
The treaty refers to Articles I to IX, and specifically notes their similarity to provisions contained in another treaty with Addidoton, dated 30 July 1884.
The document records:
“Treaty with Kings and Chiefs of Kolama and District.”
It was signed on 30 July 1884, on board Her Majesty’s ship Flirt, anchored in Brass River.
The Connection with Akassa
One of the particularly important details preserved on this page is the subsequent witnessing of the signatures.
The document states that the marks and signatures were witnessed “at Akassa this 1st day of August, 1884.”
This makes the document an important historical reference for researchers examining the relationship between Kolama and District, Akassa, Brass River and the surrounding coastal communities during the nineteenth century.
The witnesses named on the document include:
- Joseph Flint
- Andrew Veitch
- Edward Christian
- Cornelius A. Crowther
- Walter L. Ruga
- John, Interpreter
The original historical document should therefore be considered in its full archival context, including the terminology, political structures and colonial administrative practices of the period.
Why This Record Matters Today
Historical documents such as this provide valuable primary-source material for understanding how coastal communities were described and engaged with during the nineteenth century.
For the ENGO Holdings Repository, preservation of such material is important for several reasons:
1. Historical Documentation
The document provides a dated primary-source record from 1884, helping researchers investigate the history of Kolama and surrounding coastal territories.
2. Community Heritage
The reference to Akassa in connection with the witnessing of the treaty provides an additional historical point of reference for the preservation of Akassa’s documentary heritage.
3. Research and Education
The document can assist historians, researchers, students and community historians studying the political, social and commercial history of the West African coast.
4. Preservation of Original Records
Digitising and presenting fragile historical documents helps ensure that important archival materials can remain accessible for future generations.
A Document to Be Studied in Its Historical Context
It is important to distinguish between historical evidence and a modern legal determination.
The 1884 treaty is a historical record from a very different political and legal era. Its existence does not, by itself, determine present-day land ownership, modern territorial boundaries or contemporary legal rights.
Instead, the document should be examined alongside other archival materials, maps, treaties, administrative records, oral histories, community records and applicable modern law.
Its greatest value is as primary historical evidence showing how Kolama and District were documented and how British representatives interacted with local Kings and Chiefs in 1884.
ENGO Holdings Historical Repository
The ENGO Holdings platform is committed to supporting the preservation and presentation of historical, environmental and community-related records connected with the coastal region.
The 1884 Kolama Treaty is therefore presented as part of a broader documentary heritage record—not merely as an old piece of paper, but as a surviving source through which present and future generations can investigate the history of the communities and waterways of the West African coast.
Archival Record
Document: Treaty with Kings and Chiefs of Kolama and District
Date: 30 July 1884
Region: Africa (West Coast)
Execution: On board H.M.S. Flirt, Brass River
Witnessing: Akassa, 1 August 1884
Historical period: Reign of Queen Victoria
Source: Historical document reproduced in the ENGO Holdings historical repository.
Preserving the Record. Protecting the History.
Historical records provide a bridge between generations. Through careful preservation, digitisation and responsible interpretation, documents such as the 1884 Kolama Treaty can continue to contribute to research into the history, heritage and development of the coastal communities of the Niger Delta.
ENGO Holdings — Historical & Environmental Heritage Repository