ZANZIBAR

Its History
_and its People
WH age
 Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2023 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation

https://archive.org/details/zanzibaritshistoO000whin
ZANZIBAR
 MOSQUE WITH MINARET, MALINDI, ZANZIBAR.
(Built late 19th century. Shape of Minaret and pattern of Chevron very
similar to those used by the builders of Zimbabwe.)
(Frontisptece)
ZANZIBAR
ITS HISTORY AND ITS PEOPLE

W. H. INGRAMS

Routledge
Taylor
& Francis Group

LONDON AND NEW YORK

 First published by Frank Cass Publishers
This edition published 2013 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

First edition 1931

First impression 1967

Transferred to Digital Printing 2005

ISBN 0-7146-1102-6
 PREFACE
THOUGH the modern city of Zanzibar is at the most two
hundred years old, it has a fascination usually attributed
only to much older foundations. ‘The impression it makes
on the casual visitor is a distinct one, that is not eclipsed,
much less effaced, by sojourns in other and better known
Eastern cities. It is generally admitted that one can re-
capture more of the atmosphere of The Thousand Nights
and a Night in Zanzibar than in the modern City of
the Caliphs, and I know of no other town where in a few
short hours one can see such a pageant of history as is
paraded before one’s eyes in Zanzibar in the early months
of the year. At this season one sees anchored in the
harbour those strange crafts whose prototypes for years
untold have brought traders and colonizers from all parts
of the East, and one encounters in the streets representa-
tives of all the many races that have helped to make the
island’s history.
But the fascination of Zanzibar extends beyond the
confines of the city. The island cannot aspire to majestic
scenery, but there is beauty to be found all round its coral
shores and in the waving palm and scented clove groves
of the interior.
The interest and the influence of Zanzibar, however,
reaches far beyond its own borders. For centuries it was
the principal emporium of the eastern seaboard of Africa.
I have written at length of the countries that traded with
Zanzibar and the east coast from the earliest times in the
historical chapters of this book, but I had not thought it
possible that those who traded there could have dealt with
the city of London in early days. However, it seems
likely that produce from Eastern Africa reached London
long before the merchants of Mincing Lane traded in its
cloves, for, delving into the history of Smithfield, I found
in Fitzstephen the following lines on London’s foreign
trade, written in the twelfth century:
“ Aurum mittit Arabs : species et thura Sabeus:
Arma Scythes : oleum palmarum divite sylva
Pingue solum Babylon: Nilus lapides pretiosos.”’
5
6 PREFACE
At onetime the Zanzibar Empire stretched from Guarda-
fui to the Rovuma River, and inland beyond the great lakes.
In addition, its ruler held sway over all the south-eastern
corner of Arabia, and his influence stretched beyond even
these extensive borders. At this time, the heyday of the
Zanzibari-Omani Empire, the island became celebrated in
the well-known saying, ‘‘ When you play the flute at
Zanzibar, all Africa, as far as the Lakes, dances.’’ This
empire has passed, but much of its influence remains.
Swahili is one of the principal languages of the world,
and it has been spread far and wide from Zanzibar. From
Port Said to Durban, from Zanzibar across the Congo to
the west coast, in Southern Arabia, Western India and in
Madagascar, there will be found men who speak it.
Many of the Creoles of Mauritius and Réunion are of
Zanzibar origin, and the Creole language, though French
in its vocabulary, is Bantu in its grammar. You may
hear in the Creole of Mauritius the folk-lore that you have
heard in the Swahili of Zanzibar.
As for the Island of Pemba, though it is somewhat
overshadowed by the glory of Zanzibar, it is not without
its fame. It has been described as the ‘‘ Pearl of the
Indian Ocean,’’ and to the Arabs it is known as Jezirat
al Khuthra, or the Green Island. It. is certainly one of
the beauty spots of the world. In East Africa and
Madagascar it has a more sinister fame, as it is looked
on as the very University of Witchcraft.
From the Colonial Civil Servant’s point of view, I
suspect that there is but one Zanzibar and that one is
rather spoilt by starting a career in the Protectorate, but
none the less I count myself very fortunate to have spent
the years from 1919-1927 there. Nearly all the material
in this book was collected during that time from the
inhabitants themselves. Certain of the history has been
gleaned from other authorities, but as regards the
ethnographical part, I found an unexplored field and
therefore, despite its shortcomings, I hope the book will
be of use to those whose study lies in this subject, and
also to those who come to the island to help its people
to achieve their destiny.
I think it is true to say that Zanzibar until recently
has been only dimly aware of its earlier history, and barely
conscious of the fact that it is the mother of the other
dependencies of Eastern Africa. Some of this history
I have already published in work derived from the
historical chapters in this book and from others that from
 PREFACE +
considerations of space have had to be omitted. An
abstract of it first appeared, together with a résumé of the
Ethnography, in Zanzibar, an Account of its People,
Industries, and History, and in the School History of
Zanzibar, which Mr. Hollingsworth, of the Zanzibar
Education Department, and I wrote in 1925. Some of it
has reappeared in Mr. Hollingsworth’s Short History of the
East Coast of Africa, and the children of Zanzibar and
the east coast are therefore now enabled to learn something
of the story of their own country. No country can afford
to neglect its history, and it is my hope that lessons may
be gained from this story which may be of value in the
making of future history.
It is possible that Zanzibar history may yet be taken
much farther back. In 1927 I took to the South Kensing-
ton Museum some fossils obtained in blasting operations
at Chukwani, six miles south of Zanzibar town, and was
informed that they had the appearance of being a typical
Pleistocene stone breccia. It has yet to be proved that
they are what they seem, namely the remnants of the meals
of Stone Age men, from the bottom of a collapsed cave.
As regards the ethnography, nothing beyond the
résumé referred to above and a few articles in Man and
the Zanzibar Gazette has appeared before. The only safe
foundation for any civilization is that built on the
traditions and life of a people, and so I hope that this
record of the manners and customs of the Zanzibaris will
be of use to them and those who are called on to administer
them. I have included in the book a good deal of the
magic practised in both islands, and I hope that an
understanding of it will help, with patience and sympathy,
to its elimination as education progresses.
I have given an extensive bibliography of Zanzibar
literature in Zanzibar, an Account of its People, Industries,
and History. Space forbids the reproduction in this book
of the names of any books not actually used.
I have to acknowledge the help and encouragement
given to me by Mr. T. A. Joyce, M.A., O.B.E., Deputy
Keeper of the Department of Ceramics and Ethnography
in the British Museum. me
It was he who first instigated
to write the book, and he has given me every help possible
towards getting it published. He has very kindly read it
and made suggestions for its improvement, which I have
endeavoured to carry out. I owe quite an especial debt
of gratitude to Sir Claud Hollis, K.C.M.G., C.B.E., now
Governor of Trinidad, not only for reading the book and
8 PREFACE
giving me much help, but for the opportunities he made
for me while he was British Resident at Zanzibar, to get
material and to improve the book in different ways. To
many other individuals who have helped me I can only
extend a collective expression of gratitude, for their name
is legion.
Some of the photographs have been taken by myself,
but for others I am indebted to Mr. A. C. Gomes of
Zanzibar. The photos of native handicraft were taken by
the late Mr. John Heath, of Shrewsbury, and the objects
portrayed are either on loan to the Shrewsbury School
museum or deposited in the Museum at Zanzibar.
The book has been through many vicissitudes before
seeing the light of day. It was started in 1921, and
gradually grew till it had reached impossible proportions
in 1927; since then it has undergone various surgical
operations designed to reduce its bulk, but I doubt whether
it would have emerged finally into printed form if it had
not been for my wife, who rescued it from the oblivion of
a dusty shelf, read it, made further suggestions for its
improvement and finally herself bearded the publisher in
his den.
The actual publication of the book has been made
possible by the generosity of the Zanzibar Government
who, with the consent of the Colonial Office, have
subsidized the work in a very substantial fashion, and I
wish therefore to take this opportunity of tendering my
very sincere thanks for their most practical assistance.

WH. I.
Port SAID,
October, 1930.
 DEDICATED
(BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION)

TO
HIS HIGHNESS SEYYID SIR KHALIFA BIN HARUB,
K.C.M.G., K.B.E.,
SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR

AND TO

HIS SUBJECTS,

ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO,

EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY,

HAVE ASSISTED IN THE

COMPILATION OF THIS BOOK.

 CONTENTS
PREFACE ; : : - : : - “ 5

INTRODUCTORY
CHAPTER I
ZANZIBAR
Introduction—Geographical delimitations—Geological history
—Fauna and flora—Derivation of the name . 5 bike)

CHAPTER II
THE PEOPLE
Population—Inhabitants—Connection of the Indians with the
coast from the earliest times to the present Olea
and economic condition of the natives ; 27

PART I—HISTORICAL

At ARG Yor LOR Yo AND OA LERNAL

INFLUENCES
CHAPTER Ill
Introduction—Stone Age—The first inhabitants of Zanzibar—
The heliolithic culture—The Sumerians—The Assyrians
—The Chaldeans, Medes and Persians : ; eat

CHAPTER IV
The ancient Egyptians—The Phcenicians—The aoe
Greeks—The Sabeans and Himyarites ‘ 47

CHAPTER V
The Beginning of the Christian era—Résumé of the Fits
trade on the Zanzibar coast . é j : 59

CHAPTER VI
Reasons for paucity of information on East Africa from the
second to seventh centuries—The Bantu invasion—The
coast from the second to seventh centuries . : 5 (80)

CHAPTER VII
EARLY -MODERN VISITORS FROM THE NEAR EAST
The first emigration from Oman to Zanzibar—Other early
emigrations from Asia—The conversion of the coast to
Islam—Records of the Arabian geographers d et k:
II
12 CONTENTS
CHAPTER VIII
VISITORS FROM THE FAR EAST PAGE
The Malays on the coast—The relations of the Chines with
the east coast of Africa : 86

CHAPTER IX
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE PORTUGUESE
The rise of the Portuguese—The Zimba invasion of East
Africa—The brief Turkish domination of the coast—The
first English visitors—The decline of the Portuguese—
Establishment of Omani domination on the coast - 96

B. LATER HISTORY OF THE NATIVE

TRIBES
CHAPTER X
The origin of the native tribes in Zanzibar and Pemba 5 1G)
CHAPTER XI
Period of the Zinj Bd sarin ah of pein aaa of
Pemba—History of Tumbatu 5 5 . 31

CHAPTER XII
NATIVE DYNASTIES OF ZANZIBAR
The Mwenyi Mkuu of Zanzibar ct ae Diwanis of
Pemba—The Sheha of Tumbatu ; - 147

C. HISTORY OF MODERN ZANZIBAR

CHAPTER XIII
THE ZANZIBARI-OMANI EMPIRE
The reign of Seyyid Said—The reign of Serva Malia
reign of Seyyid Barghash—Tippu Tib 161
CHAPTER XIV
THE REIGN OF SEYYID KHALIFA BIN SAID TO THE PRESENT DAY
Seyyid Khalifa bin Said—Seyyid Ali bin Said—Seyyid
Hamed bin Thwain—Seyyid Khaled bin Barghash—
Seyyid Hamoud bin eee yone Ali bin Hatioud
—Seyyid Khalifa bin Harub . 172

PART II—ETHNOLOGICAL
A. FOREIGN INFLUENCES
CHAPTER XV
Introduction . 5 : : ¢ : 3 . 183

CHAPTER XVI
The Khawarij—The Ibathis and their Imamate . . 187
 CONTENTS 13
CHAPTER XVII PAGE
The Arabs of Zanzibar—Birth and infancy—Courtship and
marriage—Death and burial . ; 194
CHAPTER XVIII
Social Organization—Occupation and relaxation—Politeness
and hospitality—Religious duties in everyday life—
Superstitions—Arab architecture and Zanzibar doors sm z0A
CHAPTER XIX
Some notes on the life of Swahilis and freed slaves . ea 20

B. NATIVE TRIBES OF ZANZIBAR

CHAPTER XX
LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL
The man—The woman : F 227
CHAPTER XXI
Family organization : : 246
CHAPTER XXII
Village life—The man’s day—The woman’s day—Games . 249
CHAPTER XXIII
Tribal organization—Taxation—Politeness and hospitality . 262
CHAPTER XXIV
Law ‘ ; : : : : ; ; 267
CHAPTER XXV
The soil—l.and tenure—Products—(1) Cereals—(2) Vegetables
—(3) Fruits—(4) Tobacco : i § - 274
CHAPTER XXVI
Agricultural and nautical year—Agricultural customs . - 280
CHAPTER XXVII
Fire—Salt—Food—Drink : 285
CHAPTER XXVIII
Livestock—Game—Traps—Hunting : : : . 289
CHAPTER XXIX
Fishing—Sailing . . 299
CHAPTER XXX
Clothing—Ornaments—Habitations : : , - 309
CHAPTER XXXI
CRAFTS
Pottery—Basket and matting work—Carpentry and carving
—Metal-work—Machinery—Miscellaneous crafts and in-
dustries—The uses of the palm tree . : : 5 EY
14 CONTENTS
CHAPAGS XXXII
Commerce 5 3
CHAPTER XXXIII
Languages—Dialectical vocabularies—Writing .
CHAS cy
Proverbs—Riddles
CHAPTER XXXV
Tales
CHAPTER XXXVI
Poetry—Art 394
" CHAPTER XXXVII
MUSIC, SONGS AND DANCES
Musical Instruments—Dances 399
CHAPTER XXXVIII
MUSIC, SONGS AND DANCES (continued)
Vinyago—Songs—Maulidi—Pemba bull-fights 412
CHAPTER XXXIX
NATURE
The elements—Botany—Zoology 423
CHAPTER XL
RELIGION
Religious beliefs—Islam—Animism—Superstitions 433
CHAPTER XLI
MEDICINE
Surgery— Physics — The ea eee — Materia Medica —
Nosology
CHAPTER XLII
MAGIC
Possessions and exorcisms—White magic—Black magic
CHAPTER XLIII
Numbers—Divination 5 . ‘
CHAPTER XLIV
The people of Makunduchi
Po eras XLV
Swahili psychology :
CHAPTER XLVI
Dreams and ghosts :
CHAPTER XLVI
Physical characteristics of the Zanzibaris
BIBLIOGRAPHY S15
INDEX .
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATES
MOSQUE WITH MINARET, ZANZIBAR . ‘ ; Frontispiece
Facing
page
MIRHAB OF OLD MOSQUE, CHAMBANI ; ° : x35
INTERIOR OF OLD MOSQUE, KICHOBOCHWE . ; : EL3o
AN MPEMBA GIRL 5; 5 : f : : also
MIRHAB OF MOSQUE, MKUMBUU : ; : - . 138
ZANZIBAR DOOR DESIGNS. : : : : mead
THE WAPEMBA MAKING THEIR CURIOUS CRY : j . 256
AN ANIMAL CALLED KURURU . : : : . - 256
GOGODUA OR THE STILT WALKER . ; , : . 256
A PEMBA BULL-FIGHT . : : ; = : See
NATIVE RAT-TRAP AND OTHER DOMESTIC ARTICLES . : a EES
DEMA FISHING-TRAPS . : : : : : - 300
A SEWN BOAT . 5 A é : P : - 300
OLD FISHERMAN WITH MGONO TRAP . : 5 : . 300
CAT-FISH FISHERMAN WITH TRAPS . : , : . 300
COOKING UTENSILS . : : < : 4 5. Byes!
NATIVE KNIVES AND OTHER TOOLS . é : : . 318
BLACKSMITHS AT WORK ‘ é : : : Aan? €)
POTTERY MAKER, PEMBA A a : : : a Spee
HADIMU SPOONS DECORATED WITH POKER WORK . ; . 398
ORCHESTRA FOR THE DANCE KUMBA . ‘ : : . 400
ORCHESTRA FOR VINGAGO . : : : : . 400
NATIVE DRUMS b c : 5 : : . 400
NATIVE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND COSTUMES : - . 416
QUEEN OF THE MANGUNA DANCE, KIMBA . : i - 454
THE PANGA MWAKJUGA, BEMBA F : : : - 454
PERFORMERS OF THE UGIGE DANCE . : : A - 454
THE DEVIL HUNT, MAKUNDUCHI ; : ; ‘ - 454
OLD BOOKS OF MAGIC, NATIVE CHARMS, ETC. ; : . 474
NYANGE DANCE, MAKUNDUCHI ‘ : : ; . 484
WAHADIMU-. é : : ‘ 3 : . 484

MAPS
MAP OF ZANZIBAR AND PEMBA SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF
POPULATION : : : : : : e ai
MAP OF THE AZANIAN OCEAN . ; ‘ : : 02
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INTRODUCTORY
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
In the first introductory and historical chapters of
this book I have endeavoured to give a perspective to
the main part of the book, namely, the ethnology of
Zanzibar. In the ordinary way, when writing of the
life and customs of a primitive people, the historical
introduction can be dismissed in a few pages, but in
Zanzibar circumstances are different, and owing to a
variety of reasons which will be found outlined, its
history is long and complicated, and the customs of
the people are coloured, to a large extent, by external
influences, as throughout the centuries the Zanzibaris
have absorbed the manners of the various civilizations
that have been imposed upon them.
The book is concerned in the main with the native
inhabitants of the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba.
In the historical portion it has been impossible to
avoid dealing, to a large extent—at any rate in the
earlier part—with the adjacent African coast. The
islands and the coast have been intimately connected
—historically, politically and ethnologically—for a
very long period.

GEOGRAPHICAL DELIMITATIONS

The Zanzibar Protectorate, as defined by the

Zanzibar Order-in-Council 1924, comprises the
Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba and islands within
the territorial waters thereof. This definition is some-
what smaller than that in the procés-verbal of the
gth of June, -1886, defining the territories of the
Sultan of Zanzibar, which includes all islets within
a 12-miles radius of Zanzibar and Pemba. The
19
20 ZANZIBAR
Zanzibar Sultanate includes not only Zanzibar and
Pemba and islands geographically dependent on
them and Latham Island, but also the 10-mile wide
coast strip of Kenya Protectorate.
The Island of Zanzibar is situated in 6° S.
latitude, and is separated from the mainland 2) a
channel 224 miles across at its narrowest part. It is
the largest coralline island on the African coast,
being 54 miles long by 24 broad (maximum measure-
ment), and having an area of 640 square miles. To
the north-west of Zanzibar, separated by a channel
about a mile wide, is the Island of Tumbatu, which is
of ethnological importance, as it is the headquarters
of one of the three tribes of the protectorate. It is
administratively included with Zanzibar Island. It is
6 miles long and one wide, and is 3,619 acres in
extent.
Some 25 miles to the north-east of Zanzibar,
athwart the 5th degree of South Latitude, lies the
Island of Pemba. It is smaller than Zanzibar, being
42 miles long by 14 broad (maximum measurement),
and having an area of 380 square miles.
The annual rain-fall amounts approximately in
Zanzibar to 56 inches, and in Pemba to 75 inches.
The rainy seasons are well defined; the heavy rains
occur in April and May, previous to the setting in of
the south-west monsoon, the light rains in November
and December, before the recurrence of the north-east
monsoon. The mean maximum temperature in
Zanzibar is 84:9, and the mean minimum 76:6. The
corresponding figures for Pemba are 83:6 and 73:27
respectively.
Thirty-five miles to the south of Zanzibar lies
Latham Island. It is a small island inhabited only
by vast numbers of sea-birds utterly fearless of man.
Known to the natives as Shan Jove or Fungu
Kizimkazi, it was probably originally discovered by
the Portuguese, but named after the East Indiaman
Latham, which rediscovered it in 1758. It was
annexed to Zanzibar in the nineties.
 GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

Recent research by Mr. G. M. Stockley has

entirely altered the ideas previously held as to the
geological history of Zanzibar and Pemba.
It was not until the Miocene that Pemba—the
older of the two islands—emerged from the sea.
Contrary to what was previously believed, Pemba
emerged not joined to the mainland, but as an island
separated from the mainland and from Zanzibar by
a rift fault. During this period Zanzibar was still
beneath the sea.
The beginning of the Pliocene found Zanzibar
still submerged, and the present topography of Pemba
being gradually determined. At the end of the
Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene,
Zanzibar was connected with the mainland as an arm
which formed a promontory. Later the advance of
the sea destroyed the connection with the mainland,
and a small archipelago of three islands developed.
The retreat of the sea in late Pleistocene times
gave it its present outline, and decided the terraces
of Zanzibar and Pemba.
At the beginning of the Holocene, the present
geological age, Zanzibar and Pemba were densely
forested islands, but they are now practically denuded
of forest. During this age Pemba has been subsiding
a little, and the valleys of both the islands, and of
the coast, have been drowned by the present advance
of the ocean, which forms them into creeks.

VEGETATION

The native vegetation of Zanzibar can be divided

into five zones, the first of which are the mangrove
swamps.
The mangrove seed is peculiarly adapted for
travelling by sea, and for taking root in the sea; that
species which germinates on the tree and drops with
22 ZANZIBAR
a pointed weighted end into the mud, and is thus
planted by the parent tree, being to my mind one of
the most remarkable provisions of nature.
The second zone is that of the beaches and rocks,
which support the Euphorbia, the wild date palm
(Phenix reclinata), some other species, and also
certain Asiatic species like the Casuarina, indigenous
to the South Sea Islands and the India Archipelago,
and brought thence by the great current that sweeps
across the South Indian Ocean from Asia to Africa.
The Screw pine is also another of these Asiatic
immigrants. I think the Borassus palm should also
be included in this zone; of this there are two species
—that of Asia without a bulge, and that of Africa
with one. These are generally confined to the coast
region, the former to the east facing the Indian Ocean,
and the latter to the west facing the mainland of
Africa.
The third zone consists of the scrub bush, and is
mainly of one species, Pstadia dodaneifolia, which
emits a peculiar odour well known:to those who have
travelled across this zone on hot days.
The fourth is the Bush savannah, which includes
that peculiar monstrosity, the baobab tree. This tree,
I believe, is generally considered indigenous to Africa
as well as Asia, though no doubt some of those on
the east coast of the island made the long journey
across the Indian Ocean in the seed stage.
The fifth and most interesting zone is a part of
the great tropical forest of Africa, and includes several
species peculiar to Zanzibar.
The chief species are Landolphia kirkii, the
rubber vine, and peculiar to the Island of Pemba;
Typha latifolia, the tree bamboo; Elis guineinsis,
the oil palm; Raphia ruffia, the rafha palm, and also
several good timber trees, including a cassia, called
by the natives “‘Mvule.’’ The chief remaining
example of this forest is the Ngezi forest in the north
of Pemba.
 FAUNA 23
FAUNA

The chief animals of Pemba are: Mammals—

the Mozambique or grey monkey (Cercopithecus
rufoviridis), a small gazelle (Cephalophus pemba),
galago (Galago crassicaudatus), the black pig (Sus
scrofa), genett (Viverra megasfila), and a tree coney
(Dendrohyrax adersi). Reptiles include sternnotheres
(Sternotherus sinuatus and S niger), the black-necked
cobra (Naia nigricollis), the Egyptian cobra (Naia
haje), and the boomslang. Pemba also boasts a
species of cat-fish (Clarias), found in the fresh-water
ponds.
Zanzibar animals include most of the above, except
the grey monkey, the black pig, the sternnotheres
and the poisonous snakes.
But in addition Zanzibar has the leopard, the civet
cat (_V. orientalis), the slender mongoose (Mungos
gracilis), the blue or Syke’s monkey (C. albigularis),
and the red bush pig (Potamocherus africanus).
It has also four mammals peculiar to itself, the
Zanzibar Guereza (Colobus kirkii), the Zanzibar
Duiker (Cephalophus adersi), the Giant Elephant
Shrew (Rhyncocyon adersi), and a squirrel (Paraxerus
palliatus lastit).
Among reptiles it has the python, the Nile monitor
(Varanus niloticus), and a large burrowing vegetable-
eating skink.
It should be remarked that the black pig of Pemba
is a relic only of Portuguese times, and that the tree
coney is mainly confined to Tumbatu Island, which
it shares chiefly with Nesotragus moschatus.
Zanzibar no doubt owes its mammalian fauna to
the fact that it was, until well on in Pleistocene times,
connected with the mainland. Those species which
are now peculiar to the island must have developed
since that date. How Pemba, which, according to
recent ideas, was never joined to the mainland, suc-
ceeded in obtaining its terrestrial fauna is a problem
that must at present remain unsolved. It is to be
24 ZANZIBAR
noted, however, that its mammalian fauna 1s far more
scanty than that of Zanzibar.

DERIVATION OF THE NAME OF ZANZIBAR

The ancient name for Zanzibar and its people is

the Zinj, and it is of interest and importance here to
explain its origin, history and use.
Major Pearce says: ‘“‘It is generally accepted
that the name ‘ Zanzibar’ is derived from the Persian
word ‘ Zangh,’ meaning a negro, and ‘bar,’ a coast.
Thus the name, in its widest sense, signifies ‘ The
Negro Coast.’ ”’
The Periplus does not mention the word, but
speaks of the ‘‘ Continent of Azania,’ which Burton
says ‘‘is probably an adaptation like Azan and even
Ajan of the Arabic Barr el Khazain, or the land of
the tanks, the coast below Ras Hafun and Ras el
Khayl.”’
Pliny also speaks of the Azanian sea. Ptolemy
states that immediately after Opone‘is another bay
where Azania begins. ‘“‘At this beginning are pro-
montories, Zingis (Zingina promontorium), and the
tree-topped Mount Phalangis.’’ Azania appears to
contain the element Zenj, as does possibly Unguja,
the native name, first recorded by Yakut (Lenguja)
in the thirteenth century.
The Adulis inscription of the fourth century gives
Zingabena, and Cosmas Indicopleustes speaks of the
Sea of Zenj and Zingium.
Abu Zayd Hasan, Masudi, Albiruni and Idris all
mention it, as do Ibn Batuta, el Nowayn and
Abulfeda.
The word Zanj, says Burton, is a corruption
of Zinj (whence the plural Zunuj, evidently the
Persian Zang or Zangi=the black) by the Arabs, who
ignore the hard “‘ gaf.’” ‘In modern Persian ‘ Zangi’
still means the negro, and D’herbelot says of the
Zenghis that they are properly those called Zingari,
 DERIVATION OF THE NAME 25
and by some Egyptians and Bohemians.’ Dr. R. S.
Charnock derives from Zangi the racial gipsy
names Czingany. It., Zingari, Var. Cingani, Zingara,
Cingari, Port., Ciganos, German, Zigeuner.
The Arabs, Burton states again, like to derive the
word Zanzibar from Zayn Za’! Barr=‘‘ Fair is this
land.’’ The original derivation of the word ‘‘ Zang”
is a matter for some speculation; the earliest use of
the word appears to be that of Ptolemy. The ancient
Egyptians called the people ‘‘ Nehesi,’’ and the Arabs
the “‘ Sudan.”’
It seems possible that the Persian word is a
derivation from the natives’ name for themselves;
it may be connected with Zimba, cf. Vazimba,
Zimbabwe, Agysimba, etc. ‘‘ Barr’’ is the modern
Persian word for ‘‘ the coast,’’ the old Persian being
** Para,’’ and the Arabic ‘‘ Sahil.’’
The word Barra in Swahili, as used in Zanzibar,
means the mainland; the Arabic ‘‘ Barr’’ is also used
for ‘‘ country,’ i.e., Bar arab=Arabia, and Bar ajam
=Persia. They also use the word Bilad (in Hindu-
stani Bilati, whence, of course, the word coined in
the late war, ‘‘ Blighty ’’).
Cosmas Indicopleustes has the following remarks :
‘‘ Beyond Barbaria there stretches an ocean which
has there the name of Zingion. Bordering on the
same sea is the land called Sasos, which possesses
abundant gold mines. Barbaria is also called
Troglodytyca.”’
Zinj was one of the three old Persian and Arabian
sections of the world, namely, Hind, Sind, and Zinj
referred to by the medieval European geographers
as India Major, Minor and Tertia. It must be
remembered that from ancient times to well on in the
Christian era, Asia and Africa were confused, and
East Africa considered as one of the East Indies.
Another form of Zinj is the Japanese Tsengu, and
of Zanzibar the Chinese 7sengpat.
In early maps and voyages the word Zanzibar
appears under a variety of different forms, of which
26 ZANZIBAR
Zanzibar, Zanjibar, Chancibar and Xengibar are
examples.
In Vasco da Gama’s voyage the island is called
Jamgiber, and down to quite recently, after the modern
name Zanzibar was adopted, the mainland opposite
was called Zanguebar. The length over which
Zanguebar extended has been variously shown by
different geographers, Arabian and otherwise. It
should extend from about the Juba River down to at
least Mozambique Island, though in early days it
was usually protracted as far as Sofala.
 CHAPTER II

THE PEOPLE

POPULATION

In a dispatch to Lord Lansdowne in 1901, Mr.

Cave, the Consul-General, recapitulated the various
estimates that had been made of the population of
Zanzibar as follows:
‘““The earliest estimate that we have is that of
Captain Smee of the Indian Navy, who reported in
1811 that the population of these islands amounted
to 200,000, of whom two-thirds, or 133,000, were
slaves. The population of Zanzibar Island was
estimated by Dr. Ruschenberger in 1835 at 150,000,
by Dr. Krapf in 1844 at 100,000, and by M. Guillain
in 1846 at 60,000 to 200,000. Then, in 1858, Sir
Richard Burton gave the number of residents in both
islands as 400,000, of whom two-thirds, or 266,000,
were slaves, and a similar estimate was made by the
Sultan, Seyyid Barghash, in 1873. These figures
were considerably reduced by Mr. Consul Smith, who
believed that twenty years later, in 1894, the number
of inhabitants did not exceed 150,000, and that this
number did not include more than 75,000 slaves.
And, lastly, in February, 1895, Sir Lloyd Matthews
gave it as his opinion that the population of the
Sultanate amounted to about 208,700 souls, of whom
140,000 were slaves.”’
The first actual census was taken in 1910, but the
methods used were rough and ready, and it is
generally regarded as having been only approximate.
The population was returned as being 114,000 souls
in Zanzibar Island and 83,000 in Pemba, a total of
197,000, which included 230 Europeans and about
27
28 ZANZIBAR
9,000 other non-natives, mainly Indians, and not
including Arabs.
In 1921 a non-native census was taken which
showed 260 Europeans and a total of about 14,000
non-natives.
A native census was taken in 1924 which showed
that that section of the population numbered about
186,000, of whom 16,o0o were Arabs. The total popu-
lation at that date was about 202,000, since when it has
considerably increased, chiefly owing to immigration.
Further detailed information can be obtained from
the census report of 1921 and 1924.

INHABITANTS

The population of Zanzibar is one of the most

cosmopolitan in the world. In the census of 1910
and 1921 the non-African population has been shown
as belonging to the lene peoples: British,
French, German, Portuguese, American, Norwegian,
Italian, Greek, Dutch, Hebrew,, Swedish, Goan,
Indian, Cingalese, Parsee, Arab, Baluchi, Japanese,
Chinese, Armenian, Seychellian and Mauritian, and
others could no doubt be added to this list. The
African element includes a diversity of tribes too
numerous to attempt to catalogue in full. Besides
Abyssinians, Egyptians, Nubians and Moors, it
includes a number of representatives of the Hamitic
peoples, mostly Somalis but a few Masai, and a large
number of Bantu tribes. But for ordinary purposes
the population is divided into (1) Europeans, (2)
Indians, (3) Arabs, and (4) Africans, and from the
viewpoint of Zanzibar history and ethnology, these
peoples may be classified as follows:
(1) Europeans.
(2) British. Have been the paramount power
since 1890, and have exercised an influence totally
out of proportion to their numerical strength owing to
their political position.
 INHABITANTS 29
_ (4) Others. Of no ethnological or historical
significance.
(2) Indians—mainly.
(2) Mohammedans. Mostly of Shia sects. Im-
portant commercially.
(4) Hindus. Have been longest connected with
the coast. Important commercially.
_ (c) Parsees. Of no historical or ethnological
importance.
(3) Arabs.
(a) Omani. The ruling race. Of principal
importance since the early nineteenth century.
(6) Shihiris. Hardy people from the Hathramaut.
Small traders and water-carriers, etc., for the most
part. Of no importance ethnologically.
(4) Africans.
(a2) The native tribes of the Protectorate—the
Wahadimu, Wapemba and Watumbatu, to whom the
major part of this book is dedicated and on whom it
is focused.
(6) The Comorians—natives of the Comoro
Islands, who consider themselves as Arabs but are
Bantu in speech. They are of no ethnological
importance,
(c) The freed slaves. Descendants of slaves
brought to Zanzibar mainly during the nineteenth
century, and who still call themselves by the names
of the mainland tribes from whom they are descended.
(2) Mainland immigrants, chiefly Wanyamwezi.

The ethnological influence of the Europeans is

sufficiently indicated in the chapter on the Swahilis
and Freed Slaves. The influence of the Indians—
practically negligible—is dealt with in the Introduc-
tion to the ethnological portion, and I append here a
short account of their connection with the coast.
The customs of the Omani Arabs I have briefly
described in the ethnological portion.
30 ZANZIBAR
The freed slaves are dealt with in a chapter in the
ethnological section.

THE NATIVE TRIBES

The whole of these peoples of Zanzibar and Pemba

who have an African origin, together with those on
the opposite coast, are generally referred to as
Waswahili.
The word Swahili is Arabic in origin and derived
from the plural of Sahil—Sawahil, which means coasts,
The word therefore means the people of the coast.
Dr. Steere, at the end of the preface of his hand-book,
says: ‘‘ The natives themselves jestingly derive it
from Sawa Hila, which a Zanzibar interpreter would
explain as ‘ All same cheat.’ ”’
Nowadays the word is generally accepted to mean
the mixed race, a blend of the aboriginal coast
natives, slaves brought from the up-country region
and Arabs, which lives in most of the towns on the
coast and in Zanzibar.
However, in the remote parts of the island, where
there is not much attraction for Arabs and Indians
to go, the natives are left more or less as aboriginal
as they ever were; in Zanzibar they are generally
accepted as being of three tribes, namely :
(1) The Wahadimu, the people who inhabit the
eastern coast of Zanzibar from north to south and
much of the southern region where it is habitable.
(2) The Wapemba, or original inhabitants of
Pemba Island.
(3) The Watumbatu, who are the purest bred
of the three and live on the Island of Tumbatu.
Hadimu means in the usual way a slave, a freed
slave, a servant, a dependant, but the Wahadimu
have always been a free people, and Archdeacon
Dale, in the Peoples of Zanzibar, gives the mean-
ing as the Manumitted. Certainly the title is always
regarded as honourable, and they themselves derive
it from Ahadi, ‘‘a promise,’’ as they say they made
 EEN] BA
(EL HUTHERA)

2 as od
2) Mesali [

Pangani
°

TUMBATU.I
Kichan

UNGUTA
(ZANZIBAR)
af) de AV op
‘are FF

aoa
 THEM MARIVERTRIBES 31
promises and agreements with the successive con-
querors of the country to do work and pay taxes on
condition of otherwise being left to themselves.
In the map facing this page, I have endeavoured
by means of hatching to show the strongholds and
distribution of the tribes. It is impossible to claim
any exactness for this, but I have made it as accurate
as possible, and I think it is not far out.
The dark hatching in each case represents the
localities where the purest of each tribe live, and the
light shading represents the less pure. The thickness
of hatching must not be taken to mean thickness of
population in any way; in fact, some of the places
thickest hatched are more sparsely populated and vice
versa.
The figure 1 indicates where the foreign element—
white and Indian—chiefly reside. Figure 2 represents
the Swahilis, and must also be taken as being included
in figure 1; figure 3 is the Wahadimu; figure 4 the
Watumbatu, and figure 5 the Wapemba. The region
above figure 2 in Zanzibar Island is too mixed to
give any idea of what section predominates, and is a
mixture of Swahili, Tumbatu and Hadimu people.
The peoples of Nungwe, Kijini, Muyuni, Pwani
Mchangani, Kiwengwa, Chwaka, Bwejuu, Makun-
duchi, Kizimkazi and Uzi Island are pure, or almost
pure, Wahadimu, and Dunga was formerly their
capital. The district round Unguja Kuu is now,
I think, fairly evenly Hadimu and Swahili, and
is so indicated. The only absolutely certain place
is Tumbatu Island, where I think one can guarantee
that, except for two policemen, there is no one who
is not an Mtumbatu. The non-stippled portion on
the main island is largely Tumbatu in influence.
Most of the men I know in Mvuleni and Shangani
are of Tumbatu origin. Ketwa recently refused to
amalgamate with Moga, as they said they were
Wahadimu and Moga was Tumbatu. Mwanda has
a lot of Tumbatu fishermen. Donge and Mbiji,
Bumbwini Makoba (whose sheha is head of all
32 ZANZIBAR
Tumbatu people) and Bumbwini Msufini, quarrelled
and separated under different shehas, for the same
reason that Moga and Ketwa would not unite.
And so I think my demarcation is fairly correct.
Pemba is, of course, much purer, but there again
the purest is on the east coast.
I have omitted to mark the Island of Kojani in
a slightly different manner, not because I think the
inhabitants are anything but Wapemba, but because I
believe them to be older and purer still. In fact,
there are a few words that are only used in Kojani,
and not even in the Pemba dialect.
There are small settlements of Watumbatu on the
south-east coast of Pemba.
The people of Makunduchi are so unlike any
other section of the population that I have devoted a
special chapter to describe the customs: peculiar to
them.

MAINLAND TRIBES

Of the mainland and other semi-African tribes,

members of the following nineteen are most numerous,
though the names of over fifty others have been
recorded in abstracting census figures:
X

Kamba Songosongo Sukuma Bajuns

Comoro Nyamwezi Nyassa Manyema
Kikuyu Dengereko Bisa Zaramu
Makua Ganda Zigua Yao
Gindo Sagara Digo

Of these the Wanyamwezi, the Akamba and the

Wakikuyu are the most important in the economic
life of the country.
The Zanzibar and Pemba natives do not take
kindly to the heavy manual labour involved in the
performance of work as paid labourers for cleaning
and weeding shambas, and such work as road-making,
and the Wanyamwezi particularly do this work well.
They are hard workers and thrifty (which is more
 CONNECTION OF THE INDIANS 33
than Zanzibaris are), but they rarely take up shambas
themselves, though they would probably do well if
they could be encouraged to do so.
Many of them cannot be regarded as permanent
settlers, as they only come to make money and return
to the mainland. Few bring their wives, and this,
and the fact that they have no headmen of their own
in this country, sometimes causes friction with the
local natives.
Many were brought over as clove-pickers in
1922-1923, but their employment on this form of labour
was not a success, owing to their being strange to
this kind of work, though they worked hard.
In religion they are generally pagan, though they
readily embrace Christianity or Islam. If they
remain pagan, they build their little devil-houses
(called Kinyimanyera) in front of their huts and retain
the practices of their tribe.

CONNECTION OF THE INDIANS WITH THE COAST FROM

THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY

Despite the fact that the Hindus appear to have

been trading with the east coast of Africa from very
early times, they can never, until possibly the last
year or two, be considered to have had any political
influence on it. As in early times, so to-day the
Hindus and most of the Indians come to Zanzibar or
to the coast as visitors, and, having made their money,
return to their homes. During all the time they are
in Zanzibar the money they make is sent home.
It is considered that the earliest sea-going trade
in the Indian Ocean started in the time of that
enlightened ruler, Nabonidus, the last of the Chaldean
kings of Babylon, and a man far in advance of his
times. For a couple of centuries following his reign
it is probable that sea trade between India and
Babylon flourished, and even in his time ships are
known to have come to Babylon from India and from
China.
34 ZANZIBAR
These traders were mainly Dravidians, but partly
Aryan, and their explorations led to the settlement of
Indian traders in Arabia, East Africa, Babylon and
China. Not only did the Hindus make trading
settlements on the coast of East Africa, but they
appear also to have penetrated well inland. Indeed,
it is recognized that they had considerable intercourse
with the Abyssinians.
It is an interesting fact that Speke, when laying
his plans for his expedition to discover the source of
the Nile, secured his best information from a map
reconstructed from the Puranas. This showed the
great Krishna River running through Cush-ndipa,
the great lake in Chandristhan, the country of the
moon, which gave the correct position in relation to
the Zanzibar Island. This country they gave the
name of the moon, because of the people who lived
in it, namely, the Nyamwezi tribe. Wanyamwezi
means “‘ the men of the moon.”’
This trade of the Hindus must have been going
on long before the birth of Christ, and the mention
of the word Nauplios or Nargilios (an Indian word
for coco-nut) in the Perviplus is a confirmation of the
trade of the Indians on the Zanzibar coast round
about Rhapta, near Zanzibar, in the first century A.D.
Almost every traveller who has visited the coast has
mentioned the Indians there, and Vasco da Gama
found Indians, especially men of Calicut, at Mozam-
bique, Kilwa, Mombasa and Malindi, at which latter
place he obtained a Gujerati pilot who conducted him
across to Calicut.
There is no need to dwell long on this trade.
Everyone who visits Zanzibar knows the Indian
traders, and it may be presumed that they and their
methods have been the same since first they visited
the island or the coast, though doubtless they feel
more secure nowadays than they did in bygone times.
Since very early the Banyans have formed the
customs at Muscat, Zanzibar and Chake Chake, and
indeed at most places on the coast. A harmless and
 POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL 35
inoffensive people, they probably did little to upset
the susceptibilities of the inhabitants of the country,
though, from all accounts, in the nineteenth century
it was considered an easy way of settling debts to
cut the throat of the Indian to whom they were owed.
The Indians in Zanzibar are both Moslems and
Hindus. The former comprise the Ismailia Khojas,
the Ithnasheri Khojas, the Bohoras, the Memons and
the Sindhis. In addition there are a few Sikhs, who
cannot be classified either as Moslems or Hindus.
Of the Hindus there are of the higher class the
Brahmins, the Bhatiyas, the Jains; of the middle class
the Luwanas and the Kumbis; and of the menials the
Kumbhars, the Meghwars and the Chamars.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL

The three tribes, most of the Swahilis and many

of the Arabs, are subjects of His Highness the Sultan
(and I believe officially designated “‘ natives,’’ though
I shall not use this interpretation in this book), but
abroad, 1.e., out of the island dominions and on the
mainland territory, they are considered “ British
Protected Persons.’’ They are chiefly Mohammedans
of the Sunni (Shafi), Hanafi and Ibathi sects.
The fundamental law of the land in civil matters
is the law of Islam, and native custom is administered
when it is not repugnant to moral justice.
Formerly, when there were consular courts, there
was great confusion, and even now that the German,
French, Austrian, American, Belgian, Italian and
Portuguese systems have been eliminated, there is
still a mixture of English, Indian, various kinds of
Mohammedan, and Hindu law administered, as well
as the native customs IJ have referred to. In addition
there are two separate judicatures, that of His High-
ness, dealing with only His Highness’s subjects, and
that of His Britannic Majesty, which deals with
British and foreign subjects and mixed cases. Some
36 ZANZIBAR
natives practise as Vakils (pleaders) in the subordinate
courts.
The Mohammedan law and religion is, I think,
pretty well recognized as being the most suitable for
the natives in their present conditions and mode of
living. Certainly the Holy Sharia seems much fairer
than even the English system as far as distribution
of property goes. In Zanzibar (and of course among
all Mohammedan people) there is no such thing as
being ‘‘ cut off with a shilling ’’; in any case, only a
small proportion may be willed away, and the rest
must be divided in certain fixed proportions. Very
few natives do make wills, and so it is all divided,
except a small percentage and certain fees which are
paid to the government, who in turn take the
responsibility of the correct division.
It would be impossible, and out of place, to give
a table of inheritance, but I will give a few instances,
roughly correct, of some of the shares.
One daughter or sister when alone gets half; if
there are two or more daughters or sisters, they get
two-thirds between them, and a mother gets one-third.
A son when alone gets all, but if there is a daughter,
he gets double her share. If his parent leaves a
mother, grandmother, husband or wife, father or
grandfather, he gets the residue. With certain more
distant relations he gets all, and they are excluded.
Father, grandfather, brother, nephew and uncle may,
if alone, get all, but with other heirs they get what
is left after the others have had their share, but with
the exception of father and grandfather, they get none
if there is ason. A wife or wives get a quarter.
It is interesting to note that parents are never
excluded from inheritance, and must always, if
incapable, be supported.
If a native dies without heirs at all, his money
goes to the Bel-el-mal or native treasury, and after a
lapse of years, if no one turns up, it is credited to
revenue, and so spent on the upkeep of the country.
Slavery having been abolished, labour has now
 POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL 37
to be paid for, though many of the freed slaves still
live on their former owners’ plantations and refer to
themselves as slaves, and are often proud of their
title. In this way Arabs who were kind to their slaves
now reap the benefit of it; as a matter of fact, I
believe slaves did not undergo much hardship once
they had been purchased and installed on their
owner’s plantation. Poor people who live rent free
on plantations are called Maskini wa Muungu (God’s
poor).
The clove industry, which I refer to briefly here
and not under the chapter on industry (for it is not
really interesting from an anthropological point of
view), is the one in which most natives are engaged
during the time of picking. Many are employed at
it all their lives, as they dima or weed and cultivate in
the shambas, though nowadays many labourers of
mainland tribes (chiefly Wanyamwezi and Wakikuyu)
are employed on this work, for a clove plantation
needs most careful nursing and cleaning, or it will not
bear.
Many of the Arabs are seriously in debt to money-
lenders, who, even if they are followers of the Prophet,
find some way of getting round the prohibition as to
usury, and in many cases make the Arabs and natives
sign for much more than they actually receive. A
native is so simple that if he sees, say Rs. 200, he will
willingly sign for double that amount, recking naught
of the day of settlement. I remember the case of a
poor fisherman who received Rs. 45, and undertook
to pay back 16 fraslas of cloves, of which the market
value would probably be at least Rs. 320, and might
be a great deal more.
The price of picking a pishi (kibaba=1} Ib.,
pishi=6 Ib., frasla=35 lb.) of cloves varies from
4 to 5 pice at the beginning of a season, and in some
seasons has actually risen to 16 pice per pishi (64
pice =100 cents=R. 1=1s. 4d. at par). A labourer
gets about 12 annas a day (4 pice=1 anna), and a
craftsman Rs. 2 to 3.
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 A. EARLY HISTORY AND EXTERNAL
INFLUENCES

CHAP LER. UIT

INTRODUCTORY
UnTiL recent times very little of the history of
Zanzibar has been chronicled in writing, and, with
the exception of occasional glimpses vouchsafed to
us in the writings of ancient and medieval authors,
the history is largely a matter of conjecture, to be
drawn from comparison of customs, etc., with those
of other peoples. The history of Zanzibar is there-
fore to be compiled from the following sources:
(2) Speech, (4) customs, (c) archeological remains
and antiquities, (@) legend and tradition, (e) the
writings of various historians and travellers, (f) native
written records where such exist, and, in the case of the
latest period, (g) official documents and printed books.
Zanzibar owes its history mainly to its insularity,
to its convenience as a jumping-off place for the east
coast of Africa, to its proximity to Asia, and to the
trade winds or monsoons, which account to a large
extent for its close political and commercial connec-
tion from the earliest times with India, the countries
bordering on the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea.
THE STONE AGE
There is no trace of Zanzibar or Pemba having
been inhabited during either Stone Age.
The early Bantu people were formed by an
admixture of Hamites, who came across India and
Arabia and mixed with the negro people whose
cradle was probably in the region of the great lakes.
Passing over the ‘‘ Horn of Africa,’? where they met
and mixed with negroes, the Hamites found their
way down south and mixed with the Bushmen to form
the Hottentots. This southern way was soon closed
4!
42 ZANZIBAR
by the negroes and mixed tribes. Unrecognized by
the pure Hamites, to whom purity of breed was of
importance, these mixed tribes were forced more and
more to the society of the negroes, and thus the early
Bantu tribes were formed of negro people with a
smattering of Hamite blood.
THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF ZANZIBAR
At what date men first came it is impossible to say,
but that they were firmly established before the
beginning of the Christian era, and before the Bantu
invasion, can hardly be doubted. It is even possible
that they were there during neolithic times, though
no trace of stone implements has yet been found.
They were no doubt negroes, and of a stature
taller than that of Zanzibar’s inhabitants to-day. We
may say with certainty that they were fishermen and
sailors, and they used dug-out canoes and wicker fish-
traps. They ate at least turtle and fish. They may
have lived in caves; they certainly worshipped at them
and at trees. Their gods were tree spirits, and
perhaps later the sun.

EARLY INFLUENCES ON ZANZIBAR CIVILIZATION

THE HELIOLITHIC CULTURE
The use of this term requires a little explanation.
The time of this culture extended from about fifteen
thousand to three thousand years ago. The term is
derived from the outstanding feature of the age, the
erection of sun-stones. It would be unwise to say that
the cult, which spread over the coasts of India, Africa
and Arabia, touched Zanzibar itself at the time it
flourished, but there is no doubt that certain of the
practices of the age affected the people who were
afterwards to colonize the islands.
They include the following: (1) Circumcision.
(2) The couvade, sending the father to bed at the
birth of a child. (3) Massage. (4) Making of
mummies. (5) Megalithic monuments. (6) Artificial
 THE HELIOMITHICSCULTURE 43
deformation of the heads of the young by bandages.
(7) Tattooing. (8) Religious association of the sun
and the serpent. (9) Swastika.
Of these customs (1) and (3) definitely obtain in
Zanzibar; as regards (4), mummified blood is used in
magic; as regards (5), several customs connected with
dolmen worship obtain; (7) a debased form of tattoo-
ing is known; (8) occurs in the Nature myth common
in Zanzibar, that eclipses of the solar orb are due to
the sun being attacked by a snake; and (9) occurs,
though no meaning is attached to it. It is often used
in decorations. The dug-out canoe, which has been
a feature of Zanzibar for thousands of years, was also
an integral part of the heliolithic cult.
Sir Norman Lockyer states that the geographical
distribution of rag offerings coincides with the exist-
ence of monoliths and dolmens. Rag offerings are
made in Zanzibar at wells, caves and prominent
thickets of trees, and, of course, on the shore and on
prominent rocks. These rocks, some of which I have
seen, are the nearest thing to menhirs in the island,
some of them being in pillar form. There are no
true menhirs, for the all-sufficient reason that there
is no suitable stone with which to make them.
The originators of this cult were brown-skinned
men, and it reached over the Mediterranean, through
India, up the Pacific coast of China, and spread
across to Mexico and Peru. The practices referred to
spread all over that region, but did not get far north,
nor farther south than Equatorial Africa. It was a
coastal cult, not reaching deeply inland.
THE SUMERIANS

From about 6000 to 3000 B.C. flourished a

wonderful civilization in the region of the Euphrates
and the Tigris, and during this long period came
probably the first forerunners of those yearly visitors
to Zanzibar from the shores of the Persian Gulf.
These Sumerians were not the Semites of to-day,
nor were they Aryans, though they were possibly of
44 ZANZIBAR
Iberian or Dravidian affinities. There are traces of
their language and magic on the coast of East Africa
to-day. The affinities of Sumerian with Bantu were
first suggested by Burton in 1885, and more have been
shown by Mr. Crabtree in Primitive Speech. In
addition to similarities of words, there are also
peculiarities of grammar and construction common to
both.
The following examples of Sumerian and Swahili
words show such a similarity that it seems almost
certain the Swahili is derived from the Sumerian.
Sumerian. Swahili. English.
ZI —ZIMU Spirit
—MU M(U)— Indicates life
UZ (M—)BUZI Goat
EME ULIMI Tongue
DU DOMO Mouth
MULU M(U)TU Man
TAM
GAN MCHANA Day
GA MTANA
CHA
R and L, are often interchangeable in the two languages.
As regards the grammar and construction of the
language, the following parallels are worthy of note:
(rt) Almost universal thematic harmony of the
vowels.
(2) Formation of the greater number of derivatives
by means of suffixes. 3
(3) System of declension by means of casual
sufhxes to the root word without affecting any
change in it.
(4) Absence of any distinction between masculine
and feminine genders.
(5) Existence of a negative conjugation.
(6) The use of verbal forms instead of conjunc-
tions.
“They developed their civilization, their writing
and their shipping, through a period that may be
twice as long as the whole period from the Christian
era to the present time ’’ (Wells).
At Nippur the Sumerians built a temple to their
 THE ASSYRIANS 45
god, while at Eridu they had their seaport from
which the first ships eled and ventured on the
Persian Gulf, to come afterwards farther afield, and
possibly to visit Zanzibar on the wings of the north-
east monsoon, Eridu is now miles from the sea,
and but five miles from Ur of the Chaldees, but it
remained the seaport down to not later than 5000 B.c.
These Sumerians appear to have developed from an
agricultural into a nautical people. This seems the
more apparent as they had in their language no true
word for viver, which they represented by two ideo-
graphs meaning the watery deep, and the spirit of
the deep must have been a chief object of worship
at the time when the primitive hieroglyphs were first
formed. The ‘‘ship, too, played a prominent part
in the life of their inventors, and the picture of it
represented it as moved not by oars, but by a sail”’
(Sayce). It may be noted here that the primitive
Babylonian picture of a boat is strikingly like that of
Egypt.
THE ASSYRIANS
About the year 2750 B.c. there arose among the
Semitic peoples to the west of Babylon a great leader,
Sargon I, who united them, conquered the Sumerians,
and extended his rule from beyond the Persian Gulf
on the east as far westward as the Mediterranean.
This empire lasted for two hundred years, but while
they were soldiers these Semites were barbarians, and
therefore became absorbed in the Sumerian civilization.
‘‘ This Sumerian learning had a very great vitality’
(Wells). It survived many vicissitudes, and through
the medium of many who absorbed it or who were
absorbed by it, passed its traces on to many lands.
As the Akkadian Empire of Sargon lost its pristine
vigour, two other peoples rose in power: first the
Amorites and then the Elamites. These gave way
before the Assyrians, who came from higher up the
Tigris, and took Babylon about 1100 B.c. under
Tiglath Pileser I.
46 ZANZIBAR
A Babylonian cylinder shows the Assyrian
Hercules, Nin, wrestling with an ox, and then,
crowned with the horns of the ox, wrestling with a
lion, and it is generally considered that this is the
origin of the horn as a sign of chieftainship. As such
a symbol the horn is common in East Africa among
the descendants of the Persian Zin} Empire.
The Assyrian Empire lasted for about five hundred
years, and under Sennacherib extended its conquests
considerably, until the career of his army was cut short
by pestilence in Egypt.
THE CHALDEANS, MEDES AND PERSIANS
The Assyrian Empire was brought to a close by
its defeat at the hands of the Chaldeans, who, with the
Medes and Persians, took Nineveh in 606 B.c. This
Chaldean Empire did not last long; its great figure
was Nebuchadnezzar the Great.
The last Chaldean king was Nabonidus, who was
remarkable for the impetus he gave to sea-going trade.
In his time dhows traded between Babylon, India and
China, and the encouragement he gave to this led
to further explorations, so that it was not long before
there were settlements of Hindus in Arabia, East
Africa and China. The Hindus not only made trade
settlements on the coast, dating from the seventh
century B.C., but apparently, as has already been
related, penetrated inland towards the region of the
great lakes.
Nabonidus was defeated by Cyrus in 539 B.c.
There are many striking similarities between the
magic of the Chaldeans and that practised in Zanzibar
to-day.
Having traced the history of the Persian Gulf and
its influence on the history of East Africa down to the
time of its conquest by the Chaldeans, we must now
go back some centuries to the head of the Red Sea
in order to trace the connection of ancient Egypt with
the coast.
 CHAPTER V

EARLY INFLUENCES ON ZANZIBAR

CIVILIZATION—continued

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

TE time of the Pharaohs of Egypt must be especially

interesting to the historian of Zanzibar, not only
because of the fact that they too brought their
customs and magic to Eastern Africa, but also because
under their auspices were made the first voyages as
far as Zanzibar of which there are historic accounts.
The ancient Egyptians had a very important
trading mart at a place called Punt, which has been
identified as probably being in the modern Somaliland.
This Punt is frequently mentioned in the history of
Egypt, and seems to have been a place much of the
same kind as the Zanzibar of to-day, where the goods
of the Orient and of Africa were brought to be sent
to Egypt. Vessels from Arabia, Persia and even
India probably traded there, and possibly also from
the Zanzibar coast, so that it is conceivable that the
Egyptians called at Zanzibar in very early times
indeed.
As far back as the VIth Dynasty an expedition to
Punt is recorded, and Sankkhara, who flourished in
the XIth Dynasty, traded there. During this period
of the Middle Kingdom (3358-1703 B.c.), three
dynasties of Hyksos or Shepherd kings flourished from
2214 B.C. to 1703 B.c. These Hyksos who conquered
Egypt were probably Semitic, speaking a language of
the Western Semitic type. They came from Canaan.
These migrants were first called Aamu, and latterly
47
48 ZANZIBAR
Arapin, though at what date they obtained the latter
appellation has not been stated. Arapin, of course,
means Arabs, and Arabs were first spoken of in the
reign of Solomon, about 1000 B.c. ‘‘ The Kings of
Arabia controlled the trade of the old world much as
does the Seyyid of to-day’’ (Crabtree). Some of
these people wandered into the interior and some
followed the coast. Those that went into the interior
lost their nationality and became, claims Mr, Crab-
tree, the origin of the Hamites. The remainder were
called Arabs. The reign of the Hyksos kings, he
says, marks the zenith of their migration, and its close
marks the point where the racial history of Eastern
and Central Africa become more or less fixed.
During the Empire (Dynasties XVIII to XX)
1703 B.c. to 1110 much foreign trade and conquest
took place. Queen Hatasu of the XVIIIth Dynasty
had relations with Punt, and Seti of the XI Xth (1400-
1280 B.C.) boasted at Sesibi, in the modern Abyssinia,
that his dominions reached southward ‘‘ to the arms
of the winds.”’ ,
Herodotus records that Rameses II (Sesostris)
dispatched an expedition about 1400 B.c., which
perhaps reached Madagascar. Rameses III was also
a great imperialist. But the crowning feat of naviga-
tion was achieved when Neco of the XXVIth Dynasty
(630-527 B.C.) dispatched a fleet of Phoenicians from
the Gulf of Suez with abundant supplies, which sailed
southward till they had the sun at noontide upon
their starboard, 1.e., rounded the Cape of Good
Hope, and sailed back northward by the Atlantic, the
Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, till they
reached Egypt again. They took three years to do
it, and landed each year long enough to sow a crop
of wheat and harvest it.
‘““The importance of these expeditions to Punt
cannot be over-estimated. They are the earliest
attempt at organizing a fleet of powerful ships to
voyage far away from home waters’? (Keble
Chatterton). A picture of a Punt expedition is
 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS 49
preserved in Queen Hatshop-situ’s temple, and a
description of it will be of interest. There are five
ships arriving, two of which are moored. The first
has sent out a small boat, which is fastened by ropes
to a tree on the shore, and bags and amphore,
probably containing food and drink as presents to the
chief, are being unloaded. Then the produce of Punt
can be seen being loaded on. There are bags of
incense and gold, ebony, ivory tusks, leopard skins,
and trees of frankincense piled upon the decks.
These were probably not all domestic produce, but
represented goods brought from other ports.
We have seen above that these ancient Egyptians
were great navigators, Their ships were in all
probability derived, as we have seen, from the
Sumerians, who were the first to use sails. The
square sail of the Egyptians became the lateen of
to-day, and the dhow has its progenitor in the square-
sailed ship of the Egyptians. Its appearance and the
part of the world in which it is found suggest this.
The lateen sail was probably evolved when the
necessity of having a sail that could easily allow of
tacking was realized; it is of great antiquity, and
has been the same since about 360 B.c.
A comparison of Egyptian magic with the magic
and some of the native dances performed in East
Africa shows many striking similarities. It is
probable, too, that the -anguage of East Africa owes
words to them. As an example the Egyptian word
for ‘‘ black,’’ Nehkesi, may be quoted, for surely the
Swahili Myeusi is derived therefrom.
Sir Charles Eliot mentions an Egyptian idol as
having been found at Mogadisho, but inquiries have
failed to elicit any certain information as to its present
whereabouts. It is said to be in Germany.
The chevron pattern—a favourite of the Sabzan
builders, and much used in Zanzibar—is probably in
origin the Egyptian symbol for water, and indicates
prosperity. The royal house of Malindi claims to be
descended from the ancient Egyptians.
50 ZANZIBAR
THE PHENICIANS

Among all the people of old none were greater

sailors than the Phoenicians. Unlike some of the
peoples we have been considering, they did not last
long as an independent nation, but performed much
of their voyaging under the auspices of foreign powers.
Phoenicia was under the suzerainty of Egypt from
about the sixteenth century B.c., and suffered from
invasions of Hittites in the fifteenth and fourteenth
centuries. In the latter century Egyptian rule began
to decline, and for the next five centuries Phoenicia
was an independent and flourishing country, though it
was associated with the Jews in about the tenth
century B.c. Tyre and Sidon were its great strong-
holds, and from these places the Phcenicians sallied
forth to found new towns. The great Carthage was
founded from Tyre before 800 B.c.
Phcenicia was invaded by Assurbanipal in the
ninth century B.c., and from that time till the seventh
century it was a dependency of Assyria. The
Phoenicians at first pursued their peaceful callings,
but the eighth and seventh centuries were marked by
many revolts, and about 630 Phoenicia again became
practically independent. Nebuchadnezzar conquered
it about 605 and it became part of Babylonia, and
when Cyrus conquered Babylonia in 539 B.c.,
Pheenicia also fell to him. Then there was another
period of prosperity lasting for two centuries until
Alexander the Great conquered it. After this time
(333 B.c.) Phoenician trade began to decline. Sub-
sequently Phoenicia passed to Egypt, and in 64 to
Rome, when its history as a separate entity ended.
The Phoenicians were Semites: the word is
derived from ®oex «oi, which means red men; the
Romans call them Poeni or Punici, but their own
name seems to have been Khna or Kina’an (Canaan).
Like the Semites of to-day, the Phoenicians were
chiefly traders. The early trade that was going on
in the world before about the seventh century B.c.
 THE PHCENICIANS 51
was almost entirely a barter trade. This barter trade,
of course, has existed on the coast of Africa practically
down to the present day. ‘‘ But,’’ says Mr. Keble
Chatterton, ‘‘ the Phoenicians were more than mere
traders or fighters; they were the world’s greatest
explorers—until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
of our era.’’ It was the Phoenicians who made that
trip round Africa in the sixth century B.c. at the
bidding of Pharaoh Neco; it was the Phcenicians
who visited Eastern Africa even earlier with the Jews
in the time of Solomon. The Phcenicians also visited
Cornwall for tin, and in 520 s.c. Hanno reached
Liberia and brought back chimpanzees.
‘Either from the Egyptians or the Phoenicians
—but almost certainly from the latter—the people
down the east coast of Africa learned the art of
navigation pretty thoroughly, for we know from
Hakluyt that when, at the end of the fifteenth century
of our era, Vasco da Gama doubled the Cape of Good
Hope and called at the East African ports, he found
that the arts of navigation were as well understood
by the Eastern seamen as by himself. This would
seem to imply that these Africans had years ago
reached the state of advancement in sailing a ship
already possessed by the more civilized parts of the
world ’’ (Keble Chatterton).
THE JEWS
Another people who left some mark behind them in
the regions of Azania were the Jews, and we have
already noticed that they came down with the Phceni-
cians about a thousand years before Christ.
King David formed an alliance with King Hiram
of Tyre, and it is perhaps to that alliance that their
settlements in Eastern Africa were due.
Solomon continued his father’s alliance, and his
kingdom was used by the Phcenicians as a high road
to the Red Sea, where they built ships. As a result
of this partnership, untold wealth was accumulated in
Jerusalem.
52 ZANZIBAR
Solomon built his fleet at Ezion Geber, ‘‘ which is
beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea.’”’ Hiram
supplied the sailors, ‘‘ shipmen that had knowledge
of the sea,’’ and they went to Ophir and brought back
gold and almug trees and precious stones. And he
‘“had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of
Hiram; once in three years came the navy of Thar-
shish, bringing gold and silver, ivory (elephants’
teeth) and apes and peacocks.”’
The land of Ophir was most likely in the region
of the Zambezi, though the actual name was probably
applied by the Hebrews to a coast town of Southern
Arabia which was a great centre of East African trade,
and was to the Phoenicians and Jews as Punt was to
the ancient Egyptians. It was, in fact, another fore-
runner of Zanzibar. It has been suggested that the
Havilah of the Scriptures was probably this region
between the Zambezi and the Limpopo, and that the
ancient gold workings there were opened by the
Himyarites, who were followed by the Jews and
Pheenicians. The produce of the, mines was carried
down to the coast and shipped at Tharshish, which
may have been somewhere by the modern Sofala.
It has also been supposed that peacocks were not
really intended, but parrots, as peacocks were probably
kept in Palestine long before, and as they breed freely
in captivity, there would be nothing very remarkable
in them.
The Queen of Sheba or Saba in South Arabia
also visited Solomon, having heard of his glory, and
tradition has it that she formed a matrimonial
alliance with him. In fact, the Abyssinian monarchs
claim descent from this union. Saba had trade with
the coast before Solomon, and no doubt the queen
would be surprised at the number and size of con-
signments passing through her ports and warehouses
for Solomon, and hearing much of his glory from his
ships’ captains, would wish to see his state.
The Kebra Negast which relates the story of the
Queen of Sheba and her son, by Solomon, Menyelek,
 THE JEWS Za
says in describing her wealth and trade: ‘‘ And more-
over, she was exceedingly rich, for God had given
her glory and riches and gold and silver and splendid
apparel and camels and slaves and trading men (or
merchants). And they carried on her business and
trafficked for her by sea and by land and in India
and in ’Asivan (Syene).’’ She claimed that her
southern boundary stretched ‘‘ to the Sea of Blacks
and Naked Men.’’
There was apparently much social and commercial
relation between Palestine and Madagascar during
Solomon’s reign, and possibly in David’s. Jews had
intercourse with the natives of Madagascar even in
pre-Solomonic days. In Solomon’s time colonies of
Idumzan Jews from the Red Sea peopled the Comoro
Islands. The people of the Grand Comoro preserve
many Israelitic rites and customs. They cherish the
memory of Adam, Abraham, Lot, Moses and Gideon,
but have no knowledge of the Prophets after David,
which seems to show that the Jewish immigrants left
their home at a very early date.
It would be surprising, therefore, if the Jews had
not touched at Pemba or Zanzibar, especially as there
was a well established settlement there at the begin-
ning of the Christian era. There are certainly traces
of Hebrew magic in the magic of the natives, and the
fact that there are not more definite traces is probably
due to the fact that any traces of Jewish prophets,
etc., would have long ago been swamped in Islamic
teaching.*
The great intercourse of the Jews with East Africa
was interrupted because the ships of Jehosaphat were
broken at Ezion Geber, but as coins of the Maccabees
dating from more than a century B.c. have been found
in Natal and Zululand, it is probable that some slight
intercourse was kept up almost to the time of the
Christian era.
1 But a charm quoted by Beech (Aids to the Study of Kiswahili)
mentions Moses and the Psalms, and is very like one given by
Gaster (The Sword of Moses, p. 62).
54 ZANZIBAR

THE GREEKS

Herodotus (484-428), in his history, makes several

references of interest about East Africa. Two of
them (Melpomene, 42, and Euterpe, 102), describing
the circumnavigation of Africa by Neco and the
expedition of Sesostris, have already been mentioned,
and it is probable that the passage (Thalia, 102),
which describes natives collecting gold dust by means
of ants, refers to East Africa.
Xerxes (0b. 465) is said to have sent Sataspes to
circumnavigate Africa, and to have executed him
because he failed. Heraclides is also said to have
journeyed round Africa, but there is little foundation
for it.
Aristotle (384 B.c.) was a noted geographer, in
addition to being a philosopher, and conceived the
idea that the earth was round. He mentions Tapro-
bane (Ceylon) as being off the east coast of Africa.
Mention must be made of Alexander the Great
not only on account of his Eastern empire, which
would be bound to affect to some extent trade in
East Africa, but because he either directly or
indirectly put an end to the empires we have been
previously considering. In 334 he crossed the
Hellespont and defeated the Persians at the River
Granicus. He then overthrew Darius at Issus in 333,
and after that subdued Syria, overran PaleStine and
Egypt and founded Alexandria in 331. Soon after
he again defeated Darius and routed him at Arbela.
Babylon, Susa and Persepolis all fell to him, and in
326 he invaded India and conquered the Punjab. He
had to return owing to the home-sickness of his troops.
He died at Babylon of fever in 323 when only thirty-
three years of age. He was buried in a golden coffin
at Alexandria.
Abu Zeid Hassan states that Alexander the Great
sent Greeks to occupy Socotra, and that they settled
there and subsequently became Christians. It is also
 THE GREEKS 55
stated that Alexander, who, of course, must have heard
of East Africa, wished to make a journey there, but
that he had no opportunity. Possibly had it not been
for his untimely death, East African history might
have been better defined for us in these early days.
It is well known that the Greeks knew and
travelled along the east coast of Africa, and the
Periplus written in Greek gives us our first description
of the coast. This book we shall examine in detail
in a future chapter, but mention may here be made of
the lost town of Rhapta, mentioned in it as the ‘‘ very
last market town of the continent of Azania.”
Pangani has been suggested as the site of this lost
town, but the discovery in 1907 of a coin of Ptolemy
X Soter (151-80 B.c.) at Msasani, north of Dar-es-
Salaam suggests another situation. The description
of Msasani Bay and Harbour in the African Pilot
shows it to be just such a place as would have been
a pleasing harbour to the ancients. Msasani is but
a short distance from Konduchi, and it is from this
latter place that the people of Makunduchi in Zanzibar
claim origin. The people of Makunduchi still perform
a dance with tridents (described elsewhere in the
book), which is distinctly reminiscent of the worship
of Poseidon. It is extremely probable that at this
last town on the coast on some suitable promontory
the Greek sailors would have erected a temple to the
presiding god of the sea in his capacity of Soter, the
Saviour, to whom they owed their safety for their
voyage outwards and to whom they would pray for
a safe journey home. In addition to this custom,
that of placing the Zanzibar baby in a winnowing fan
is in origin Greek, and appertains to the worship of
Dionysus. It cannot be said for certain, however,
that the Swahili adopted this custom direct from the
Greek. The word tufani, a strong wind, common at
Makunduchi, though used elsewhere, seems to be
derived from rvdav.
56 ZANZIBAR
THE SABZANS AND HIMYARITES

Of these two peoples of South Arabia the

Sabzans were the earliest, and Saba was a flourish-
ing commercial state many centuries before the birth
of Christ. Our information concerning them is
derived from the Himyaritic inscriptions which have
been deciphered comparatively recently (and of which
probably many remain to be found), traditions of a
legendary nature preserved in Mohammedan litera-
ture, and information from outside sources. Sea
traffic between South Arabia and India, and, of course,
between South Arabia and East and South-East
Africa, was established very early. From India the
spices of the East came by sea as far as the coast of
Oman, and from there they went overland to the
Arabian Gulf to be shipped to Egypt. The caravan
route went from Shabwat (Subota in the Hadramaut)
to Marib (Mariaba), the capital of Saba. It then
diverged north-west to Macoraba (the modern Mecca)
and by way of Pietra to Gaza on the Mediterranean.
The trade from Sofala came by sea up the east coast
of Africa. The prosperity of the Sabzans lasted
until the Indian trade went by sea. This seems to
have happened in the first century a.p., when their
power declined.
After the decline of the Sabzans the balance of
power in Southern Arabia fell to the Himyarites.
Their country lay between Saba and the sea. Except
in Arabia, the Himyarites were not a great power,
though no doubt they did a great deal of trade by sea.
In Arabia their kings, known as Tubba’s, made them
dominant in the south, and they even exercised sway
over the northern tribes until the fifth century aA.p.,
when the latter revolted and became independent.
Their maritime situation exposed them to attack and
the population decreased. The Himyaritic Empire
ceased to exist as a power about the sixth century a.p.
The trade of the Sabeans and the Himyarites
with the coast of Africa was continuous from before
 THE SABAEANS AND HIMYARITES 57
the time of Solomon right down to the first century
a.D. They set forth from the great trading cities
of Yemen, Aden and the Hadramaut, along the east
coast of Africa. ‘‘ They must have made an
emporium of Zanzibar, and possibly they occupied
the little Island of Mozambique’’ (Johnston). It
was probably they who opened up the gold workings
of Zimbabwe, though it has recently been settled
that the buildings there, of which the ruins exist to-day,
were not built by them. There are, however, in
East Africa many features in architecture which ma/
have been derived from early South Arabians. The
use of the chevron pattern has been mentioned, and
there are phalli in Zanzibar. At Mambrui in East
Africa there are phalli which are quite unmodified.
Both these features occur also at Zimbabwe, and
though the buildings there are medieval, such
characteristics were probably derived from early
visitors, and it is very probable that these early visitors
from Saba and Himyar were the founders of what
came to be known as the “‘ land of Ophir.’’ It has
indeed been asserted with some degree of probability
that Ophir and Sofala are different forms of the same
word.
The Queen of Sheba was but one of the long
line of monarchs who ruled over these hardy sea-
going peoples. Later Moslem historians identified
her with Bilgis, the daughter of Sharahil.
Thirty-three names of Sabzan kings have been
collected, and it is interesting to note that Sargon,
in 715 B.C., recorded that he had received tribute from
Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, ‘‘ of Shamsiyya, the
Queen of Arabia, of Ithamar (Yathaamar) the Sabzan,
gold, spices, slaves, hotses and camels.’’ This gold
was the gold of Sofala, and may not the slaves have
been from the same place as those slaves of Zinj
which we shall hear of later at the time of the Baghdad
Caliphate?
The end of the early South Arabian States was
hastened by an event that is known to all Arabs and
58 ZANZIBAR
Moslems. This was the bursting of the dyke of
Marib.
This dyke was apparently built by Abdi Shams
Saba, the guardian of Yaarub, some few miles south-
west of Marib, in a gap in the mountains through
which the River Adanu flows. The dyke was built
in order to prevent floods and partly also for purposes
of irrigation. At about the end of the third century
A.D., the wife of the reigning king of Marib, by name
Zarifa, dreamt she saw a rat digging holes in the
dyke and removing huge boulders with his hind legs.
As a result the peoples of Saba departed. Gradually
the waters broached the dyke and spread over the
country, leaving it desolate. So the Sabzans dis-
appeared for ever, though for a short while the
Himyarites lingered on.
 CHAPTER’ V
THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA
For the period comprised in the last two or three
centuries B.c. and the first century or so A.D. our
authorities are Eratosthenes (c. 276-194 B.c.), Strabo
(born about 63 B.c.), Mela (about a.p. 43), Pliny
(A.D. 23-79), the Periplus (about a.p. 60) and Ptolemy
(about A.D. 127-151).
Eratosthenes, astronomer and geographer, was
born at Cyrene. In his time it was thought in the
West that the Southern Ocean began below Cape
Guardafui. Little else which concerns us is to be
gleaned from his writings, except that he testified to
the great trade of the Southern Arabian States.
Strabo, another Greek geographer, travelled in
Asia, Africa, and other places about 24 B.c., and
wrote a geography in seventeen books. He
described Egypt pretty extensively, and was aware of
Somaliland, which he thought was a cinnamon-bearing
country. He thought also that Cape Guardafui
(Notu Ceras) was the last promontory of Africa on
the east.
Mela, a Roman geographer and a native of Spain,
wrote a book in three parts called De Situ Orbis.
He, too, showed the Ethiopian Sea as below the horn
of Africa, but the vague ideas and rumours of another
country beyond he embodied in a shadowy continent
of the Antceci, showing Taprobane at its eastern
extremity, and describing it either as a great island or
the first part of another world.
Hippalus, a Roman navigator, in about A.D. 45,
observed the changes of the monsoon in the Indian
Ocean. Doubtless this had long been known to the
Arabs, Phoenicians and Hindus, but they very
og
60 ZANZIBAR
probably kept it to themselves for their own purposes,
and for the same reason that the Phoenicians con-
cealed their tin mines in Spain and Cornwall, i.e., that
they alone might make profit of it. This discovery
was of immense importance, as it meant that the
Romans sent their shipping into the Indian Ocean.
Hippalus’s discovery is described in the Perip~lus and
referred to by Pliny.
Pliny was more of a naturalist than a geographer,
and his Historia Naturalis is more valuable in its
descriptions of the products of countries than in its
geography. He thought that the Atlantic Ocean
began at Messylum (probably Ras Hantare, latitude
11° 28’ N.), so that his geography was even vaguer
than that of his contemporaries.
The evidence of the early geographers shows that
but little about Eastern Africa was known in the West,
and practically nothing at all about that part of it
which includes. Zanzibar. It was Hippalus who
showed the way to the East, and Western knowledge
of the Indian Ocean dates from that discovery.
The most important authority for this period is
the Periplus, to the unknown author of which we
must be exceedingly grateful, for, except Neco’s
voyage, we have no other written mention of a voyage
to Zinj until the flight of Suleiman and Said six
centuries after, and but little after that for another
three or four hundred years.
But the Peviflus is of particular importance,
because not only does it give us a description, however
brief, of these countries in the first century, but it
confirms our deductions regarding their early history.
It will be convenient to give in full that part of the
Periplus which concerns the Zanzibar coast.
The author informs us that from Cape Guardafui
to Opone (Ras Hafun) the coast was not subject to
a king, but that each market-town was ruled by a
separate chief.
He then goes on to say: “‘ Beyond Opone, the
shore trending more towards the south, first there are
 BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA 61
the small and great bluffs of Azania; this coast is
destitute of harbours, but there are places where ships
can lie at anchor, the shore being abrupt; and this
course is of six days, the direction being south-west.
Then come the small and great beach for another six
days’ course, and after that in order, the Courses of
Azania, the first being called Sarapion and the next
Nicon; and after that several rivers and other
anchorages, one after the other, separately a rest and
a run for each day, seven in all, until the Pyralae
Islands and what is called the channel; beyond which,
a little to the south of south-west, after two courses
of a day and night along the Ausanitic coast, is the
island Menuthias, about three hundred stadia from
the mainland, low and wooded, in which there are
rivers and many kinds of birds and the mountain-
tortoise. There are no wild beasts except the
crocodiles; but there they do not attack men. In
this place there are sewed boats, and canoes hollowed
from single logs, which they use for fishing, and catch-
ing tortoise. In this island they also catch them in a
peculiar way, in wicker baskets, which they fasten
across the channel-opening between the breakers.
‘* Two days’ sail beyond, there lies the very last
market-town of the continent of Azania, which is
called Rhapta; which has its name from the sewed
boats (wAodpa parrd) already mentioned; in which
there is ivory in great quantity, and tortoise-shell.
Along this coast live men of piratical habits, very
great in stature, and under separate chiefs for each
place. The Mapharitic chief governs it under some
ancient right that subjects it to the sovereignty of the
state that is become first in Arabia. And the people
of Muza now hold it under his authority, and send
thither many large ships; using Arab captains and
agents, who are familiar with the natives and inter-
marry with them, and who know the whole coast and
understand the language.
‘¢ There are imported into these markets the lances
made at Muza especially for this trade, and hatchets
62 ZANZIBAR
and daggers and awls, and various kinds of glass;
and at some places a little wine, and wheat, not for
trade, but to serve for getting the good-will of the
savages. There are exported from these places a
great quantity of ivory, but inferior to that of Adulis,
and rhinoceros-horn and tortoise-shell (which is in the
best demand after that from India), and a little
alm-oil.
‘“ And these markets of Azania are the very last
of the continent that stretches down on the right hand
from Berenice; for beyond these places the unexplored
ocean curves around towards the west, and running
along by the regions to the south of Ethiopia and
Libya and Africa, it mingles with the western sea.”’
The ‘‘ Bluffs of Azania’’ and the small and great
beach are respectively El Hazin and Sif El Tanil,
and the ‘‘ Courses of Azania’’ are the Barr Ajjan and
Benadir coast of the Arabs. The Pyralae Islands
are undoubtedly Pate, Manda and Lamu.
It is interesting to note that at this date the Pyralaze
Islands were of no importance, for beyond the name no
note is given of them. It is just possible that IIvpadaa
is a corruption of Kipungani, for the channel referred
to behind Lamu is called Mlango Kipungani by the
natives, and is said by the African Pilot to be deep
enough for large boats at low water.
The expression ‘‘ Ausanitic coast’’ is interesting,
as it shows that dominion over the coast by the South
Arabians was well recognized. Ausan was a state of
Arabia, independent about the seventh century B.c.
Later Ausan was absorbed by another state, Kataban,
and the coast became Katabanic. When Kataban
fell to Saba, the Zanzibar coast passed with it too to
the Sabzans, who in turn surrendered it to the
Himyarites on their access to power.
We now come to Menuthias, which is generally
identified with Pemba, Zanzibar or Mafia (in which
it is supposed that the name is still perpetuated—till
recently Mafia was called Monfiyeh, though the native
name is Chole). I prefer an identification with
 ae

Pal
FZmundat| Pyralace Is.
Lam u

ercraet
os G IESAGN
Menuthias

vesuntil the Rralac istands and what

1s called the nnel; beyond which,
a little to the south @ south wesl, after
Two courses of Qday and night alon
the Quéanilic coast, is the [stann &
MENUTHAS about 300 stadia Srom The
mammnland.....

Gioia SE ee
Sratute Miles

! <
 wpe. 5 assay ra?
al Sup -
GM eset
A,

pid

anetaethe . :
wy aa eT ae a .
at
Vee!) Ge we re" a

i Se oe Cou a
mt :
. . ; all uM haved?
‘bg n .
a :

: nes z :
i

; mn mye |
ml
aa 1 :
| ; wy a AL

=<" a“ iy on e io ;
a one .
Pin _ CD oft"): 5-8
¢ ia ; a. o. oe | Ray iy eet > oom | nue cs
BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA 63
Pemba, briefly for the following reasons : (2) because
of the distance from Lamu to North Pemba, twodpéno:
vux9iuepot, which is correct for a dhow to-day, though
rather fast; (6) because of the sailing directions—a
little to the south of south-west—which is also more
correct for Pemba; (c) because of the distance from
the mainland, given as three hundred stadia. The
early stade of Herodotus, the Olympic or standard
Greek stade, was 6063 English feet. The stade of
Eratosthenes was 520 feet, and that of Dio Cassius
(about A.D. 180) was 647 feet. Any one of these may
be meant. The distance would therefore be 34 miles
836 yards, 29 miles and 960 yards, or 36 miles and
486 yards. Whichever stade is meant, the distance
given is only an approximation, but it was something
over 30 miles, and that is a better guess at the distance
from Pemba (35 miles) than Zanzibar (25 miles).
(2) Pemba was more colonized than Zanzibar in
medizval times, and these settlements were probably
the result of earlier occupation. (e) It is the first island
one gets to, and the bay in the north is very inviting
to ships and dhows from the north. (/) Pemba, though
hilly, is low, and the forests, which were of long
standing, still survive in the north. Zanzibar in the
north and Tumbatu are more scrubby than wooded,
and, owing to the shallow soil on the coral rag, could
never have been ‘‘ wooded.’’ (g) There is a good
river in the north of Pemba. Nothing much can be
adduced from the description of fauna given, though
of the two islands Pemba is the only one that to-day
boasts a tortoise, even though it be small and aquatic.
That there are no wild beasts is also truer of Pemba
than Zanzibar. Pemba’s fauna is less varied than
that of Zanzibar.
The note about the sewed boats, canoes from
single logs, and wicker fish-traps is extraordinarily
interesting. It shows that natives were well estab-
lished on the island, and were pursuing the trade
which they still pursue, and with the methods they
still use. It may be mentioned here that the
64 ZANZIBAR
‘“Mgono’’ fish-trap, peculiar to Pemba, is fixed as
described in the Periplus.
Rhapta is probably Msasani, where presumably
the sewed boats used to be made, as the town
was called after them (garra). Nowadays these
‘* Mitepe,’’ as they are called, are made at Lamu.
The question arises “‘ from what trees were the
canoes hollowed and from what wicker were the fish
baskets made?’’ Nowadays the former are made
from mango trunks and the latter from coco-nut mid-
ribs. It is probable that coco-nuts may have been
already introduced, but the mango possibly not.
There is, however, a good hardwood tree, a species
of cassia, called mvule, the wood of which is now
used, amongst other purposes, for making planks for
dhows, and that may have been the wood used, for it
grows wild.
We next learn that even at this date tribes were
formed along the coast, of men very great in stature
and under separate chiefs. One gathers from this
description that they were probably negroes and that
the Bantu invasion had not yet started. The East
African coast Bantu of to-day is not a man of such
stature as to strike one as being particularly tall.
Ivory was plentiful, and tortoise-shell. The former
we have remarked before, and it was one of the
reasons for all this ancient trade. Tortoise-shell was
mentioned by Masudi at a later time and is still
exported.
The reference to the Mapharitic chief who governed
the coast ‘‘ under some ancient right that subjects it
to the sovereignty of the State that is become first
in Arabia ’’ is of the first importance, as it is a first-
century confirmation of all that we have seen before
of the hold of ancient peoples over the coast. Later
on this chief’s name is given as Charibael, an Arabic
title (Kariba-Il), which means ‘‘ God blessed him.”’
This king, Kariba-I1 Watar Yuhanim (Great,
Beneficent), was one of the Sabzean kings whose names
have been collected from the South Arabian inscrip-
 BEGINNING OF CHRISTIAN ERA 65
tions, and as we May imagine, was a person of some
considerable importance. He lived at Saphar (the
modern Zafar), and the Perip~lus mentions that he was
the king of the Homerites and Sabaites (Himyarites
and Sabezans). He ruled about a.p. 40-70. The
Mapharites (Maafir), a tribe located in the southern
Tehama, owned a kind of allegiance to him, as do
tribes to-day in Oman (and Arabia generally) to
settled kings. The chief of the Maafir was Cholaebus
(Kulaib). The people of Muza (the modern Mocha)
held it under his authority and sent ships there as
they do to-day. It is to be noted that the author was
aware that the Arab captains knew the whole coast,
and then as now intermarried with the natives. This
intermarriage had been going on for centuries before,
and accounts for the presence of the customs of these
ancient peoples mixed up in the customs of to-day,
for the presence of their words in the language of
the Swahili and for the very formation of the Swahili
people themselves. The next items of information
as to imports and exports are also important, and
show that the barter trade of two thousand years ago
was just the same as it has been till very recent days.
So much for the Periplus as far as it concerns
Zanzibar. Claudius Ptolemzus, our last authority
for this period, was a native of Egypt and worked
at Alexandria. His date of birth and death are
unknown, but his first known astronomical observa-
tion was made in A.D. 127 and his last in A.D. 151.
His work is known as Geographike, and was compiled
from other works and not from personal observation.
It was derived from astronomical data, travellers’
hearsay as to distances, and, of course, previous
researches. His chief errors as regards the parts of
the world that interest us here were that India is not
shown as peninsular, Ceylon (Taprobane) is too
large, and Asia is extended too far southwards and
joined to the south of Africa. But thisis an advance
on Pomponius Mela, and Ptolemy continued the map
of Africa to Cape Delgado, known to him as Prasum
66 ZANZIBAR
Promontorium. His knowledge was not improved on
for many years to come.

RESUME OF THE EARLY TRADE ON THE ZANZIBAR COAST

All the evidence we have considered goes to show

that sea-going trade had its birthplace in the Persian
Gulf; that its childhood was spent there, on the coast
of Arabia and in the Red Sea, and that possibly one
of the first areas in which it developed was the east
coast of Africa. The canoe, the first serious sea-
going vessel, was an integral part of the heliolithic
culture which spread very early by sea-going canoes,
though the process took a long time. ‘‘ There were
not only canoes, but Sumerian boats and ships upon
the Euphrates and the Tigris, when these rivers, in
7000 B.C., fell by separate mouths into the Persian
Gulf. There are pre-dynastic neolithic Egyptian
representations of Nile ships of a fair size capable
of carrying elephants. The earliest ships on the seas
were either Sumerian or Hamitic; the Semitic peoples
followed close on these pioneers ’’ (Wells).
The Semitic peoples’ trade we have seen in brief.
It was entirely a barter trade on the coast from the
earliest times until quite recently. As far as East
Africa is concerned it was a sea-borne trade. And
not only did it result in colonizing, it resulted in the
development of shipping.
‘‘ Sailing ships are the links which bind country
to country, continent to continent. They have been
at once the means of spreading civilization and war.
It is a fact that the number of ships to be built
increases proportionately as the trade of a country
prospers. There will always be a summons in the
sea which cannot be resisted. It summoned the
Egyptians to sail to the land of Punt to fetch incense
and gold. It summoned the Pheenicians across the
Bay of Biscay to the tin mines of Cornwall. It called
the Vikings to coast along the Baltic shores for
pillage and piracy ’’ (Chatterton), and it summoned
 RESUME OF EARLY TRADE 67
these peoples of old to the land of Zinj to fetch gold
and silver, slaves, ‘‘ ivory, apes and peacocks.”’
So far we have only considered the sea-borne
trade, but all these products referred to were generally
obtainable only in the interior, so that even in early
times there must have been caravan routes which
were more fraught with danger and hardship than
sea routes, owing to the risk of attack by hostile tribes
and other dangers that have lasted down to our own
times. There are records of early caravan routes in
Egypt, and there were very early caravan routes from
the far west through Abyssinia to Zeila (the Avalitis
of the Periplus).
The gold that was mined in Rhodesia perhaps four
thousand years ago was man-borne to the coast. In
the times of the Perplus there must have been routes
to coast towns, such as Rhapta, and probably for
centuries before, ivory and slaves and other goods
had been brought from the interior to the coast ports
and carried thence to Menuthias for reshipment, as
they are to-day. Sir R. Burton mentions that in
early times there was a caravan route open from the
Zanzibar coast to Benguela.
The Periplus mentions that ivory in great quantity,
rhinoceros-horn, tortoise-shell and palm-oil were
exported from Menuthias and Rhapta. Slaves it
reports from Malao (Berbera) and Opone (Ras
Hafun), whence at that time they were required in
increasing numbers for Egypt. Gold it does not
report, but the author does not describe the coast as
far south as Sofala.
It is needless to stress the antiquity of these
products: ivory is recorded as a commercial article
in Egypt about 2600 B.c. (VIth Dynasty), and there
are’ numerous and ever-increasing records of it in
later dynasties. The use of ivory was known to
nearly all these old peoples. The use of gold as an
article of commerce is as old or older than history.
Africa and Asia both yielded this product, while the
history of slave-hunting, slave-driving and the slave
68 ZANZIBAR
trade is bounded only by the time during which there
have been strong men and weaker for them to prey
on. Tortoise-shell, rhinoceros-horn and palm-oil
are still articles of export from Zanzibar. The
imports—lances, hatchets, daggers, awls, glass, wine
and wheat—are still much the same if brought up
to date. In these days the most notable addition is
clothing. The natives of Zanzibar wore their own
vegetable-cloth clothing in those days, if indeed they
wore anything at all.
Mr. Wells has picturesquely summed up the trade
of this period thus: ‘‘ Galleys and lateen-sailed
ships entered and left crowded harbours, and made
their careful way from headland to headland, and
from headland to island, keeping always close to the
land. Phcenician shipping under Egyptian owners
was making its way into the East Indies and perhaps
even farther into the Pacific. Across the deserts of
Africa and Arabia, and through Turkestan, toiled the
caravans with their remote trade; silk was already
coming from China, ivory from Central Africa, and
tin from Britain, to the centres of this new life in the
world.’’ From the emporia of Punt, of Ophir, and
of Azania, these luxuries came to deck the temples
and adorn the women of Babylon, of Nineveh, of
Egypt, of Tyre and Sidon, of Jerusalem, of Greece
and of Rome.
 CHAPTER VI
REASONS FOR PAUCITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT EAST
AFRICA FROM SECOND CENTURY TO SEVENTH CENTURY

From the time of Ptolemy to the time of the birth

of Islam, information as to what was happening in
Zanzibar is of the scantiest. In fact, during the whole
of this time, we have not one single date on which
to hang a narrative. The reason for this is that
Europe and the Near East, from which alone any
information concerning the coast could have been
obtained, were far too occupied with their own
troubles to give any attention to those of an outpost
of the Himyaritic Empire, which was itself decaying.
During the second and third centuries a.p., the
Roman Empire steadily declined, and, in the fourth
and fifth centuries, the western part of it was overrun
and destroyed by the Goths, the Vandals, the Huns
and other barbarians. Though Constantinople was
well placed to exercise dominion in any direction, the
ineptitude of Constantine’s successors, and the lack
of spirit and sea craft are sufficient reasons for the
fact that no advantage was taken of its favourable
position.

BANTU INVASION

The cradle of negroes in Africa was probably

somewhere in the neighbourhood of the great lakes,
where they pursued their agricultural calling, and
expanded rapidly without interference, until a pastoral
people, the Hamites, crossed over from Arabia into
Africa.
The original home of the Bantu race is supposed
to have been somewhere in the south-western basin
69
70 ZANZIBAR
of the Nile, possibly the southern part of the Bahr-
al-Ghazal province.
About a hundred years before the beginning of
the Christian era, the Bantu peoples who had been
forming for about a thousand years before, started off
from the Nile direction on their great career of
conquest. The aborigines were still in the neolithic
age, but the Bantus were armed with weapons of
copper and iron, which no doubt considerably facili-
tated their progress. Guided possibly not only by
tribal pressure, but by the desire for salt, these hordes
swept down southwards and made for the coasts.
They penetrated to the coast of the Indian Ocean
somewhere opposite Zanzibar, and after occupying
these islands, where they no doubt found negroes of
the type described in the Periplus, spread northwards
up the east coast until checked by the Gallas on the
Tana River. This description rather gives the idea
that this second Bantu invasion happened in a few
years, but it was really a gradual process lasting
probably about six hundred years, i.e., from about
100 B.C. to A.D. 500.
It must be remembered that once Africans started
coming to Zanzibar and Pemba they never left off.
Despite all the digressions we may make, and
different times and peoples we may consider, the
colonization of Zanzibar is bound up in this fact, and
in the fact that once traders from the north and east
started coming they too always came, whatever
change of fortune made or upset different empires
and principalities. These Bantus were very impres-
sionable people; they had their own magic and
culture, and they easily absorbed that of their visitors
who stayed long enough to impart it to them.
In addition to the events in the West already
referred to as contributing to the paucity of informa-
tion regarding Zanzibar during the first six centuries
A.D., this invasion of the Bantus must be considered
also as an important contributory cause, for these
Bantus were comparatively well armed, and the
 THE COAST 71
Eastern voyagers were but little better equipped, so
that the natives were altogether a different proposi-
tion to the negroes living in Zanzibar before. It was
not till the Arabs took to the use of better weapons
and firearms that they recovered their superiority.

THE COAST FROM THE SECOND TO SEVENTH

CENTURIES A.D.

Although we hear practically nothing at all of

the coast during this period, it must not be supposed
that nothing was going on there. As I have before
pointed out, once Africans began to settle in Zanzibar,
and once Asiatics began to trade and found colonies
there, they never stopped, and it is important to
remember this, whatever vicissitudes of fortune may
have visited peoples and countries.
Our only geographer in this period is Cosmas
Indicopleustes of Alexandria, who travelled and
wrote a book in the sixth century called Christian
Topography. Cosmas cannot be said to have largely
extended geographical knowledge of Africa. To
begin with he took a step backwards in refuting the
idea of the ancients that the world was round. He
made a journey as far as the Gulf of Aden, but in
view of the storms raging at that time of the year,
returned and-reported that the end of the world was
close there.
It remains to chronicle the passing of the suzer-
ainty of the coast from the Himyarites. to the
Abyssinians in the third century. Cosmas Indico-
pleustes indicates that the whole Zin) coast during
the third to sixth centuries, to a point almost
certainly below Mogadisho, was subject to the Negus
of Abyssinia. rT
During the dynasty of Tubba’s, the Abyssinians
conquered some parts of the Yemen, and Christian
governors were sent by the Negus of Abyssinia to
rule it in his name. Then a descendant of the Tubba’s
and a Jew, Dhuhawas, determined to stamp out
72 ZANZIBAR
Christianity, and summoned the Himyarites to his
aid. They, desiring to be rid of the Abyssinians,
flocked to his standard, and for a short time he
triumphed over and massacred the Christians. This,
however, came to the ears of the Emperor Justinian
(A.D. 527-565), who requested the Negus to take
action. The latter sent an army of 70,000 under the
command of Aryat to subdue the Yemen. Aryat
soon defeated Dhuhawas, who is said to have com-
mitted suicide, and laid waste the land and sent many
of the women and children to the Negus as slaves.
Aryat became Viceroy, but mutiny soon broke out
in his army, and Abraha, the head of the rival faction,
disposed of him and was confirmed in his appoint-
ment. He built a church at Sanaa, which was defiled
by one of the pagan Arabs belonging to Mecca.
Abraha therefore led an expedition in the year of the
Elephant (A.D. 570) against Mecca which failed
disastrously, but the Abyssinian suzerainty was not
ended until a Himyarite, Seif bin Dhi Yasgan, deter-
mined to seek the aid of the Turks. They, however,
at that time did not wish to undertake the care of
South Arabia, so he proceeded to the Court of
Nushirwan the Just of Persia, who assisted him with
a small force, and Yemen became a satrapy of Persia.
After this the balance of power in Arabia went to
the northern Arabs welded together by Mohammed,
and the care of the East African coast passed
gradually to the Persians, who were destined to play
a great part in East African history and who brought,
in time, many of their Zoroastrian customs to Zanzibar
and Pemba.
The seventh century was marked by the rise of
Mohammed, an event which was destined to have
far-reaching results on the east coast of Africa.
 CHAPTER VII

EARLY MoperN VISITORS FROM THE Near EAST

THE FIRST EMIGRATION FROM OMAN TO ZANZIBAR

Durinc the reign of the Caliph Abdul Malik, when

el-Hajjaj was Governor in El] Irak and reducing that
realm to the sway of the Umaiyades, he determined
also to reduce Oman, which still kept its allegiance
to the Arabian Caliphate. His attempts were stoutly
withstood by the two chiefs of Oman, brothers, by
name Suleiman and Said, the sons of Abbad. These
two belonged to the great family of El Azd, and were
probably grandsons of a former Chieftain Abdel
Julanda, who ruled over Oman in the time of the
Prophet. The brothers repeatedly drove back the
invaders, and it was only a subsequent expedition
under Mujjaah, who, already defeated once, came a
second time with 5,000 cavalry, that reduced the
gallant country and made it a province of Damascus.
Suleiman and Said escaped, and emigrated to the
‘‘land of the Zinj,’’ taking their families and a
number of their tribes with them. This would be
about the year 695, for el-Hajjaj reduced Mecca in
692, and became Governor of Irak in 694.
This is an important date in the history of the
coast, as it shows that for a long period in the times
of darkness before referred to, the Omanis were still
voyaging to East Africa, and that it was well known
and subject to them to some extent. At any rate the
brothers would not have gone there had they not been
assured of a better reception than they would have
met with in any part of Arabia.
Oman had accepted the mission of Amr, dispatched
73
74 ZANZIBAR
by the Prophet in 630, and embraced Islam, so that
without doubt the two princes of the ruling house were
of that faith.
This piece of history is recorded by Ahmed bin
Yahya el Baladzory in his book Futuh-el-Buldan.
Another piece of information concerning the reign
of Abdul Malik is recorded by Captain Stigand in
The Land of Zinj. It was related to him at Pate,
near Lamu, by Bwana Kitini, apparently an authority
on Pate history, as he also wrote the ‘‘ History of
Pate,’’ published in the Journal of the African Society.
I will quote it in the original words:
‘‘ The beginning of these coast towns, he who first
made them was a ruler called Abdul Malik bin
Muriani (i.e., the Caliph Marwan). The date was the
77th year of the Hejira. He heard of this country,
and his soul longed to found a new kingdom. So he
brought Syrians, and they built the cities of Pate,
Malindi, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Lamu and Kilwa.’’
In a footnote it is stated (the information is probably
traditional) that the following towns were built by
Abdul Malik, and that in each town, or group of
towns, he had a Liwali or Governor: Mukadisho (mai
wa mwisho=the end city), Marika, Barawa, Tula,
Twavae, Koyama, Vumbi, Kismayu, Omwi, Ndao,
Kiwayu, Pate, Faza, Shanga, Emezi (Wangi),
Magagoni (Tukutu), Amu (Lamu), Manda, Taka,
Kitao, Komona, Uziwa, Shaka (said to be from Shah),
Mea, Ozi, Malindi, Watamu, Mvita, Wasin, Kilwa,
Tungi and Ngazija (the Comoros).
In favour of this statement being literally true is
the date a.p. 701, which was in the reign of Abdul
Malik, the fact that Syrians would naturally be
employed by him as he lived at Damascus, and the
obvious truth it recognizes that all the groups of ruins
on the coast are clearly connected in origin. It may
be taken as a confirmation of the piece of history we
have just been considering, namely, that some of the
coast settlements were first founded by exiles from
Oman. In an indirect way, of course, the credit may
 EMIGRATIONS FROM ASIA 75
be given to Abdul Malik, as he drove them from their
native land.
Captain Stigand also says that Abdul Malik’s son
Hamza is said to have brought the Holy Koran to the
east coast, and there is also a legend which says that
another son, Jafar, ruled on the coast and died at
Kiwayu. He married Mwana Manubi of Shanja.
Abdul Malik is known on the coast as Mangi Mangi,
a the meaning of this complimentary name has been
ost.

OTHER EARLY EMIGRATIONS FROM ASIA

On the death of the fourth Shia Imam Ali,

surnamed Zain-ul-Abidin, the son of Al-Hussain, who
was the grandson of the Prophet and the second son
of Ali and Fatima, there occurred a great schism in
the ranks of the Shiites, one part following his son
Mohammed Baar, and the other his son Zaid. These
latter were called Zaidiyah, or Ammu Zaid, which has
been corrupted to Emozaid.
It is related by Joao de Barros that after the death
of Zaid, who was conquered and slain by Hisham bin
Abdul Malik, the Umaiyade Caliph, in 739, Zaid’s
son Yahya fled to Khorasan, and the tenets of the
Zaidiyah spread throughout Yemen. Some of the
Zaidiyah fled to East Africa, and, fortifying them-
selves on the coast about Shangaya, soon achieved
some power.
Some generations after this the same _historian
relates that seven brothers fled from El Hasa
(which was either in the Persian Gulf or in Central
Arabia), being driven out by the oppression of
a neighbouring sheikh. In three vessels they are
said to have crossed over to the African coast, and
about A.D. 908 founded Mogadisho and Brava, which
became capitals of important states.
The Emozaid were regarded as heretics by these
orthodox Sunni people of El Hasa, and, being driven
76 ZANZIBAR
inland, formed a close connection with the negroes.
They became, in fact, the wandering traders of the
interior, collecting the products of the country and
conveying them to the coast for sale. It is con-
ceivable that the E/ Hasa people were of the Ed Harth
tribe of Arabs, who are known to have settled on the
Zanzibar coast very early (Colonel Rigby states
A.D. 924).
The next immigration to the coast was that of Ali,
son of Sultan Hassan of Shiraz by an Abyssinian
slave. Presumably on this account he could not get
on with his six brothers, and so set out to seek his
fortunes in East Africa. Passing Mogadisho and
Brava, where he found previous immigrants, he arrived
at Kilwa, where he founded what was to become the
capital of the Zinj Empire in the year 975.
Mention may here be made of another early immigra-
tion, which was that of the Nebhan Maliks, who
were turned out of Oman and Pate. It is said that
shortly after the death of Hussan, son of Ali, one
Isafah of Benu Omaya, belonging to the tribe of al
Quraish, killed most of the nobles of Medina and
drove out the Benu Uni. This would probably be
about the year 50 of the Hejira.
The name of Bajuni is said to be derived from
Benu Juni or Bani Juni, the children of Juni, and the
tribe is supposed to have sprung from one Juni
Katada. The descendants of this man left Arabia,
and passing through the Straits of Bab al Mandeb,
settled at Mogadisho, spreading thence down the
coast to Birikau. After this they met and fought
with the Vutila and Wakilo of the Somalis. Some
time after they spread farther down the coast, and
about three hundred years ago settled in Faza by
permission of the King of Pate.
These peoples are called there the Watikuu, but
in Zanzibar and Pemba, where they frequently come
and generally follow the calling of hawkers, they are
known as Wagunya.
CONVERSION OF COAST TO ISLAM 77
THE CONVERSION OF THE COAST TO ISLAM
We have now to estimate from the data given
above the approximate date of the conversion of the
coast to Islam. We must remember that the natives
of the Zanzibar coast are mostly Shafite Sunnis, the
Sultan and the chief Arabs alone being Ibathi.
Mohammed bin Idris Es-Shafi, the founder of the
Shafite school, lived from a.D. 767 to 822, and
started his mission in 813. Abdulla bin Ibadh is
known to have been living in 744-749. Legends on
the coast say that Jafar, son of Abdul Malik, was the
first to bring Islam to the coast at Faza, and that he
lived there and died at Kiwayu; his other son, Hamza,
is also credited with this mission. But, in any case,
it was not Hamza or Suleiman and Said (who were
driven to the land of Zinj by the instrumentality of
Abdul Malik) who caused any extensive conversion of
the coast, for Abdul Malik reigned from a.p. 684 to
705, and Es-Shafi’s mission did not take place
till 813; neither were Suleiman and Said Ibathis,
though they came from Oman, as they fled to the coast
in A.D. 695, prior to the mission of Abdulla bin Ibadh.
The Ammu Zaid were Shiites, and we know also
that.Shiraz was Shia in 952, so that Hassan bin Ali
(975) was probably a Shia, and if the coast had not
been converted in his time it would have become Shia,
as the power of Kilwa reached far. We can therefore
safely say that the coast became followers of the
Shafite school between A.D. 813 and 975. It is
probable that the El Hasa or El Harth people brought
the doctrines to the coast, for they were Sunnis, and,
whether El Hasa was in the Persian Gulf or Central
Arabia, Es-Shafi preached both in the Hedjaz and in
Baghdad. é,
Ibn Batuta tells us that the people of Mogadisho,
Mombasa and Kilwa were Shafites in the thirteenth
century. The.earliest records of mosques in the
Zanzibar Sultanate are, Kizimkazi A.D. 1107, and
Msuka (already ruined) A.D. 1414.
78 ZANZIBAR

RECORDS OF THE ARABIAN GEOGRAPHERS

However scanty may be the references to the coast

during the period of the Abbaside Caliphs of Zin),
yet there must have been considerable intercourse
between the coast and the Persian Gulf. Several
times during this period are Zinj slaves spoken of as
in Irak.
In the reign of the first Abbaside Caliph, in the
year 749, his brother, Abul Abbas, massacred 11,000
souls, including men, women and children, and had
in his army 400 men of Zinj. In the following year
they took an important part in the wars of South
Arabia.
That these Zinj increased in number and became
a power in the land is shown by the fact that in 850
they revolted, under the leadership of a negro styled
Lord of the Blacks. This revolt was felt all over
Arabia.
Again in the year 869, a Persian, who claimed to
be a descendant of Ali, and styled himself Alid
Messiah, but earned the cognomen of Al Khabith
(the reprobate), raised at Basra his banner inscribed
with a text (Sura IX, 112), promising freedom to
all the slaves. The Zinj or Zanzibar slaves,
particularly those employed in the saltpetre industry,
swarmed to his side, and during the two years follow-
ing, they spread themselves all over the Euphrates
delta, and on the Karun as far as Al Ahwaz. For
some considerable period they met with no reverse,
and in 871 they captured and sacked Basra, and
annihilated its inhabitants.
The Caliph Al Motamid, a weak monarch, was
then compelled to call his brother, Al Muwaffak, the
real mainstay of the empire, to his aid, and though he
had other engagements, he was able from time to
time to defeat the negro rebels.
Despite this, however, the insurgents were able at
 ARABIAN GEOGRAPHERS 79
different periods to invade Irak, Khuzistan and
Bahreim, Alwaz was sacked, and they established a
capital at Wasit.
Al Khabith even asked one Yakut, the copper-
smith, another rebel, to join him in an attack on
Baghdad. For ten years the country suffered under
his pillages, and it is said that his force numbered
300,000. While this is certainly exaggerated, it is
an indication of the large number of slaves from East
Africa in Arabia in the ninth century, and of their
eagerness for freedom. The rebels were finally
defeated in 883.
In the native history related by Captain Stigand,
it is recorded that Haroun al-Raschid sent Persians
to the coast to continue the work begun by Abdul
Malik.
We have already seen that the Emozaids early
emigrated to the east coast, and there were successive
emigrations from Central Arabia, Oman (the Benu
Nebhan), and Shiraz during this period. Each set up
different states on the coast, and when the Portuguese
came, most of them were each other’s enemies, and
so fell an easy prey to the Europeans.
Before going on to consider the information
provided by Arabian geographers in this period, I
must refer to a find of coins recorded in the Zanzibar
Gazette of September 1oth, 1900. A short time
previously a native, while digging up cassava in a
shamba at Khwarara, found an earthen vessel full
of copper coins. The Government broker, Nassor
of Lamu, took pains to decipher them, and professed
to read them as belonging to the reigns of Sultan
Sajaluki (613), Yazid bin Muawiyen (760), and Haroun
al-Raschid (686). The dates are wrong, YazidI
having begun to reign in 679, and Haroun al-Raschid
in 786. The decipherment may also be incorrect, but
as I can find no other record of these coins, I give the
information for what it is worth.
Let us now turn our attention to the Arabian
geographers and historians, Masudi, Idris, Yakut, Ibn
80 ZANZIBAR
Said and Ibn Batuta. As belonging to this period,
we must also consider Marco Polo’s description of
Zanzibar.
Masudi (08. A.D. 956), whose full name was Abdul
Hassan Ali bin Hussein bin Ali, was a native of
Baghdad, and was called Masudi, after Abdulla bin
Masud, a companion of the Prophet, from whom
Masudi traced his descent. He wrote a history of
the world, from the creation to the Caliphate of Muti
in 947. He was a great traveller, and visited
Armenia, India, Ceylon, Zanzibar, Madagascar, the
Chinese Sea and the Caspian Sea. (This from
Nicholson, but an actual visit to Zanzibar Island is
doubtful, and perhaps for Madagascar read the
Comoros.) His book is called Muruju ’1 Dhahab or
The Meadows of Gold. He has been described as
the Arabian Herodotus. Masudi makes some very
interesting observations on the origin of the Zinj. He
says when ‘‘ Noah’s posterity began to spread all over
the earth, the children of Kush, the son of Canaan
(Cham), followed a westerly direction and crossed the
Nile. There they formed new groups; some of them,
the Nubians, Beeljah and the Zinj, turned to the right
between east and west. The others, in great numbers,
went westward in the direction of Zagawah, Canem,
Makah, Ghanah, and other parts of the land of the
Blacks and the Dendemeh. Those who had taken
the right between east and west soon separated again,
thus forming several tribes of the Zinj such as the
Makir, Maskar, the Marira and others. . .. The
Zinj, with other Abyssinian tribes, spread themselves
to the right of the Nile, down to the extremity of the
Sea of Abyssinia. Of all the Abyssinian tribes the
Zinj were the only ones who crossed the canal which
comes out of the Upper Nile. They established
themselves in this country and spread themselves as
far as Sufalah, which is on the Sea of Zinj, the farthest
limit where the ships sail from Oman and Siraj, for
as the Chinese Sea ends at the land of Sirla, so the
limits of the Sea of Zinj are near the land of the
 ARABIAN GEOGRAPHERS 81
Sufalah and that of the Wak Wak country, which
yields gold in abundance with other marvels.
“There the Zinj built their chief town, then they
elected a king which they called ‘Falime.’ This
has been at all times the name of their paramount
chief. The Falime has in his dependency all the
other Zinjan kings, and commands 300,000 mounted
men.
“The Zinj use the ox as their beast of burden,
for in their country is neither mules nor horses nor
camels. They do not even know these beasts.
‘““ There are among them tribes which have very
large teeth and are cannibals. The territory of the
Zinj begins at the canal derived from the Upper Nile,
and extends to the land of Sufalah and the Wak Wak.”’
The word Falime is extraordinarily interesting, as
it is, of course, the Swahili mfalme. The tribes
which have very sharp teeth may be the Masai, who
file their teeth.
Masudi speaks as follows on the conditions of
these lands in his time. He travelled, he says, several
times from Sinja (Sohar) the chief town of Oman, to
Kambalu, and never did he know a more dangerous
sea than the sea of Zinj. Kambalu is generally
identified with the Comoro, though I prefer an
identification with Mkumbuu in Pemba, for the reason
that when written in Arabic the words Kambalu and
Mkumbuu are very much alike ( shuS and 4S). The
‘*M’”’ of Mkumbuu disappears when the word is
written in Arabic, and Mkumbuu was undoubtedly
Mkumbulu in old days. ‘‘1’’ is frequently elided,
e.g., Muungu for Mulungu. Masudi says that the
Arabs colonized this island at the time of the conquest
of Crete by the Moslems (in about 730), and that there
were there both Moslems and unconverted Zinj.
They reduced the Zinj to slavery, but adopted their
language. He also states that the Shirazis and the
Azdis (Omanis) had all the trade in his days, and
mentions that ivory and tortoise-shell and other things
were exported. Gold he does not mention. The
82 ZANZIBAR
country abounded in elephants, and the tusks were
exported to China via Oman. The Bilad es-Sudan,
or country of the blacks, was bounded by Sofala of
the Zinj, and the land of the Wak Wak (bushmen).
The time of this description is generally placed
about 915, as Masudi left Baghdad on his voyage in
912. Masudi’s description of Kambalu applies very
closely to what Pemba must have been like in his
day.
Idris, who was born at Ceuta, studied at Cordova,
and found a patron in King Roger of Sicily. Writing
about 1154, he describes the dealings of the Arabs
with the Zinj. He says that the ruler of Keish,
opposite Muscat, had 505 ships, with which he used
to raid the Zanzibar coast for slaves, and that the
Zinj, having great respect for the Arabs, used to let
them take these people without trouble. He states
that the King of Zinj lived at Manisa (? Mombasa),
where there were iron mines, and that the inhabitants
of Mogadisho, Marka and Brava were Moslems but
the rest infidels. He also mentions Malindi and
Mombasa, which latter place he records as having a
good harbour. He says that Sufalah of the Zinj
borders on the land of the Wak Wak, hideous
aborigines whose speech resembles whistling (i.e., the
clicks of the Zulus). He speaks also of the gold
products of this Sufalah, or lowland. He*mentions
also the Island of Al Komor (? Comoro or
Madagascar).
Our next geographer is Yakut bin Abdulla (1179-
1229), who was a Greek by birth, enslaved in child-
hood and sold to a merchant of Baghdad, who gave
him a good education, and frequently sent him on
trading expeditions to the Persian Gulf and else-
where. He was subsequently freed, and wrote his
book called Mu’jamu ’l Buldan. Besides telling us
that the people of Tumbatu were Moslems in his
time, he mentions also Sufalah as being- the most
remote town of Zinj, and El Jub as a town of Zinj
which exported giraffe skins. El Jub can, of course,
 ARABIAN GEOGRAPHERS 83
be placed on the Juba River. He mentions the trade
in gold, and Arab methods of barter.
After Yakut comes Ibn Said, who lived in the
thirteenth century, and whose remarks, gathered from
hearsay, are as vague as those of Cosmas Indico-
pleustes. For instance, he confounds Madagascar
and the Comoros as one island, and says that
north-east of Mombasa was a mountain extending
100 miles into the sea, half iron mines and half
magnetic, and that west of Mombasa was a gulf
300 miles long. The King of Zinj lived at
Mombasa, and between that place and Sufalah was
a great desert (Suffalah=lowland). In his time the
inhabitants of Berbera and Marka were Moham-
medans. He speaks also of the mountains of the
moon.
Our last geographer and historian is the famous
Ibn Batuta, whose full name was Abu Abdulla
Muhammed bin Abdulla bin Muhammed bin Ibrahim
El Zawati El-Tunji, who was born in 1304 at
Tangier, and travelled extensively during many years,
in which he visited Egypt, Palestine, Persia,
Mesopotamia, Arabia, Asia Minor, Russia, India,
China and Spain. On one occasion he was Kadhi
of Debbi, and he performed the Haj four times. On
the first of these pilgrimages he left his native town
in 1324, and afterwards visited Mogadisho, Mombasa
and Kilwa. At Mombasa, where, like many a modern
traveller, he only spent one night, he says there are
plentiful bananas, lemons and citrons, but no grain,
which was brought from other places. The people
were religious, chaste and honest. Of Zanzibar Island
he makes no mention at all. Ibn Batuta died in 1378.
Let us now consider Marco Polo’s description of
Zanzibar. Marco Polo was born at Venice in 1254,
the son of Nicolo Polo. In 1271 Nicolo (and his
brother Maffeo) set out on his record journey to the
East, taking the young Marco with him. After living
for twenty years or so in the service of Kubla Khan,
they set back on their voyage home from a Chinese
84 ZANZIBAR
port, and arrived safely in Venice three years later
(1295). Thereafter Marco took part, in command of
a galley, in the fleet of Andrea Dandolo, in the wars
against the Genoese, and was captured off Cuyola
on September 7th, 1296. For three years he was kept
captive, and it appears that during this time he
dictated his book, while in prison, to a fellow captive,
one Rustician of Pisa. He died about 1324.
The following is his account of Zanzibar:
‘‘ This is a very great and noble island, about
two thousand miles in circuit. The people are all
idolaters, have languages and a king of their own, and
are subject to no other power. They are not very
tall, but so broad and thick, that in this respect they
appear like giants; and they are likewise immensely
strong, bearing as large a burden as four other men,
which is really no wonder, for they eat as much as five.
They are perfectly black and go naked, with the
exception of a cloth round the waist. Their mouth
is so wide, their nose so turned up, their lips and eyes
so big, that they are horrible to behold, and anyone
meeting them in another country would believe them
devils. Elephants abound, and a great traffic is
carried on in their teeth; likewise lions of a peculiar
species, with ounces and leopards. In short, they
have all kinds of beasts different from others in the
world; including sheep entirely white, with only the
head black, and none of any other colour.
‘* Here, too, is the giraffe, a most beautiful creature,
whose shape I will describe. Behind, it is low, and
the legs very short, while those before and the neck,
are very large, so that its head rises three paces from
the ground. The animal is small, and is quite harm-
less; and its colour being red and white, in circles, it
is very beautiful. But there is a thing which I had
forgotten about the elephant, that it caresses the
female in the same manner as the human species.
I must say the women of this island are most ugly
objects, with large mouth, eyes, and nose, and their
breasts four times the ordinary size; in short, they are
 ARABIAN GEOGRAPHERS 85
hideous. The people live on rice, flesh, milk, and
dates, and though they have no vines, make a very
good liquor of rice, sugar, and spices. There is a
great trade, particularly in elephants’ teeth; and a
good quantity of amber. The men are very brave in
combat, and have little fear of death. They have no
horses, but fight upon camels and elephants, placing
on them castles well covered, with sixteen or twenty
men mounted on them bearing lances, swords, and
staves, and making a very powerful force in battle.
They have no arms except leathern shields, lances,
and swords, with which they fight well. When lead-
ing the elephant to the combat, they give him to drink
of their wine or liquor, which renders him more fierce
and effective.’”
Marco Polo never visited Zanzibar, and his account
therefore lacks historical value, but it is interesting as
showing what European ideas of the island were in the
Middle Ages.
Before we close this period it is well to refer to an
event in it, namely, the first crossing of the African
continent by a European. This was achieved by a
Genoese, called Leone Vivaldi, who crossed from the
West, reaching Mogadisho about the end of the
eleventh century. It is just possible that some of
Marco Polo’s information was derived either directly
or indirectly from this source.
 CHAPTER VIII

VISITORS FROM THE Far EAstT

THE MALAYS ON THE COAST

THERE is definite historical evidence for the visit of

Malays to the coast.
The Malays used to be a great seafaring people;
their piracies were notorious, and they were very
adventurous, and found their way, if not by design,
then accidentally over a much larger field than has
been supposed. At an early date they dominated the
Bay of Bengal, and had settlements and colonies
in Java, Sumatra, Borneo and other islands, to the
very borders even of Australia. The rig of their
ships seems to have been indirectly influenced by
the Egyptians. Boats very similar and rig almost
identical can be seen to-day on the ships of the Orang
Laut of the Malay west coast.
The pure Malays are nowadays a quiet race of
sailors and traders, and mostly Mohammedans. At
one time they attained a very high degree of civiliza-
tion, and invented a system of writing, and discovered
gunpowder for themselves.
It is generally accepted on account of strong
linguistic affinities that Malayo-Polynesian peoples
spread to Madagascar at a very early time. The
Antimerina, a Madagascar tribe, are also of undoubted
Malay or Javanese origin. They apparently landed
on the east coast about four centuries ago, and after-
wards moved inland.
But it seems probable that Malays came to East
Africa before; indeed, in the time of Idris and Ibn
Said, they are said to have already come to Madagascar
and Sofala.
86
 THE MALAYS .ON THE COAST 87
Idris refers to an empire, which robably had its
seat in Java, as the Empire of the Mihrad;: and says
that its traders used to come to Sofala, were well
received by the inhabitants, and had many dealings
with them.
_ Father Torrend has made some observations of
interest with regard to the relations of the Malays
and Javanese with the Bantus. After referring to
Bleek’s comparison of the Fiji and Bantu language,
which have many similarities in common, Father
Torrend says that he notices according to Idris that
it was the southern part of Sofala which was mostly
frequented by the Mihradj (Malay) traders, close to
what he calls the Island of Djalous or Djulus; and
that considering that the Zulus in customs closely
resemble the Borneans, that the Zulus who have
removed to Nyasaland are called Maviti (viti bein
the proper pronunciation of Fiji), and that Zulu, Ghee
he renders ‘‘ children of the deep or sky,’’ reminds
one of the Zulu Sea and Archipelago, he is led to
suspect that the first Zulus who organized the Zulu
nation were men who came from Mihradj.
It is also probable that many slaves were carried
off by the Mihradj from Sofala at times, and this may
have been the channel through which the similarities
in custom and language were communicated.
The customs observed at the birth of a child among
the natives of Zanzibar are almost precisely similar
to those observed in Malay, and much of the magic
has strong affinities. This would seem to indicate
a prolonged and early residence in these islands, and
confirms the Pemba legends of ‘‘ the people of Jawa
(Java).”” ey
Areca, betel and sugar-cane are indigenous to
Malay; and it is possible that they were brought to
the east coast by the Malays; possibly they inculcated
the habit of betel-chewing.
Captain Stigand states there used to be ancient
pottery on the coast said to have come from Malay.
A family at Lamu (the Famao) claim descent from
88 ZANZIBAR
some Chinese or Malayans who were wrecked there
at an unknown date.

RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE WITH THE EAST COAST OF

AFRICA

The Chinese and Japanese were notable seamen

from early times, and built large sailing ships,
‘* Their junks found their way far afield in the Indian
Ocean and its borders’’ (Sir H. Howorth). How
early they did fare afield may be gathered from Mr.
Chatterton, who says, ‘‘ Between the Chinese and
Burmese junks of to-day, and the Egyptian ships of
about six thousand years ago, there are so many
points of similarity that we are not surprised when
we remember that the Chinese, like the Egyptians,
derived their earliest culture from Babylonia, and
that India (including Burma) is mainly, as to its
culture at least, an offshoot from the Chinese. Until
quite recently China remained in the same state of
development for four thousand years. If that was
so with her arts and life generally, it has been
especially so in the case of her sailing craft.”
The dealings of what we may call the earlier
Chinese with the east coast of Africa extended
probably over the period covered by four separate
dynasties, from A.D. 619-1644.
The first of these was the greatest national
dynasty of China, the Tang dynasty, which lasted
from 619 to 960. Some of the numerous coins found
at Mogadisho, Kilwa and Mafia have been identified
with the K’ai Yuan from a.p. 713-742, and others
date from 845. It is also recorded that Abu Zeyd
Hassan returned from China via East Africa some
time after 851. It is obvious therefore that there
was intercourse with China from an early date.
Nevertheless the Tang dynasty intercourse with
the outside world was not much encouraged. During
the succeeding dynasty, that of the Sungs (960-1279),
there was far more intercourse.
 RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE 89
Bretschneider made considerable researches into
the medieval trade of the Chinese with the Arabs,
and his pamphlet on the subject is interesting read-
ing. On page 13 he states that in 976 an envoy
from Tashi brought a negro slave from K’un lun to
China, and he created much sensation at court. In
a note he says that K’un lun here probably denotes
Pulu Condore near Cambodia, but goes on: ‘‘ In the
San ts’ai hula (1607) is an article dedicated to the
Ts’eng Ssu of K’un lun. (I cannot explain the
characters Ts’eng Ssu.) It is said that this land lies
in the south-western sea. There is found a large
bird p’eng, which obscures the sun in flying, and
can swallow a camel. The body of the inhabitants
of K’un lun is black, as if covered with black varnish.
They make slaves from amidst their own people and
sell them to foreign merchants, receiving in exchange
dresses and other articles.”’
The 2’ eng or pheng is the rukh. I have discussed
the occurrence of this bird in a pamphlet called Sind-
bad the Sailor in East Africa. Ta’shi is the Chinese
for the Arabs, K’un lun is here, as elsewhere, Kambalu,
and Kambalu probably Mkumbuu, the ruined city in
Pemba. Ts’eng Ssu is the Chinese form of Zenj,
of which Bretschneider was not aware. A coin found
at Mafia in 1916 has been identified as a cash of the
Emperor Shan Tsung (1068-1086), and other coins
have been found dating from the reign of Shauking
(1131-1163). Idris remarks that, when great troubles
arose in China, the Chinese transferred their trade
to islands which he calls Zaledj or Zanedj, facing the
coast of Zinj, where they came to intimate relations
with the inhabitants on account of their mildness and
accommodating ways. It is possible that one of the
islands he refers to was Mafia, where many Chinese
coins have been found. Some of the fragmentary
china found in Pemba has been identified as cream-
coloured Ting ware of this dynasty.
The next dynasty, lasting from 1280-1360, was
that of the Mongolians, called Yuan. To this
go ZANZIBAR
dynasty belonged the celebrated Kubla Khan. Marco
Polo relates that he sent messengers to the southern
part of Madagascar ‘‘on the pretext of demanding
the release of one of his servants who have been
detained there (this shows prior intercourse), but in
reality to examine into the circumstances of the
country and the truths of the wonderful things told
of it. When they returned to the presence of his
majesty, they brought with them a feather of the rukh,
positively affirmed to have measured ninety spans,
and the quill part to have two palms in circumference.
They were also the bearers of the tusk of a wild
boar, an animal that grows there to the size of a
buffalo, and it was found to weigh fourteen pounds.”’
The date of this excursion was before A.D. 1292.
The last of these four dynasties is the cultured
Ming dynasty (1358-1644). The greater part of the
china fragments found in the ruins of Pemba and
other parts of East Africa belong to this period.
There is also a record of a Chinese fleet visiting
Mogadisho for purposes of trade in A.D. 1430.
On page 21 of his pamphlet referred to, Bret-
schneider gives some interesting extracts from the
records of the Ming dynasty (Mig shi, Chapter 326).
‘* Mu ku tu su lies in the sea, distant from Siao
po lan (probably a place on the Malabar coast or an
island) twenty days’ journey. It is a barren country
of wide extent, very mountainous. It sometimes does
not rain for years. The houses are built of stone.
In 1427 an envoy arrived at the Chinese Court from
Mukutusu.’’ Mukutusu is Mogadisho, founded, says
Bretschneider (probably on the authority of Rigby),
in 924 by Arabs.
‘ Pulawa adjoins Mukutusu, and is likewise on
the sea—has little grass and few trees, but produces
plenty of salt. There are rhinoceros, elephants,
camels, an animal Ma ha shou which resembles the
chang (antelope), and another animal, resembling the
ass, is called hua fu du. Among products are
mentioned ju siang, mo yao, lung sien siang.”’
 RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE gI
Hua means spotted, and hua fulu may refer to
the zebra. /« means milk, and siang perfume. /z
Stang 1S incense (olibanum), mo yao is myrrh, and
lung sien siang, meaning literally ‘‘ dragon’s saliva
perfume,”’ is ambergris.
‘Chupu lies not far from Mukutusu. During
the reign of Yung lo (1403-1425) an envoy came to
China from Chupu. The country produces gold,
iron, lung sien siamg ju siang, hu tsiao (pepper).
There are also lions, ostriches and _ leopards.’’
Chupu means almost certainly Juba. Yakut speaks
of El Jub and its export of giraffe skins. It may be
that the particular town referred to is Kismayu.
Traces of the Chinese remaining in East Africa
are but few. Professor Schwartz of South Africa
dealt with them in 1926 in an article in the Nation
of South Africa. In Zanzibar it is probable that the
conical hat worn by the Wahadimu fishermen was
derived from them.
From these facts it will be seen that during the
Middle Ages, trade between the Far East and the land
of Zinj was no uncommon thing. Masudi himself
refers to ivory being sent to China, and it is there-
fore probable that trade began much earlier, and was
well established in his time. Nankin china was
traded for gold by the early coast Arabs, and no
doubt that is. the reason for it being so plentiful in
Zanzibar.
The word Zanzibar was by the Chinese adapted
to Tseng-pat or Tseng-po, and the Japanese, who
may also have come to the coast, called the Zinj,
Tsengu. Yule, in his edition of Marco Polo, notes
that the Japanese Encyclopedia, referring to the east
coast, says that there is a bird called pheng, which in
its flight eclipses the sun. It can swallow a camel,
and its quills are used for water-casks. The pheng
is no doubt the same as the rukh.
Concerning the Japanese, Father Torrend says:
‘« Tf it be true that the Japanese are called Wak Wak,
exactly as the Hottentots by some Arab writers, it
92 ZANZIBAR
would appear from a passage in the book of the
Marvels of India that A.D. 945, they sent a fleet
numbering a thousand ships to conquer that Island
of Cambalu (probably Pemba) in which the Arabs
had established themselves two centuries earlier, with
the intention of procuring for themselves and the
Chinese, ivory, tortoise-shell, leopard skins, amber
and slaves. They would not have succeeded in their
main object, but by way of consolation, they would
have carried fire and sword into many towns of the
land of Sofala. It must be added, however, that
the author of the book of Marvels seems not to
have believed altogether the man who gave this
information.”’
The Chinese records yield a fair amount of
information which gives an idea of the knowledge
they had of the coast. One of the most important
books is that of Chau ju k’ua, entitled Chu-fan, chi,
which deals with the Chinese and Arab trade in the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Of Zanzibar Chau ju k’ua speaks as follows:

“Ts’ong-pa
‘“ The Ts’ong-pa country is on an island of the
sea south of Hu-ch’a-la.
‘““To the west it reaches to a great mountain.
The inhabitants are of Ta’shi stock and follow the
Ta’shi religion. They wrap themselves in blue
foreign cotton stuffs, and wear red leather shoes.
‘* Their daily food consists of meal, baked cakes
and mutton.
‘“ There are many villages, and a succession of
wooded hills and terraced rocks. |
‘* The climate is warm, and there is no cold
season.
‘* The products of the country consist of elephants’
tusks, native gold, ambergris and yellow sandal-
wood. Every year Hu-ch’a-la and the Ta’shi local-
ities along the sea coast send ships to this country,
 RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE 93
with white cotton cloths, porcelain, copper and red
cotton to trade.’’
T’s’ong-pa is the Chinese form of Zanzibar. Here
the author means not only the island, but the whole
of the territory formerly known as Zanguebar.
Hu-ch’a-la is Gujerat, and the Ta’shi are Arabs.
The great mountain is probably Kilimanjaro.
As regards Pemba, the following item which
appears in Probsthain’s Catalogue of Chinese Art, is
of interest.

“The K’un lun Ts’ eng K’i country [the Zandj (or
blacks) of K’un lun (Madagascar or Pemba)|
_ “In the south-west parts adjoining is an island
in the sea. This land possesses a huge bird. (The ruc
of Arab writers; see Marco Polo, Book III, Chapter
XXXVII, on Madagascar and Zanzibar.)
‘“*'You may cut the quills of their wings to make
water-carrying utensils out of them (meaning: carry-
ing on each end of a shoulder-pole). Moreover, they
are black-bodied wild men; if you entice them with
food you barter as many as you like to do work (as
slaves) for the foreign (i.e., Arab) trader.”’

This painting is numbered as Item IV in a list

of six pictures of the Sung dynasty attributed to Li
Lung Mien, one of the most famous artists of the
world, and the first among all the painters of the
Sung dynasty. The set represents scenes from
‘* Foreign and Strange Lands ’’; opposite each picture
there is a Chinese explanation. The English transla-
tion in this particular case is given above.
The parentheses are those of Professor Parker
who identifies K’un lun as Madagascar or Pemba.
This identification, I believe, rests on a note in Yule’s
Marco Polo. Yule says, ‘‘ Barbier de Meynard (in
his edition of Masudi’s Meadows of Gold) thinks this
(Kambalu—of which K’un lun is the Chinese form)
94 ZANZIBAR
may be Madagascar. I suspect it rather to be
Pemba.’’ Yule gives neither here nor elsewhere
any reason for his supposition, but his alternative
identification has been quoted by several authorities.
In the chapter dealing with the records of the
Arabian geographers, Kambalu has been identified
with Mkumbuu in Pemba, and the reasons there given
for this identification make it tolerably sure that in the
above picture we have a representation of the Chinese
idea of Pemba at some time during the period
A.D. 960-1280.
Chau ju k’ua has the following chapter in the
section of his book called ‘‘ Countries in the Sea.”’

“ K’un lun-ts’dng-K’i
‘“This country is in the south-west. It is
adjacent to a large island.
‘“ There are usually there (i.e., on the island)
great p’ong birds which so mask the sun in their
flight that the shade on the sundial is shifted.
“If the great p’ong bird finds a wild camel it
swallows it, and if one should chance to find a p’6ng’s
feather, he can make a water-butt of it, after cutting
off the hollow quill.
‘‘ The -products of the country are big elephants’
tusks, and rhinoceros’ horns. -
‘“In the west there is an island in the sea on
which there are many savages, with bodies as black
as lacquer and with frizzled hair.
‘* They are enticed by (offers of) food, then caught
and carried off for slaves to the Ta’shi countries where
they fetch a high price.
‘““ They are used as gate-keepers (lit. to look after
the gate bolts). It is said that they do not long for
their kinfolk.’’

The large island is probably Madagascar, and the

p’ong or pheng, as the Japanese called it, is the rukh
of the Azvabian Nights.
 RELATIONS OF THE CHINESE 95
Madagascar was considered adjacent to the
Zanzibar coast. The method of enticing children
with sweetmeats, and then capturing them as slaves,
is an old one, used successfully until the abolition of
slavery. The natives of Tumbatu still refer to its
use on that island, while Idris (I. 58) says that the
Arabs of Oman kidnapped children on the Zanzibar
coast by this means. ‘This was in the twelfth century.
In these days then, especially those of the Ming
dynasty, Chinese shipping reached far over the seas,
and they had a considerable overseas trade; as this
was so, and as their descendants are still trading
here to-day, it may be wondered why they have not
developed their sea trade more.
Mr. Wells has admirably summed up the reasons
in his Outline of History, and traces them without
doubt to the difficulties of writing, speaking and learn-
ing Chinese, which even to this day makes Chinese
history and the general study of China a closed book
to all but the few. Such a drawback cannot but have
acted adversely on their relations with Bantu peoples.
Other languages they could, and did assimilate, but
Chinese would offer almost insuperable difficulties.
 CHAPTER IX

Tue RIsE AND FALL OF THE PORTUGUESE

RISE OF THE PORTUGUESE

IT is not necessary here to go into the causes which

led the nations of Europe to take an interest in the
Empire of the East, but after Bartholomew Dias had
rounded the Cape of Good Hope, stimulated with the
desire to forestall the Spaniards who had dispatched
Columbus in 149? to discover the East, the Portuguese
sent an expedition under Vasco da Gama with the
same object.
Columbus, of course, discovered the New World,
though such was far from being his object, but Vasco
da Gama, in reaching India, laid the foundation of the
trade of the Portuguese in that quarter, which lasted
for several centuries, but which has now dwindled till
they hold but a few insignificant possessions in East
Africa and India. Dominion in East Africa was never
the ultimate object of Portugal, but was only looked
on as a stepping-stone to India, and their footholds
in Eastern Africa, however interesting they may be
to the historians of the country, were only incidental
(except in so far as the gold trade of Sofala was con-
cerned) to the former object.
Vasco da Gama sailed from the Tagus on the
8th July, 1497, with three ships, of which the Sao
Gabriel was his flagship, while his brother, Paula da
Gama, commanded the Sao Raphael, and one Jose de
Coimbra commanded the Birrio, the third ship of the
fleet.
On the 1st March in the following year, he
anchored off St. George Island, near Mozambique,
96
 RISE OF THE PORTUGUESE 97
where the Governor was one Zakoeja. On the 4th
of April he sighted Mafia Island, and on the sth again
“ beheld the land,’’ probably the northern portion of
Zanzibar Island. About four a.m. on the 6th the
Sao Raphael ran ashore on the Karanga reef, opposite
Mtangata, due west of Chake Chake. While waiting
for the high tide to get the ship off, ‘‘two canoes
approached loaded with fine oranges better than those
of Portugal.’’ On the next day, Saturday, 7th April,
‘they ran along the coast,’’ and ‘‘ they saw some
islands about fifteen leagues from the mainland and
about six leagues in extent. They supply the vessels
of the country with masts; all are inhabited by
Moors.’’ The ‘‘islands’’ were Pemba, which, owing
to the many indentations on the west coast, appears
in the distance to be several islands, particularly from
the north.
On the same day Vasco da Gama arrived at
Mombasa, whence he proceeded to Malindi, where
the Portuguese formed a friendship never afterwards
broken. Here he obtained a pilot, called Cana, who
was a Gujerati, and with whom he sailed for Calicut.
On his way back to Lisbon, which he reached on the
29th August, 1499, he called first at Mogadisho, which
he wantonly bombarded, and then again at Malindi.
After this his personnel was so short that he
determined to burn the Sao Raphael, which was down
on Mtangata reef. ‘“‘On Sunday, 27th (January,
1499), we left the place with a fair wind. During
the following night we lay to, and in the morning we
came close to a large island called Jamgiber, which
is peopled with Moors and is quite ten leagues from
the mainland.’’
After this they called at St. George and proceeded
home.
According to this account Vasco da Gama did not
stop at Zanzibar, but Burton says: ‘‘ Goes declares
that Da Gama,.after touching Makdishu, arrived at
Zanzibar on February 28th (presumably January
28th), and was supplied by its ruler with provisions,
98 ZANZIBAR
presents and specimens of country produce. The
island is described as large and fertile, with groves
of fine trees producing good fruit, two others Pomba
(Pemba) and Mofia (Mafia) lying in its vicinity. These
settlements were governed by Moorish princes of the
same caste as the King of Melinde, doubtless
hereditary Moslem sheikhs and seyyids. The popula-
tion is represented as being in no great force, but
carrying on a good trade with Mombasa for Guzerat
calicoes, and with Sofala for gold.’’
He goes on to say that the historian, Joao de
Barros, states that the King of Zanzibar was “‘ of the
line of the kings of Mombasa, our enemies.’’ The
inhabitants were white Moors and black Moors, the
former being a slight people, scantily armed, but clad
in fine cottons of Cambaya brought from Mombasa.
Their women were adorned with jewels, with Sofala
gold and silver, obtained from Mombasa in barter
with good stuffs.
On the gth March, 1500, another fleet of much
larger ships, under the command of Pedro Alvares
Cabral, set sail, but after heavy losses, and
incidentally discovering Brazil, it broke up and
proceeded in parties. One ship under Pedro Dias
got to Mogadisho, and then returned to Lisbon. The
other survivors, numbering six, on the 16th July,
collected at Sofala, where they captured’ a dhow
commanded by Foteima, uncle of the ruler of
Malindi, who was therefore released. They then
called at Mozambique on the 2oth July, and after-
wards at Kilwa and Malindi, whence they proceeded
to Calicut.
On the return voyage they called at Malindi,
where they lost the ship commanded by Sancho de
Toar, which was wrecked, though the guns were
afterwards salved and mounted by the ruler of
Mombasa. Passing Zanzibar by, they called at
Mozambique, and reached Lisbon on the. 31st July,
1501. On the roth February of the next year, Vasco
da Gama set forth on his way to Calicut, and touching
 RISE OF THE PORTUGUESE 99
only at Mozambique on his way back, arrived at
Lisbon on the 1st September, 1503.
The Portuguese now began to send many ships
to the East, though it would be out of place here to
touch on them, except where their activities concerned
Zanzibar or Pemba.
One of the ships that had left Lisbon in the year
1503 became separated from the remainder of the
fleet, and, after waiting for the rest at Mozambique
and Kilwa, sailed for Zanzibar. This ship was
commanded by Ruy Lorencgo Ravasco Marques, and
in two months’ time, cruising off the islands, which
he called ‘‘ Zemzibar,’’ he captured in a real piratical
fashion twenty rich ships laden with ambergris, ivory,
tortoise-shell, wax, honey, rice, coir, silk and cotton.
The king sent a remonstrance, but receiving no
satisfaction, manned all his canoes with 4,000 men.
Ravasco, however, well-armed two boats with cannon,
and, killing 34 men at the first discharge, put the
rest to flight, among those killed being the son of
the king. After this the Portuguese landed, and
were met with resistance, which they soon overcame,
and the king sued for peace, which was granted on
an agreement to pay tribute. Ravasco found four
ships in the harbour, of which he gave two to the son
of the King of Malindi. One paid ransom, and the
fourth was taken with its cargo as a prize to Portugal.
It appears, therefore, from this, that Zanzibar
became definitely subject to Portugal in the year
1503 or 1504. During the next three or four years
we hear nothing of Zanzibar. In 1504 a fleet of
thirteen of the largest ships built in Portugal touched
Mozambique and Malindi on the outward trip, and
Kilwa and Mozambique on the return.
On the 22nd July, 1505, Dom Francisco d’Almeida
arrived at Kilwa and made a settlement there. He
built a fort and deposed Emir Abraham, setting up
in his place one. Mohammed Ankoni. He preserved
the native form of government, but installed Pedro
Ferreira Fogaca as captain, and Francisco Coutinho
100 ZANZIBAR
as magistrate. This form of government seems to
have been in principle very like that adopted by the
European nations to-day in their African and other
possessions. Kilwa remained the headquarters of the
Portuguese until 1509, when it was determined to
transfer the garrison to Sofala. In 1508 a governor-
general was appointed to reside at Mozambique. In
1508 Dom Duarte de Lemos was appointed governor
of the provinces of Ethiopia and Arabia, and set out
on tour to collect the tribute from Mafia, Zanzibar and
Pemba, which was in arrears. Mafia submitted, and
the people of Pemba escaped to Mombasa, leaving
nothing in their houses.
Zanzibar, however, resisted, but the town was
captured and given over to looting. The Mwenyi
Mkuu retired towards the north, and the rest of the
people fled to the bush, ‘‘ after being well pierced in
the flesh with the sharp points and sword-blades of
our men.”’
In the year 1512 Duarte Barbosa wrote his book,
which be brought to a close in the year 1516. Under
the heading ‘“‘ Pemba, Mamfia and Zinzibar’’ (which
in the Spanish version are called Penda, Manfia and
Zanzibar), he writes :
‘““ Between this island of Sao Lourenco and the
mainland (not very far therefrom) are three islands,
one called Mamfia, another Pemba, another Zinzibar;
which are inhabited by Moors. They have great
store of food, for in there are found rice, millet, flesh-
meat in great quantity, oranges, limes and citrons
te eather the woods are full), and every other kind of
ruit.
‘““ There is a great plenty of sugar-cane, but they
know not how to make the sugar. These islands have
Moorish kings. Some of them deal in their stock
of flesh and fruit with the mainland, and in very
small, weak, ill-found and undecked boats, having
but one mast. The planks are bound. and sewn
together with a cord they call ‘cairo’ (coco-nut
fibre), and their sails are palm-leaf mats. They are a
 RISE OF THE PORTUGUESE ior
feeble folk, and have but few weapons. The kings of
these islands live in great luxury; they are clad in
very fine silk and cotton garments, which they
purchase at Mombasa from the Cambaya merchants.
The women of these Moors go bravely decked, they
wear many jewels of fine Cofala gold, silver too in
plenty, ear-rings, necklaces, bracelets, and bangles,
and they go clad in good silk garments. They have
many mosques, and honour greatly the Alcoran of
Mafamede.”’
In the year 1519 the Arabs of Zanzibar captured
and massacred certain shipwrecked sailors belonging
to the expedition of Don Gorge d’Albuquerque, and
three years later the king complained to the Portu-
guese of the revolt of the Kirimba Islands, which were
under his domination, and refused to pay tribute to
him. The Portuguese therefore duly reduced the
islands to subjection to the Island of Zanzibar again.
In 1528 Mombasa also became unruly, and as
Nuno da Cunha called at Zanzibar on his way to
assume the Governor-Generalship of India, the king
approached him, and he determined to subdue
Mombasa with the aid of armies from Zanzibar,
Malindi and other places. He took the town and
reduced it to entire subjection, causing the inhabitants
to pay tribute. With this victory the Portuguese rule
of the whole of the coast was consolidated, and became
one of four governments depending on a vice-royalty,
the others being Malacca, Ormuz and Ceylon. After
these events Zanzibar remained in alliance with the
Portuguese, and ceased to be tributary. )
Many of the Portuguese occupied plantations, and
a church was established in which a Brother of the
Order of St. Augustine officiated.
This period which we have considered, up to the
events just described, covers the rise and stabilization
of Portuguese rule on the east coast of Africa.
102 ZANZIBAR

THE ZIMBA INVASION OF EAST AFRICA

About the year 1570, two hordes of barbarians

appeared opposite Tete, north-east of the Zambesi;
they came from South Africa, and were of the same
origin as the Zulus. The second of these hordes
reached the coast in 1585, and ravaged the country
from opposite Mozambique to the north. In 1587
they invaded Kilwa, where they ruined the town and
killed and ate 3,000 Arabs. Passing northwards,
they attacked Mombasa, where the people, oppressed
by the Portuguese from the sea, made an ill-advised
alliance with the Wazimba, who turned on them and
again killed and ate a large number. About 1589
these hordes reached Malindi, where they were
defeated by the Portuguese in co-operation with the
inhabitants of the town, and a force of 3,000 Wase-
geju. Our two islands, and that of Mozambique, were
safe from the ravages of these people, who were not
provided with transport, but they were a considerable
thorn in the side of the Portuguese.

BRIEF TURKISH DOMINATION OF THE COAST

In 1585 Ali Bey, claiming the authority of

Murad III, Sultan of Turkey, made piratical progress
down the east coast, where, being a Moslem, he
received in many places enthusiastic welcome from
the inhabitants, who were being oppressed by the
Portuguese. He captured a Portuguese vessel, and
after Mogadisho, Brava, Kismayu, Faza, Kilifi and
Lamu, had readily agreed to submit to the Turks,
returned to the Red Sea in April, 1586, with rich
plunder of about £600,000 in value, together with
fifty Portuguese prisoners.
Dom Duarte de Menezes, Viceroy of India, wishing
to restore the authority of the Portuguese, then dis-
patched from Goa a fleet of eighteen ships, which
burnt the town of Mombasa and again reduced it to
subjection. In 1589 Ali Bey again set sail from
 THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS 103
Mocha with a fleet of five ships, wishing to subdue
Malindi, which had always sided with the Portuguese.
In this he was unsuccessful, but was again warmly
welcomed at Mombasa. He was defeated on sth
March, 1589, by Thomas de Souza Coutinho, brother
of the Viceroy of India, with a fleet of twenty ships.
The Zimbas also attacked the Turks, and Ali Bey
was Captured and taken to Lisbon, where he became
a Christian.

THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS

This section must of necessity somewhat overlap

in time some of the period we have considered before,
and some of that we shall consider after.
The reason is that these first Englishmen to come
to Zanzibar came only as tourists. The all too brief
accounts they give us are interesting, but they had no
real influence, save in the indirect way that they
opened up new places, over the history of the country.
In dealing with these voyagers, therefore, I shall
not dwell more than is absolutely necessary on any part
of the voyages save those that directly concern the
Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba.
The first of these visits occurred in 1591, in which
year Sir James Lancaster set forth in the Edward
Bonadventure from ‘‘ Plimmouth”’ to the East Indies
. to the Isles of Comoro and Zanzibar ‘‘on the
backeside of Africa,’’ and to other places. At
Comoro thirty-two of the crew and the master, William
Mace of Ratcliffe, were betrayed by the ‘‘ perfidious
moors, and as the boats were ashore could not be
assisted and were for the most part slain. From
hence with heauie hearts we shaped our course for
Zanzibar, the 7 of November, where shortly after wee
arriued, and made us a new boat of such boards as
we had within boord, and rid in the road untill the
15 of February, where, during our aboad, we sawe
diuers pangaias or boats, which are pinned with
104 ZANZIBAR
woodden pinnes, and sowed together with palmito
cordes, and calked with the huskes of cocos shels
beaten, whereof they make occam. At length a
Portugal pangaia comming out of the harborow of
Zanzibar, where they haue a small Factorie, sent a
canoa with a Moore which had bene christened, who
brought us a letter wherein they desired to know what
wee were, and what we sought. We sent them word
we were Englishmen come from Don Antonio upon
businesse to his friends in the Indies; with which
answere they returned, and would not any more come
at us. Whereupon not long after we manned out our
boat and tooke a pangaia of the Moores, which had
a priest of theirs in it, which in their language they
called a sherife; whom we used very curteously;
which the king tooke in very good part, hauing his
priests in great estimation, and for his deliuerance
furnished us with two moneths victuals, during all
which time we detained him with us. These Moores
informed us of the false and spitefull dealing of the
Portugals towards us, which made them beleeve that
we were cruell people and men-eaters, and willed them
if they loued their safetie in no case to come neere us.
Which they did onely to cut us off from all knowledge
of the state and traffique of the countrey. While we
road from the end of November until the middle of
February in this harborough, which is sufficient for a
ship of 500 tuns to ride in, we set upon a Portugal
pangaia with our boat, but because it was very little,
and our men not able to stirre in it, we were not able
to take the sayd pangaia, which was armed with 10
good shot like our long fouling pieces. This place
for the goodnesse of the harborough and watering,
and plentifull refreshing with fish, whereof we took
great store with our nets, and for sundry sorts of fruits
of the countrey, as cocos and others which were
brought us by the Moores, as also for oxen and hennes,
is carefully to be sought for by such of our ships as
shall hereafter passe that way. But our men had
need to take good heed of the Portugals; for while
 THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS 10s
we lay here the Portugal admiral of the coast from
Melinda to Mozambique, came to view and to betray
our boat if he could haue taken at any time advantage,
in a gallie frigate of ten tunnes, with 8 or 9 oares
onaside. Of the strength of which frigate and their
trecherous meaning we were advertised by an Arabian
Moore, which came from the King of Zanzibar diuers
times about the deliuerie of the priest aforesayd, and
afterward by another which we caried thence along
with vs; for wheresoeuer we came, our care was to get
into our hands some one or two of the countreys to
learne the languages and states of those partes where
we touched. Moreover, here againe we had another
clap of thunder which did shake our foremast very
much, which wee fisht and repaired with timber from
the shore, whereof there is good store thereabout of a
kind of trees some fortie foote high, which is red and
tough wood, and as, I suppose, a kind of cedar.
Here our surgeon, Arnold, negligently catching a
great heate in his head, being on land with the master
to seeke oxen, fell sicke and shortly died, which might
haue bene cured by letting of blood before it had bin
setled. Before our departure we had in this place
some thousand weight of pitch, or rather a kind of
gray and white gumme like vnto frankincense, as
clammie as turpentine, which in melting groweth as
black as pitch, and is very brittle of it selfe, but we
mingled it with oile, whereof wee had 300 1arres in
the prize which we tooke to the northward of the
equinoctiall, not farre from Guinie, bound for Brasil.
Sixe dayes before wee departed hence, the Cape
marchant of the factorie wrote a letter vnto our
capitaine in the way of friendship, as he pretended,
requesting a iarre of wine and a iarre of oyle, and
two or three pounds of gunpowder, which letter hee
sent by a Negro, his man, and a Moore in a canoa;
we sent him his demands by the Moore, but tooke
the Negro along with vs, because we vnderstood he
had bene in the East Indies and knew somewhat of
the countrey. By this Negro we were advertised of
106 ZANZIBAR

a small barke of some thirtie tunnes (which the Moores

called a junco), which was come from Goa thither,
laden with pepper for the Factorie and seruice of that
kingdome. Thus hauing trimmed our shippe as we
lay in this road, in the end we set forward for the
coast of the East India, the 15 of February afore-
sayd.’’ Comment on this passage is not necessary
here, but a few explanatory notes are desirable on
some of the words.
Firstly, the ‘‘pangaias or boats,’’ which were
’

obviously our old friend, the Mtepe or wAorapiov parrov

It is interesting to note that nearly every traveller
makes mention of these craft. Further information
will be found under ‘‘ Sailing ’’ in the ethnological
art.
. Don Antonio was one of the claimants to the throne
of Portugal in 1580, when King Henry the Cardinal
died. He was the Prior of Crato, and illegitimate son
of Luis, younger brother of John II] and Henry. There
was another brother called Duarte, from a daughter
of whom the Braganzas descend. King Philip II,
who actually seized the throne, claimed descent from
a sister, and the English supported the claim of
Antonio.
“Sherifes ye ing the ordinary» .way.- means ana
descendant of the Prophet, but the Ma Sherifu of
Zanzibar and Pemba, though claiming to be so
descended, are generally considered rather as a tribe,
and are said to have come hither from Wasin Island.
We shall come across them again.
The “‘harborough’’ in which the Edward Bona-
venture wintered, or rather “‘summered,’’ waiting for
the monsoon, was almost certainly that of Kizimkazi.
A kind of cedar could only have been the casuarina,
which is still used for mast-making, and is plentiful
on the shores of Zanzibar and Pemba.
The “‘ pitch’? was apparently gum copal.
The ‘* barke ’’ from Goa, which the Moors called a
junco, is very interesting. The word junco does not
now occur in Swahili, but almost certainly got into
 THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS 107
the language at that time from the Chinese, who, as
we have seen, visited the coast during five centuries.
As they came no more the word dropped out, and
nowadays we have manowari and meli, words which
need no explanation.
Another account of the voyage by Henry May
merely says, ‘‘from hence we went for the Isle of
Zanzibar, on the coast of Melinde; whereas, wee
stayed and wintered vntil the beginning of February
following.”’
The next visit of an English ship to the islands
was in 1608.
““On the 28th of February (of that year) the fleet
(The Dragon, whereof Captain William Keeling was
general, and the Hector, Captain Hawkins) left the
bay of St. Augustine, and having on the passage
sighted the Island of Pemba, Cape Dorfu, and the
Islands of Abbu de Curia and Dos Tomoas, arrived
in April at the Island of Zokotora.”’
The bay of St. Augustine is in Madagascar, Cape
Dorfu, Cape Guardafui, Abbu de Curia, Abd-el-Kuri,
between Guardafui and Socotra and Dos Tomoas, the
Brothers, two islands south-west of Socotra.
On the 25th of November of that year, the
Ascension, of which Captain Alexander Sharpeigh
was general, anchored off the Island of Comoro, and
found the natives there faithful and courteous, a
different experience to that of the Edward Bona-
venture. 1 here quote the India Office manuscript:
‘‘The Island of Pemba was next touched at. At
first the people seemed friendly, but afterwards they
made a treacherous attack on a party engaged in
filling the water-casks, when one man was killed,
another wounded, and a third was missing, of whom
no tidings could be obtained, when a force landed on
the following day to seek for him. On the return
of this party the Ascension put to sea. During the
night the vessel touched ground, but fortunately
floated off without having suffered any damage.
‘Next day three small ships, ‘ pangaias,’ were
108 ZANZIBAR

captured. Some of their company were brought on

board, and kindly treated, but suddenly they, with
their knives, attacked the crew: ‘upon this occasyon
wee made with them shorte worke, and brought most
part of them by sundry wayes to their last home;
giving thankes to God for this last deliverye, wherein
the owld proverbe was verrefyed, That one Myscheife
comes syldome alone.’ The goods found in these
ships, consisting principally of coarse calicoes of no
great value, were transferred to the Ascension.
‘On the night of the gth of January (1608-9) there
was ‘an eclipse of the moone wch. was very fayre,
and continewed one hower and 30 minutes.’
‘“‘ A supply of fresh water was obtained from some
uninhabited islands in latitude 4° 10° S.; there many
‘lande turtles of a hudge bignes’ were found, also
much goodly ship timber grew on the islands.”’
Mombasa lies in 4° 5’ S., but was certainly not
uninhabited. Chale Island, 4° 27’, might have been
meant, but there is only one island there. I think
that the two islets of Pungutiachi, the Island of
Pungutiayu and that of Kisiti, off Wasin Island, and
between 4° 30’ and 4° 35’ are probably meant. Of
these the African Pilot says: “ Kisiti, nearly 4 miles
eastward of Mwamba Midira, is a small islet near
the western end of the reef about one mile long, and
having on it a few weather-beaten bushes about 12
feet high; between it and Mwamba Midira is Mako
Kokwe, drying 3 feet, and in the channels on either
side of that reef are reefs and shoals.
‘““Pungutiayu, a wooded island 54 feet high, stands
on a reef about 14 miles in length in a north-east and
opposite direction, which dries 6 feet; the island is
situated 17 miles southward of the south-east point
of Wasin Island, and nearly midway between is
Pungutiachi, a group of wooded islets, 55 feet high,
and lying on a reef three-quarters of a mile long east
and west. This group, with Pungutiayu and Kisiti,
are distinct features in making the land in this
locality.’’
 THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS 109
In Captain Sharpeigh’s own account of this visit
he says: “‘ Having failed to obtain a supply of water
at Comoro, Captain Sharpeigh touched at the Island
of Pemba, the natives of which place treacherously
attacked his men, who were engaged in filling the
water-casks. On the day after this attack he put to
sea; during the night the Ascension touched the
ground, but fortunately floated off without sustaining
any damage. Next day three small native ships were
captured, and some thirty men of their crews were
brought on board the ship. These men were seem-
ingly unarmed, but suddenly they, with their knives,
attacked the Ascension’s crew, for which they were
either put to the sword or thrown overboard.
‘* A further supply of fresh water was obtained at
some islands in latitude four degrees ten minutes
south.”’
The next visit we have to record is that of the
Union to Zanzibar in 1609. The Uxion was com-
panion ship to the Ascension, and sailed with her from
Woolwich on the 14th March (1607-8), but was
separated from her after leaving Saldanha (Table)
Bay. An account of the voyage of the Uxion was
written shortly by Samuel Bradshaw, a merchant
aboard her. The accounts of what happened to her
at Zanzibar are given in the journals written by people
on the 7vade’s Increase, of which Sir Henry Middle-
ton was general, who found her in St. Augustine’s Bay
at Madagascar, in September, 1610. When the
vessels entered the Bay of St. Augustine, the Uxion
was found lying at anchor, ‘‘ for shee had road there
six weekes. And she was in great distresse for want
of vittles; so wee releved hir, for shee was homward
bound, laden with peper, having in hir one merchante
whose name was Mr. Bradshew, for the reste of the
merchantes with the Captayne was betrayed at a place
caled Zensebar.’’ A fuller account is recorded: by
Nicholas Downton, second in command to Sir
Henry Middleton, who says: ‘‘The island of
‘ Madagasker or St. Lawrence’ was sighted on the
110 ZANZIBAR

sixth of September, on which day the fleet anchored

in the Bay of St. Augustine, where we found the
Union of London, and the Vice-Admirall of the 4th
voyage, whose people was distressed, wanting victuals
for to carye them home: who related unto my Genn
there infortunate loosing companye wth there Admirall
and pinnance betweene Saldania and the Cape Bona
Speranza, and never since heard of them: how they
put into this baye (outwards bound) to seeke them,
also followed after them and put into Zanzibar, an
iland bordering of the Abexin coast, where the
Portugals made shew of favour and trade, inticing
them to land wth there boat, where they betrayed and
tooke 3 of there men; the rest seeing there dainger fled
wth the boat unto the ship, who proceeded on there
journey till, wth contrarye windes before they could
recover anye fitt port, for want of water were forced
to retourne towards the Bay of Antongill on the
E.S.E. side of Madagaskar, but the wind or there
course not suiting there determination, they put into
a good harbor or Bay of Gungomar, on the north-west
corner of Madagaskar, where they were awhile fed
wth good words and faire promises and kind enter-
tainment by the king.”’
These accounts were all from hearsay, and a third
one is so imperfectly reported that the incident is
placed in Madagascar. It says: ‘‘ From Saldanha
they sailed to .he Bay of St. Augustine, where the
Union was ound at anchor. She was homeward
bound, and had lost her captain and chief merchants
at ‘ Conggomare,’ in the north-east part of the Island
of St. Lawrence.’’
All these voyages were made under the auspices
of the East India Company, and many ships were
dispatched to the Indies from England in the
seventeenth century, which caused the Portuguese to
be considerably alarmed as to their monopoly of trade
and suzerainty in the East. But it must be remem-
bered that it was not the English but the Omani
Arabs, the present rulers of Zanzibar, who drove the
 THE FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS 111
Portuguese from these seas towards the end of that
same century.
We have now to jump ninety years to the year of
grace 1698, and consider the evidence for the supposed
visit of the much maligned Captain Kidd to Pemba,
where Burton and legend say he buried treasure.
Captain Kidd sailed from New York in September,
1696, in the Adventure Galley. In October he
arrived at Madeira, with a brig, the master of whom
was one Joynter. Then to Bonavista, where they
took in salt, and to St. Jago where they watered.
Afterwards they visited the Cape of Good Hope,
and on 12th December, in latitude 32° S., met Ave
English men-of-war and sailed a week in their
company, and after parting went to Telere, a port of
Madagascar. Kidd, who was not a pirate himself,
was sent to catch pirates, who were generally to be
found at Madagascar, but finding none there and
supposing them to be at their nefarious work farther
eastward, sailed in pursuit. In company with a
Barbadoes Sloop he next arrived at Johanna, which
is not ‘‘ an island off the Malabar coast ’’ (Dalton),
but one of the Comoros. Here he found four East
India merchantmen (which may have included any of
the ships Charles II, Sidney, Sampson or Madras,
which sailed from India in the years 1695 and 1696).
On March 22nd, 1697, he sailed to another of the
Comoros, where he lost about fifty men in a week’s
time. He therefore left, and after cruising about in
the open sea for some time, took up his station at
Bob’s Key, now called Bab or Pars Islet (latitude 11°
35° N., longitude 42° 41’ E.), to wait for the Mecca
fleet. Up to this time he had in the course of a year
captured no prize, but in November, 1697, he met a
Moorish ship with a French pass coming from Surat,
which being lawful prize he took, and also a lesser
prize, and sailed with both of them to Ste. Marie
in Madagascar. . Here he had a mutiny, and on the
15th June, 1689, most of his men sailed away in
the Mocha frigate, leaving Captain Kidd with only
112 ZANZIBAR

thirteen men. With these and the Moors he pumped

the Adventure Galley, but as she sank they all got
on board the Adventure Prize. For five months he
had to wait, and then, taking some passengers, he
sailed for Aquilla, in the West Indies, where he
arrived in April, 1699, and learnt that they were
regarded as pirates.
Now it is obvious from the above that Captain
Kidd passed Zanzibar and Pemba on his way north
from Mohilla to Bab Islet, and also on his way
south from the coast of India to Ste. Marie.
Either of these times he might have stopped at
Mesale, but on the way up he had no prize, so
presumably if he did bury anything he did it on the
way down. Presumably also it would be coin, as
most other things would perish. Presumably also he
would not be likely to mention he had called there
if he wanted to bury treasure. Neither he nor his crew
would be likely to say so if they hoped to have any
profit out of it.
Our evidence that he did call there is, however,
slight, except that there is generally truth behind
most traditions.

THE DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE

Shortly after Ali Bey had conquered the coast, in

about the year 1587, the people of Pemba determined
to rebel and rid themselves, as their friends had done
at Mombasa, of the Portuguese yoke. They there-
fore massacred, one night, the Portuguese settlers, men,
women and children, and as the Diwani, the chieftain
of Pemba, was very pro-Portuguese, they attempted
to murder him too, but accompanied by a few
Portuguese, he got away to Malindi. However, he
was soon afterwards restored by Captain-Major
Thomé de Sousa Coutinho, the brother of the Viceroy
of India.
He was again expelled shortly after 1594, and this
time was deposed and went to Mombasa, where he
 DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE 113
married a Portuguese woman and became Christian.
He afterwards visited India with Dom Francisco da
Gama, who also promised to restore him, and the
promise seems to have been kept. After this, Portu-
guese influence appears to have shown signs of decay.
Che first English ships arrived on the coast on their
way to India, thereby threatening the Portuguese
monopoly, and in 1622 they lost Ormuz, which was
taken by a Persian force assisted by English ships.
In 1650 they were driven from Muscat.
In 1627 a serious insurrection took place among
the Moslem states, and though the Portuguese were
victorious, this rebellion, in which at first the coastal
states had some success, must have shaken the founda-
tions of their rule. Yusuf bin Ahmad, Sultan of
Mombasa, who had apostasized to Christianity and
been afterwards re-converted to Islam, was respon-
sible for a massacre at Mombasa, after which there was
a general rising in which Pemba was deeply involved.
The result of this rebellion is recorded in the
lengthy Portuguese inscription over a gateway of
Mombasa fort:
‘“ In 1635 Captain-Major Francisco da Seixas and
Cabreira was commander of this fortress for four years,
he being 27 years of age: he rebuilt it and con-
structed this Guard House. He again subdued to
His Majesty the coast of Melinde, which had rebelled
in favour of the tyrant: and he made the kings of
Otondo, Mandra, Luzwa and Jasa tributary; he
personally inflicted on Patta and Siu a punishment
hitherto unknown in India, even to the razing of their
walls: he punished the Muzumbulos (a negro race),
chastised Pemba and its rebellious people, putting to
death on his own responsibility the rebel kings and
all the principal chiefs: he caused to be paid the
tribute which all had refused to His Majesty. For
all these services he was made Gentleman of the
Royal Household, having already been rewarded for
former services, by the decoration of the Order of
Christ, with a pension of 50,000 relis, SIX years
114 ZANZIBAR
government of Jafampatao, and four years of Biligao
with authority of being empowered to fill all the
posts during his lifetime.
‘* Pedro da Silva was Viceroy A.D. 1639.”’
The orders from Francisco da Gama, Viceroy of
India, to Ruy Soares de Mello on his appointment as
Captain of Mombasa in 1598, are as follows:
‘‘T order you to put down the insurrection in
Pemba, as it is from this island that all movements
are made against the fortress (Mombasa). You must
arrange that the new king is placed on the throne
and supported in everything. This I expect from
your”
In 1635 a Portuguese named Barreto de Rezende
wrote an account of the Portuguese possessions in
Africa, from which we learn that at this time Zanzibar
had ceased to be tributary, and several Portuguese
with their families owned plantations in the island.
With regard to Pemba it was thickly populated and
contained fourteen villages, being able to provide
at least five thousand fighting men. The natives
supplied the Portuguese with 600 makanda (large
plaited matting bags) of rice annually, which Rezende
says was of a better quality than that received from
India. Besides rice, simsim and many other fruits
and vegetables were cultivated, and there were large
herds of cattle, and much butter (probably ghi) was
manufactured. Wild pigs, a legacy of the first Portu-
guese inhabitants, were already plentiful.
Soon after these things, about 1652, a force of
Arabs arrived from Oman and attacked Zanzibar,
killing a large number of Portuguese, including one
of the Augustine Brothers. This again spread into
a serious revolt, so that Francisco da Seixas and
Cabreira was again sent to subdue the rebels.
In his report of August 30th, 1653, he states that
the ruler of Zanzibar, Pemba and Otondo, had asked
for help for Muscat. He gathered together a force
of 120 Portuguese, 40 Indians, and 120 natives from
Malindi and attacked Zanzibar, reporting he had
 DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE 115
driven out the queen of the island and her son Otondo,
and released 400 Christians from captivity who had
been forced to become Moslems. In 1697 the pro-
Portuguese Queen Fatima of Zanzibar addressed a
letter, dated March 30th, to the authorities at Goa,
and in the following year the Imam Seif bin Sultan
of Oman, known to the natives as Keid el-Ardhi (lord
of the world), drove the Portuguese from Kilwa,
Mombasa and Pemba, failing only the fortress of
Mozambique, which has remained in Portuguese hands
until this day.
Zanzibar and Malindi apparently at this time still
adhered to their alliance with the Portuguese, but the
power of the Portuguese was now broken for ever.
In 1699, 1703 and 1710, expeditions were
organized in Lisbon and Goa to recapture Mombasa,
but without success. However, in 1727 an oppor-
tunity occurred when the governors of Mombasa and
Zanzibar quarrelled and the latter fled to Pate, the
king of which place, not wishing to be involved in
a war with the Omani Arabs, dispatched a message
to Goa and placed himself under the protection of
Portugal. General Luiz de Mello Sampayo there-
fore set forth from Goa with six ships on December
24th to resubdue East Africa. The Portuguese flag
was hoisted at Pate and Siu, and the general sailed
to Mombasa, where, on March 11th, he bombarded
Fort St. Joseph and entered Kilindini harbour.
On the 12th the Liwali surrendered, and within a
few weeks the whole of the coast was again under
Portuguese rule. This reconquest, however, was of
very short duration, the administration of Portugal
taking little care to win the affection of the natives and
generally making itself oppressive.
In 1729 the Arabs were invited to return to
Mombasa, and on August 14th of that year the
Portuguese were driven from Pate and on November
29th from Mombasa.
It would appear from local records that the
Portuguese had probably retained some half-hearted
116 ZANZIBAR

hold on Pemba when they recovered their domina-

tion on the coast in 1728, as we read of tribute being
paid; but Pemba always resisted any overlordship,
and indeed to some extent passively resents it to-day.
Zanzibar, however, has always soon adapted itself
to a new form of government, and as in the records
of Oman there is no mention of the expulsion of the
Portuguese from Zanzibar, it may be presumed that
the island remained faithful to the Christians.
Indeed, from the remark in Portuguese records in
the year 1728, it would appear that this was so, as
the Mwenyi Mkuu in that year received an order from
the Portuguese to report himself to them at Mombasa.
The Portuguese made one last effort to regain
their supremacy, and another fleet of five ships and
a force of over 1,200 men were dispatched, under the
same General Luiz de Mello Sampayo, to Mombasa.
The fates, however, could not be resisted, for they
had decreed that the Portuguese should fail. The
ships all foundered, and all on board were drowned
in a great storm in the Indian Ocean.
It is a remarkable thing and a significant one that
legend and tradition in Zanzibar and Pemba have
comparatively little to say about the Portuguese. It
is said that they built the fort at Funzi Island, off
the west coast of Pemba, which island is now a leper
settlement, and has a British Naval cemetery on it.
The chief of the Portuguese was called by the natives
‘* Afriti,’’ a title by no means complimentary, as it
means a devil.
One of the native written histories in Pemba says
that after the Shirazian emigration had taken place
the Portuguese came and wanted to make an alliance.
The Diwani agreed to this on condition that the
Portuguese brought to Pemba all their men who were
of seven tribes. These were duly brought and the
Portuguese were allowed to stay in the country, the
concession being granted for twenty-five years. After
this they did evil and were turned out by the Mazrui.
Later on the history states that on Monday morn-
 DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE 117
ing, the 4th el Haj, 1014 (Sunday, April 24th, 1606)
at seven a.m., thirty Frankish ships full of Shirazians
with their slaves were seen in the harbour at Pemba.
In command of the fleet was a Frank named Johon
(John). In 1608 Johon Francisco (? John the Frank)
came again and stayed a week, returning with three
ships in 1612, bringing presents to the Shirazis. He
returned again in 1637 to claim tribute. There was
some argument about this payment, and eventually
the Shirazis paid a commuted payment. In 1639 he
came again, and on this occasion he received a
written agreement of a bond he had entered into the
time before. In 1641 he came and collected tribute.
He died in 1642.
In 1643 his son, Captain John, came to Pemba
with five ships, giving many presents and collecting
the duty of the year, after which he also died.
Another member of the family, Kison John,
appeared in the year 1645 and demanded tribute,
which, however, the Shirazians refused to pay.
Kison left, but two months later came with a fleet
of fifteen ships. The Shirazians, however, were not
intimidated by this action, and Kison waged war with
them without success for a month, returning in 1652
with a large fleet of sixty-five ships full of European
soldiers. Another war now ensued which lasted a
few months, and the Portuguese lost over 1,300 men,
the Shirazians only about 350.
In 1656 Kison returned with seventy ships, and
landing at Mkobwa, stayed there seven days, while
the Shirazians prepared again for war. Negotiations
were again entered into, but the Shirazians still
declined to pay duty on the ground that they did not
know if he was the son of Johon. He was able to
prove his identity by showing them a particular red
seal known to have been his father’s. The Shirazians
now agreed to pay tribute, and Kison claimed over
£1,000 as the annual payment, eventually agreeing
to accept less than £100. The agreement was
reduced to writing, and Kison, son of Johon, left for
118 ZANZIBAR
home, but on his way home he was lost at sea, and
the Shirazians ‘‘ thanked God for that.’’
It would seem improbable that this story could
be true in all its details; the size of the forces given
and the lateness of the dates make it somewhat
unlikely. Such a large expedition would surely be
beyond the power of the Portuguese to have dispatched
at such a time. It is probable, however, that there
is some substratum of truth in it, as tradition says
that the people of Pemba paid tribute to the Portu-
guese for a very long time. But little relics of the
Portuguese are left in Pemba and Zanzibar to-day.
A few words in the language, bull-fighting and wild
pigs in Pemba are practically all that remain of their
semi-civilized, semi-barbarian rule.
Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed, an old Arab resident
of Pemba, also attributed to them the whistling
propensities of the Wapemba, and the hats which up
to recently used to be worn by the same people.
These hats were known in Kipemba as ‘‘ Shum-
burere ’” and were made of the leaves of the wild
date palm.
Relics of the Portuguese in Zanzibar consist of a
Madonna found at Walezo and a church bell, both
of which are in the possession of the Roman Catholic
Mission. Portuguese relics at Mombasa and up the
coast are far more plentiful.

ESTABLISHMENT OF OMANI DOMINATION ON THE COAST

About a thousand years after the emigration of

Suleiman and Said to the land of Zinj, Oman again
took a serious interest in the coast. There is, of
course, no doubt that communication during this time
had been continuous, but the reason for the Omanis
coming to the help of the coast people can only have
been, that the states of the coast considered that it
was from that quarter that help was most likely to be
forthcoming to rid the Moslems of the ‘‘ Polytheists.’’
It will be remembered that the people of Mombasa
 OMANI DOMINATION 11g
eagerly clutched at any straw that might help them
to shake off the bonds of the infidel Christians. Thus
when Ali Bey arrived he was welcomed with open
arms, and even the Zimbas were preferred to the
Portuguese. There can be little doubt that had the
Emir Husain, with his Egyptian fleet, made his way
to the east coast of Africa instead of to India in 1508,
he would have met with an enthusiastic welcome, and
the whole course of the history of the coast might
have been altered. When the Imam Sultan bin Seif
defeated the Portuguese at Muscat in 1650, the chiefs
of Mombasa appealed to him for aid, as the Zanorin
of Calicut and the Mohammedans of India had
appealed to the Mameluke Sultan of India, about a
century and a half ago.
Therefore in 1652 an Arab expedition from
Oman attacked Zanzibar, killing a large number of
Portuguese, including an Augustine priest. This
encouraged a general insurrection which, however,
the Portuguese, as we have seen, succeeded in quell-
ing, destroying in the process the old capital, probably
Kizimkazi. This was quite a minor affair on the part
of the Omanis, and eight years later the Imam Sultan
bin Seif I, having created a navy, besieged
Mombasa and defeated the Portuguese. He had
other signal successes over the Portuguese soon, as
we have seen, but unfortunately, owing to dissension
at home, could not keep up his hold, so that it was
left to his son, Seif bin Sultan, whose name is still
famous in Pemba legend as Keid el-Ardhi, to drive
the Portuguese from all their possessions north of
Mozambique. Salilibn Razik gives us but little
information about the life of this noteworthy prince,
though he remarks that he captured Mombasa, the
Green Isle (Pemba), Kilwa and other places from
them. He had a great deal of property (one-third of
all the date palms in Oman), and undertook a great
deal of what in these days would be called Public
Works Extraordinary. He had a fleet of twenty-
eight ships, the names of some being given. The
120 ZANZIBAR

largest was the El Falak of eighty guns, each

measuring three spans at the breach. Three of these
guns are still in Zanzibar. Legend in Pemba credits
him with appearing on the coast when he was known
to be in Oman, and says that the Mazrui scaled the
fort of Mombasa by using his right arm as a ladder.
One of my informants told me that the limits of his
conquest southwards was Tungi, and another that in
the north they extended to Pate and Lamu. It is
said also that he made a Nebhani Liwali at Pate, a
Mazrui at Mombasa, and an El Harthi at Zanzibar.
Pemba was placed under the Liwali of Mombasa.
Seif bin Sultan established garrisons in Zanzibar
and Pemba, and we learn that in 1710 there was a
garrison of fifty under one Said in Zanzibar and of
thirty in Pemba. He died on Thursday night, 4th
October, 1711. Sometime shortly before 1718, Seif
bin Sultan IT was appointed Imam, but being under age
was deposed and another appointed, but he was restored
in 1728, Internal dissension was so great that the
Imam resorted to the aid of the Persians who, how-
ever, assumed a good deal more than they were
expected to, and the Portuguese, taking advantage
of the weakness of Oman, recaptured Mombasa.
In 1739 the Mazrui governor there threw off his
allegiance to the Imam Sultan bin Murshid and
declared his independence, an example which was
followed by Pate and other states. Sultan bin
Murshid, the last of the Yaarubi dynasty, was
followed by the great Ahmed bin Said bin Ahmed bin
Mohammed Es Saidy, el Azdy, el Omany, the founder
of the present Albusaid dynasty of Oman and
Zanzibar. In 1746 he appointed Abdulla bin Djad
as Liwali of Zanzibar, with a garrison to protect it
against the turbulent Mazruis. In 1753 the Mazruis
under Ali bin Otham sent a force to Zanzibar, which,
however, came to nothing, as Ali bin Othman had
been assassinated.
It will be seen, therefore, that Seif bin Sultan TI
should be regarded as the first joint Imam of Oman
 OMANI DOMINATION 121
and Zanzibar, as Zanzibar never threw off her
allegiance to the Omani dynasty. Seif bin Sultan
was also the first Omani ruler of Pemba, but this
latter place followed Mombasa in 1739, and did not
again come under the Omani sceptre till 1822, when,
as we Shall see, Seyyid Said turned the Mazrui out.
Bee WATER™ HISTORY” OF” THE NATIVE
TRIBES

CHAPTER X

THE ORIGIN OF THE NATIVE TRIBES IN ZANZIBAR AND

PEMBA

Tue aboriginal tribes of Zanzibar are, as has already

been stated, mainly three, the Wahadimu, the
Watumbatu, and the Wapemba.
The Wahadimu do very little travelling about, as
they are purely agricultural people, except for a few
who fish; the only big exception to this is when they
visit Pemba at the time of a large crop, to pick cloves.
The Watumbatu, on the other hand, are great sailors,
and most of the dhows plying in Zanzibar waters are
manned by these people. The African Pilot says:
‘“ Tumbatu has the reputation of supplying the best
sailors and pilots for the Zanzibar seas.”’ <
The Wapemba are a race of cultivators and
fishermen, and are not quite so exclusive in some
ways as the Wahadimu, as they sometimes enter into
business, and some of them have large plantations.
On the other hand, witchcraft and magic are more
ingrained in them than in the other people.
The culture of the Africans can be divided into
three groups: the desert, the parkland and the forest.
In the desert man is nomadic; in the forest he is
agricultural and settled; in the parkland he adds the
care of cattle to that of his friends.
Among the parkland peoples, clothing is made of
skins; basket-work is of the coiled type, the houses
are circular, and the food is maize or millet.
122
 ORIGIN OF NATIVE TRIBES 123
In the forest, clothing is of vegetable material;
basket-work is of the woven type, and the houses are
rectangular. The food is chiefly manioc.
The native inhabitants of Zanzibar and Pemba
are of forest origin, as their houses are rectangular
and their basket-work is woven. It is probable that
they are descended from the forest people who lived
in the wooded countries opposite the islands and
chiefly to the south. They have used cloth for a long
time now, owing to trade with the outside world, but
it is probable that they had vegetable clothing before,
as the use of skin clothing has generally endured
longer than the use of vegetable clothing. Their
main crop is manioc, called muhogo; millet is also
planted, though not nearly so extensively; maize is a
comparatively recent introduction.
Some notes as to the method of cultivation of crops
may not be out of place here, as they may help more
definitely to define the area from which these people
sprang.
In Pemba manioc is planted in small hoed-up
patches. In Zanzibar it is planted in long heaped-up
ridges. In both islands the manioc is planted on end ;
in Zanzibar all leaning one way, in Pemba anyhow.
The natives of Zanzibar transplant their rice, and
those of Pemba do not. (Rice is a comparatively
late introduction.) Maize and millet are planted two
or three seeds at a time, in small holes in broken-up
ground. It may also be noted here that the Pemba
houses have no ends to their roofs, but only back and
front slopes.
The natives of the Sultanate are fisher-folk and
agriculturalists, and it is almost certain that they first
came to Zanzibar and Pemba in the former capacity.
Even in these days outlying islands are temporarily
inhabited by fishermen who build small bandas, and
these little settlements often grow into permanent
villages. No doubt this was the way the first Africans
came to Zanzibar and Pemba on their own, unless
some were brought as slaves.
124 ZANZIBAR
Zanzibar and Pemba are not far from the main-
land, and not too far to preclude these temporary
inhabitants from making settlements. As the fisher-
men, impressed with the good fishing round the shores,
stayed longer, their settlements grew into permanent
villages, and the men brought their women-folk, who
would also bring their manioc to plant.
An article by Miss Werner in the Journal of the
African Society for 1916 records a story of the
Wahadimu, having originally come from Windi, on
the coast between Saadani and Bagamoyo. In their
own accounts of their origin some of them state that
they are derived from the Wasegeju, who now live
near Dar-es-Salaam, but stories of the Wasegeju are
more common in Pemba than Zanzibar.
In the course of prolonged questioning of Arabs
and natives as to the history of the islands, I obtained
a number of stories as to early colonizers of the
islands, and I propose to give extracts from their
tales as they were told to me.
The first extract is from the story of a middle-
aged Arab who has travelled a good deal and is
interested in such matters. Many of the stories he
has given me as true are obviously hearsay, and read
more like the Avabian Nights than anything else.
They are interesting, as it is possible to see the grain
of truth from which they sprang, and also they show
how many of the stories of the Arabian Nights and
other romances come to their present form in just
such a way, by means of travellers’ tales; few people
are so credulous of wonders as the Arab. He says:
“At the very beginning, the Wasakalava of
Madagascar came to Pemba. They were beaten by
the Portuguese. They went to Diba, a country of
Persia, where the inhabitants chew tobacco and betel
as here, and brought the Washirazi, who were really
the first inhabitants, but were beaten by the Wasa-
kalava.”’
The next is a single sentence from the story of
an old man, an Arab, but born in Pemba, ‘‘ The
 ORIGIN OF NATIVE TRIBES © 125
Madubwana came from the mainland and lived in
Pemba before the Washirazi.’? The next from an old
Sheha, an Mpemba, and proud of it. ‘‘ The first
inhabitants of Pemba were the Madiba; they were the
owners of the country, the Washirazi were their
Khadim (dependants), they came from the north.
The Wadiba are the origin of the Wapemba.”’
My next historian is probably the oldest Arab in
the Protectorate, Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed El
Rubhki. He says: ‘‘ In India are Diba and Jawa.
From thence came men and opened up the country
of the Sawahil. They made a town at Mkumbuu.
In India, as here, are coco-nuts, mangoes, pine-apples,
durians. They lived here, and they owned Pate
and Mombasa, but their Sultan lived at Mkumbuu,
his liwali lived at Pujini. The Portuguese came and
turned them out, and stayed here. Then came Seif
bin Sultan.”’ Sheikh Ali Mohammed is looked on
as a great authority on this history, and | took the
opportunity to endeavour to gain confirmation or
otherwise of other stories from him. He told me that
the people of Diba and Jawa met no one here, except
natives. The men of the mainland, of the tribes
Digo and Segeju, crossed over. He claims that the
ruins of Pemba were built by Indians. ‘‘ You have
only got to look at the customs of the natives,’’ he
said, ‘‘ to see that what I say is true. Kiumbizi (a
dance or rather fight with sticks), and Ugoe (a kind
of wrestling including a clever throw) are Indian in
origin. The Kipemba for Viazi (sweet potatoes) is
Madiba. When I was young the Wapemba wore hats
like Europeans made from grass, and, as you know,
they are much addicted to whistling and bull-fights.
These customs they got from the Portuguese.’ The
Wasakalava, he said, never came to Pemba or
Zanzibar, though they came to Mafia.
These stories of the Wadigo and Wasegeju are
everywhere current in Pemba.
The Wasegeju and the Wadigo look on the Diwan
of the Wavumba tribe with peculiar reverence, and
126 ZANZIBAR

as there is a great similarity between the way the

Wavumba regarded their chieftain and the way the
Wapemba and Wahadimu regarded their Diwani and
Mwenyi Mkuu, it is quite possible that there is truth
in the tradition that some of them settled in the
islands.
These Wavumba are said to have been the
descendants of a party of Persians who migrated from
Shirazi about A.D. 1200, and settled on the delta of
the Umba River, the boundary between Kenya
Colony and Tanganyika Territory. The town they
founded was called Vumba Kuu, and they appear to
have been a people of considerable importance.
Their regalia consisted of drums and horns; from
the illustrations I have seen of these (20 Man., 1921),
the drums appear to be almost identical with those
that belonged to the Mwenyi Mkuu (see Chapter XII),
while of the horns, one is of a similar pattern to that
carved on the tomb of Haruni at Chwaka in Pemba,
and to that carved on the Diwani’s well at Pujini,
while the second, a straight one, is exactly similar to
that of the Mwenyi Mkuu.
Apart from the similarity of the regalia, similarity
of customs may also be mentioned. Drums and
horns were used by both the Wavumba and the
Wahadimu at the enthronement of the chieftain, at
marriages and deaths of important persons, and also
in connection with religious services for rain, victory
in warfare, etc.
One of the newer drums of the Wavumba is of
the pattern called Tutu, a drum which, if beaten any
day in Zanzibar or Pemba, will soon result in the
collection of a large number of natives. Two other
customs of the Wavumba may be noted; the first, an
unusual one in a Mohammedan country, is uncovering
the head in the presence of a person of any importance.
This originated in the custom of appearing bareheaded
before the chieftain. It also occurs among the
Wahadimu of Zanzibar, and no native might appear
before the Mwenyi Mkuu with his head covered.
 ORIGIN OF NATIVE TRIBES — 127
The second custom is that of going about bare-
headed after the death of the Sultan, but this custom,
if 1t ever was observed in Pemba or Zanzibar, has
now fallen into desuetude.
Though the Wasegeju are spoken of in Zanzibar,
stories are more frequent of a people called Wadebuli,
who are probably the same as the Wadiba of Pemba
tradition. In the south of Zanzibar it is invariably
of the Wadebuli that the people speak. Archdeacon
Dale says: ‘“‘ There arrived off the coast a people
called Wadebuli. They came in sailing vessels, and
possessed cannon. Their sails were made of some
kind of leaf. They had towns on the coast, planted
coco-nuts, and sank wells. They also built places for
worship, the ruins of which are to be seen all over
Zanzibar and Pemba. They treated the Wahadimu
most cruelly, until at last they (the Wahadimu) could
bear it no longer and appealed to the Arabs of
Muscat.”’
The principal ruins credited to the Wadebuli are
a well at Chwaka, an inscribed well at Paje, a mosque
at Makunduchi, and a well and some mounds at
Unguja Kuu.
About all we can definitely accept of these legends
is that ‘‘ the Wadibu or Wadebuli came, they were
a seafaring people, they were here before the Persians,
they were cruel to the aborigines, and they left.”’
Were they the Malays? Jawa, in the Pemba
stories, suggests it, and the Malays did come. Or
did they come from Diu (pronounced Deev), in
Western India?
This latter is a possible explanation, as Deev and
Deeb are very similar. Diu is possibly the Bassones
of the Periplus. Trade has from ages come from
Cambay, and I am informed that the natives of Diu
are noteworthy sailors, and that many dhows set forth
from there. It fell to the Portuguese in 1535, was
fortified, and stood a famous siege ten years later.
It reached a high degree of prosperity, there being at
one time about 50,000 inhabitants. Known as ed-
128 ZANZIBAR
Diyul to the Arabs, who sacked it in 1668, it never
recovered its former prosperity, but is still a Portu-
guese possession. -.
More probable, however, than Diu as the original
home of the Wadebuli is Dabhol, and some interest-
ing notes by Mr. Léngworth Dames in his edition of
Duarte Barbosa, in my opinion, practically fix the
origin of the name of Wa diba or Wa debuli as, if
not Diu, then what Barbosa called the Kingdom of
Diul, or possibly the modern Dabhol.
Of Diu he says: ‘“‘ Its name, properly Div, is
according to the accepted derivation from the Sanskrit
Dvipa ‘an island,’ like the similar termination in
Anchediva, Laccadive and Maldive.’’ Barbosa says
also of Diu: ‘‘ It is on a small island hard by the
main, and has a right good harbour, a trading port
used by many ships, with exceeding great traffic and
commerce with Malabar, Baticala, Guoa, Chaul and
Dabul. Ships also sail hence to Meca, Adem, Zeila,
Barbora, Magadoxo, Melinde, Brava, Mombasa and
Ormus, with the kingdoms thereof.”’
The articles of trade Barbosa mentions are very
numerous, though he does not mention specifically
what comes from Africa, and says that the town now
(previous to 1516) “‘has the greatest trade of any
found in these regions.”’ ‘
Diul is not so likely, for Barbosa says, ‘‘ they
navigate but little.’ Mr. Dames says, ‘‘ The port here
called Diulis Deval in Sindh (from the Sanskrit Dévala
—Abode of the Gods), from the Sindhi form arose
the Arabic Day-bul, the name by which the place
was known to the Arab chronicles. In the Hindi
language the V of Déval is replaced by W, and it is
from the (modern) form Dewal that the Portuguese
got their Diul.’”? Dewal was on the western bank of
the western boundary in the Indus Delta. Its ruins
are now twenty miles inland owing to the silt brought
down by the river.
Dabul is more likely than Diul for the Wadebuli.
Barbosa says that ‘‘it has a very good harbour,
 ORIGIN OF NATIVE TRIBES 129
whither sail many ships of the Moors from divers
lands, to wit, from Meca, Adem and Ormus, and
from Cambaya, Dio and Malabar, which constantly
deal here in goods of every kind.’’? Dabul is the
modems Dabhol(i720350N:, 17320107 E.). :Itiis.a
port of considerable historical importance and great
antiquity. It was probably the Palepatme of the
Periplus, and the Baltipatma of Ptolemy (Sanskrit
Dabhileshwar). From the tenth to the fourteenth
centuries it had much trade with the Persian Gulf,
the Red Sea and East Africa.
To summarize, therefore, the native tribes of
Zanzibar and Pemba as they have existed for the past
few hundred years have an Asiatic as well as an
African origin.
In addition to the Wapemba, Wahadimu and
Watumbatu, there are certain families in Pemba
which call themselves Mashirazi, or Washirazi, and
deny belonging to the Wapemba tribe. The Waha-
dimu also claim Shirazi origin, but adhere to their
tribal name. Of the Watumbatu only the ruling
house claim this origin. In view of a claim made
by certain families to which I shall refer shortly, it
is important to emphasize that these people claim
descent from Shiraz in Persia. Burton says: ‘‘ The
Shirazi or nobles derive themselves from the Shangaya
settlement, also called Shiraz, on the coast north of
Lamu in about South latitude 2°, whence they
extended to Tungi, four days sail south of the
Rovuma River.”’
I do not know if Burton is correct in saying that
Shingwaya is called Shiraz, but 1 know that such an
origin is vigorously denied by this people, although
most of them claim affiliation with the people of
Kilwa, who came from Persia. There are also a
number of natives who are called Masherifu, and are
said to have come from Wasin Island, on which a
fraction of the Wavumba also settled. Burton visited
the island, but mentions but little of its history. He
says that it belonged to Zanzibar, and that he could
130 ZANZIBAR
hear nothing of the tribe called Mazimba stated to
have been found there.
Graves recently exposed by the sea at Mkokotont
in Zanzibar are said to have been of Masherifu from
Bumbwi on Wasin Island, and there are many
Masherifu in Pemba claiming origin from this place.
Although nowadays the word Masherifu used in con-
nection with these people in Zanzibar and Pemba does
not mean the ‘‘ descendants of the Prophet,’’ never-
theless it is highly probable that such was the original
meaning of the word on the coast. Indeed these
Masherifu may be the descendants of Zayd bin Ali
bin Hassan bin Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet,
who are known to have migrated to the coast about
the 740th year of our era. Native histories at
Tumbatu and Kizimkazi give genealogies deriving
the Tumbatu and Hadimu notables from the Prophet’s
family.
Some mention must here be made of certain
native families who have taken to themselves the
dignity of the appellation ‘‘ Arab,’’ though it is by
no means allowed or accorded to them by the true
Arabs. They reside chiefly in Pemba, and claim to
be of several well-known Arab tribes, such as the
Ghassani and Nebhani, though large groups call
themselves Esh-Shirazi.
Until recently these families have been considered
as being the ordinary Persian Shirazi of Pemba, but
I had the opportunity of investigating their stories
and the written documents they have. From these
it appears that they claim descent from one Shiraz,
whom they allege to have been a son of Malik bin
Fahm, well known in Omani history, and say that he
emigrated from Jedda. This claim appears to be as
much a fiction as that of the Titchbourne claimant.
 CHAPTER XI

PERIOD OF THE ZINJ EMPIRE

FRoM time to time during its history the coast has
been either collectively under the rule of some Asiatic
or European power, or welded together by some out-
standing personage as a separate empire. In both
cases the whole has in the end dissolved into small
parts, generally due to the rise of some petty chief,
whom the parent state could not keep in check, owing
to the scattered nature of its dominion, and the lack
of speedy and efficient transport and communications.
But the building up of the first coastal empire is
of considerable interest, both on account of the early
date at which it was achieved, and the fact that so
many of the ruins of its towns are to be found to-day
up and down the coast, and that so many of the
inhabitants still strongly claim descent from the
Persians.
Our authority for this period is, first and chiefly,
The History of Kilwa, a document which was known
to the Portuguese, and has been preserved for us by
Seyyid Barghash and Sir John Kirk, to whom he gave
a copy. In addition, there are local histories among
the natives of the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba,
and a number of traditions, as well as ruins and other
antiquities.
The History of Kilwa describes the founding of
the Zinj Empire as follows: ‘‘ There was a Sultan of
Shiraz named Hassan bin Ali, who saw a vision of a
rat with an iron snout gnawing at his walls. He
foreboded the ruin of his country from this, and com-
municated it to his six sons. They therefore sailed
away in a fleet of seven ships, which stopped at as
many different places down the east coast. The
first stopped at Mundakha, the second Shoughu, the
131
132 ZANZIBAR
third Yunbu, the fourth Munfisa, the fifth Jazira el
Khathra, the sixth Kulwa, and the seventh Henzwan.”’
This expedition took place in a.D. 975. Mun-
dakha and Shoughu it is impossible to trace with any
degree of accuracy. They might be Mogadisho and
Kismayu. The third is probably Yambe Island; the
fourth sounds like Mafia, but it has been supposed
that it is probably Mombasa, as the native name of
Mafia is Chole, and the name Mafia was given by the
Portuguese. If it is Mombasa it is a slight argument
for that island having been Menuthias. The fifth is
Pemba, and the seventh Johanna, one of the Comoro
Islands.
A manuscript extant in Pemba says the vision was
of a rat crossing a cat, and that Ali bin Hassan and
his followers went from island to island, leaving
settlers as far as Pemba. Another manuscript says
that the Sultan of Shiraz was Darhash bin Shaha, and
that he left with his three brothers, his sister and three
nephews, and that they and their families landed at
Shehiri, Pate, Mombasa, Bayai (?), Pemba, Zanzibar
and Kilwa, the Mainland and Tumbatu.
The history of the Zanzibar settlements through
this period, which lasted roughly from the year 975
to the coming of the Portuguese to Kilwa in 1501,
must now be described. The most important of the
states of the Zin} Empire were Kilwa, Zanzibar,
Pemba, Tumbatu, Vumba, Utondwe and Mombasa.
During the greater part of the period the states were
probably more or less independent, though there no
doubt existed a form of alliance among them.

HISTORY OF ZANZIBAR

We have seen that Kilwa was founded in the year

975, and its prosperity lasted until the advent of the
Portuguese, which date we may conveniently fix here
as 1498, the time of the arrival of Vasco da Gama on
the coast.
The first we hear of Zanzibar during this period
 HISTORY OF ZANZIBAR 133
is that Hasan bin Suleyman bin Ali, Sultan of Kilwa,
fled there to avoid the attacks on Kilwa of some
Bantu savages. These savages were repelled by the
people of Kilwa who recalled their Sultan, and he
reigned thereafter for fourteen years. This event
probably took place in the eleventh century.
_The next date we have is the founding of the
Kizimkazi mosque in A.H. 500 or A.D. 1107.
_M. Patricolo deciphered the Cufic inscription in
this mosque as follows:
““ Ordered El Sheikh, el Seyyid Abi Amram,
Mfaume El Hassan bin Mohammed may God grant
him long life and destroy his enemy, the building of
this mosque, on the day of Sunday in the month of
El Kada in the year 500 H.”’
Professor Flury instead of Mfaume prefers
‘* Musa bin.’’ If the former is correct, it would mean
the King El Hassan, surnamed father of Amram (it
being a Mohammedan custom to name a man by the
name of his son, even before the latter appears, and
Mfaume being Mfalme, Swahili for king.) If the
latter is the right transliteration, the king’s name is
‘Musa, son of El Hassan.’’
Unfortunately nothing more is known of this
prince, though probably he was one of the Shirazian
rulers of Zanzibar, and possibly a descendant of that
Ali bin Hassan who founded Kilwa. The establish-
ment of a mosque, which is even to-day the most
ornamental in Zanzibar, cannot have been a first
venture by early colonizers, and seems to indicate that
at that time they were well settled. Probably Kizim-
kazi, the most southerly point of Zanzibar, was the
island’s earliest capital.
The Shirazians who built these coast towns were
of the Shia sect, and therefore, as I have shown, it
is probable that Zanzibar was Islamized, if not before
their advent at any rate before they made their power
felt, because the Zanzibar natives were Sunnis.
We learn from the chronicles of Kilwa that in
the thirteenth century the King of Zanzibar was one
134 ZANZIBAR
Hassan bin Abubakr, and that he undertook to aid
the pretender, Said bin Hassan, in his designs on the
throne of Kilwa. He is said to have dispatched an
army to Kilwa with Said, under one of his Amirs
named Zubayr, in order to assist him, but that the
army afterwards abandoned Said’s cause. It may
be inferred from this that at that time Zanzibar was
independent and of some importance, but this cannot
have lasted long, as we read in the history of Pate
that, in the reign of Sultan Omar (1331-1348),
Zanzibar was too unimportant to have a king. In
the next century Zanzibar seems to have recovered
her influence, for the Kilwa chronicles state that an
ambassador was sent from Zanzibar in 901 H. (1495)
to make peace between the Kilwa rivals, Hassan and
Fudayl. This ambassador met the wazir Mohammed
of Kilwa and discussed the matter with him, without
much result, as it was only finally settled by the death
of Mohammed and an appeal to arms, which ended
in the favour of Fudayl, the rightful claimant. In
1503 very small tribute was exacted by the Portu-
guese from Zanzibar. It would therefore appear that
from the fourteenth to the sixteenth or seventeenth
centuries, the importance of Zanzibar as a power in
East Africa was waning. Indeed, from other facts we
shall consider later on, there is but little doubt on the
point. Probably the island became a mere dependency
of Kilwa, and was governed from Tumbatu.
In 1866 gold coins were found at Unguja Kuu with
Cufic inscriptions six hundred years old, i.e., dating
from the thirteenth century. To-day nothing remains
of Unguja Kuu except a few stones, a well, and some
earthen mounds, which once were possibly buildings.
The inhabitants say that there was once a mosque
there.
Such, then, are the brief historical records we have
of Zanzibar Island in the time of the great Zinj
Empire.
Legend is not entirely silent as to this period in
Zanzibar history. As regards Kizimkazi, it is said
 HISTORY OF ZANZIBAR 135
that the name is derived as follows: Kizi m Kazi, i.e.,
Kizi is a worker—Kizi knows his work. Kizi was the
slave of Mfaume Kiza, first king and founder of
Kizimkazi, which was built under his direction by
Kizi. So well was the work done that a neighbour-
ing chieftain desired to possess Kizi himself and asked
Kiza for him. Kiza, however, refused, so the other
chieftain prepared for war. Embarking his troops in
dhows, he came and anchored under the lee of Ras
Masoni, south of Vundwe Island. Kiza was occupied
in building operations on the shore at Kizimkazi at
the time, and saw them and understood their purpose.
He therefore prayed two rekaas and asked the
Almighty for help. There came clouds of bees which
drove the invaders away. Later on the hostile
chieftain prepared a second expedition. Marching
overland he took the road via Muyuni to Kizimkazi,
and got as far as Kiji without the knowledge of Kiza.
At this point, however, an outpost gave Kiza informa-
tion, but it was too late for the latter to prepare.
Prescient of defeat, he therefore cut off the right hand
of Kizi, and going to the shore prayed the Deity to
be removed himself. His prayers were answered;
the rock opened, he entered and was no more seen.
The spot and crevice in the rock are shown to this day.
It is regarded as a holy place, and flags are hung
outside it.
When the invaders came they saw Kizi with his
hand cut off and that Kiza had vanished, so they
returned.
The ruins of Kizimkazi, probably contemporary
with the mosque, consist of high walls which at one
time apparently cut off a semi-circle of land on the
shore. There are small posts or forts at each end.
There are also a number of graves of some interest
round the mosque, which, however, may belong to a
later period. These graves were described to me as
being of the following people: _
(1) Mwana Mwatima binti Mfaume Madi
Shiraziyeh.
136 ZANZIBAR
(2) Her son, Mfaume Ali Sherifu.
(3) Sheikh Ali bin Omar Sherifu, a carpenter, one-
armed, one-legged, but pious withal, and
endowed with legendary powers.
(4) Seyyid Abdulla bin Seyyid Almad Sherifu, who
was given a drum and a milk-gourd by the
sovereign of Kilwa to whom he was related.
(The drum is still in existence, and shown
at Kizimkazi.)
(5) Sherif Hassan.
As regards Unguja Kuu, it is curious that native
tradition is entirely silent as to its ever having been
a town of importance. In fact, apart from the name
and the ruins, there is little evidence of its ever having
been a capital. Local legends derive the name from
the following story.
Two fishermen, Shirazis, by name Pururu, or
Mfururu, and Bangalishewa, arrived at Zanzibar town,
the one at the Malindi quarter and the other at
Shangani. They journeyed north and south respec-
tively searching for each other, and finally met at the
present Unguja Kuu. Bangalishewa said: ‘‘ Zanzibar
is great (Unguja Kuu). I have searched for you in
each of its harbours and only found you here; indeed
Zanzibar is great.”’

HISTORY OF PEMBA

The history of Pemba during these periods is

written all over the island from north to south, in
twenty ruins, or groups of ruins, discovered up to date.
As yet no written history of this period has been
discovered. Those histories that have been discovered
are of a later date, and we shall refer to them later
on. We have therefore to depend on legend, which
tells us that in the times of the Shirazis, and before
the Portuguese, Pemba was divided into five districts,
each under a chief and each containing seven towns.
These districts were Chwaka (then called Twaka),
Mkumbuu, Utenzi, Ngwane and Pokomo. Another
 HISTORY OF PEMBA 137
informant says that Utenzi and Ngwane are the same,
and that the fifth district was Ukoma. There are now
no places corresponding with the last three names.
The names of the towns, as far as I have been able
to get them, were Vitongoje, Mkumbuu, Kichokochwe,
Ole, Kojani, Utembwe, Wingwi, Michiweni, Shumba,
Mjini Kiuyu, Mjini Ukoma (Chwaka), Kwale,
Chambani (by the Wapemba called Kiambani),
Msuka, Mbelengwa, Kinowe, Sizini, Kiungoni,
Chwale, Kambini, Kangagani, Mvumoni, Pujini,
Ukutini, Kiwani, Makongwe, Kiweni and Mtambwe.
At Vitongoje, Mkumbuu, Kichokochwe, Ole,
Kojani, Chwaka, Chambani, Msuka, Pujini, Kiwani,
Makongwe, Kiweni and Mtambwe ruins have been
discovered. In all cases these ruins are mosques,
except at Ndagoni and Chwaka, where there are ruins
of towns. At Pujini there is a fortress, at Vitongoje,
a well and a tomb (though Sheikh Ali Mohammed
tells me itis a house), and at Makongwe an unidentified
building. There are also ruined mosques at Chaoni,
Verani, Kijiweni, Shengejuu and Mtangani; some of
these places were no doubt among the number of the
towns. There is another mosque on Fundo Island
(which is rather an unlikely site for one of the towns),
and a ruin at Bogoa.
Fifteen of these Pemba ruins, or groups of ruins,
have been investigated by Major Pearce, and he
considers that Ndagoni or Mkumbuu is the earliest,
dating probably from the tenth to fourteenth centuries.
These ruins show far the finest workmanship. They
are remarkable chiefly for what was a group of
thirteen pillared tombs, though now only four pillars
remain standing. From one of them Major Pearce
extracted a piece of cream-coloured Ting work of the
Sung dynasty (960-1279). One of these pillars has
panels on the top decorated with small recesses, and
with the rope and chevron patterns. | Se
These pillared tombs are typical of the Zin}
Empire period. They are certainly phallic in origin,
and there are some undoubted phalli at Mambrui.
138 ZANZIBAR
Mammez also appear on some of the tombs, and there
are still legends of the worship of the female organs
of sex. Burton saw and described a pillared tomb at
Tongoni, south of Tanga, and the nearest spot on the
mainland to Mkumbuu. In one of these was a glazed
tile, bearing the words Shid-i raushan, the Persian for
‘* the Bright Sun,’’ which was regarded by the natives
with superstitious awe, but which Burton had no
qualms about removing and sending to the Royal
Geographical Society. Here, too, the natives claimed
Shirazian ancestry. Mosques similar to that at
Mkumbuu have also been found at Kilwa, built with
columns in the same way, and there are many others,
chiefly in the neighbourhood of Lamu.
Major Pearce’s dating of the Puyjini ruins rests
on more shaky evidence; he places them round about
1500, a date fixed roughly from the fact that he
surmises the loopholes in the citadel walls were used
for firearms, and that he picked from the mortar of
an interior wall a piece of china, “* dating probably
from the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries.”’
The use of gunpowder was known to the Chinese
and Malays from a very early date, but apparently it
was not used for projectile throwing till about the
fourteenth century. It is quite possible also that the
loopholes were used for cross-bows—a weapon that
seems to have been used from an early date in East
Africa, and which is perhaps of Persian introduction.
The cross-bow still exists in a rat-trap which is
described in the ethnological portion of this book.
Fixing the date from a piece of fragment china in
mortar is also unsafe. It would almost certainly be
in such a position from having been used for restora-
tion or repairs.
But the Pujini ruins, look at them how one will,
are a puzzle.
Why is the workmanship in general more inferior
to that of other groups? Why a fortress? Why on
the east coast? Why with a channel cut up the creek
to the sea, where it is so boisterous? Why the loop-
a
wt

(Upper) MIHRAB OF MOSQUE AT (Upper) AN MPEMBA GIRL.

CHAMBANI (SHIRAZIAN),
(Lower) INTERIOR OF OLD (Lower) MIHRAB OF MOSQUE AT
MOSQUE AT KICHOBOCHWE. MKUMBUU (EARLY SHIRAZIAN).
 eal

ee
a

a
ee
a!
 HISTORY OF PEMBA 139
holes? Why an underground chamber with a horn
on the wall and much decorated? These are the
questions which we must endeavour to answer when
we come to consider the native accounts.
From the pottery discovered, which had been used
to ornament the mosque at Chwaka, Major Pearce
puts the age of the ruins there, at from possibly the
tenth to fifteenth centuries. Here is the pillared
tomb of Haruni, whom we shall hear of again. It
is interesting, as there are portrayed on it a sun-disc,
a relic of the so-called sun-worship of the Zoroastrians
and the undoubted sun-worship of the Sabzans,:a
horn derived, as we have seen, in the first place from
the Assyrians, and what is probably a crown derived
from the same source. Both these are emblems
of royalty in East Africa. Legend has it that
Chwaka was a walled town, and traces of the walls
are still to be found in the woods.
These three groups are the only big remains of
towns in Pemba; the remainder of the ruins are chiefly
mosques. From the point of view of dates, it is well
to mention some here.
The mosque at Msuka has scratched on the inside
of the kibla: ‘‘ In the name of God, He is all living.
The Lord of those who have passed before and of those
who are to come—and peace, the year 816.’’ This
date corresponds to A.D. 1414, and from several con-
siderations it appears that the mosque was already a
ruin when it was written.
The mosques of Chaoni, Mtangani and Kiwani,
Major Pearce considers as belonging to the thirteenth
or fourteenth centuries.
Captain Cooper rediscovered a mosque on Kiweni
Island which had the remains of a plate embedded
in the wall. This plate was pronounced by the
authorities of the Victoria and Albert Museum, to
whom I took it, to be Chinese and of about the date
1750, which is considerably later than other china
found. As, however, it was pointed out to me there,
it is unsafe to deduce from that that the mosque was
140 ZANZIBAR
not standing before. The same remarks apply to a
mosque I myself rediscovered at Chambani, where I
got from the wall a cup, which appears to me to be of
the later variety. This last mosque was far from the
present settlement, and I only found it by asking at
Chambani, which I knew was one of the old towns,
whether there were any ruins there.
While, as I have said, there is no written history
of Pemba during this period, tradition is by no means
silent concerning it, though it mostly centres round
the name of one man, still used as a bogey with which
to frighten children.
There is no doubt that this chief belonged to this
period; all the natives are very emphatic about his
having lived and ruled long before the advent of the
Portuguese.
He is generally known under the sobriquet of
Mkame Mdume (‘‘ he who draws milk from a male ’’),
a nickname given to him on account of his cruelty,
and the fact that he apparently squeezed the utter-
most ounce of strength, property, or whatever he
could, from anyone he could lay hands on.
Under this name he is known to each and every
one of the inhabitants of Pemba; what his real name
was is more difficult; if pressed to answer, a native
will generally say Mfaume Mshirazi (a Persian
prince), but as several better informed people have
told me it was Mohammed bin Abdulrehman, and as
no one has disputed it, I see no reason for it not
being correct.
Where he came from and where he went to are
also matters of doubt; he is generally described as
an Mshirazi, but I have heard him spoken of as
Ajjemi (also a Persian), an Msegeju, a man of
Mombasa, and by one man as an Maiba. I consider
the first is more probable and, as I say, it is generally
accepted that that is what he was.
Everyone agrees he built and lived at the fortress
of Pujini, and the building of, or dominion over, the
following towns is attributed, though by no means
 HISTORY OF PEMBA 141
with certainty, by various people to him: Ndagoni
(Mkumbuu), Chwaka, Vitongoje, Mtangani, Michi-
wen and Kichokochwe.
Some say that he brought Islam to the island, but
this is distinctly doubtful, though from all accounts
he was a stickler for the forms of worship.
Hearing that a book written by him was still
extant, and in use at Pujini, I got the sheha to let
me see it, but I was greatly disappointed, as it contains
only kkutbehs (sermons) and an apparently later
insertion of two magical formule (translation of which
I give elsewhere). There is no date, though it is
very well written, and the initial letters of each
khutbeh are in red.
Besides being a great builder of towns, Mkame
Mdume is credited with proficiency at the building of
Mitepe (sewed boats), other forms of carpentry and
at shooting with a bow.
But of all things he is best remembered for his
inhuman cruelties. Those that I have recorded in
my notes are the following. He forced men to swim
on dry land, and he forced them to shout through
their noses! He pricked people with needles till they
bled all over. He gave toothless old people michikiti
(oil palm) nuts to crack with their gums. He banged
heads together till the owners became unconscious.
He used to cut open pregnant women to see the foetus
inside, and when one of his own wives was pregnant
and wanted some ox liver to eat, he gave it her and
cut her open to see if the foetus ate it. It is said
that he found the liver on the head of the unborn
child, and then said that a pregnant woman should
always be given what she asked for, as it was the child
that got it! He got stone to build Pujini from a
place called Chama Nangwe near Msuka, and would
not allow the porters to carry it in the ordinary way,
but made them shuffle along on their buttocks with
the stones on their heads. It is said that if he did
not hear the noise of the crowds of porters shuffling
from afar he would go out from Pujini and beat them
142 ZANZIBAR
severely. The mosque at Kichokochwe he built also,
and the people carried a stone there, each of them,
every Friday after prayer. Woe betided those who
failed to carry out his preposterous commands.
Mkame Mdume’s authority is said to have
extended over all Pemba, and some say beyond even
Mombasa. Zanzibar and Ngazija (the Comoros) are
said by a few to have owned allegiance to him, but
all place his capital at Pujini, where he had a large
palace in the citadel. Goods and troops arrived in
dhows up the narrow channel he dug behind the ruins,
and were brought up the bank and down the steps
mto the fort.
The situation of the fortress tells us that it is
probable that whoever lived there were foreigners,
and that they built it as a protection from the
islanders. All the loopholes point to the island, and
as the creek was fortified and the fort built along-
side it, we assume the garrison was dependent, to a
large extent, on supplies from the sea.
One legend I have recorded in my notes says that
at the time of Mkame Mdume, another chief and his
tribe who were called the Magenge disputed with him
for mastery. They are said to have been gigantic
in stature, and to have also built mosques; Kicho-
kochwe, Michiweni, the Miskiti Shooko at Chwaka
and Ole are attributed to them.
Mkame Mdume’s end, as I have said, is like his
origin, wrapt in mystery. Some say he was killed by
the Portuguese. Others say that he died and that
his grave was kept secret, but that so great was the
power of his name that men worked for forty years
after his death, when ordered in his name to do so.
He had two wives, and both were so jealous of
each other that they were kept apart at Pujini by a
high wall, and a well was dug for each of them. The
well of the principal wife is described by Major Pearce
as an underground shrine. It has steps leading down
to it, and is the one with a horn on the wall. The
well of the other wife is described by the same author
 HISTORY OF PEMBA 143
as an underground chamber, but when I excavated it,
it turned out to be a well with steps leading down in
the same way.
Mkame Mdume left three children, two sons and
a daughter; of the former one was a holy man, and
the other Mkame Mdume’s viceroy at Chwaka.
The eldest son’s name was Mjawili. He is
buried at Kidonge, near Chonga, in a spot called after
him, Mjawili. The grave is difficult of access, being
buried in the depths of forest and bush, but it has
never been forgotten, and people still go there to make
offerings and pray for children, etc. It is surrounded
with many fragments of pottery, etc., left as offerings.
There are another six or seven graves near, one of
which bears the inscription, ‘‘ There is no God except
God, Mohammed God’s apostle. This is the grave
of Bana Musa (who) died in the month of Moharram,
A.H. 1233.’’ This, of course, is a much later date,
but all these graves are those of Sherifs who wished
to be buried near such a holy man.
The second son’s name was Haruni, and his
grave, which we have already noticed, is still pointed
out at Chwaka. Of him it is related that he had a
jealous wife who, noticing his predilection for another
fair lady in the same town of Chwaka, whom he used
daily to see when he went to the great mosque, called
the Meskiti Jumaa, to pray, determined to put a stop
to these clandestine meetings, so she built a small
mosque near the palace where she herself could super-
intend his devotions. This mosque is known as
the Meskiti Shooko (Shooko (Kipemba)=Chooko=
Chiroko, which is a small kind of pea). The mason
she employed to do this was a mainland native from
a place near Tanga, and he made it so beautiful (the
name signifies that ground peas were mixed up in
the mortar to make it hard)’ that the lady, lest her
husband ever should wish to make another like it, cut
the mason’s right hand off and drove him away.
1 An analysis I have since had made of the mortar shows no
trace of vegetable substance.
 144 ZANZIBAR
Legend then has it that he went back to the main-
land and brought an army of his tribe, who destroyed
Chwaka town by fire in a night.
Before we leave Chwaka let me take you to a
gruesome spot on the Nyambwi creek, where is said
to have been a wall called the Vkuta wa Damu (the
bloody wall). Above here the victims of Mkame
Mdume and his son were beheaded, and the blood
flowed in such streams that the natives say that even
now it has not dried up, and that a patch of red sand
in the middle of the surrounding white sand is from
the staining of the soil by their blood. A final
holocaust took place here when the invaders from
Tanga put the population to the sword.
The third of Mkame Mdume’s children was a
lady named Mwana Mtoto who, like her elder
brother, was noted for piety. She outlived them
both, and thinking that the glory of Pemba had passed
away and that her day had gone, she prayed God to
take her and that her grave might not be known.
On this the ground before her opened, she entered,
and was no more seen. On the approximate place
a mosque was built many years after, which has only
of late years fallen to ruins. It was built by one of
the Mazrui, and the spot is known as Mwana Mtoto
to this day. e

HISTORY OF TUMBATU

A manuscript history of Tumbatu gives the date

of its foundation as 600 H. (1204), the same year as
the founding of Pate. This history relates that
Sultan Yusuf bin Alawi of the Ahdali, or Alawi tribe,
(it is not clear which), a descendant of an illustrious
personage, Ali bin Hussein (? Hassan, possibly the
founder of Kilwa), came from Tusi, in the county of
Basra, a twelve days’ journey from Bushire, in the
6ooth year of the Hejira. Sultan Yusuf had three
sons, Abdulla, Bwana Pati and Ibrahim. Abdulla
had a son called Ismaili, who is described as the Sultan
 HISTORY OF TUMBATU 145
of Kilwa. He married, it is said, the daughter of
Koronda, chief of the Muhiyao tribe who held sway
in the Kilwa country. Abdulla was the first Sultan
of Tumbatu, and he was succeeded by his brother,
Ali bin Alawi, This is all the information the
history of Tumbatu gives us about the island.
_ For the rest we only know that when Yakut visited
it, the city of Timbat was a powerful town to which
the inhabitants of Lenguja (El Unguja) fled at times
when they were in danger. This was in the thirteenth
century.
When the Portuguese visited Zanzibar about
1500, they made no mention of Tumbatu, which by
that time had apparently faded into insignificance.
Thus the rise and fall of T'umbatu occupied approxim-
ately three hundred years, and that period apparently
also represents the period of the genesis of the
Watumbatu tribe of to-day.
The city of Timbat was apparently contem-
poraneous with that of Unguja Kuu, and far outshone
the latter in strength and stability. We have seen
that, but little is left of Unguja Kuu, but at Tumbatu
very extensive ruins are still standing of stone build-
ings, including a mosque with a women’s chapel
attached. Not only did the people hold the island
but also, undoubtedly, they had a garrison on the
main island facing their city. There is no water on
Tumbatu Island, but an excellent spring at Mkoko-
toni (referred to by Burton), from which the
Watumbatu have always drawn their water; there is
a port near the spring called Shangani (‘‘ where the
beads are ’’) where large quantities of beads may still
be picked up, and which was probably a bead depot,
or trading treasury. Graves are often washed out by
the sea, which, while it causes no erosion on Tumbatu,
does most decidedly do so at Mkokotoni. Heavy
stones of the kind obtainable on Tumbatu lie scattered
on the shore, and I have little doubt that these relics
are the remains of a garrison that lived at Mkokotoni,
dealt with the dhow traffic and guarded the water
146 ZANZIBAR
supply. But only one grave has yet been discovered
on Tumbatu, and as the coral there is so hard and
there is practically no soft ground, it is but reasonable
to suppose that the dead were buried on what is now
the foreshore of Mkokotoni. The channel is too
deep for large quantities of beads, bones and heavy
stones to have been washed over. Legend has it
that the Watumbatu are also descended from the
Wasegeju. They may be, but in all probability they
are the descendants of the Persians by their black
concubines, brought by the Persians, from time to
time during those three hundred years, to Tumbatu.
The Watumbatu on Tumbatu Island are settled on
either side of the old and now deserted ruins. It
seems to me probable that this is where they have
always lived. As the old town became too big, these
half Africans would build their mud huts on its out-
skirts, and when their masters went away, they were
left behind inheriting from them a love of the sea,
for which they are even now famous. They are the
best pilots in Zanzibar waters, but they are poor
husbandmen, probably owing to poor opportunities,
though being Bantus they make the best of it.
In support of the length of time they have lived
in their present villages, it may be mentioned that at
Kichangani, the northern village of Tumbatu, there
is a mosque, which, while not as old as that in the
ruins, is still of a respectable age, and older than the
other two stone mosques in use there to-day.
Besides their home on the island, the Watumbatu
have settlements over a large part of the north-west
of Zanzibar, and a few on the south-east of Pemba.
They are a very exclusive people, and dislike outside
interference, thus, unfortunately, they are very
largely inbred. They have a great pride of race.
Many of them are fair, and most are better featured
than negroes. They deny ever having been slaves,
though they say that the Arab slave traders used to
raid their northern shore in days gone past.
 CHAPTER XII

NaTIVE DyNASTIES OF ZANZIBAR

THE MWENYI MKUU OF ZANZIBAR ISLAND

In each of the separate principalities of the coast the

chieftains had different titles. Those in Kilwa were
called kings, or Maliks; in Pate, they were called
Sultani; in many coast places they were probably
called Jumbe, a title which is said to have been
derived from the chief placed by the Sultan of Pate
in towns on the mainland. The native chieftains of
Pemba Island were called Diwanis, a title obviously
derived from the Persian Diwan.
From A.D. 1204 to 1554 the chiefs of Vumba were
known as Mwana Chambi, from 1554 to 1700 they
were called Mwana Chambe Chande, and from 1700
onwards Diwan.
The word Skheha is also a title of authority, said
by some to be derived from the Persian Shak, but it
seems to be more likely a modification of the Arab
Sheikh, to which it approximates in pronunciation.
In Mombasa I have been told the chieftain was
called Bivda, and in Zanzibar the word used was
Mwenyi Mkuu.
The word Mwenyi probably means “‘ holder’”’ or >

*‘ possessor,’’? and Mkuu means “‘ great.’’ Like the

kingdoms of Pemba and Tumbatu, that of Zanzibar
was also an offshoot of the great Zin} Empire, and as
far as it can be traced we have seen its history during
that time. Whereas in Tumbatu all natives claim
Shirazian descent, and in Pemba there are large clans
who do so, it does not appear that in Zanzibar anyone
except the old ruling house did so.
Unfortunately as yet no written history of the Wa-
147
148 ZANZIBAR
hadimu has come to light, nor do their traditions
appear to have been systematically collected.
We have seen several references to these Mweny1
Mkuu’s during the period of the Portuguese occupa-
tion, but it is not until the end of that period that any
of their names are ascertainable. It will be remem-
bered that in August, 1653, Cabreira had reported to
Goa that the rulers of Zanzibar, Pemba and Otondo
had asked for help from Muscat, and Cabreira,
having collected a force locally, drove out the Queen
of Zanzibar and her son, the King of Otondo.
Otondo is the modern Utondwe, now an un-
important fishing village due west of Zanzibar town,
situated up a salt-water creek two and a half miles
long, at the head of a small bay north of Ras Utondwe.
Apparently, though, in bygone days it was a state
of some importance locally, and probably also an off-
shoot of the Empire of Kilwa.
We learn from this statement that in 1653 the
island was governed by a queen. What the name of
the lady was is difficult to ascertain, as there appear
at different times to have been two queens of Zanzibar,
Fatima and Mwana Mwema. It is more than
probable that the queen who was expelled in 1653
was the latter of the two, as Queen Fatima is spoken
of later on.
There are two stories of queens of Zanzibar which
may refer to Mwana Mwema, as it appears probable
that they do not refer to the later Queen Fatima.
The first of these is that she was married to an
Arab from Yemen, and the second one is that she
was the elder sister of two brothers, and was eventually
persuaded by them to abdicate. The Mwenyi Mkuu
who succeeded this queen appears to have been called
Yusuf, and at his death he divided the kingdom into
two portions; the southern one, with the capital at
Kizimkazi, he allotted to his son Bakiri, while the
northern portion, including the city of the modern
town of Zanzibar, was inherited by his daughter
Fatima.
 THE MWENYI MKUU 149
In the year 1697 Queen Fatima of Zanzibar
addressed a letter to the Governor-General at Goa.
This lady, it appears, had married Abdulla, King of
Otondo. Whether this Abdulla was the same person
referred to previously as the son of Queen Mwana
Mwema cannot be stated with any degree of certainty,
as we do not know if the queens of Zanzibar were
any relation. Abdulla, King of Otondo, and Fatima,
the Queen of Zanzibar, had a son called Hasan.
Hasan succeeded to the throne on the death of
his mother, and his name is in Portuguese records in
the year 1728, when he was ordered to report himself
to the Portuguese at Mombasa on their returning to
power in that city. He was apparently excused from
a personal appearance, and sent his son Mocu instead.
This son must have been his second son. (Mocu is
perhaps ‘‘ Musa.’’ In the Portuguese the phrase
Muinha Mocu is used. There is some doubt as to
whether there should be a cedilla under the ‘‘ c’’; if
not it is probably Mwenyi Mkuu. Hasan is called
‘* Mfalume Hasan.’’)
The Mwenyi Mkuu Hasan started to build the
present city of Zanzibar, leaving the fisher-folk settled
at Shangani, the present European quarter.
Other people, such as the Mafaza, who were
settled in the Mwavi quarter, were given different
sites to settle on. When King Hasan died he was
succeeded by his elder son, Sultan, about whom
nothing is known. Sultan was succeeded by his son
Ahmed, who flourished before the Arab conquest in
1744, and was the last independent Sultan of the Wa-
hadimu. After his death his son Hasan succeeded
him.
Hasan II, not caring to live with his Omani over-
lord, made his capital at a village called Bweni. He
came from the coast near Pagani in the time of
Seyyid Said. He does not appear to have been a
person of any great importance, but was given a
limited authority over the Wahadimu. The ruinsof
his house at Bweni are still to be seen. He married
150 ZANZIBAR
Mwana wa Mwana, Queen of Tumbatu. After his
death he was succeeded by Mohammed bin Ahmed,
said by some to have been his brother, but it appears
more probable that he was in the direct line. Burton
says, ‘‘ when the former died, Muigni Mkuu, his
Wazir, or brother—here all fellow-countrymen are
brothers— succeeded, in default of other heirs,
to the position of monarch retired from business.
He is a common-looking negroid who lives upon the
proceeds of the plantation and periodical presents;
he is not permitted to appear as an equal at the
Seyyid’s durbar, and it is highly improbable that he
would ever come into his own again.’’ It is doubt-
ful, therefore, whether this man, whose fame is still
great in Zanzibar, belonged to the Alawi clan, to
which Queen Fatima and her descendants belonged.
Alawi is the name of the descendants of the Khalifa
Ali.
The Mwenyi Mkuu at the time of his succession
(about 1845) was living with the chief Sheha at Dunga,
Kiriemeta bin Ngwamchenga, the best known Sheha
of the Wachengani.
The Mwenyi Mkuu was a person of considerable
power, although tributary to Seyyid Said and after-
wards to Seyyid Majid, and he used to receive large
presents from the Seyyid. There was a poll tax of
two dollars a head on the Wahadimu, of which one
went to the Seyyid and the other was retained by the
Mwenyi Mkuu, although Burton remarks that he only
received two thousand dollars.
His name used to be mentioned in the Friday
Khutbeh, and he was regarded with peculiar venera-
tion by his subjects, over whom he had supreme control.
If he went out, any person up a clove tree or coco-nut
tree would climb down, as it was improper for anyone
to be higher than he, and when people came into his
presence they might only do so on their knees with
uncovered heads, exclaiming Shikamu (‘‘1 clasp your
legs’’). He is credited with all kinds of supernatural
powers, and it is related that on one occasion Seyyid
 THE MWENYI MKUU 151
Said quarrelled with him and imprisoned him in the
fort at Zanzibar. During the same night, however,
the Mwenyi Mkuu disappeared from prison, and was
soon after heard of on the mainland. During his
absence from Zanzibar Island, which lasted for three
years, no rain fell, and Seyyid Said, being petitioned
by his people, had to pardon the old ruler and permit
him to return to Zanzibar. On his return the rain
fell again. So runs the local legend.
The Mwenyi Mkuu, who was born in 1785, set
himself, about the year 1845, to build a palace suit-
able to his dignity, and for ten years the hum of
myriads of workers never ceased. Many slaves are
said to have been slaughtered to consecrate the
foundations, for this was the old custom, the relic
of which is still to be seen in the custom prevalent in
Zanzibar of sacrificing a fowl or goat before and after
a. house is built.
About the year 1856 his palace was ready, though
the Mwenyi Mkuu did not at once occupy it. It was
a magnificent palace with a mosque, bathrooms, and
houses for his retainers, and at each of the many doors
fifty armed slaves kept guard. In its walls is said
to have been buried the sacred horn of the Swahilis,
the spot being known only by one man, who kept the
secret until on the point of death, when he handed it
down to another man. The last time it was blown was
three days after the death of the Mwenyi Mkuu. It
was said that when it was sounded all the Wahadimu
would rally to the call.
By those who remember him, the great lord is said
to have borne a certain kingly air, and he was rather
a tall man with a fringe of white beard.
A portrait of him, which can be recognized by
those who have seen him, is still extant in Zanzibar.
The Mwenyi Mkuu only lived to enjoy his palace
for four years, and died in the year 1865, being
succeeded by his son, Sultan Ahmed. This Mwenyi
Mkuu received the same respect that his father
enjoyed, but exercised no power over the people, as
152 ZANZIBAR
he lived in town. He reigned only for eight years,
and after his death three of his sisters came into
possession and lived together at Dunga.
Three or four years after this one of these sisters
died, and about 1871 another died, leaving a daughter
called Mwana Nguja (known as Mwana binti Kuu)
who married one, Mohammed bin Seif, about the year
1890; one of the other sisters had married a man
named Mohammed bin All.
Many stories of ghosts are told about the palace
at Dunga, probably emanating from all the atrocities
that were committed there; in fact, Dunga seems to
be a place like Pujini in Pemba, and the Mwenyi
Mkuu, like Mkame Mdume, to have been a person
with miraculous powers.
So bad was his reputation that when the estate
passed into the hands of Mohammed bin Seif, who
married into the family and died in 1899, he would
never live there, but had to build another house.
Dunga was the last of the native capitals of
Zanzibar, and, as we have seen, of recent foundation.
The capitals before that seem to have been Bweni
for a short time, Zanzibar which was founded by
Hasan J, and Kizimkazi.
The regalia of the Mwenyi Mkuu are still in
existence, and consist of two beautiful carved drums
and two wooden horns called Szwa, which are now
housed in the Zanzibar Museum. After the death
of the Mwenyi Mkuu in 1865, and until that of
Mohammed bin Seif in 1899, the drums had been
kept locked up in a house near the palace, and no one
was allowed in except their custodians. On the death
of Mohammed bin Seif they were brought into
Zanzibar town, but in 1906 were returned to Dunga,
though when the palace was gutted they were taken
to the Residency. They are said to have come from
Otondo (Utondwe), and were very possibly brought
over by Abdulla, the consort of Queen Fatima.
I have said that the title Mwenyi Mkuu was
always that of the native chiefs of Zanzibar, but there
 THE DIWANIS OF PEMBA 153
seems to be some controversy on the question, as
before the succession of the Mwenyi Mkuu Mohammed
bin Ahmed, these rulers of the Alawi tribe are also
said to have been called Sultani; but the point is not
one of great importance, and both titles seem to be
used indiscriminately by the Wahadimu. It may be
mentioned that the Portuguese referred to these old
rulers as El Rey. Mfalme was no doubt used, but
it cannot be said with certainty that it was more than
a generic term. It appears on the Kizimkazi inscrip-
tion, and, as I have noted above, it is possible that
in Portuguese times the king was called M/falme and
his son Mwenyi Mkuu.
It may be noted that the succession in the case of
the Mwenyi Mkuu was hereditary and not lateral, as
in the case of the Omani dynasty. The Imams of
Oman were, of course, appointed on the elective
principle, though Seyyid Barghash, when consulted on
the question, said that the law of succession was the
law of the keenest blade. It is not possible to say
what the rule was in the case of the Diwanis of Pemba;
although three brothers appear to have succeeded, the
later dynasty did not last long enough for one to
observe any particular rule; it may be noted, how-
ever, that in deciding headships of families both
principles, hereditary and lateral, seem to be con-
sidered, whilst in the case of Masheha if a suitable
son or brother is not available, someone else is elected.

THE DIWANIS OF PEMBA

In an earlier chapter we have read of the great

chief of Pemba, Mkame Mdume, and it will be
remembered that he lived in the hey-day of the
Shirazis—the time of the Zinj Empire. It seems
from legend that he died shortly before or after the
advent of the Portuguese. The power of these chiefs
was then broken, but the policy of the Portuguese was
to keep the native form of government, though the
people were tributary to them. As long as the chiefs
154 ZANZIBAR
did as they were told all went well, though, as we
have seen, in Pemba the people rebelled more than
once.
The chiefs in Pemba were termed Diwanis, but
how many of them there were and how far back they
arose is difficult to say, as legend, which says that
Mkame Mdume was the first, is silent about the names
of the others until about probably the end of the
eighteenth century.
Our sources of information on these chiefs are
the written records and traditions.
We have already seen that Pemba was early
divided into five districts, over which there appear
to have been separate chiefs called first Shekas,
though afterwards the authority of these minor chief-
tains was reduced (as separate clans and families
grew up) to the thirty-five towns and other surround-
ing villages. Over the whole of Pemba appear to
have reigned dynasties of paramount chiefs who were
Diwanis. The names of these chiefs prior to a
hundred and fifty years ago have'been lost, though
the ‘‘ King ’’ of Pemba ordered by the Portuguese to
report at Mombasa, with other coastal monarchs, in
1728, is called in Portuguese records Ben Sultan
Manya, and other references to Pemba princes from
the same source have been made in Chapter XI.
About the time of the expulsion of the Portuguese
from the coast and the arrival of the Mazrui, there
came to the country a fresh dynasty, which, however,
apparently had relatives and friends in the island.
One of the written histories states that this family
came from a place called Pagi, during the first
dominion of the Diwanis. It was the family of one
Makame bin Abubakar bin Salim. Although Pagi is
stated as having been their home town in this history,
tradition credits them with various homes, though they
are generally called Washirazi.
Sometimes they are referred to by the Wapemba
and other people as Masherifu. When used in con-
nection with the natives in Pemba the word sherifu
 THE DIWANIS OF PEMBA 155
does not mean “‘ the descendant of the Prophet,’’ but
is the name given by the natives to the immigrants
which originated according to tradition from Wasin
Island. Whether Makame bin Abubakar ever ruled
as the Diwani of Pemba, is a matter of doubt.
Apparently the first of this family to hold supreme
power was his son Ngwachani, though he apparently
was not the eldest.
During his reign the Mazrui Arabs made them-
selves oppressive. Many stories are told of the
Diwani, and he is credited with the same sort of
cruelties as Mkame Mdume, who apparently held the
affections of the people more than this chieftain. It
was the custom of the Diwani on succeeding to chief
power, to give an ox and twenty pishis of rice to each
of the districts, and it was a prerogative of his that
all virgin girls should be brought to him before being
married—the widespread custom of jus prime noctis.
Whenever the Diwani walked out, any ox that he
found on the road was slain and eaten, and whenever
he sat down a mango tree was planted, a custom that
is said to have originated with Mkame Mdume.
Having persuaded the Mazrui to expel the Portu-
guese, it was not long before their oppression led
the people of Pemba to wish to rid themselves of their
late deliverers, and they determined to send a mission
to Seyyid Said at Muscat to aid them in that behalf.
Who composed the mission is a matter of some con-
troversy. The written history says that the Diwan
Ngwachani, accompanied by his brother, Diwani
Athmani, who apparently assisted him in administer-
ing the government, went in person. Tradition has
various versions.
One story says that the Sheha Mshoka, Kiago
baba Mdogo and Yusuf bin Idarusi went, having
been hidden before embarking by one of the Ismaili
Arabs, Nasor bin Suleiman. As this Arab’s mother
was a Mazrui, he undertook this service at some con-
siderable personal risk, apparently with the hope of
fulfilling an ambition of becoming Liwali.
156 ZANZIBAR
Another version says that Nasor bin Suleiman
went in person, accompanied by a deputation of three
Wapemba, three Masherifu and two Swahilis. Yet
another says that the Diwani Ngwachani went accom-
panied by Mwishoka (who was probably the same
person as Sheha Mshoka). The truth seems probably
to be that Ngwachani and Athmani went with a
representative deputation.
When they got to Muscat they laid their petition
before the Seyyid, and he agreed to help them.
The generally accepted story is that in return for
these services they agreed to pay an excise duty of
5 per cent. on their products and a poll tax of two
dollars a head. In addition to that they promised
they would do work for the Government free. The
written history, however, says that they agreed to
bring samli (ghi) and mats to Seyyid Said, and that
he might build where he wished. Seyyid Said then
sent orders to his Governor at Zanzibar, Mohammed
bin Nasor, to expel the Mazrui, and in the year 1822
the Seyyid’s army, commanded by Salim bin Sulei-
man, brother of Nasor bin Suleiman, and Salim bin
Nasor, landed in Pemba. Before this, however, the
deputation had returned from Muscat, and the Diwani
Ngwachani was arrested and imprisoned for twelve
months by the Mazrui, with a threat that if Seyyid
Said came he would be killed. He was apparently
released (as the Mazrui thought that the danger was
past) two months before the Seyyid Said’s army
landed, and made for the Mazrui stronghold of
Chwaka, in the north of Pemba. In this place the
Mazrui had built a fort, a house for their Governor
and a mosque, the ruins of all of which still remain.
Their paramount chief, Mbarak, whose name is still
referred to by the inhabitants, is buried there, and
there are other graves as well, a tomb where two are
buried and the grave of a child.
On the grave of Mbarak is an inscription: ‘‘ The
date that Sheikh Mbarak bin Rashid bin Kathib bin
Athman Mazrui died was the night of Monday, Rabia
 THE DIWANIS OF PEMBA 157
el Akhir, 1221’ (A.D. 1806). At the time of this
invasion, however, the chief of the Mazrui was his
son, Rizike bin Mbarak bin Rashid, who prepared
for resistance. The Mazrui were defeated and fled
to Mombasa, though some of them surrendered and
are the ancestors of the present Mazrui in Pemba.
A short time afterwards the Mazrui returned to
Pemba under Rizike bin Salim to try conclusions
again, bringing many Wanyika in their army. They
built a oma at Biri Kau, on the northern side
of the Mkumbuu peninsula, and Nasor bin Suleiman,
who had attained his ambition of being appointed
Liwali, prepared to give them battle. He sent his
brother Salim with a vanguard and followed up in
the rear. When they were a short way from the
scene of the action, Nasor’s courage failed him and
he collapsed on the ground saying he was thirsty.
He sent a man up a coco-nut tree to pick him
madafu, but the nut was split by a bullet and he did
not get it. The strain of this was too much for his
nerves, and he apparently became unconscious. His
followers took the door from a house and prepared
to carry him into Chake; the door, however, broke,
as the Liwali was a portly man, and another had to
be obtained.
One of the six improvised stretcher-bearers was a
man named Kombo Baraka, the slave of Abdul Rahim
bin Salim el Busaidy. (He is said to have been a
man of great strength, and it is related that even if
a coco-nut tree fell on him it did him no harm. As
a slave all his masters were afraid of him, and he
frequently changed hands on this account. If he
gave permission to his wife she was allowed to carry
water for their master, but if the Arab in question
sent her without his permission, it is said Kombo
would take the water and douse his master thoroughly
with it.)
Meanwhile the rumour had got back to the fort
at Chake, which was held by the Seyyid’s men, that
the Liwali had been killed, and the garrison set out
 158 ZANZIBAR
to meet him. They did not get far along the road
when they met Kombo and his party carrying him
on the door, and they went on to Biri Kau, where
the Mazrui were defeated and fled to Mombasa. In
the next year they came back to Pemba and succeeded
in building a doma at Wesha. The victorious Salim
bin Suleiman in command of the Seyyid’s men came,
but not before the Mazrui had succeeded in well
establishing themselves at Wesha, and setting up a
battery with a large gun at Tuiberizi.
One of the Arabs in the Seyyid’s army, Salim bin
Mohammed el Mendhir, in the course of the battle,
told his men to point Rizike out to him. This the
soldiers did, and Salim, taking aim, shot and killed
him. The credit of firing the shot has also been
given to Abdulla bin Fihim Hadim Rumhi, whose
grandson of the same name was the Sheha of the
district of Ngambwa.
As for the battery at Tiberizi, it is said that the
gunner at the fort of Chake Chake took good aim
from the top of one of the towers, and succeeded in
placing a cannon ball right into its mouth, a piece
of good fortune which was attributed to magic worked
by the Arabs of the Rashad tribe. The name of the
gunner is said to have been Said Msellem el Harusi,
who afterwards became Liwali.
This finally broke the power of the Mazrui, who
fled again to Mombasa; some say that they took with
them the body of Rizike who is buried there, but a
baobab tree at Wesha is also pointed out as marking
his burial-place.
The Government was now stabilized with the
Liwali, appointed by the Seyyid. The Washirazi
were left in a semi-independent tributary state under
the Diwani Ngwachani, and the taxes paid formed
the revenue of the island, which was used by the
Liwali in paying for the administration services.
Salim bin Nasor, who had been one of the
victorious generals of the Seyyid, was accidentally
killed after the war by a spear thrust in a competition
 THE DIWANIS OF PEMBA 159
of Kazka, a sword contest accompanied by drums, by
another competitor who was returning the spear to
him. This started a blood feud, for the Ismaili clan
wished to fight that of the slayer Wasuri, of the tribe
of Jenebi, but Salim’s father, Nasor bin Suleiman,
the Liwali, wrote and forgave them, the document
being said to be now in Muscat.
Shortly after these events the Diwani Ngwachani
died, an old man of about seventy-two. He was
buried at the back of Chake Chake town, where he
had lived latterly, and a borassus palm marks his
solitary grave to this day. He was succeeded by his
brother Athmani, who lived only for a short time, and
during the reign of Seyyid Majid a man named
Ibrahim became Diwani, to be succeeded in the same
reign by Kihanuni, another brother of Ngwachani
and Athmani.
This man was the last of the Diwanis who carried
on with the cruel practice of his predecessors. He
lived mainly at Chambani, and had the state drums,
called Awutanga, with which to summon his people.
The natives relate that at the end of the year he was
in the habit of sewing up the eyes of any children he
could get hold of.
Many other small chieftains during the period of
the Diwanis may be mentioned; Sheha Kikamburi
who lived and died at Mtambwe during the reign of
Seyyid Said bin Sultan, and another also noted for
cruelty was Seyyid Mtu bin Kiambani. One of his
pleasures was to order people to climb up a perpen-
dicular wall and beat them when, as a natural
corollary, they failed. Another thing he did was to
endeavour to force people to cultivate by night.
‘* He said he used to do these things because he was
a young god, but this only brought him into ridicule,
and when he died everyone said that the young god
had died.”’
160 ZANZIBAR
THE SHEHA OF TUMBATU

The chief of Tumbatu was known as Sheha;

beneath him was his prime minister, or Waziri, and
below the Waziri, an officer called the Makata.
Tumbatu was nominally subject to the Mwenyi Mkuu,
but the Sheha was allowed by him a good deal of
freedom in his administration.
We have seen that Mwana wa Mwana, Queen of
Tumbatu, married Hassan the Mwenyi Mkuu, and
legend has it that for her sake the Watumbatu were
excused payment of the taxes.
Mwana wa Mwana was succeeded by Ali bin
Hassan, brother to the Mwenyi Mkuu, Ali was
succeeded by his daughter Fatima, who was, in her
turn, succeeded by her nephew, Vuai bin Mkadam.
Vuai was succeeded by his second cousin, Mwana
Kazija bint Ngwale bin Kombo bin Ali, and she, by
her brother Ali. This was the end of the royal house
of Tumbatu. Little is known of these people, but
the names are interesting, as showing that a woman
could freely succeed to supreme power: such a thing
would be unlikely to happen nowadays.
 C. HISTORY OF MODERN ZANZIBAR

CHARTER Nit

THE ZANZIBARI-OMANI EMPIRE

THE REIGN OF SEYYID SAID

CONSIDERATIONS of space make it impossible for me

to devote more than a little room to the history of
Seyyid Said, whose name towers out above those of
all men who have been associated with the island
kingdom. His life, however, is fairly well known,
and as it is my object here to avoid giving information
which may be easily obtained elsewhere in convenient
form, it will be impossible to mention more than the
outstanding features of his reign.
Said bin Sultan, grandson of the Imam Ahmed,
was born in 1791, and ruled jointly over Oman with
his brother Salim until the death of the latter in 1821.
Continual troubles in that most turbulent of Arabian
states, Oman, ushered in the reign of the prince:
these troubles were to continue with very little inter-
ruption until his death. His first connection with
Zanzibar was in the year 1822, but he did not make
his first visit in person to the coast until 1828, when,
with a large fleet in his flagship, the Liverpool, he
fought with the Mazrui and defeated them at Mom-
basa, after which a treaty was entered into by which
the Mazrui acknowledged his supremacy. Leaving
a garrison there of 300 Baluchis, he proceeded to
Zanzibar, and at once started on improvements, but
was later called back to Muscat by rebellion there.
In 1837 troubles again occurred in Mombasa, and
proceeding to the coast, he captured Rashid bin
Salim, the chief of the Mazruis, and sent him and
161
162 ZANZIBAR

twenty-four others to starve in Bunder Abbas. It

may be noted that in 1824 they had concluded a
covenant with Captain Owen of H.M.S. Leven,
whereby they were placed under British protection,
but this had been disallowed on the remonstrances of
Seyyid Said. In 1832 he made Zanzibar his capital,
though he had to pay frequent visits to Muscat, where
he returned on the 10th of September of that year.
After settling the trouble there he re-embarked for
Zanzibar, leaving his third son, Thwain, as Wali of
Muscat. Seyyid Said had not been long in Zanzibar
before he was again recalled by the rebellion of Seyyid
Hamoud bin Azzan, who caused him continual trouble
until the time of his death in 1849.
In 1833 Seyyid Said entered into a treaty of Amity
and Commerce with the United States of America,
and an American consulate was opened at Zanzibar
in 1837. The British Consulate was established in
1841, and the first consul was Colonel Hamerton, who
became a great friend of the Seyyid’s. He main-
tained excellent relations with Britain, and entered
into the first treaty directed against the abolition of
slavery (1822), which cost him a loss of 100,000
crowns annually, and for which he declined com-
pensation. He gave his ship, the Liverpool, to Great
Britain, and it was renamed the /maum. .
In 1844 he signed a Commercial Treaty with
France, and generally encouraged commerce and
recognized free trade. In April, 1856, he was com-
pelled to enter into a humiliating treaty with the
Persians, in respect of the territories of Bunder Abbas
and other dependencies, which he leased from them.
In the same year Seyyid Said sailed from Muscat
for the last time on board the Victoria. Deeply
humiliated by the affronts of Persia and worn out in
health, he was destined never to see Zanzibar again
—the Decree of Fate overtook him in the sea of
Seychelles on the 19th October, and though he
directed that in the event of the death he expected
he should be thrown overboard, his body was taken
 REIGN OF SEYYID MAJID 163
to Zanzibar and buried. His last words were a call
for his friend, Colonel Hamerton.
At his death his dominions included the whole of
Oman, with certain islands in the Persian Gulf, and
the coast of Africa from Guardafui to Cape Delgado,
with the exception of Lamu, a distance of 960 miles.
In addition his sway was acknowledged in the interior,
from the coast to beyond the great lakes. He con-
ceived the idea of a series of trading-stations, starting
on the coast opposite Zanzibar to end in the Congo.
This one man, by his own strength of character,
built up an empire which any power might have
envied : had he been better served this empire might
have survived till to-day : as it was, it fell to pieces on
account of internal dissension and the great rush for
Africa which the powers of Europe were soon to
start. It may be said that it is owing to Seyyid Said
and Seyyid Barghash that Zanzibar to-day still has its
own Sultan and its own flag.
Personally Seyyid Said was a “‘ tall, stout, honour-
able-looking man, with a benevolent countenance,
clever, intelligent, sharp eyes, and a remarkably
pleasing and agreeable manner: he combined, in a
high degree, majesty of figure, nobleness of counten-
ance, and perfect grace of gesture.”’ He was a
distinguished diplomatist, a great sailor, a brave
soldier, and withal, highly religious. He laid the
foundations of Zanzibar’s prosperity by insisting on
the cultivation of the clove, which was introduced at
the end of the eighteenth century. When he died,
Zanzibar and Pemba had many clove plantations.
‘¢ First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of
his fellow countrymen,”’ he was a ruler any country
might be proud of.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID MAJID

On the death of Seyyid Said, his son Majid, who

was in Zanzibar, immediately took up the reins of
Government; but it was not long before his brother
164 ZANZIBAR
Thwain, the Wali of Muscat, laid claim to the whole
empire. Majid was pertectly content that Oman
should fall to Thwain, but was not prepared to give
up Zanzibar, and Thwain, in 1860, prepared to send
an expedition against him. In addition to this,
another brother, Turki, claimed Sohar. The British
Government now deemed it expedient to interfere,
and the Governor-General of India appointed a
Commission to inquire into the claims of the rivals.
It appeared that it was Seyyid Said’s wish that Muscat
should go to Thwain, Sohar to Turki and Zanzibar
to Majid. The Governor-General’s decision, now
known as ‘‘ Lord Canning’s award,’’ was made on
2nd April, 1861, and by it Majid was to retain
Zanzibar on paying 40,000 crowns annually to
Thwain, who was to retain Muscat. The money was
not to be considered as making Zanzibar dependent
on Muscat, but to compensate the ruler of the latter
place for abandonment of all claims on the richer
country of Zanzibar. Majid paid the money until
Thwain’s death, and in 1871 the arrears were paid by
the Indian Government: since the death of Thwain
the money has not been a charge on the Zanzibar
treasury. From 1861 the fortunes of Oman were no
longer mingled with those of Zanzibar, and from that
date we can devote ourselves to the history of
Zanzibar alone.
The independence of Zanzibar was recognized by
England and other powers in 1862: the rest of Seyyid
Majid’s reign was uneventful, but he paid a state visit
to Bombay in 1866, and in the same year Pate and
Siu submitted to his arms. Seyyid Majid died in
1870.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID BARGHASH

Seyyid Barghash, who had twice endeavoured to

supplant his brother Majid, succeeded to the throne
on the latter’s death. The clove industry of the
island received a serious set-back in 1872, when a
 REIGN OF SEYYID BARGHASH 165
cyclone occurred which destroyed practically all the
cloves in Zanzibar, though Pemba luckily escaped.
It was Seyyid Barghash who instituted the export
duty on cloves, which he fixed at 30 per cent., 3
figure reduced by his brother Seyyid Khalifa to 25
per cent. In the year of the cyclone, owing to the
encouragement of Seyyid Barghash, who was anxious
to help trade, the British India Company started a
service between India and Zanzibar. The next year
the Sultan entered into a treaty with Sir Bartle Frere
to abolish the slave trade, and the treaty was finally
signed on the 5th of June. The same year Zanzibar
Treasury ceased to pay the subsidy of 40,000 crowns
to the Sultan of Muscat, who received it from the
Political Agent there, with the sanction of the Viceroy
of India. It is interesting to note that the Sultan
offered France the Protectorate of his dominions, but
the proposal fell through, as Great Britain and France
had agreed to respect his independence indefinitely.
The following year he made overtures to Germany,
which were again refused by Bismarck.
In 1875 Seyyid Barghash paid a state visit to
England at the invitation of the British Government.
He was attended by a numerous suite, and accom-
panied by Sir John Kirk.
In the same year Egyptian warships, under
McKillop Pasha, sailed down the coast of Africa
and attempted seizure of the mainland ports, dropping
anchor at Kismayu. They finally left under the
orders of the Khedive, to whom representations had
been made by the British.
Another step was taken by the Sultan towards the
abolition of slavery, by a decree ordering the confisca-
tion of slaves brought to Zanzibar, and prohibiting
slave traffic by land. | vot
In 1877 he offered a lease of the customs adminis-
tration of the Zanzibar east coast to Sir William
Mackinnon, which was refused, as Mackinnon could
not obtain Foreign Office support.
Two years later another link (of Zanzibar) with the
166 ZANZIBAR
outside world was forged by the laying of the cable,
and Seyyid Barghash ceded the small island of Bawe,
outside the territorial waters of Zanzibar, to the
Eastern Telegraph Company to land the cable. In
the same year German attempts at a protectorate over
Zanzibar, which had been mooted by Vice-Admiral
Livinous in 1875, were renewed, and for the next five
years the Germans were very active in East Africa.
The notorious Dr. Carl Peters concluded treaties
with the chiefs of Mbuzini and Usagara in 1884, which
caused some uneasiness to the British Government.
The next year Peters obtained an Imperial Charter of
protection, and some of the territories of the Sultan
were put under German protection in spite of
Barghash’s protest. He (Barghash) prepared to send
an expedition to subdue Witu, but the German
Government protested and declared a protectorate.
The result of this was a Commission appointed by
Britain, France and Germany to delineate the
Sultan’s boundaries, which resulted in the procés-
verbal of the 9th June, 1886, which ‘defined his posses-
sions as the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba and the
islets within twelve miles thereof; the Lamu Archi-
pelago, a ten-mile belt along the coast from Tungi
to Kipini, at the mouth of the Ozi River, and the
ports of Kismayu, Barawa, Marka, Mogadisho and
Warsheik.
In 1886 the Sultan accepted the Berlin Act, but
excepted his territory from the free trade articles,
continuing to levy a 5 per cent. duty on imports as
well as certain export duties. On 25th January, 1887,
Portugal demanded a rectification of the frontier
between Zanzibar and Portuguese territory, stating
that Germany recognized Rovuma as the northern
limit of Mozambique colony: Germany, however,
stated she would not interfere if Portugal came to an
agreement with the Sultan concerning Rovuma.
In February the Portuguese demanded the cession
of this territory, and as the Sultan declined to yield,
broke off diplomatic relations with Zanzibar : Portugal
 REIGN OF SEYYID BARGHASH 167
stated her intention was only to occupy Tungi, but
rumours of hostile Portuguese action at Zanzibar and
the capture of H.H. ship Kilwa by the Portu-
guese, led the English Government to make inquiries
and demand explanations.
Portugal, however, now continued to commit acts
of war, and in addition to capturing a ship of the
Sultan’s, occupied Minengani and Tungi, which
latter town they bombarded on 18th February. Some
retaliation was made in April by the Governor of
Tungi contrary to the orders of Seyyid Barghash.
A Commission was then appointed to investigate
the matter, which sat, on the arrival of the Portuguese
Commissioner, on roth July. But before this had
happened, Seyyid Barghash was taken seriously ill,
and died on 26th March, 1888, at the age of fifty-five.
Sir Euan Smith, who was acting Consul-General at
the time, stated that his ‘‘ death seems to have called
forth but very limited expressions of sorrow and
regret from any section of the community,’ and while
it must be admitted that Seyyid Barghash had acted
often in an arbitrary manner towards his subjects,
frequently seizing their property, it must be remem-
bered that he suffered severely from consumption and
elephantiasis, and that. the gradual and inevitable
stripping of his territories caused him considerable
disappointment and humiliation. At this distance of
time the verdict of history is more merciful, and
Seyyid Barghash can be seen as a great ruler.
He was a remarkable man, and possessed many
of the qualities of his father: he was exceedingly
ambitious and energetic, but withal, honourable, and
had a knowledge of the world exceeding that of his
father and his brother.
Before closing this chapter, reference must be
made to Sir John Kirk, whose name is even now a
household word in Zanzibar, and who retired from the
position of Consul-General in 1887. Sir John Kirk
was a man of marvellous energy, and his uniform
successes were undoubtedly the result of a long
168 ZANZIBAR
practical acquaintance with native manners and
methods: ‘‘ the pre-eminence of his work entitles
him to be remembered as one of the greatest pioneers
of the Africa of to-day, and when other names are
buried in oblivion, not always undeserved, his will
stand out pre-eminent as that of a wise and powerful
ruler and successful administrator.’’

TIPPU TIB

One can hardly write of the Zanzibari Empire in

the times of its prosperity without mentioning the
great traveller, trader and ruler, Hemed bin
Mohammed, surnamed Tippu Tib.
The son of adventurous parents, he commenced
his career at the age of eighteen with a journey to
Ugangi, north-east of Lake Nyasa. After this he
undertook to journey on his own, declining to have
any supervision or protection, and set out into the
interior at the head of a numerous band of followers.
After some years of trading and’ adventures in the
interior during which, in 1867, he encountered
Livingstone, to whom he rendered considerable
assistance, Tippu Tib made for the coast, and after
a few incidents reached Dar-es-Salaam, where he
found Seyyid Majid and his Court assembled. The
Sultan, realizing that the mainland furnished him with
most of his wealth, had determined to build a palace
and transfer his Government there. The coming of
Tippu Tib’s caravan excited the greatest interest, and
the Sultan loaded him with high honours and enter-
tained him as his guest: Tippu Tib returned with him
to Zanzibar, but soon wished to set out again. The
Sultan encouraged him and supported him in every
way, knowing that it would increase his political
influence if his subjects should achieve importance in
the interior, and would bring as well rich produce to
his country.
Tippu Tib met with a reverse at the hands of the
Wangoni, but followed it with a success over Sultan
 DIREUY DIB 169
Taka at Ugalla, and a considerable victory over the
Kasembe kingdom of Lunda in 1867. The fame of
Tippu Tib as a conqueror now spread, and no
resistance was offered to his progress. He passed on
to Irande, and subsequently to Utetera, where he was
made Sultan, and spent several years as ruler in his
territory with expeditions to the country around. In
1874 he met Cameron and rendered him assistance.
Two years later, when engaged on peaceful work
at Nyangwe and Kwakosongo, Stanley appeared.
Stanley and Tippu Tib did not agree, and there can
be no doubt that the Englishman had treated the
Arab unfairly, as he seems to have ignored the terms
of any agreement made: however, they set out
together, and had it not been for Tippu Tib, Stanley
would have been deserted by his people. In
December of 1876 they agreed to part.
In 1879 Seyyid Barghash summoned him to
return at once to Zanzibar to settle his affairs with his
banker, and a year after Tippu Tib set out for the
coast. He reached Tabora, but not without incurring
hostilities on the way in which, as usual, he came out
successful.
On 7th September, 1882, he was joined by Wiss-
mann, who accompanied him to the coast, and they
reached Zanzibar on 13th November of that year.
There he saw Seyyid Barghash, who told him that
he had intended to make him Liwal: of Tabora, but
considered it more advisable that he should return
at once to his dominions. However, Tippu Tib
remained some time in Zanzibar, and held consulta-
tions with Sir John Kirk, who was very interested in
the state of affairs at Ugogo, and proposed that
Tippu Tib should, in concert with the Sultan, bring
the whole country under his control.
Had the Sultan taken this hint, as he could easily
have done, he would have averted the loss of his great
possessions in Africa, but Barghash had less inclina-
tion for extending his political influence than for
commercial undertakings, and desired first and fore-
170 ZANZIBAR
most to secure the monopoly of trade for his subjects
in the new regions. He promulgated a decree that
no one should enlist carriers until Tippu Tib was
sufficiently supplied. More favours were heaped by
Barghash on the famous traveller, and with an un-
limited credit he started off for the interior again. At
Tabora he heard that the people in Manyema had
become refractory, so he pressed on to Kwakosongo,
which he reached in June, 1883, and soon restored
order.
Shortly afterwards Seyyid Barghash wrote to him
to use every means in his power to keep the country
under his influence: Tippu Tib thereupon replied that
the Sultan must first supply him with arms, and
Barghash called him back to talk it over in person.
On his arrival in what is now Tanganyika
Territory, he found that the Belgians and the Germans
were threatening more and more to force back the
Arab sphere of influence, and as Tippu Tib had to
force or purchase his ways through the coast, there
were clear indications that the Sultan’s power was not
in the least feared by the natives.
At Zanzibar, Barghash realized from Tippu Tib’s
accounts that he had indeed lost his hold in the
interior, and could only hope to keep the Island of
Zanzibar, which even then the Europeans wished to
wrest from him.
Tippu Tib’s next undertaking was in 1886, when
he rendered assistance in the rescue of Emin Pasha.
King Leopold, desiring peace with the Arabs,
offered Tippu Tib the post of Governor in the
provinces wrested from the Congo state by the Arabs.
Tippu Tib therefore set sail with Stanley and
journeyed inland, after having passed through Cape
Town in 1887. He eventually took up his duties as
Governor of Stanley Falls, where he lived on the best
of terms with the Europeans, especially the Belgians.
At this time he heard of the death of his old patron,
who had died on 26th March, 1888, and he at once
sent an embassy to convey greetings to Khalifa and
 ‘BLPPU. TIB 171
assure him of his allegiance : however, he had shortly
to return to Zanzibar, as the King of the Belgians
informed him that Stanley had brought a case against
him for breach of contract, and he started in March,
1890, despite all the protests of his fellow-tribesmen,
who wished him to evade justice. In the Arab text
of the summons the plaintiffs were given as ‘‘ Emin
Pasha and his people,’’ meaning the relief committee.
Emin Pasha was most indignant at the misuse of
his name, as it might give rise to the idea that he was
on unfriendly terms with the ‘‘ uncrowned ruler of
Central Africa,’’? and publicly denied his association
with the suit. The case never came into court;
Stanley apparently failed in his accusations, and as
it was shown that he had made false accusations
against another European, opinion now turned against
him. After that time Tippu Tib did not journey
again into the interior. After his departure there
was trouble in Congo, the Arabs rising against the
Belgians, but it could hardly be said that Tippu Tib
was to blame for this, for as soon as his personal
influence was removed there was bound to be trouble.
He himself suffered considerable loss, as all his
goods were lost. He spent his last years in Zanzibar,
an important person in the Council of the island, and
always on good terms with the ruler for the time
being. He never lost his attraction for the Europeans.
He died in June, 1905.
 CHAPTER IV.

Tue REIGN oF SEYVID KHALIFA BIN SAID TO THE

PRESENT Day

THE REIGN OF SEYYID KHALIFA BIN SAID

Sevyip KHALIFA BIN Sarp succeeded his brother on

26th March, 1888. In October he offered a conces-
sion of his mainland territories to the British East
Africa Company. It will be remembered that this
was offered by the last Sultan to Sir William Mac-
kinnon, but refused, as the British Foreign Office
would not support the company: on this occasion,
however, the concession was signed in 1889, and the
Sultan surrendered all control over the company’s
territory in return for an annual payment. This
concession was probably expedited by the action of
the Germans. In June, 1887, the German Consul-
General demanded the concession of all the port and
Island of Lamu: this was refused by the Sultan, and
the Belgian Foreign Minister, to whom the case was
submitted for arbitration, decided that the Sultan
could cede the island where he chose. The Sultan
took another step towards the abolition of slavery, by
decreeing that all slaves born after the rst January,
1890, should be free; he later, fearing for his safety
at the hands of the Arabs, never published this decree,
and it remained a dead letter. Seyyid Khalifa died
after a brief reign on the 13th February, 1890.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID ALI BIN SAID

Seyyid Ali bin Said was recognized as Sultan on

the 17th February, and June of the same year agreed
to the assumption by Great Britain of a protectorate
172
 SEYYID HAMED BIN THWAIN 173
over Zanzibar. This was recognized by Germany in
exchange for the Island of Heligoland, and by France
on recognition by Great Britain of her protectorate
over Madagascar. Thus the last remnants of inde-
pendence passed from the proud empire built up by
Seyyid Said, though legally certain islets, unimportant
and few in number, which lie outside the territorial
waters of Zanzibar and Pemba, are not within the
British Protectorate. |
It must be remembered that if this had not been
declared, other powers, for instance Germany, would
have been but too ready to absorb the weak and
powerless state.‘ At the same time the actual
territory between the Rivers Umba and Rovuma,
including the Island of Mafia, was ceded to Germany
on payment of four million marks.
The disposal of slaves was declared illegal in
August of the same year by a decree of the Sultan,
and in the following year constitutional government
was established, Sir Lloyd Matthews becoming First
Minister.
In 1892 the import duties were abolished and
Zanzibar was declared a free port, and in the same
year the Benadir coast was leased to Italy. Seyyid
Ali, who had been sickening for some time, died
on the 5th March, 1893.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID HAMED BIN THWAIN

On the death of Seyyid Ali bin Said, Seyyid

Khaled, a young and ambitious youth, the son of
Seyyid Barghash, attempted to seize the palace, but
was expelled at once owing to the prompt action of
Sir Rennell Rodd, the Consul-General, and Sir Lloyd
Matthews. There were two other claimants to the
throne; Mahmud, a cousin of Seyyid Ali’s, and Seyyid
‘ i i judged from
ai porerrced ofFiat pein a oeeate Cuupter xviL Fol. I, of
Sir George Arthur’s Life of Lord Kitchener, which describes
the way the Germans were instrumental in cutting down the
Sultan’s territories at the Boundary Commission of 1886.
174 ZANZIBAR
Hamed bin Thwain: of these the latter, a man of
forty odd years, was selected and proclaimed Sultan
within a few hours of Seyyid Ali’s death.
In July, 1893, the Benadir ports and territory
were leased to Italy for a further period of three years.
In 1895 the Imperial British East Africa Company
surrendered their charter, for which they received a
compensation of £250,000, a sum, save £50,000, paid
out of Zanzibar funds. Zanzibar and Great Britain
entered into an agreement for the administration by
the latter of the Sultan’s mainland possessions. The
Kenya Government pay annually a sum of £11,000
as rent for these possessions, and £6,000 as interest
at 3 per cent. on the £200,000 paid to the company.
Seyyid Hamed bin Thwain died, after a short reign
of three years, on the 25th August, 1896: he was a
man of high culture and literary taste, and a profound
student of Arabic literature. Sir Rennell Rodd
credits him with a remark which shows him to have
been of a liberal turn of mind, ‘‘ The wise men who
made the Law, Christ and Mohammed, lived a very
long time ago and made the Law according to their
lights, but they did not know many things that we
know now, and the world has moved on further since
their Law was made.’’

SEYYID KHALED BIN BARGHASH

On the death of the Sultan, Seyyid Khaled again

at once seized the palace and proclaimed himself
Sultan: however, a British fleet arrived soon after,
in the harbour under Rear-Admiral Rawson: a two-
hour ultimatum was sent to him at seven a.m. on the
morning of the 27th August, to which he vouchsafed
no reply; it is said that the soothsayers had foretold
that the British guns would spout only water. At
nine a.m. a bombardment commenced, and when it
finished, forty minutes later, the palace had been
reduced to a shanibles, over 500 natives had been
killed, and the Sultan’s ship of war, The Glasgow,
SEYYID HAMOUD BIN MOHAMMED 175
sunk; Khaled himself fled to the German Consulate
and was given sanctuary in Dar-es-Salaam. On the
capture of the latter place in the late war, he was
exiled to St. Helena; thence in 1921 he was removed
to the Seychelles, and was then allowed to live in
Mombasa, where he died early in 1927.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID HAMOUD BIN MOHAMMED

On the deposition and flight of Seyyid Khaled,

Seyyid Hamoud bin Mohammed bin Said was pro-
claimed Sultan (August 27th, 1896). In September
of the same year more direct British control was
assumed over the Official, Military, and Executive
departments of the Government. The final abolition
of slavery by a decree of the Sultan took place on
the 6th April, 1897.
The 5 per cent. ad valorem duty, which had been
abolished in 1892, was reimposed in December, 1899,
as it was recognized that Zanzibar could not control
the East African trade, of which the German share
kept increasing despite Zanzibar’s being a free port.
In 1901 the Government issued £100,000 3 per
cent. debentures in London at par, the principal
repayable not later than 1st October, 1931.
To the great regret of all, the Sultan’s Prime
Minister, General Sir Lloyd William Matthews,
K.C.M.G., died on the 14th October, 1901. Sir
Rennell Rodd has said of him, ‘‘ few men could
possess so clean a record as was his; soldier and
sailor and vizier, he was of the fibre of those simple,
God-fearing mariners of the great days who laid the
foundations of empire. If few of his own country-
men had had the opportunity of appraising him, no
one was ever more sincerely mourned by those of
an alien race and dusky skin.”’
Sir Lloyd Matthews was succeeded as Prime
Minister by Mr. A. S. Rogers in November, 1901,
and Seyyid Hamoud died at the age of fifty-one on
the 18th July, 1902.
176 ZANZIBAR
He was an intelligent and generous man, of a fine
physique, with a courtly and charming presence.

THE REIGN OF SEYYID ALI BIN HAMOUD

Seyyid Ali bin Hamoud succeeded his father on

the 2oth July, 1902; but as he was under age, the
First Minister, Mr. Rogers, was appointed Regent.
He attained his majority in June, 1905, and assumed
his powers; in the same year the Benadir coast was
ceded to Italy for £144,000.
In 1906 the Government was again reorganized
and the First Minister given two colleagues, a financial
member of council and a legal member of council.
The Zanzibar army was disbanded in 1907, and
the defence of the country was entrusted to two
companies of the King’s African Rifles. In January,
1908, the import duties were increased from 5 to 74
per cent. ad valorem. In June, 1909, the emancipa-
tion of slaves was completed by a decree directing
compensation to be given to slaves unable to support
themselves, for the deprivation of their masters’
protection. No claims were to be considered later
than the end of 1911. In 1911 the Sultan left
Zanzibar to attend the coronation of King George V,
and whilst in Europe decided to abdicate: he died in
Paris in 1918,

THE REIGN OF SEYYID KHALIFA BIN HARUB

Seyyid Khalifa bin Harub acceded to the throne
in succession to his brother-in-law on the oth
December, 1911, and was formally installed on the
16th of that month.
On the 13th February, 1913, Mr. Edward Clark,
the last of the long succession of distinguished
Consuls-General, died in Zanzibar. In the same
year the control of the Sultanate passed from the
Foreign Office to the Colonial Office, legal effect
 SEYYID KHALIFA BIN HARUB 177
being given to the change in 1914 by a new Zanzibar
Order in Council which constituted the offices of High
Commissioner, British Resident and Chief Secretary.
In the same year the Zanzibar Protectorate Council
was formed: it consisted of His Highness as President,
the British Resident as Vice-President, three official
and four unofficial members who represent various
communities. The High Commissioner was the
Governor of Kenya Colony and Protectorate. The
British Resident combines the offices of Consul-
General and First Minister. Major F. B. Pearce,
C.M.G., was appointed first Resident. Mr. J. H.
Sinclair, C.M.G., who had served for many years
in the Protectorate, was the Chief Secretary.
On the outbreak of war Zanzibar found herself
in one of the theatres of war, and His Highness
associated himself with the protecting power by a
series of decrees, the first being a declaration of war
with Germany dated 5th August, 1914. In connec-
tion with Germany and Zanzibar it is interesting to
note that the German Chancellor, Von Bethmann
Hollweg, states that in February, 1912, it was proposed
that Zanzibar and Pemba should be handed over to
Germany, in addition to other considerations, in
exchange for German concessions in the Baghdad
Railway question, and, whatever other result the war
may have had, it is satisfactory to think that such a
contingency as this is unlikely to occur again. _
The first act of war committed within His High-
ness’s dominions by the Germans was the sinking
of H.M.S. Pegasus, which had been in these waters
some time, by the German cruiser Aémigsberg on
20th September, 1914.
Zanzibar’s contributions to the war were, for her
size, by no means negligible. Besides the formation
of a European Defence Force, and the enlistment
of many natives in the King’s African Rifles, some
thousands of carriers, under the Native Carrier’s
Recruitment Decree of 1916, were recruited, and a
sum of £70,000 was contributed to the Imperial
178 ZANZIBAR
Government as an aid to the carrying on of the war.
In addition £245,000 was invested in war loan and
£19,500 raised by public subscriptions for the British
Red Cross Society. Major Pearce has stated of His
Highness that his steadying influence, not only over
his own subjects within his dominions, but over the
Moslem populations of East and Central Africa,
largely contributed to the maintenance of peace among
the Mohammedans of mid-Africa during the critical
periods of war in these regions.
The principal event of economic importance follow-
ing the war was the rise in value of the rupee, which
was fixed by the Government of India in 1920 at
two shillings gold. The British sovereign, which
had been made legal tender at the rate of fifteen
rupees to the pound in 1908, was demonetized. The
import duty was raised from 74 per cent. to 10 per
cent. on the roth August, 1921.
Since the war much has been done to make up
for the years of unavoidable inactivity. In 1920 the
Government, wishing to improve the state of educa-
tion in the country, which had long been sadly
neglected, appointed a Commission to inquire into
its needs, and as a result of its findings, an ambitious
programme was adopted. This was followed in 1923
by a similar Commission to investigate the agricultural
industry, which has for long been declining as a
result of the apathy of plantation owners, induced
probably by the serious debt in which many are
involved. Disease has also affected the clove trees,
causing loss, though it may be remarked that the
production of the actual commodity has been fairly
steady at a high figure for many years. Important
undertakings put in hand during this period were
the construction of a harbour works in Zanzibar,
and a system of roads in Pemba.
Other events of importance have been the removal
of the King’s African Rifles from Zanzibar, and the
filling of their place by an augmentation of the
Zanzibar Police, who were, in 1922, constituted to
 SEYYID KHALIFA BIN HARUB 179
act either in a civil or military capacity as occasion
demands.
The Laws were codified in 1922 and the Courts
reconstituted in 1923, when the jurisdiction of His
Highness’s courts was made similar to that of His
Britannic Majesty’s.
The administration of the Island of Mafia, ceded
to Germany in 1890, was placed in the hands of the
Zanzibar Government in 1916, but was transferred to
the Government of Tanganyika Territory in 1922.
Major Pearce retired in 1922 and Mr. Sinclair
succeeded him as British Resident, Mr. E. Costley
White, O.B.E., becoming Chief Secretary. Mr.
Sinclair was succeeded by Mr. (now Sir) A. C. Hollis,
KC Mi Gi; GB. Eisin January, 1924;
In 1925 the High Commissionership was
abolished. In the same year minor jurisdiction was
given to Arab Akidas and natives sitting in district
courts. Executive and legislative councils were
established in 1926. The former is presided over by
His Highness the Sultan. The British President
presides over the latter, and there are three other ex
officio official members and five nominated. There
are six nominated unofficial members representing the
various communities.
The period of Sir Claud Hollis’s administration
was one of unprecedented development. All depart-
ments of Government received encouragement to
proceed with measures for the improvement of the
conditions of the people, but in no direction was
progress more marked than in the construction
of roads. In 1924 there were roads from Zanzibar
city to Mkokotoni in the north, to Chwaka on
the east coast, to Tunguu a few miles towards the
south, and to Chukwani on the west coast, and there
were no roads in Pemba worth the name. In 1929,
when Sir Claud Hollis left, the Protectorate roads
ran to nearly every corner of both islands. The
effect of these roads not only in commerce, but on
the mentality of the people, can hardly be exaggerated.
180 ZANZIBAR
In 1929, Prince Abdulla, the Sultan’s only
surviving son, was proclaimed heir to the throne.
Shortly after, His Highness proceeded on a state
visit to England. This visit was a great success from
all points of view, and gave those who came in contact
with His Highness there a chance of realizing that
which those in Zanzibar have long known, namely,
that in Seyyid Khalifa, Zanzibar has a wise and
enlightened ruler, who has the interests of his subjects
keenly at heart. I have often met people who think
that the Sultan of Zanzibar is only a figurehead, and
it may be well for me to assert from intimate know-
ledge that this is far from being the truth. His
Highness is a constitutional monarch, but as President
of the Executive Council he deals with all the most
important matters of his dominions, and with his wide
knowledge of all that concerns his people and.-a judg-.
ment that seems almost instinctively right, he plays a
very valuable part in the direction of local affairs.
He is a man of great charm and fine presence,
and has that rare but royal faculty of always saying
the right thing at the right time.
During the Sultan’s absence in Europe, Sheikh
Suleiman bin Nasur el-Lemki was appointed to act
as regent. For this and previous marked services
to Zanzibar, he was awarded the C.B.E., and I had
the honour of accompanying him as interpreter when,
in August, 1930, he received the insignia at a private
audience granted by His Majesty the King.
Sir Claud Hollis was succeeded in 1936 by
MrowReS. D. Rankine; C’MvG, “sMr. *Costley
White was succeeded as Chief Secretary in 1927 by
Mr. R. H. Crofton, who has served for many years
in Zanzibar.
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 A. FOREIGN INFLUENCES

CHAPTER XV
INTRODUCTION
As has elsewhere been said, the present population
of the Sultanate may be roughly divided into four
principal classes, Africans, Arabs, Indians and
Europeans, and when studying the sociology and
ethnology of the native, not only is it necessary to
describe how the customs of the latter three classes
have affected the first, but also what they have
inherited from previous colonizers. These peoples
have been the ancient races inhabiting the Persian
Gulf, the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks, the Malays
and Chinese, and, coming to more recent times, the
Persians and Portuguese.
In addition to these, many of the customs of a
variety of African tribes have been, and are being,
introduced into the country. With the exception of
the Persians, traces of these early colonizers have
been referred to in the historical chapters. In the
following chapters I propose to describe the life and
customs of the Zanzibar Arabs of Omani origin. It
might have been supposed that, exerting such a
paramount influence as they have done during the
last century and a half, they would have had more
effect on the customs of the natives. I think, how-
ever, it will be seen that far from doing this they have
absorbed many native customs themselves.
The effects of English occupation will be
sufficiently remarked in the chapter on Swahilis and
freed slaves, while in the chapters on the aboriginal
natives themselves many and various customs imported
183
184 ZANZIBAR
from other peoples will be noted. As the people of
Makunduchi have so many customs peculiar to them-
selves, I have devoted a special chapter to them. The
only class remaining is the Indian, and it seems little
short of amazing, in view of the prolonged residence
of the Indians on the east coast of Africa, that they
have made so little impression on the sociology of the
native. What is the reason of this? Here are these
Indians practising all their rites and customs, bring-
ing up their families in the country, many of them
among the natives, and yet, with the exception of a
few insignificant superstitions, the native has borrowed
nothing, except money, from them.
The reasons are probably to be found in the customs
of the Indians themselves. Firstly religion. The
Indians are either Hindus or Shiites; if the former they
are regarded as heathens, and their religious customs,
well known to the natives, are anathema to Moham-
medans. Their dress is peculiar: they have their
heads almost shaved except for one long top-knot, and
they wear round their nether limbs a loose cloth of
which the bottom is folded up between their legs.
Any native will tell you that the top-knot is
intended for the Banyans to be raised to heaven with,
and that the loose fold of cloth is intended to catch
Issa, whom the Banyans believe is to be born next
time of aman! Their methods of burial and customs
of marriage are also totally different to either any-
thing African or Islamic, while as regards animals
the Banyans will take no life at all, and as natives
have often told me, consider that even the chickens
that run across the road may contain the souls of
their grandmothers. No native would touch a
Banyan’s food. These, roughly, are the ideas the
natives have of the Hindu religion.
To anyone who does not understand Islam it will
appear remarkable that Sunnis and Ibathis should
consider the Shiites so far removed from themselves,
but such is the case, and one must live in an Islamic
country to understand the bitter diversity of opinions
 INTRODUCTION 185
between these two great divisions of Islam. Ibn
Saud, the enlightened ruler of the fanatical Wahabi
sect of the Nejd, is stated to have said that he far
preferred Christians to Shiites.
This is not the place to describe the customs and
beliefs of the various sects of the Shiites, some of
which present great divergencies, and it must be
understood that in Zanzibar members of all sects and
‘creeds live on friendly and easy terms with each other,
although the beliefs of one may be anathema to
another.
Secondly, as regards the mode of living. Indians
live very much to themselves, and although they live
their lives in full view of the natives, they have their
own communities in each village or group of small
villages. It is rather remarkable that different
districts have in the main communities of Indians
belonging to one sect, thus Jambangome in Pemba is
mainly Bohora, around Mkokotoni in Zanzibar there
are chiefly Khoja Ismailis, and at Makunduchi the
Indians are all Makumbaro.
Thirdly, as regards occupation. The Indian is
chiefly a small shopkeeper, and for the most part
business is an occupation at which the natives do not
shine, though in some degree, principally among the
Wapemba, they have copied him in the keeping of
small shops. It is probable that it is but recently
the Indians have taken to agriculture, an occupation
of which they do not make a success in Zanzibar.
The fact of their having taken to it arises out of their
money-lending propensities, and this occupation has
in some degree been taken up by a certain class of
Arab and native.
It is possible that a few of the customs may be
traced to ancient visitors from India, but these are
sufficiently indicated throughout the book.
As regards the Persians—the Shirazis as they are
called locally—I have indicated fully the customs
which the natives say are derived from them. The
most marked Persian institution is the Vaorozi, or Siku
186 ZANZIBAR
ya mwaka, the Persian New Year’s Day. This is
of old Persian or Parsee origin. Those who wish
to compare the customs of the Shirazis of Zanzibar
and Pemba with those of the modern Shirazis of
Persia should consult The Glory of the Shia World.
 CHAPTER XVI

THE KHAWARIJ
Tue fundamental principle of the Shiites is that the
Caliphate could only be hereditary from Mohammed,
and they quarrelled with Ali because he did not insist
on his divine right to succeed, but wished to submit
his claim and that of Muawiyah to arbitration. Now
the Khawarij came into being on the same occasion,
but they quarrelled with him not because he did not
insist on his divine right, but because he did not insist
on his right as elected Caliph. On the way from the
field of Siffin, 12,000 of his followers broke away on
these grounds and elected a Caliph of their own.
Some of them were won back and others deserted,
but about 4,000 gathered at Nahrawan to die for their
ideas of what was right.
The battle took place in 658, and the Khawarij
were utterly defeated by Ali’s superior force. Their
spirit, however, could not thus be crushed. Nine of
them are said to have escaped, of whom two fled to
Kerman, two to Sejistan, two into Mesopotamia, one
to Tell Mauran and two to Oman, and in these places
they propagated their creed. Later three Kharijites
assassinated Ali at the door of a mosque in Kufa.
The Kharijite principles are those of the old Islam
of equality and fraternity, which, however, except
where these principles have taken root, have never
worked. Their two doctrines are that, (1) any free
Arab (or later any Moslem) is eligible for election as
Caliph if just and pious and with other requisite
qualifications, and that failing such a one no Caliph
is absolutely necessary, and (2) that an evil Caliph
may be deposed and put to death.
The Khawarij are the origin from which the
187
188 ZANZIBAR
Ibathis have sprung. They are therefore of interest
in the history of Zanzibar, and have a more local
interest, as their commentaries are said to have been
printed here, though they are difficult to procure.
Burton, describing the Khawarij, who are now mostly
confined to Morocco, Muscat and Zanzibar (the two
latter being the strongholds of the Ibathis), says that
the principal Khawarij sects have been reduced to
five, of which the first four are, at the present time,
common only in books.
The Excyclopedia Britannica says that repre-
sentatives of the sect of the Assassins, founded by a
Persian fanatic in the early part of the eleventh
century, are found in Zanzibar, but if so I have never
heard of them.
They were called Hashishin, a name derived from
the drug Hashish to which they were addicted. In
their early days they were noted for their treacherous
use of the dagger, but since the thirteenth century
they have become inoffensive.

THE IBATHIS AND THEIR IMAMATE

The word Ibathi, or Ibadhiyah, is derived from the

name of Abdulla bin Ibadh (or Abdulla bin Yahya bin
Ibadh) et-Temimy and Palgrave’s derivation (he calls
them Biadeeyah), El-Mubayyidhun, or white boys, is
erroneous. It is possible that the name of Abdulla’s
father is derived from badha (“‘ to surpass in white-
ness ’’), though more probably it is from abadha (‘“‘ to
tie or strengthen the legs of a camel ’’) but the mean-
ing of the word has no significance, for the name of
the sect is certainly derived from the name of its
founder.
Abdulla bin Ibadh lived during the reign of the
Caliph Marwan, 744-749, but unfortunately little
more is known of him, except that he belonged to
the Sarih subdivision of the Benu-Mukais, who were
derived from Temim bin Murr, of the race of Adnan
and Maadd, descendants of Ishmael, from whom
 IBATHIS AND THEIR IMAMATE 189
Mohammed was descended, and therefore of another
branch to the royal house of Zanzibar who are
descended from Joktan. Barak bin Abdulla, one of
the Kharijite murderers of Ali, was also of the
‘Temimy tribe.
We have seen that two of the Khawarij fled to
Oman after Nahrawan, and it is just possible that
Adbulla knew them or derived his ideas from them
indirectly. He is said, shortly after the reign of
Marwan, to have been conquered and put to death.
Badger thus sums up their doctrines: (1) The
elective principle of the Imamate. (2) They are
said to hold predestination in such a sense as to make
God the author of good and evil. (3) The com-
mission of a great sin places a man beyond the pale
of salvation.
An Arab gentleman, learned in the Sheria, has
thus summed up for me the principal differences
between the Sunnis and the Ibathis.
The Sunnis say they will see God face to face at
the end of the world, but this the Ibathis deny.
The Sunnis say that if God sends a man to hell
he will get out later on. The Ibathis deny and say
it will be either hell or heaven for ever.
The Sunnis say that a man’s deeds will be weighed
like silver and gold in scales, but the Ibathis say
they will be shown what deeds they have done, and
on this they will be judged. .
Sunnis say that there is a narrow road laid
straight through hell which a good man will pass
over, but a bad man will fall off into the fire, The
Ibathis deny the existence of a road, and that God
will choose out Himself those who have done good or
evil. :
Sunnis say that you should marry a woman with
whom you have committed adultery or fornication,
but the Ibathis say this is wrong, as such a course
would be a reward of evil. aes
The Sunnis say that you may marry your illegi-
timate child, but the Ibathis say this 1s very wrong,
190 ZANZIBAR
as whether married or not to its parent, it is just as
much your blood child.
He ends by saying: “‘ If we look hard we see that
the Ibathis follow the truth because most of them
are Arabs and know the word of El] Quran, they like
truth and do not treat religion frivolously, and they
do not change the words of their religion from the
days of the Prophet till now. The Sunnis are
people who have mixed much with savages. They
mix religion with noisy play and make great show of
it. It is not necessary; God can hear prayer even
if whispered.”’
Palgrave and Burton confuse the Ibathi with the
Karamitah, who were a very ungodly crowd, from
any point of view, and while the latter is not at all
flattering to them and has no opinion of them, the
former is simply libellous. Burton says “‘ the faith
of the Bayazi is narrow and exclusive, a monopoly of
righteousness, a moral study of the infinitely little.”’
That is not a fair statement, but Palgrave says ‘‘ they
very rarely assemble for any stated form of worship;
their prayers are muttered in a low and inaudible
voice, accompanied by inflexion and _ prostration
different from those employed in Mohammedan
devotion. Many on this occasion turn to the north,
others in other directions perfectly regardless of
Kiblah or Caabah.’’ ‘‘I should add that*wine is
freely and avowedly drunk, especially towards the
interior.’’ ‘* A semblance of Mohammedan ways and
speaking is often assumed, and the Biadeeyah, a
compound of Sabzans, Batineeyah and Carmathians,
inheritors of Mokannaa and Aboo Tahir, will at times
pass themselves off on strangers as tolerably orthodox
Mohammedans. But closer acquaintance has marked
them: out for infidels, 32 770) = As regards tobacco, no
people perhaps in the world make a more frantic
consumption of that article than do the good people
of Oman.”’ ‘‘ It would be very hard to find a single
Biadee in. . . any . . . mosque.’’ ‘“‘ In simplicity
of dress and aversion to ornamental display, I fear
 IBATHIS AND THEIR IMAMATE 101
that Omanees have no better claim to Niebuhr’s com-
mendation than the inhabitants of Vienna or in Paris.”
‘‘ Severity on what regards maiden virtue or marriage
vows is not a distinctive feature of Oman.’’ Burton
and Palgrave’s observations on the Ibathis are
singularly incorrect. Burton describes them as
fiercely intolerant, than which I cannot conceive a
more incorrect description.
If one looks for a parallel sect in Christianity, I
should consider the Baptists or other Puritans to be
nearest them, though my experience of both, haying
lived for a year in a country of Baptists and
Methodists, and for eight in a country of Ibathis,
would lead me to choose the Ibathis as being the most
tolerant people in the matter of religion I have
known. In almost any town in Zanzibar there are
Sunnis, Ibathis, Ithnasheries, Bohoras, Memons,
Khojas, Ismaili Khojas, Banyans, Quakers, Church
of England, Roman Catholics and Parsees. This
may not be remarkable in these days when religious
tolerance is insisted on, but it has been the case for
years before such a state was reached. Ibathis
consider others mistaken, as who does not, but they
mix freely with all, and eat with even an infidel like
myself. They acknowledge that the one God other
people worship is the same as theirs, though the
method of worship is irregular. Such a thing as
intolerance I cannot conceive in connection with them.
As Palgrave says (the only piece of truth in the
quotations I have made), they do not make prostrations
like other sects, for they believe that the postures
adopted are unnecessary; all that is necessary is a
proper reverence and attention at prayer. They do
not decorate their mosques, as they think it detracts
attention from worship. They are thoroughly demo-
cratic, and the highest may mix with the lowest. In
many ways they are much more liberal in their
interpretation of Scripture than other Mohammedans,
though in some points rather narrow-minded. For
instance, they consider that the Bohoras’ Ramathan
192 ZANZIBAR
is of no avail, as they start two days earlier and finish
two days earlier.
To show that general tolerance is part of their
religious creed, it may be stated that the 7alkem
Sibian, or book of how an Ibathi should comport him-
self, directs that even if your neighbour is of another
religion, you must rejoice with him on his occasion for
rejoicing and sorrow when he sorrows, and let nothing
cause him annoyance.
In their charities Ibathis are often promiscuous,
and will bestow alms or show kindness to those of
any creed. I know a very high caste Arab, who has
taken a sick Parsee to his house to give him a change
of air and set him up. They believe greatly in the
efficacy of sincere prayer, be it Christian or Moslem.
These instances of the tolerance and goodness of
the Ibathis might be continued indefinitely.
Let us consider for a moment the Imamate.
The Omanis disallowed the claims of the Baghdad
Caliphate, and on the principles set out above at the
beginning, set up an Imam of their own endowed with
civil and religious duties.
From the time of Julanda Masud, the first Imam,
to that of Seif bin Sultan, these elective principles
were firmly adhered to, but in the case of the latter,
the first suggestion of hereditary right appeared.
And later, when Ahmed bin Said, the founder of the
Albusaid dynasty, was elected to the high office, it
ceased to be a truly elective office, and his children
succeeded, but were confirmed by election in their
appointments. The great Seyyid Said never laid
claim to the title, which has dropped out of usage
among the rulers of what is now termed the Sultanate
of Muscat, though a spiritual Imam of the tribes in
the interior of Oman has lately been elected.
Ordinarily the word Imam, which means an
example, is applied in five different senses. Firstly,
to Mohammed and the Caliphate; secondly, to the
heads of the four orthodox Sunni sects; thirdly, to
the leader of prayer in a mosque; fourthly, to indicate
 IBATHIS AND THEIR IMAMATE 193
the book or scripture or record of people; and fifthly,
to designate a teacher of religion.
The Ibathis are confined to Oman and Zanzibar,
and the Kitab el Milal wa’r Nihal (quoted by Badger)
divides them into four sub-sects :
(1) The Hafsiyyah, derived from Abu Hafs bin el
Mukdam, who say that between faith and
polytheism is a middle course, which is the
knowledge of God.
(2) The Yezidiyyah derived from Yezid bin
Anisah, who say that God will send a
prophet from a foreign country with a book,
written in heayen, which will descend upon
him at a single time, and he will discard the
law of Mohammed and incline to that of the
Sabeans.
(3) The Harithiyyah, derived from El Hareth, El
Ibadhy, who are at variance with the original
Ibadhiyah on predestination, and
(4) Those who affirm that should a man do what
is commanded of him and not intend it to the
honour of God, yet that is true obedience.
Ibathiism seems to have been slightly tinged with
Wahabiism, especially in Muscat, probably because
being contagious to the country where Wahabiism is
practised, and also probably because to some extent
the aims of their founders were similar, namely, to
restore Islam to its pristine purity.
 CHAP TEREX Tl

THE ARABS OF ZANZIBAR

THE principal Arabs in Zanzibar are those who have

emigrated from, or descended from parents who
emigrated from, Muscat. In faith these are nearly
all of the Ibathi persuasion, though there are a few
Omanis who are Sunnis. The following are the
principal tribes represented in the Sultanate: el-
Amawi, el-Alawi, el-Afifi, el-Adwani, el-Abdisalam,
el-Amri, el-Busaidi, el-Buhri, el-Bauli, el-Bahri,
el-Bimani, el-Barwani, el-Bakri, el-Darmki, el-Doru,
el-Emeri, el-Felani, el-Farsi, el-Farii, el-Furkani,
el-Falahi, el-Ghassani, el-Ghazali, el-Ghattami, el-
Gethi, el-Hinawi, el-Hatmi, el-Hadidi, el-Harthi,
el-Hathmani, el-Habsi, el-Hasmi, el-Hbeshi, el-
Hamandi, el-Ismaili, el-Jabri, el-Jahhaji, el-Jasri,
el-Jahadhmi, el-Jafri, el-Jadidi, el-Jebri, el-Kindi,
el-Kassabi, el-Karni, el-Kweti, el-Kharusi, el-
Khalasi, el-Khanjri, el-Karrasi, el-Khaifi, el-Kasbi,
el-Kumri, el-Khzeri, el-Khalili, el-Kitani, el-Kamshi,
el-Khasibi, el-Kanani, el-Keshi, el-Kyumi, el-Ksemi,
el-Kasmi, el-Lamki, el-Lahsani, el-Marijebi, el-
Mandhiri, el-Mugheri, el-Maskiri, el-Mauli, el-
Mahruki, el-Mamiri, el-Msharifi, el-Malki, el-Mharmi,
el-Mashuri, el-Mayyahi, el-Marhubi, el-Mazruhi, el-
Nahbi, el-Nakhli, el-Nabhani, el-Nofli, el-Nomani,
el-Nabhi, el-Nazawi, el-Ofi, el-Rwehi, el-Riyama,
el-Rajhi, el-Rashdi, el-Risi, el-Rahbi, el-Rumhi,
el-Rkeshi, el-Rastaki, el-Rassadi, el-Ramdhani, el-
Sumri, el-Sibuti, el-Sinawi, el-Sarhani, el-Shkeli,
el-Shuhhi, el-Siyabi, el-Salami, el-Shwedi, el-Shkeri,
el-Sudi, el-Siidi, el-Shhebi, el-Sreri, el-Snesri, el-
Sukri, el-Sleimi, el-Subhi, el-Shebani, el-Suleimani,
el-Tali, el-Tiwani, el-Wardi, el-Wihibi, el-Yorobi,
el-Yahyai, el-Yahamdi.
194
 THE ARABS OF ZANZIBAR _ 195
In Zanzibar Island no tribe appears to have
collectively exercised paramount authority except the
el-Busaidi, though the el-Harth Arabs, who are said
to have migrated to Zanzibar in a.D. 924, were, prior
to the coming of the Yorobis and, subsequently,
the Albusides, of principal influence. Even at the
present they are not on good terms with the Azdite
section of the Arab community.
In Pemba the Ismaili tribe in the north and the
Maulli in the south seem to have been the ruling classes,
though, prior to their rise to power, the Mazrui
dominated Pemba as they did Mombasa. These
Omani Arabs are the principal descendants of the el-
Azd, and are therefore of Kahtanic origin. Kahtan,
or Joktan (as he is called in the Bible), had a son called
Yorobi, whose great-grandson was Himyar, and these
Arabs can therefore trace their descent through Abir,
the father of Kahtan, and great-grandson of Shem,
to Adam.
They are, of course, true Zanzibaris, and all
subjects of His Highness the Sultan, who is their
hereditary and titular ruler.
The other most numerous Arabs of Zanzibar are
those of the Hadhramaut, commonly known as
Shihiris, from the town of Sheher, a southern seaport
in the Hadhramaut. Hadhramaut (Hezarmarveth)
was the eldest of the sons of Kahtan, Yorobi being
the second. Apart from these Arabs of Kahtanic
origin, there are also a number entitled to be
designated Sherif, who are descended from the
prophet Mohammed, through his daughter Fatima,
who married Ali bin Abi Talib.

BIRTH AND INFANCY

In Zanzibar the Arabs have adopted, to a very

large extent, the customs of the natives at the time
of the birth of a child, and the customs described later
in the case of the native babies are almost all
observed.
196 ZANZIBAR
There are, however, some customs that are the
product of Arabia, and these have been brought and
maintained by the Arabs; indeed, those that have a
religious significance are often adopted by the natives.
At the time of birth the Arab mother is placed in
a prone position on the bed, and the other women of
the household are present to assist in the delivery of
the child. In practice, in Zanzibar the native Mkunga,
or midwife, is often called in. Shihiri women, how-
ever, very often have no assistance, and bear their
children alone. When the child is born and after the
cord has ceased to pulsate, it is tied (originally with
camels’ hair, but now with anything that is to hand,
and can be used for the purpose), and cut in a peculiar
way. The cord and placenta are afterwards buried,
not burnt, and in East Africa usually treated as the
natives treat them. After delivery the mother’s
stomach is massaged, and a red ointment called Warsi
rubbed all over the body. This ointment is often
used also to protect the body from the hot wind during
the monsoon, which causes the skin to crack and get
sore. A medicine is also given internally. The
mother is ceremonially unclean during the puerperium
for as long as the lochia continues.
As regards the child there are three important days
—the day of its birth, the seventh day and the
fortieth day—and to each of these days customs
appertain.
On the day of birth the parent, or an Arab renowned
for piety, repeats the Azan inthe child’s ear. Theright
ear is held with the hand and the Azan, the call to prayer,
whispered into it. The left ear is then held and the
Ikama, or introduction to prayers, whispered into it.
Something sweet, e.g., dates, is then rubbed on to the
gums with a finger. Both of these ceremonies are
symbolical. The first is intended to ensure that
matters of religion shall always have first call to the
child, and the second that its food may always be
sweet and toothsome.
On the seventh day the child is taken from its
 BIRTH AND INFANCY 197
mother’s room, which it must not leave until that
time, and shown to the inmates of the house, each of
whom deposits a small money present with it. After
the seventh day a feast called Akike must be made,
even if it is postponed for some years. Two goats
are slaughtered if the child is a boy, and one if it is
a girl. This feast must be made in every case of a
child born alive, even if it dies before puberty. It is
not made for a still-born child. Circumcision should
take place on the seventh day, but the period is often
very much lengthened. However, the nearer the
seventh day it takes place the better. Sadaka, or
alms, are given on this occasion.
in the case of girls, clitoridectomy is sometimes
performed on the seventh day, or afterwards, and
sadaka may be given, but privately.
After the seventh day the child’s eyelashes are
blackened with Wanja wa manga (antimony). This
is supposed to have the effect of protecting the eyes
from ophthalmia neonatorum, and of making them
bright and lustrous. The common Wanja, or soot, is
smeared on the face to keep the evil eye off. A
cowrie shell is fastened round the neck on a string to
keep evil away, and hirizi, or charms, are used for the
same purpose. These 4irizi consist of a piece of palm
inscribed with the Ayat el Kursee, and either sewn up
in a piece of cloth or encased in a silver box.
On the fortieth day the head of the child is shaved,
and the hair put in a pair of scales and’ weighed
against gold or silver. The weight of the hair in
gold or silver is given to the poor. ;
No particular customs appear to appertain to the
age of puberty; girls are instructed as to how to fasten
the Khirika, or Idaba (diaper), by their parents.
Boys and girls should itima, or know how to read
the whole Koran by the age of ten, but the rule is not
strictly observed in the case of girls,
198 ZANZIBAR

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE

The first stage in the acquisition of a wife by the

young Arab is to send his relations to the parents of
the girl he wishes to marry. Only in rare instances
will it have been possible for him to have seen his
prospective bride in the flesh, but he will have to make
up his mind, or will have it made up for him by his
father, on the reports of the lady members of the
household, as to her beauty and accomplishments.
In all probability he will not be the only suitor, but
the girl’s parents will select the one they deem most
suitable from those who present themselves. In any
case an answer to this proposal (Khutbeh) is not
received at once, and further inquiries have to be
made.
When a man makes a proposal to the parents of
a girl for her hand in marriage, the parents inquire
whether he is a suitable Kufu for the bride. Kufu
means the social position of the man. Thus a girl
of the Koreish may not marry with any other tribe,
and in Zanzibar a woman of the Albusaid may not
either. An Arab woman may not marry with a man
of alien race.
In the event of his being the successful candidate,
the next question is the amount of Makr (dowry) to
be paid. This is fixed according to the customs of
that family, and half of the sum agreed on has to be
paid at once. A day must then be chosen for the
religious ceremony. This will be chosen by a
Mwalim after consulting the stars. After the selection
of a day, verbal invitations are issued to the friends
and relations, and on the day in question, the young
man, with his supporters and friends, and the father
or guardian of the bride with him, repair to the
mosque, or the house, chosen for the ceremony. The
Mwalim, who has got permission from the bride and
her guardian, to the marriage, sits down facing the
bridegroom and his followers, and asks him: ‘* Will
you marry so-and-so as your wife and for what you
 COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE 199
have agreed between you, and for the dowry of so
many rupees of which you have paid so much and of
which there is so much due by you?’’ On the receipt
of an affirmative reply, the Mwalim reads the £/-
Fathak, and then all read the Surat el Hamdu, and
the Mwalim then says: ‘‘ Praise be to God and to
His prophet Mohammed and his people. All ye
people witness that I marry so-and-so, son of so-and-
so of such and such a tribe, and so-and-so, daughter
of so-and-so, according to the word of God in His
Book, and the precepts of the prophet Mohammed,
that they live together for their good and great bless-
ing, and may everything be well between them, and
may they enjoy every good thing that God has
prepared for them, and we pray that evil may be
removed from them, and that the husband may give
his wife everything that is fit, and her dowry, so much
on the first occasion and so much on the second, and
that everything may be made lawful, according to her
assent and that of her guardian so-and-so, son of
so-and-so.”’
This sentence is called Akadin ni kiar, the knot of
marriage, the Mwalim then says, ‘‘ Kada kabilta,’’ and
the bridegroom replies, ‘‘ Kadakabilth.’’ ‘‘ Youagree
to so-and-so as your wife?’’ ‘‘ For such and such
a Mahr?’’ ‘‘ For all I have said in the Khutbeh? ”’
El-Fathak may again be read. After this, everyone
shakes hands, and the bridegroom’s people must
provide kalwa; halwa, in the ordinary way, means the
sweetmeat of that name, but it is used here in a
generic way to indicate not only those sweetmeats,
but also coffee and even cooked rice and meat.
The next stage is to find a suitable day for the
ceremony of “‘ entering the house ’’; this again must
be discovered from the soothsayers. No marriage
can, however, take place in the month of Safar. At
the hour and on the date named, the bridegroom goes
to the bride’s house or she may be brought to his.
If, however, the girl’s family are strangers, the bride-
groom must go to her house, though he can take her
200 ZANZIBAR
away after one day. He will go, accompanied by his
friends, dressed in his best clothes and perfumed, with
crowds of people following behind, but only a few
of his companions will enter the house with him.
The companions then have their feet washed and
oiled by the women; the bridegroom gives them
presents of money and they go out.
Within the house are women singing; the bride-
groom removes his heavy clothing and proceeds to
the room of the bride, when both he and his wife
have their feet washed by the women, for which he
pays them. The man then stands up and takes the
bride’s head in his hands, and either he or someone
else reads the Ayat al Kursee; at the end of which
the bridegroom says: ‘‘I acknowledge this woman
as my wife. God keep me and her together in happi-
ness.”’ The bridegroom may then go outside and
bid farewell to his friends, for whom food is then
prepared, and there is much merriment. He then
returns to his wife and does not go out for at least
three days, though seven is usual.
In Zanzibar the washing and rubbing of the body
of both parties takes place before they get into the
bride’s room, and after a visit there the bridegroom
has his body rubbed again.
When left alone with his bride he gives her money
to speak to him, and then she says, ‘‘ Sabalkheri,
Bwana’’ (Good day, Master), and then he proceeds
to remove her clothes.
Among the lower class of Arabs the women lister.
outside the door for the girl’s cries, and raise shouts
of rejoicing if they hear them; and should she prove
recalcitrant they will enter and hold her down. A
piece of white cloth is put under the pillow with which
to remove the blood, and this is afterwards shown to
everyone.
During the seven days of the honeymoon, the
relations of the wife provide food for the bridegroom.
In Muscat the washing described does not take place,
nor do the friends enter into the house, and the women
 DEATH AND BURIAL 201
are not allowed to make the demonstration referred
to outside the door. The custom of seeking for traces
of virginity is also purely African.

DEATH AND BURIAL

When a man is about to die, he is laid north and

south and the Yasin is read over him. After death
the body is laid out, with arms to sides, and washed
with a cloth covering the hand of the washer, and is
then covered from head to foot with a clean cloth;
it is forbidden to look deliberately on the nakedness
of a dead man. Any clothes that will do for a man
to pray in, will do for him to be buried in. White
is generally used.
Three, five or seven cloths may be used. The
usual number is three, but two, four or six may not
be used. If three are used, two wide ones are wound
round the body and a small narrow one round the
head. Cotton-wool mixed with various spices, kiafor
and saffron, is placed in all the apertures of the body
in the following order: mouth, right nostril, left
nostril, right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, and
then all over the whole face, rectum, beneath the
testicles, right armpit, left armpit, between the fingers
of the right hand, between the fingers of the left hand.
To perform the operation as much of the cloth as is
necessary may be removed at a time. The corpse
is then put on the bier and covered all over, sandal-
wood is burnt below and elsewhere in the room, and
the shroud also must be scented with the smoke of
sandalwood before it is used. Incense is then passed
three times below and above the bier. If it is desired,
the shroud may be made into clothes, a kanzu (khamis)
and trousers which must come up to the breast, but
the clothes must cover the corpse from head to foot.
If cloths are used, the first is wrapped from the head
working to the’ feet, and the second from the feet
upwards. The ends must then be fastened top and
202 ZANZIBAR

bottom and waist, but in the latter case the knot must
be on the left side.
The bier is then carried head first to the mosque,
or other place of prayer, and thence to the grave.
At the graveside the body is taken out of the bier
head first and placed in the inner cavity of the grave
(for description of which see Death and Burial
Customs of natives), and laid on its right side, head
to the east, face to north and feet to west. The knots
are then unfastened and the shroud loosened, the
board or flat stones are then laid over the cavity so
as to cover the corpse completely. During this
operation the grave is covered with the bier-cloths,
so that no one can see save the three or five men
who bury the dead. When these men have laid the
board over the cavity they cover it up and clay up
the sides, the cloths are taken off the grave and it
is then filled up with earth. Those who have filled
in the grave have to wash afterwards.
It is ordered as a religious command to follow the
bier of the dead and commended as a good deed.
Afterwards everyone says, ‘‘ La illahi ila allahum. al
hayu allathi laitya mutu.’’ ‘‘ There is no God but
God, He is eternal and does not die.’’
It is said that when covered in the grave, the
dead temporarily recover their strength and sit up
and hear the Mwalim; if he has been bad through
life the dead man sees hell near by, but if he has been
good he sees both heaven and hell from afar off and
will want to go to heaven, but will realize the time
is not yet, and will lie down and go to sleep.
The Arabs believe that the body of a good and
pious man never rots in his grave.
The Talkein Sibian, an Ibathi book of religious
observances, gives the following directions for the
washing of the dead. He who performs this opera-
tion must wash his own hands first and then those
of the dead; the right hand first and then the left.
If a person has died of an infectious disease, the body
need only be washed from the navel to the foot; the
 DEATH AND BURIAL 203
washer must not hold the hands of the dead nor catch
hold of the genitals except with a cloth.
Ablutions may then be performed for the dead as
for prayer (this is voluntary, but commendable). The
body should be then washed with the leaves of the
sidr if obtainable, but this is not compulsory. The
third washing now takes place in the following order :
the right side of the head, left side of the head; from
the right shoulder to the foot, and from the left
shoulder to the foot; the front of the body, then the
back. (In Zanzibar the corpse is wetted at each
washing until burial, in Muscat once only.)
If no water is obtainable, sand should be used;
lay the body in the sand and do as in the Tayammum,
or sand ablution. Take the right hand and rub it
in the sand, then the left also, then both hands and
rub together.
 CHAPTER XVIII

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

Eacu clan of Arabs in Zanzibar and Pemba has its

head, or tribal sheikh, who is a senior member of
the clan and is generally designated the Sheikh el
Kharusi, the Sheikh el Mauli, etc. The word sheikh,
in the ordinary way, indicates someone of importance
corresponding roughly to something between the
English esquire and knight, but it is very loosely
applied in these days. To these tribal sheikhs are
referred all matters that affect the social life and stand-
ing of the clan, as well as disputes between the various
members of the family. The clan is ¢ke important
thing among the Arabs of Zanzibar.

OCCUPATION AND RELAXATION

The Arab of Zanzibar is par excellence a landed

proprietor, and usually has his money in clove and
coco-nut plantations. These days Arabs go in for
many different kinds of life, and are to be found in
Government offices and commerce. The Arab, how-
ever, is a bad business man, and has shown himself
unable to adapt himself to the new conditions of life
engendered by the abolition of slavery; as a con-
sequence he is very largely in debt.
The Arab is looked to by the native as his natural
master, and the native accepts his control very readily,
each understanding the other perfectly. It must be
remembered that slavery was as much a religious as
a civil institution, and the life of the Arab is so much
bound up in religion that he finds it difficult to dis-
sociate himself from slavery. There are two traces
of slavery still existing in Zanzibar in a quasi-legal
204
 OCCUPATION AND RELAXATION 205
sense. One is as regards guardianship of females.
The Arab is the legal guardian of his female slaves,
and the freed slave woman still accepts the guardian-
ship of her late master. It is possible also that the
legal guardian of the daughter is also the late master
of the mother. The other trace of slavery is as
regards concubinage. The Arab could only legally
take his concubine from his female slaves; he now
takes her, with her own consent of course, from
among those women who would have been his female
slaves, and the children are considered by the Arabs
legitimate, though I am not aware what view a court
of law would take if the question were ever raised.
Apart from these two traces there are many natives
living actually in the state of slavery on their master’s
plantations, working for their masters without pay, and
regarding themselves as slaves and having no desire
for freedom.
In his leisure hours the Arab walks abroad, or
visits his friends, where he drinks coffee, eats halwa,
and discusses current politics or enjoys a quiet game
of cards (Wahedusitin).
The Arab is as fond as the native of story-telling.
Classical favourites are, of course, the stories in the
Arabian Nights, and the moral teaching of A‘sop is
also much quoted. There are hosts of modern
stories told as well. The only performance or dance
of Arabs is the sword dance, Razka. In this there
is an orchestra of drums, while the performers, armed
with swords and jambiyas and small shields of
rhinoceros hide, indulge in mimic contests, ee
about and wielding their swords in a truly marvellous
way. Ina dagger contest, when a man is thrown, his
foe makes as though to gorge out his eyes with the
point of his jambiya. It is unusual, however, to see
this dance performed except by those Arabs known
as Manga. In Swahili the word manga is used to
denote the Arab born in Muscat, who has migrated
to Zanzibar. /M/warabu means the Arab who has
been born in Zanzibar. After a short time one can
206 ZANZIBAR

easily distinguish one from the other; the Arab of

Zanzibar has a benign, kindly look in his eyes and
moves with deliberation, whereas his brother, born
and bred in the mountain fastnesses of Oman, has
bright, black, piercing eyes, sharp features and a rapid
gait, born of the necessity of ever being wakeful for
a foe. Many of them are kind and friendly, and
enjoy a childish prank. It is always said that it is
unsafe to wake up a Manga Arab suddenly, as he
will start up, dagger in hand, and strike out at the
supposed foe.
The Arab of Zanzibar much appreciates the
comforts of modern Western civilization, sits on
chairs and eats off tables, very often with knife and
fork. In addition to this, he is fond of the music
that has been introduced from Egypt; players on the
wood and other instruments are eagerly listened to,
while they sing their haunting songs of love and
fair women.
In conversation the Arabs in Zanzibar speak
Swahili, but in writing always use Arabic.

POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY

It is almost superfluous to refer to the politeness

and hospitality of the Arabs, for both are proverbial;
courteous, dignified, benign and friendly, ‘the Arab
is Nature’s true gentleman, and his notions of
chivalry and friendly bearing have been inherited
from ancestors whom he can trace back to Adam.
Nothing, perhaps, is more important to the Arab
than good manners and heshima, and he is as
particular of his own as he is not to upset the
susceptibilities of others. Heskima is a very com-
prehensive and expressive word which means not only
respect, but the maintenance of that position to which
respect is due. To the Arab it is the most important
thing in life, a thing to be jealously guarded and
augmented, and it is a term also that includes, besides
respect, something of the meaning of honour.
 POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY 207
I shall have further to say on the politeness and
hospitality of the Arab when I speak of the same thing
among the natives, for it is impossible entirely to
dissociate the two. However, I give below a
translation of the injunctions contained in the 7 alkein
Szbian as regards duty towards one’s neighbours
and towards one’s guests, precepts which might well
be adopted by other civilizations.
To a European it is difficult to comprehend the
open-handed hospitality shown by the Arabs; here in
Europe one calls only on one’s friends and partakes
of their food only when invited, and the doors are
always shut. In the East, the door stands hospitably
open; one may walk into any house and, if one
receives a reply to the call of Hodi, will be certain
to be invited in to partake, at any rate, of coffee or
other refreshment, and to join in a meal if the hour
is near. To an Arab feast given on the occasion
of a funeral or marriage, hundreds of guests. are
invited. Coming through one’s host’s plantations
towards his house, one meets crowds of fellow-guests
coming and going, and nearer to the house are
hundreds of natives waiting to be invited to finish
up the remnants. Near the wanja, or open space
in front of the house, are the cooks still serving up
rice in huge piles on big dishes, and meat and curried
gravy into large bowls.
One dish of rice and one bowl of meat is then
put on a big tray and hurried away by waiting
servants, on their heads. The cooking-pots are
almost Brobdingnagian, copper lined with tin; each is
about three feet across the top, widening out to almost
four at the bottom, and they are perhaps two feet six
inches or three feet in depth. There will be perhaps
about four or five of these standing on iron tripods
under which a large fire burns. Each is covered
by a large tinned copper tray on which fire is also
heaped.
The perspiring cooks have their clothes turned
up and in their hands wield enormous spoons quite
208 ZANZIBAR
six feet long, with which they continually push off
the lids and inspect the contents, or pile further
food on to empty dishes. Nearby, on the roots of a
spreading mango tree, lie the pathetic remains of
the ox that forms the central feature of the feast—a
head with sightless eyes and protruding tongue, and
a pile of loose and empty skin.
It is a picturesque sight that confronts us as we
turn round, and one which could not be met with
elsewhere. The four o’clock sun shines through the
green foliage of the mango, and on to the cloves and
sweet-smelling, bloom-laden orange trees that sur-
round the space of hard red earth in front of the
house. It shines, too, on the yellow mud walls and
low, brown, thatched roof of the house, and gives a
pleasant, mellow air to the whole scene. On the long
and broad verandah of the house, and almost every-
where where there is shade, groups of Arabs sit in
circles, round trays, some beginning, some complet-
ing, and others in the middle of their repast. Variety
and colour are lent to the scene by the continual
movement, by the white of the Kanxzus and headdress
of the Arabs, with their bronzed, black-bearded faces,
while among them pass to and fro servants bearing
the food and wearing torn and tattered clothes.
But we must go and pay our respects to our host.
Here he comes, from round a corner where he has
been attending to the wants of others, and hospitably
welcomes us with outstretched hands. Then he finds
a vacant place for us on his verandah, or under a tree,
and we squat down with crossed legs in a circle on a
mat, while, as if by magic, a servant appears with
one of those trays we saw being prepared just now.
This he sets down in the midst of us, while another
comes with a brass ewer, from which he pours clean
water over the right hand of each of us in turn. Our
host now bustles off to welcome other guests, and we,
with a Bismillah/, take up in turn the bowl of meat
and gravy, and extracting with our fingers the bits
that take our fancy most, place them on the rice before
 POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY 209
us and pour some gravy over it; thereupon we plunge
our hands into the hot rice. If it is too hot, a servant
will obligingly fan it, and mixing the gravy and rice
into balls, we transfer it as neatly as possible from
the dish to our mouths. And very good it is too.
That it is good is eloquently testified to by the
absence of conversation at our own tray, and at that
of the others round us, though there is a continual
clatter of trays and dishes. When eating it is good
manners not to watch others too closely, not to make
an exhibition of the food as one transfers it from dish
to mouth, and not to eat noisily. One eats, moreover,
in the method of those who eat to live, for one does
not linger over food, which at the end of the meal is
washed down with copious draughts of clean, cold
water.
As each diner finishes he gets up and turns about,
while the ever waiting servant pours water over his
outstretched hands and gives him a piece of soap.
He washes his hands thoroughly, and then in a cup
formed by them, sucks the water into his mouth and
washes that out too. ‘‘ Al Hamdu 71 illah,’’ each
exclaims with feeling, and makes a sound in the throat
which is not much admired in Western Society. A
servant then brings black sugarless coffee, and waits to
pour out the three half-cups which politeness allows.
The little handleless cup is then returned, with a shake
of the hand to indicate no more is required. Among
Oman Arabs the coffee-cup may be only half filled.
The Shihiris fill it right up. It is an insult to offer
an Omani a full cup.
Invitations for a party like this may be issued for
noon. Guests start coming about the seventh hour
(1 p.m.), and are going and coming till late at night.
A couple of oxen and 300 pishis of rice (about 1,800
lb.) are a usual provision of food for such a feast.
It is an interesting experience to spend a week-
end with an Arab landed proprietor on his country
estate, and no experience can be more pleasant.
Some of the happiest week-ends I have known were
210 ZANZIBAR
spent in this way. I used to mount my donkey and
ride through the shambas of cloves and coco-nuts to
Kinyasini, about seventeen miles north-east of Zanzi-
bar. Nowadays a good motor road takes one the
whole way there, but it was not so when I first stayed
there. Turning off the main path, a well-kept clove
avenue led to the house, and at the sound of the
donkey’s hoofs my host used to come out to meet me
on the sikafu (cement floor used for drying cloves) in
front of the house. The house was low and long, and
in front there was a cool, wide daraza (verandah). I
was seldom the only guest staying, and neighbouring
Arabs used to drop in for coffee, for my friend kept
very open house, and continually asked men of all
creeds and colours to enjoy his hospitality. I had to
be prepared for enormous meals, half Arab, half
European, to which I was expected to do full justice.
I give the menu of the lunch I partook of one Saturday
when staying for a week-end. It consisted of seven-
teen courses, of each of which courtesy demanded that
I should partake. It was as follows—lI give it as my
host’s son wrote (in English characters learnt at
school):
I. Supu 1. Soup
2. Samaki 2. Fish
3. Kababu 3. Chicken hash
4. Kuku wa Kukaanga 4. Braised chicken.
5. Kababu ya nyama 5: Meat hash
6. Sambusa 6. Small meat cakes
7. Nyama ya Kukaanga 7. Braised meat
8. Nyama ya kuchoma 8. Roast meat (on spits)
9. Mkati ya kusukuma 9.
to. Mkati wa lkhokho 10.| Different kinds of cakes
11. Ellkemati II. and breads
12. Villosa 12.
13. Wali 13. Curry and rice
14. Rosi 14. Cooked fruit
15. Pudin [sic] 15. Caramel puddin
16. Farne 16. A kind Bi porioce made of
ground rice
and friut [sic] Fruit

Dinner was twenty-six courses, and breakfast was

—porridge, four eggs, a whole chicken, meat pies,
sweet cakes, tea and coffee. (I may say that it was
 POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY 11
with great difficulty I mounted my donkey to return
on Monday morning, and I ate very little for some
time after.)
My host was quite upset at my poor appetite, as
I never took a large helping, at any rate at the end,
and when he met me afterwards, told me his wife was
yery disappointed that I had not cleared the dish.
The food was excellent, but that cannot be said of
all Arab food.
Arabs are very hospitable, and feed not only you
and your retinue of boys and carriers and grooms,
but also your donkey and dogs. I might add that
very often, after a meal, the uneaten remnants are
sent with you. One’s boys come in for this. They
have apparently unlimited capacity.
In the intervals of eating these meals, we used to
sit and talk on a variety of subjects and gossip with
the constant stream of visitors that came and went.
At night after dinner deck-chairs were taken out on
to the moonlit stkafu, and we talked peacefully until
a late hour, smoking with our coffee, and drinking
in the perfumed air, heavily laden with the scent
of ylang ylang and jasmine. Late at night I was
shown to a comfortable bed with spotless, scented
sheets.
Early in the morning a boy used to bring me tea,
and after drinking it, guests used to go in turn to the
wash-house across the sikafu. Here there was plenti-
ful hot water, Pears’ soap, and a large soft towel, for
my host knew European ideas of comfort. All Arabs
are hospitable, but at other houses I have often had
to content myself with a wash from a trough of cold
water, ladled over me with a large spoon made from
a coco-nut shell at the end of a wooden handle. In
the ordinary Arab house one eats one’s meals cross-
legged on a mat, from an enormous pile of rice and
bowls of curried meat, but here, after a comfortable
bath and when we were dressed, we went into
a dining-room, where a sumptuous breakfast was
laid out on a snowy table-cloth. The floor was
OMe: ZANZIBAR

covered with Persian rugs, and a servant pulled a

punkah.
I think these mornings in the shambas (plantations)
were the most attractive part of the day. It was yet
cool, and one felt fresh. No one seemed affected
with liver, and kind inquiries were made as to the kind
of night we had had, and everyone used to remark on
the paucity of mosquitoes.
The life there was of a patriarchal kind. My host
had a large family of boys of all ages, ranging from
twenty to seven. The family was always in a hurry
for breakfast, but before getting down to it, all of
them, from Suleimani, the baby, to Abdulla, the
eldest, used to come to their father and kiss his hand
when wishing him good morning. They always
called him ‘‘ Sir,’’ and did his bidding at once,
though they were very much boys as well. Catapults
were the favourite toys of some of them, and they
were good hands at knocking a crow off a coco-nut
tree. The elder ones would go off to shoot duck on
a neighbouring marsh before breakfast.
After breakfast, when it was hotter, our chairs were
taken and set under a double avenue of mango trees
below the house, where there was usually a pleasant
breeze blowing, and a view over waving rice fields.
My host always used to remind his guests when it was
time for prayer, and produce the necessary mats and
water.
Belching is a sign of good rather than bad
manners, but the best people put their hands in front
of their mouths in an apologetic sort of way, as if they
were sorry, but really they could not help it, as the
food was so rich.
On parting from one’s host many wishes are
expressed for your future health, and greetings given
you to give your family—‘‘ Salaam _ so-and-so,”’
‘* Salaam so-and-so.” Then many Kwakeri’s (good-
bye), and Kwaheri sanas, and one passes on.
I have mentioned under death customs that
relations and friends are informed of deaths, and I
 POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY 213
append a rather amusing letter I received, presumably
as an act of politeness, from a young Arab friend who
knew a little English.
‘““ Tuesday, 2/3/1920,
““WETI.
“To Mr. W. D. Incrams,
"‘ Weare very glad to notify you that the father of
my wife is dead on date 26/2/20 thusday [sic] last.
Our sympathy in that case was great.
‘* Yours for ever,
‘“ AHMED BIN SULTAN RIvyamt.”’
Duty to Neighbours
(From the 7alkein Sibian)
If feasible you must go and see your relations.
You must remove all annoyance of your neighbours,
and even if your neighbours are of another religion,
you must rejoice with them on the occasions when they
have rejoicings. When on safari you must be on
good terms with your companions, and give them
everything of which they may stand in need. You
must not cause doubt in their minds by whispering
with others, and you must produce your food and
provisions at once on reaching a halting-place, so that
they may eat your food and not have to prepare their
own. If, though, anyone does evil on safari, you
must rebuke him, but still continue to look after him.

Guests
Guests must be fed for three days, and this is
compulsory, but after three days it is as alms. When
visiting do not outstay your welcome. Wait on your
guest and tell him when to pray. Look after his
animals and give them food and water, and do not
leave your guest long alone.
Do not wait until he asks you for what he wants,
but bring everything you have; bring water together
with the food, so that he may not thirst. Treat all
214 ZANZIBAR
your guests in the same way, even if there are many,
and do not be silent in their company, neither use
your guests to perform any errand for yourself.
When entertaining your guests in your house
bear in mind their likes and dislikes, and do not put
enemies near each other. Do not scold your servants
in the presence of your guests.

Letter-writing
The Arab’s politeness extends not only to his
encounters with his fellow-men, but also to his letter-
writing.
It would be impossible to imagine good wishes
more poetically or more fully expressed than they
are in letters. In official quarters this would be no
doubt referred to as “‘ unnecessary verbiage,’’ and in
the cold, unfeeling print of official publications is
reduced to two letters, “‘ A.C.’’ (after compliments).
But is not this ‘‘ verbiage ’’ more pleasant to read
than the obvious fiction written to one by one’s
superiors that they have the honour to be one’s
most obedient humble servant? I would therefore
recommend this more flowing style to those whose
life is spent drafting dispatches among the purlieus of
Whitehall.

RELIGIOUS DUTIES IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Among the Arabs, as Captain Colomb says in his

chapter ‘‘ Inshallah,’’ one feels a far greater sense
of the abiding presence of God than one does in a
Christian country, for religion enters so much into
the daily life of the people. In Zanzibar nearly every-
one fasts the whole of Ramathan, most people say
their prayers five times a day and are thinking of the
will of God at all times, and it must be remembered
that there is no priesthood in Islam to keep them up
to the mark. As an example of the way in which
 RELIGIOUS DUTIES 215
they are continually in thought of their religion, let
me give the precepts of Talkein Sibian, which
regulate the ordinary actions of everyday life.

Before Food, etc.

Before eating food say, ‘‘In the name of God,
the merciful and compassionate, who has intended this
as food of my body to give strength to live. Praise
be to God who has given me this food. I eat for
His glory and that of Mohammed His apostle.”’
When putting on clothes say, ‘‘ In the name, etc.
It is my intention to put on clothes to hide my naked-
ness, and to protect me from illness, and to show
that God has given me clothes for His glory and that
of Mohammed His apostle.”
When going to your wife say, ‘‘ In the name, etc.
I go to my wife, and I pray to God that I will get
a child, and to prevent myself from wanting other
women, for the glory, etc.,’’ or ‘‘ I go to my wife to
put out the fire of my desire.”’
Before business transactions say, “‘ In the name,
etc. I pray to God for prosperity, and to help me
in all my affairs, for the glory, etc.”’
When going out of the house to go to the mosque,
‘*T go not out ostentatiously to show people that I
am good, or to let people know that I go to pray.
I go for help and to get the approval of God, and to
escape hell fire.’’
Before going to urinate, ‘‘ It is my intention to
clean myself of urine (or excretion) and everything
bad. I abase myself before God and His prophet
Mohammed.’’ ‘You then wash the parts. But if the
act is not done say, ‘‘I put off all dirt for the
glory, etc.”’
Before brushing teeth, ‘‘I brush my teeth as a
meritorious act before God and His apostle
Mohammed.”’
After killing an animal the blood must be washed
away. If water is not obtainable, sand may be used.
216 ZANZIBAR
Prayers
Prayers must not be performed without ablutions
being performed first of all. After urination and
defecation, it suffices to wash the parts, but after
sexual connection the whole body must be bathed.
Women cannot pray during menstruation, and
must bathe after it before praying.
The best water obtainable must be used for
ablutions.
First of all water must be put in the mouth, and
the first finger of the right hand must be used to
clean the mouth three times, and then you must
gargle, but not in Ramathan, lest some of the water
should escape down the throat.
After this the nose must be washed out three
times, then the whole face three times, then the right
arm, left arm, head, ears, inside and out, right leg
and left leg, each three times, and you must say,
““TIn, the name, etc.”’
It is swznaa (meritorious) to use a tooth-brush
first, though it is not compulsory.
Before ablutions and after sleep, the hand must
first be washed, and as each part of the body is
washed you should pray God, who gave you water
to drink, as you wash your mouth, to give you the
perfume of Paradise that you may smell clean, then
with your nose, that your face may shine, and that
on the last day you may be among those whose faces
shine.

SUPERSTITIONS

There are a few superstitions peculiar to Arabs,

and [ therefore give them here.
The cawing of a crow near a house signifies the
coming of guests, and the braying of an ass as it
approaches a house signifies good luck for the owner
of that house. On the other hand, if a pregnant
woman hears the cawing of a crow, it means bad luck
for herself and child.
 ARAB ARCHITECTURE 217
Bad luck is also indicated by the lowing of an ox
near a house, and the sight of a cat crossing the
road also indicates bad luck. In Muscat, although
there are many slaves, a black man cannot remove
the body of a dead animal.
The month of Safar is unlucky, and Arabs, in
order to avoid further bad luck, burn or cut them-
selves, however slightly, at the beginning, and as
a thanksgiving read the Koran at the end. No
marriage takes place in this month.

NOTES ON ARAB ARCHITECTURE IN ZANZIBAR

Apart from modern works of a particularly

meretricious kind, the evil heritage of Indian work-
men from the British-India of the Victorian era,
Zanzibar possesses many buildings of charm, and of
a style associated with its traditions. The unfortunate
circumstance of the scarcity of suitable building
material in the island has to a certain extent crabbed
the hand of the artist, and fought against the preserva-
tion of many interesting works.
While most of the architecture of Zanzibar and
of the island is fashioned on the original Arab model,
there is in the later work a tendency to assimilate
into the detail imported Indian forms, and works of
purely Arab origin are comparatively scarce.
The general design and planning are here very
much the same as in any other Moslem Eastern town,
where conditions of climate, life and habits are the
same. They appear to be varied here only by the
scarcity of flooring timber, or the length of mangrove
poles available with which to carry the lime and stone
forming the roofs.
The detail, on the other hand, consists of many
of those ancient forms known of antiquity in the
valley of the Euphrates and absorbed into the art of
the nomad Arabs, and in addition there are many
lovely natural shapes adapted from trees and plants
in the vicinity. The ‘‘traveller’s palm,” in
218 ZANZIBAR
particular, frequently appears as a motif for band
ornament in wood.
Carved stone-work is very scatce, but moulded
plaster-work overlying coral abounds, chiefly in the
interiors of mosques and in the decoration of the
mihrab, or praying niche.
The Arab tradition in Zanzibar was debarred by
circumstance from giving the world such work as is
found in Cairo and Spain, but has left there many
humble monuments of grace, good proportions and
great charm, despite the rude material of which they
are made.

ZANZIBAR DOORS

Zanzibar doors, like Zanzibar chests, are well

known, and it seems that this is an appropriate place
in which to give a few notes about the meaning of
the carving with which they are decorated.
The motifs used are of considerable antiquity,
and as they portray natural objects, are pre-Islamic
in origin.
The rosettes and leaves represent the lotus,
associated by the ancient Egyptians, from whom or
from the Assyrians the design was probably borrowed
direct, with reproductive power. At the bottom of
the two uprights are two grenade-shaped objects,
and below them three wavy lines. The former are
degenerate designs of fish, and the latter represent
the sea. The fish design can be traced on all
Zanzibar doors, from a well-designed fish to a shape-
less grenade, a pine-apple, and latterly a flower-vase
with flowers extending out of it up the length of the
post. It is possible that the fish represents Atargatis,
the Syrian fish goddess who was a protecting deity
and associated with generation and fertility. The
design probably travelled from Syria by the Arabian
seaboard to Muscat and thence to Zanzibar. The
water symbol is also of Egyptian origin and signified
the production of life.
 ‘HIddVAHNId SHNOOAL
HSII—ISO'I AdVHS—HSIA ‘ADVIS CGUIHL—-GHIIVL ATAaNOd ‘AOVIS LXAN—TIVL HLIM Hsia (42m07)
‘AASVAWAMOTA SHNODHA—LOAAO GHAVHS AGVNAUO-GHATIVL HIMAOG—SHTVOS LAOHLIM HSI (42¢¢0)
SNOISHG AOOd AVAIZNVZ
 \ ogital ih ers ro a4 aise he 7 af
Vy -iyeonal Qe Fg Me Gubys pus ty aria
Lf Wyre So gl a "y 3 UNS ag ks
- oe Ke ari, oe fe
as ta ia
Sena e
ole A pea sina
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 ZANZIBAR DOORS 219
There remain the chains, one or two of which
almost invariably go all round the door: this design,
I take it, is intended to represent security, and by
a species of homceopathic magic to guard the home
against intruders. In the first place, natural chains
were no doubt used. In the same way the orna-
mental brass bosses were originally spikes designed
to give an uncompromising reception to unwanted
guests. It is sometimes said that the bosses are as
a protection against elephants. If this is so, it should
be shown that they are Indian in origin, and that
they do not appear on the genuine old Arab doors.
Many Zanzibar doors have also frankincense-tree
patterns and date-tree patterns, the former symboliz-
ing wealth, derived from the Egyptians, and the latter
plenty, derived from the Arabs. The symbolism
of these designs on a door is too obvious to need
explanation; it may be noted that the door was the
first part of a house to be erected, the idea doubtless
being that its beneficent influences might affect even
the ground the house was to be built on.
In some of the conclusions above I have followed
Captain F. R. Barton, C.M.G., formerly First
Minister, in his article, ‘‘ Zanzibar Doors’’ (Man,
1924, 63).
 CHATARE Rix LX

SOME NOTES ON THE LIFE OF THE SWAHILIS AND FREED

SLAVES

THE derivation of the word ‘‘ Swahili’’ has been

elsewhere discussed in this book, and, whatever
interpretation is put on the word, it is ‘difficult to
define what peoples can be included under that
designation. In this chapter I apply it to those
detribalized natives and natives of mixed descent
living in and around the town, and, although they
would not admit it, there is a certain class of so-
called Arabs that may be justifiably included under
this description. They are of mixed descent but live
in the style of Africans. The freed slaves are also
classified as Swahilis, but in the main they originated
from up-country tribes, the principal tribes being
Gindo, Songo Songo, Dengereko, Sagara, Sukuma,
Nyassa, Bisa, Zigua, Digo, Manyema, Zaramu and
Yao. These people, coming from widely different
areas, have many of them brought into Zanzibar their
own pantheon of devils and a variety of ngomas. In
the main, however, their customs follow those of the
rest of the natives, but being quite detribalized and
without family influence exerted over them in any
way, they have lost much of the results of the herd
instinct.
MARRIAGE

They regard their marriage ties very loosely

indeed; often no more than five or ten rupees is
mahr, and in other cases a sum is named as mahr
but none paid at all.
Divorce is frequent, and the women rarely observe
their Iddet. Marriage is common when money is
plentiful, and before the month of Ramathan. The
divorce figures rise and money is scarce after
220
 VILLAGES 221
Ramathan. They are extraordinarily loose and
immoral in their manner of life, far more so than
the aboriginal tribes.
VILLAGES
As regards their villages, the construction of
their houses is better than that of the ordinary native,
and the houses are generally fitted with windows
and often whitewashed inside and out. A good deal
of decoration occurs on houses, consisting of birds
such as the peacock, and patterns of leaves painted
in black and green. The artists are often Wan-
yamwezi, some of whom make a profession of this
work; for the rest their houses are made to imitate
to some extent European and Arab styles, and they
frequently have cement floors.
These houses are often arranged in rows on
either side of the street in European style, and they
decorate them inside with cheap pictures, and have
beds of Indian manufacture, often using mattresses
and sheets. These remarks, of course, apply
particularly to those who live in the town and are
moderately well off or extravagantly inclined. Among
the poorer classes the furniture is, of course, African.

DRESS, MODE OF LIVING, ETC.

To the town-dwelling Swahili Malidadi (finery)
would appear to be the ruling word in his life; he
must be well dressed and have everything smart. His
idea of being well dressed is to wear a fez, a pink-
coloured vest, a pair of white trousers, a thin, filmy
kanzu and a coat of tussore, or drill, cut with a waist.
On his feet he wears socks and a pair of brown and
white rubber-soled shoes, while in his hand he carries
acane. It will be seen that this costume is a mixture
of Arab and European, but the Arab is being rapidly
discarded in favour of the European dress. Recently
one has seen objects clad in fezes with coloured
shirts and bow ties, blue serge suits, wearing shoes
and socks, wearing a monocle, and smoking cigarettes
222 ZANZIBAR

in long, gold-tipped cigarette-holders. Such cart-

catures are not pleasing sights to see, and even worse
perhaps are the gentlemen who have taken to soft
hats and heavy boots. Wrist-watches are also in
favour.
ORGANIZATION

These people are utterly detribalized and, apart

from the Central Government consisting of Europeans,
have no one to look after them. Until recently the
freed slaves in Pemba had their own Sheha, Fundi
Yakuti, a fine, intelligent type of native. Some
4,500 natives up and down the length of Pemba
recognized his sway, and he had a number of
assistants; since his resignation, however, and sub-
sequent death, these freed slaves have been left in
the charge of the local Masheha of the Wapemba,
though some few districts are still largely comprised
of this class, for instance, Chanoni and Chake Chake
town.
OCCUPATION

These people are not much engaged in native

industries except for the building of native huts.
Many of them are tailors, however, and it should
be noted that in Zanzibar no sewing is done by women,
except mission girls. The greater number of town-
dwellers are occupied as labourers or in domestic
service with Arabs, Indians or Europeans, thus pick-
ing up a variety of ideas on different ways of living.
Those who live in the country do very little work,
and scarcely plant enough crops for their own personal
use. If one rides through Chanoni, for example,
one cannot but be struck at the paucity of native
crops, and the untidy methods of planting. The
variety of crops is also very small and confined chiefly
to cassava. On the other hand, some of them have
small coco-nut or clove plantations, and many pick
cloves on an Arab’s plantation during the clove
season.
 RELIGION 223
I should mention also that a lot are employed
on transport work as bullock and donkey-cart drivers.
Other occupations largely practised by this class are
those of charcoal-burners, carpenters, shoe-makers,
masons, porters, boat-boys, motor-car drivers,
messengers, petty dealers in foodstuff, teashop
keepers, etc., and it also comprises a certain number
of lower class clerks. The total number of people
employed in each of these occupations is not large.

CRIME
The bulk of the jail population is drawn from
this class, and here we have the habitual thieves,
gamblers and drunkards. Many new types of
offence have been appearing lately in Zanzibar; in
addition to modern methods of house-breaking, such
heretofore unknown methods of crime as_pick-
pocketing, hold-ups on roads, and robbery by gangs
are becoming known, and it is likely that the cinema
has had a great deal to do with this.
One of the forms of Kinyume is the thieves’ slang
used by this class.
RELIGION

While retaining a general belief in devils, the

Swahilis pay more outward observance to the forms
of Islam than do the native tribes, probably because
it is considered fashionable. Of the converts to the
Christian missions in the island, most come from this
class (and Wanyamwezi). Being bad citizens in
any case, they make bad Christians, and as they
are the type of native Christian most generally met
with by the traveller, it is they who give the missions
a bad name. (As far as missions are concerned in
Zanzibar, there are three classes from which their
converts can be drawn. These are, (a) the Arabs and
native tribes who are all either staunch Mohammedans
or animistic with a strong adherence to Islam, (4)
this class now being described, and (c) pagans, such
as raw Wanyamwezi; the two latter classes are, of
224 ZANZIBAR
course, much the smaller. Christianity makes little
headway in the first class; in the second class it makes
some headway, but generally procures bad recruits;
the third class makes the best Christians.)
AMUSEMENTS
As this class is of such mixed origin it naturally
has a very exotic repertoire of ngomas. In addition
it has taken largely to what it euphemistically designs
as ‘‘ bands ’’; Scotch Band, Marine Band, Tipperary
Band—these are but a few of the titles that are
bestowed on these crowds of natives who dress them-
selves in fantastic uniforms, chiefly caricatures of
British uniforms, and in which generals and staff
officers are almost as common as privates. Swahili
women have also taken to dressing themselves in
clothing based on the European model for these
performances.
In addition to such tunes as ‘‘ God Save the
King,’ ‘‘ Tipperary,’’ ‘‘ If You were the Only Girl
in) the sWosld,*. “Auld slancesoyne,.. 1) Colonel
Bogey’s March,”’ and a few others, these bands have
evolved a curious kind of music, which is a cross
between the ordinary dance music of Europe and the
ngoma music of Africa, and while the ‘‘ band’”’
makes the night hideous with this kind of ‘‘ music,”’
the ‘‘ army ’”’ forms a circle round it, and either drills
in European style, or performs an ngoma in the
African style. This type of dancing is often called
Chemka.
Siku ya mwaka (New Year’s Day) has been for-
gotten by these people, who instead, at the Idel Fitr
at the end of Ramathan, which is known as Siku kuu,
proceed in their best clothes in enormous crowds to
watch such entertainments as I have described above,
or take turns on swings and roundabouts erected by
enterprising Indians. The Siku kuu is also notable
for the amount and variety of easy methods of losing
money on gambling.
One moonlight night at Jembiyani, in the south-
 AMUSEMENTS 425
east of the island, while watching an ngoma I was
asked if I had seen Aargoss. Thinking this was
another ngoma, I followed my guide to a house where
I was conducted on to the baraza behind some large
mats called /amvis, which closed the baraza from
public view, and effectually excluded the air, thus
forming a theatre about thirty feet long and seven or
eight feet wide. At one end of this sat a native with
a concertina, while behind there was a space of
perhaps three feet between the mats and the wall.
Totally unaware of what was going to occur, I was
little short of amazed when a marionette dressed in
native style made his appearance above the screen.
What followed was, in fact, a Punch and Judy show.
Punch, Mwalim Kargoss, had quarrelled with his
wife, and a well-meaning friend endeavoured to
reconcile the parties, and the end of it was that
Mwalim Kargoss successfully slaughtered the wife
and the well-meaning friend, and having also
slaughtered a couple of policemen capped in red
fezes, he decided he would go to his shamba, and
sent for his donkey. The donkey threw him once or
twice, but he got to the shamba in the end, where he
set about milking a cow, an act which he performed
with much realism, but with such violence that the cow
shook every time he drew milk. Not unnaturally
annoyed at this treatment, the cow let out with its hind
leg and kicked Mwalim Kargoss, a distance of some
yards. He recovered, however, and determining to
have his revenge, decided to slaughter the cow and
called for a knife. A long table-knife as big as him-
self was then brought, with which he sawed through the
cow’s jugular vein, and she expired, uttering protest-
ing ‘‘moo-oo’s’”’ in a most realistic fashion. After
further adventures with a lady whom he desired to
seduce, but who, judging from the way she banged
him and flung him about, was too muscular for him
to overcome, Mwalim Kargoss retired, and the
audience was, to say the least of it, startled when a
huge, white-bearded face looking rather like Father
 226 ZANZIBAR
Christmas appeared over the screen and sang a comic
song in a very gruff voice.
The dialogue of this play was very clear, and the
actor behind the curtain changed his voice for each
character in excellent style, and pitched it proportion-
ately to the size of the marionette. I was informed
by one of the two players that they had been taught
the show by a Shihiri Arab. These two natives
travelled on foot, with their properties in baskets,
every day from village to village, and set up their
show on the baraza of a house in the evening, charging
two pice for admission. Such a sight may be seen in
the town of Zanzibar on Siku kuu, but in a village as
isolated and as truly native as Jembiyani it seemed
extraordinary.
Before leaving this section I would draw attention
to the number of English words which are rapidly
being absorbed into the vocabulary of this class of
natives. Such words are:
Bafu Bath Lenketi Raincoat
Band Band Mishin _ Christian
Bed shiti Bed sheet Motoboti Motor-boat
Biskuti Biscuit Mtwana A lorry or motor’bus—
Bilanketi Blanket originally a slave
Buku Book Motokari Any motor-car (not a Ford)
Burashi Brush Musiki Music
Buti Boots Numbawan The best
Charki Chalk or blanco Pudin Pudding
Fidla Violin (Ku)rouni To walk round (derived from
Fodi Ford car (-louni) the ‘“‘ rounds ”’ of the Police)
(Ku)frai To fry (Ku)rosi To roast
Fruiti Fruit Saluti A salute (the National
Fursklasi Excellent Anthem)
Gilassi Glass Sharti Shirt
Juggi Jug Soksi Socks
Keki Cake Speshul Special
Koffi White coffee Spiriti Petrol
Koti Coat Tarumbeta Trumpet
Krismass A present
Kurutu Remnant (derived from recruit; someone without a number;
then the last man of a column; something left over,
hence, for example, a scab after a sore, etc.)
The derivation of most of these words is too
obvious to need remark. Almost anyone could
understand some of the semi-educated town natives
who use this form of speech.
 B. NATIVE TRIBES OF ZANZIBAR

CHAPTER XX

Lire OF THE INDIVIDUAL

THE MAN

(2) [Infancy

1. When the time comes for the delivery of a

child, the father fetches the midwife (mkunxga), who
then attends to the expectant mother. The woman
is seated on a low stool, and the midwife sits in front
of her and receives the child. When the child is born
the midwife ligatures the umbilical cord and cuts it,
and she then takes the child, washes it in cold water,
and lays it on a cloth in a flour sieve (wga) while she
attends to the mother.
The mother is washed in very hot water, and then
a fire is prepared of coco-nut shells, and she stands
over it with her legs apart, after which she will go
and sit on the bedstead, which for the moment has no
mat on, and a fire underneath it.
At the head of the child in the flour sieve are laid
a lemon, a razor, a silver chain and its mother’s waist
beads. This, I am informed, is to keep the devils off.
It is interesting to note that Sir J. G. Frazer in
Spirits of the Corn and Wild, Chapter I, describes
similar customs in ancient Greece, Java, Foo-Chow,
China, Bilaspore district of India, Upper Egypt,
Punjaub, Gaolis of Deccan, Siam, Travancore and
among the Tanalas of Madagascar.
The placenta is buried behind the house and the
place marked.
227
228 ZANZIBAR

The period of confinement lasts until the umbilical

cord falls off, which is usually seven days; during this
time neither mother nor child go out, and the lemon
and razor, etc., remain at the child’s head.
After seven days the father obtains, in the case
of a boy, seven coco-nuts, or for a girl three, and
two kibabas or a pishi of rice.
The coco-nuts are broken, and some of the rice
thrown in each direction with the words, ‘‘ This ts your
share, big people.’’ This is, of course, to the devils
hovering round, and is intended to appease them an@
keep them away from the young child, who is so
susceptible to their baneful influences.
A fowl is then killed, a cock if the child is a boy,
ahenifitisagirl. The rice and coco-nuts are cooked
in the usual way, and a curry is made of the fowl in
which ginger must be included. This is called Fuka.
The food is then divided on to four plates, of
which one is the share of the big man of the village,
not necessarily the Sheha, one is given to the
Mwalimu, the third is the portion of the father and
mother, and the last goes to the Maskini wa mungu
(God’s poor).
After this the father gives Re. 1 to the midwife,
and she returns the silver chain and the beads, which,
like the child, have been in her custody during the
period of confinement.
When these ceremonies are over the Mwalimu
comes every morning for forty days and pours water
on the mother’s head. At the same time he reads
the Yasimi from the Koran.
After this period (seven days) the child’s head is
shaved, and then if it is desired a feast may be made.
The umbilical cord and hair is buried with the
placenta behind the house, and sometimes a coco-nut
is planted on it. It is considered very bad luck if
this subsequently dies. It is referred to as the navel
of the child. Seven different kinds of grain are
sown, and the child shown the manner of sowing.
An Mchi (the pole used for pounding grain in
 THE MAN ee
a mortar) is placed against its throat and it is told
not to tell tales. Children are usually not given
proper names until they are old enough to choose
them for themselves. In Pemba, especially, infant
girls are usually called Kijakazi and boys Mtwana.
2. When the mother is again able to follow her
occupation and cultivate, she generally carries her
child with her, tied by a cloth either to her back or
sometimes to her front. If she has several children
the child is often entrusted to the care of an elder
sister.
Natives seem, curiously enough, to have but hazy
ideas on infantile feeding, and one frequently sees
babies, as yet unweaned, having their mouths stuffed
with boiled rice and curry. This improper method
of feeding is doubtless responsible for much of the
infantile mortality, and certainly causes the abnormally
distended abdomen so commonly seen in native
children. It is also considered essential that they
should eat a certain amount of earth, though the
habit is not entirely confined to young children.
There is a particular kind of reddish earth eaten
called Udongo Mwekundu, which is popular, and the
habit is largely responsible for many intestinal
parasites, which are a real scourge to the native.

(b) Childhood
When the child is of an age to walk about, it is
generally left to amuse itself for the day with all
the children of the village while its parents are away
at work. This happy existence goes on till the child
is seven or eight, when the only education it receives
commences.
In every little village there is a mosque with its
Kuttab, or Koran school, and the 1/walimu (teacher)
attached. Here both morning and afternoon every
day for two or three years sit the children of the
village, a ‘‘ slate’’ with a verse or two inscribed for
the smaller ones, or a Koran for the elders. All of
230 ZANZIBAR
them repeat their portion over and over again at the
same time, till both intonation and pronunciation are
correct, and the noise of their reading can be heard
quite a way away. The teacher quickly pulls up any-
one who is wrong, and picks out each pupil in a
wonderful way, and woe betide the boy who is really
thick or wantonly stupid. The use of the stick is by
no means unknown to the teachers of Zanzibar.
The tragedy of it all is that with all its fine sound-
ing phrases the meaning of the words and the import
of the Scriptures are as unknown to the teacher as to
his pupils.
The correct repetition of the Koran is said to be
meritorious, and presumably this is the only benefit
derived by the scholars. The uselessness of this
repetition seems well recognized by the intelligent
Arabs and by the Kadis, one of whom referred to
it to me as Maneno ya Kasuku (a parrot’s words),
but said, who was to expound it to them?
I have often asked the teachers if they ever
expounded the Scriptures to their charges, and all
said ‘‘ No,’ some even confessing that they could
not. When asked what was the use of it, several
said that the method was first to teach the correct
enunciation, and then those who were specially fitted
could go to the city and learn of their religion from
the Mwalimus there.
After their education is over, or in their spare
time, the children are employed by their parents on
running errands to the local grocer, on herding the
goats and kindred small tasks.
In play hours they occupy themselves much as
do their Western cousins—flying kites, whipping tops
or drawing round small wagons, etc. A counter-
part of the coloured paper windmills sold by street
hawkers is also made from a coco-nut frond, and is
called kititia. Several round games are also played,
many almost exactly as in Europe—touch, under the
name of Tasa, follow-my-leader, called Tinga, and
a species of rounders called 7iabu. Another game
 THE MAN ee
quite popular but rather violent is called Mali ya
ndimu, in which one boy puts his head down and
Sa ate it, and the knocked one guesses who
aid bvaemaa
it. ty e g guesses correctly,y the kn ocker becomes

_ They often amuse themselves by catching rice

birds, which they imprison in small cages and sell.
Sailing boats is probably a favourite amusement
of children of all countries wherever water is available,
and Zanzibar is no exception. Kwuolesha vidau
means to sail small boats, and it is related that an
uncle of Seyyid Said, the founder of Zanzibar,
taunted him by saying to him when, as a boy at
Muscat, he was amusing himself in this way, that he
would end up by doing no more than playing with
them. The boy, however, ‘‘ got his own back,’’ for
he one day killed his uncle by stabbing him in the
neck with his own dagger.

Children’s Games
Nyanjuriya. They hold hands in a circle and
move as in “‘ Ring a ring o’ roses.”’
(1) Kibuzi, Kibuzi, chamemee, chamemee, Kibuzi,
Kibuzi cha mbwana shandi. Mlelezi chooko na kunde
mwamu, Ho waitwa shamba ukale matikite na matango
kumi na mawele uji upinde uji utie kata kwenu watie
kwetu mkambiti; mkambiti ukadoto ya mwana mize
funika panya ho!
(2) Kibuzi, Kibuzi, chamemee, chamemee, mwan-
ambuzi Kajamba_ kajambili mchunga dekedeke
malenga mkonotinde manga hawende maka ukachakue
funo na upanga kuku simba kalega kalega kongwe
kongwe la mwana mzee tumbwi tumbwi la mbwani,
wala Haligongele lagona kwamke mbuya la wesha
wesha na mashinge na mashegesha ule mtu watenda
nduda haokote vitabwa tabwa du sinika pata lako
mama usimambe nakuturana nakufonza maungwana
mama, ya usiku na mchana mama, kesho kutwa
ntakuja mama na kisahani cha mijama.
232 ZANZIBAR
Oranges and Lemons. Played in the usual way,
but the words Mizinga and visasi (‘‘ cannon and shot ’’)
are used instead of oranges and lemons.
I have also seen a counterpart of ‘‘ Nuts in May,’’
but it is played in a different way, each side sitting
down until they have a final tug-of-war.

String Games
There are two games played with string for
children, the first of which is in the nature of a ‘‘ cat’s
Cradle.
(1) Take a loop of string. Put little finger and
thumb of both hands through it, so that it passes in
front of the palm of either hand. Take with the
the middle finger of both hands. Tell the child to
put its hands in centre. Release little and middle
fingers, take afresh into little fingers and then with
middle. Tell the child to lift his hand into the centre
of the new cradle. Release little and middle fingers
again. This releases the child’s hand.
(2) Take a loop of string. Put it over your head.
Put right side of string in mouth and then left also.
Cross the string in front and put over the head again.
Pull it. This releases the head.

(c) Puberty
Circumcision takes place between the ages of six
and fourteen or fifteen, and this rite is as much a
Bantu custom as a Mohammedan one.
It is usual to wait until a number of boys are ready
for circumcision before the date is fixed, and when
a number have been collected, a house is set apart for
their use and a fence built round it, both to prevent
the boys being seen and to stop them from running
away.
When the boys are all collected inside, the
Ngariba, or circumciser, who is often the Sheha of
the village or the Mwalimu of the mosque, comes with
his assistants.
 THE MAN 233
A low seat is placed ready, and the assistants
catch hold of each child in turn from behind and sits
him there holding the child’s hands in his hands, and
at the same time his legs which he holds apart. The
circumciser then catches hold of the penis, gently
pushes the prepuce back and cleanses it. He then
brings the prepuce right forward, holds it with an
mbano (forceps) and then cuts it off. Sometimes it
is necessary to cut a second time to remove the inner
skin.
He then applies a mixture of wanja manga
(antimony) and simsim oil, and the boy is carried and
placed on a seat called chege la mgomba, which
consists of a section of banana palm. After the
ceremony the foreskins are buried.
Further treatment is accorded to the initiates after
this until they are healed. In the first place a
triangle is made of three pieces of the hollow stem
of the leaf of the mbono (castor-oil) tree threaded
together, which, when tied round the waist, acts as a
support to the penis. Every three days cotton soaked
in oil is put on the sore to make it soft, for a washing
with water stained with mangrove which follows the
next morning, after which some other medicine is
put on.
The boys stay in the yard twenty-one days after
circumcision, and a curious magic medicine is given
to some cocks to make them stay with the boys during
this time. It is as follows: Chew up roots of Mwaka
and Mnyamata with ginger and charcoal. Mix this
with rice and give to the cocks, who will then stay
with the boys for the twenty-one days. ;
It is said that the presence of the cocks is required
to wake the boys up every morning. Cocks employed
in this way are, in Pemba, called Mayombe during
this period. ; a?
Certain songs are sung during the circumcision
period and dances played. The usual dance is called
Manyaga, in Pemba Unjugu.
234 ZANZIBAR

(2) Courtship
When a boy reaches the age of about sixteen it is
considered that he should be married, and he or his
parents set about making a match, for bachelors are
very rare in Zanzibar, and only idiots and such
afflicted persons do not marry, though it is apparently
realized that wives may be an expensive hobby, for
mke ni Nguo (a wife means clothes) is a well-known
proverb.
When he sees a lady whom he considers fit for
the honour, if he is a young man his father will
probably interview the father of the prospective bride;
if, on the other hand, he is of mature age and it is
not his first venture in matrimony, he will either write
or send a representative to the lady’s parent.
Bantu ideas of beauty hardly correspond with
European. Large breasts and buttocks are con-
sidered the chief features, and much is thought of
carriage and walk.
If the girl’s parent agrees to the proposed marriage,
he will ask what makari the bridegroom or his parents
are prepared to pay.
Mahari is generally interpreted as dowry, but,
strictly speaking, it is not so, as it is given to the
bride not by her parents, but by the prospective
bridegroom.
These days it ranges from five rupees up to any-
thing in the way of two or three hundred among the
natives, according to the youth, beauty and occupation
of the bride, a lady who has been many times married
or divorced being often content with a few rupees,
while such a woman as a catcher of whitebait, or skilled
at some other craft, may demand 300, as the demand
for such skill is great, and she would be a good invest-
ment. Usually though, a virgin bride may be
obtained for about thirty to fifty rupees. Part of the
mahari is paid at once and part after marriage, though
in practice the balance is often not paid at all. If
 THE MAN 235
a girl has not been married before, she must do as
her parents tell her, and she has no choice in the
matter, but if she is a divorcee, a widow, or of age,
her consent must first be obtained. The payment of
mahari is not the only pecuniary obligation attaching
to courtship or pre-marriage ceremonies, as a present
must also be given to the bride’s parents, which is
called kilemba. Kilemba literally means turban,
but it is also used in a figurative sense to denote a
present given on almost any special occasion. The
bridegroom also gives a present to the girl’s mother,
called mkaja.
There is no fixed period of engagement, and on
a favourable reply being received, the bridegroom
goes to the Mwalimu, or Kadi, to arrange for the
service to be held.

(e) Marriage
When the wedding-day comes the bridegroom
proceeds with his men friends to the mosque, where
the Mwalimu reads the service. After that is finished
the bridegroom produces halwa (sweetmeats) and
coffee, which is partaken of by his friends, and he
pays the Mwalimu a fee of two rupees for his services.
That night the bridegroom or his parents provide
a feast at their house, after which he proceeds to his
bride’s house, or sometimes she is brought to his.
But before he enters the house she is in, a sacrifice
of a fowl or goat must be made outside and he must
step across the blood.
On getting into the house, he finds in the ante-
chamber women who are guarding the wedding
chamber. To these he must pay money, called
Kifungua mlango, before they will allow him to pass
the door.
On entering the bride’s room he finds her swathed
from head to foot in the cloths, called kangas, and an
old woman there, who tells him to remove his clothes,
236 ZANZIBAR
and this done, gives him a new kanga, and then after
receiving a small present departs. The man then
proceeds to his bride whom he must uncover,
but she will resist this until paid a present of up to
Rs. 300.
If the girl is a virgin, there is an old woman kept
under the bed, and when the husband has had inter-
course she will emerge and take the bride and wash
her, returning her afterwards to her husband, who
remains with her all night.
Outside the house music and dancing is kept up
all night, and in the morning food is brought to the
man, who comes out and shares it with his friends
in the ante-chamber, while outside the house there is,
all day, much feasting and dancing.
If the man is wealthy he stays in the bride’s house
seven days (mfungate), giving feasts to his friends
every day. If, however, he is not sufficiently blessed
with this world’s goods, he will make a feast for one
day and remain in the house but three. At the end
of this period the man goes to his house and if he
likes may take his wife with him, though generally
she is left with her parents for about a month.
A new custom that has sprung up in the last year or
two is that the bridegroom should, before the marriage,
send a trousseau to his bride consisting of a number
of kangas, each of which is carried by a woman, and
each of which contains either a looking-glass, ear-
papers, waist-beads ora comb. The bearers dance to
the bride’s home.
Wednesday, if the last of the month, is the only
unlucky day for marriage, though the whole month
called Safar or Mfunguo tano is unlucky.
The chief months for marrying are those immedi-
ately preceding Ramathan, as it is considered
important to have a wife to cook during the nights
of that month. After Ramathan many of these unions
are dissolved.
 THE MAN a3)
(f) Divorce
Divorce is, of course, controlled by the Sharia,
and among the Wahadimu, Wapemba, and Watumbatu
it 1s Comparatively rare, and children are numerous
and well-disciplined. The most usual ground of
divorce is merely a desire for change, though a woman
is often divorced for barrenness, or on_ bearing
abnormal children, and sometimes, though by no
means always, for adultery.
Adultery is punishable in the man under the
Indian Penal Code, but there are very few prosecu-
tions, while the offence is extraordinarily common,
It is not unusual for a native woman to commit
adultery while her husband is away for a night, in
which case he is pretty certain to be doing the same.
The only sin about it is, apparently, being found
out by the injured party. This generally results in the
woman being well beaten, and her lover is lucky if he
gets off without a knife wound, or being ‘‘ murdered.’’
The methods of divorce are those usual amongst
Mohammedans, but the quick method is the one most
employed. 7Zalaka (I renounce you) said once or
twice can be revoked; if said three times it is final,
and a man cannot remarry his wife until she has been
married and divorced by someone else.
A woman can get a divorce from a Kadi if her
husband does not provide her clothes at least twice a
year, or does not maintain her.
If the husband desires the divorce he must pay
the whole of the dowry over to the wife, for on marriage
it is not the custom to pay the whole dowry, but
usually about half, though often none is paid at all.
Should the husband die, the widow may obtain her
dowry or the balance of it from her husband’s estate.
If, as often happens, the woman desires divorce, she
must pay the dowry back, and is often required to pay
far more. The practice leads often to abuses, as the
husband so ill-treats his wife that she is but too glad
to pay any price to get away.
238 ZANZIBAR
The desire for divorce is, however, as often as not,
mutual, and in this case the wife usually forgives the
payment of the balance of the dowry.
In the Sunni law impotency or malformation of
the husband, such as to make carnal connection
impossible, is a good ground for the wife’s suit for
divorce. This law states that a husband is in the same
position as if he were impotent, if his penis is of such
a size that it cannot be introduced into the wife’s
vagina.
The Ibathi law says if the length of the husband’s
penis is equal to the breadth of twelve fingers the
marriage should be annulled.

(g) Mature Life

After marriage the young man settles down with
his wife in a hut, probably built for him or proyided
by his parents, and accumulates his bits of furniture
and his cooking-pots.
Then the serious business of life begins. For the
man it is cultivating his land, and eating or selling
the produce. If his father was a blacksmith, or has
taught him a hereditary trade, he will follow that,
helping his father until death, when he takes over
the business; or perhaps lime-burning, which is the
principal industry of some villages; or fishing, when
he daily brings his catch to the market and it is sold
by auction for him, a small fee in cash or kind being
paid to the auctioneer.
For the woman it means child-bearing and work-
ing in the fields, and in the morning and evening
fetching the water on her head from the well, and also
the cooking of the evening meal for her lord and
master. Perhaps if he is well off he may accumulate
more wives, and may marry four, though few exceed
one or two, at any rate in the more distant parts.
Each must have her own household if she desires it,
though the wives generally converse quite amicably
during the day, and help each other if they are in the
 THE MAN 239
same village. Temporary alliances are often entered
into.
The stouter and more prosperous our friend
becomes the more respect he is held in, and it is not
long perhaps before he is addressed by his equals
and admiring juniors as Bwana, or master, as opposed
se yeetaane or child, which he has been previously
called.

(hk) Old Age

‘““fam veniet tacito curva senecta pede,’’ and
he will lose his stoutness, lose his sprightly bearing,
and his surrounding of wives and children, and walk
bent, with grey hair.
This, however, does not decrease the respect with
which he is regarded, for the native aristocracy is one
of age, and he is called Bwana mkubwa, or “‘ great
master,’’ or more affectionately by the older men
Baba, or “‘ father,’’ and becomes one of the wazee, or
elders of the village, whose advice the Government
will ask before appointing a new chief, if one is
required. If one wants information on unusual
subjects, or on bygone times, one is told, in a tone
indicating the respect felt for them, to ask the Wazee.
Presently though, forerunner of death (and at no
late age according to European ideas), his faculties
fade, and he can do no more than sit outside his hut
and eat the food his old wife prepares for him.

(i) Death
(1) Before. ‘‘ Bwana so-and-so is very ill, he is
near to die.’’ The news quickly spreads round the
village, and soon the near relations come to the hut
of the dying man, who tells them his wishes, maybe,
and has his last words with them. The doctor
(mganga) comes and does his best, but it is of no
avail. All the women sit round silent, and presently
240 ZANZIBAR
comes the Mwalimu, or teacher, from the mosque and
reads the Yasini from the Koran, until he is dead.
(2) Death. When he is dead, all the women must
go outside and commence the wailing. Then the
bed is laid from east to west, and underneath it a
hole is dug (afuo). The corpse, being undressed, is
laid on it on the bare cords, no mat being beneath it,
and washed, and the water runs down into the hole.
After this operation a new mat is placed under the
corpse on the bedstead, and it is again covered.
This being done, news is sent to everyone concerned,
friends and relations, and each replies, ‘‘ Masha
Allah ’’ (Let God’s will be done). The grave is
dug, and some pice paid both to the washers and
the Mwalimu.
When all this has been finished, and the people
are gathered together and served with refreshments,
the corpse is again washed, and during the operation
the Mwalimu reads the “‘ Kul huwa llahu. .. .”’
The body is then dried and, every aperture having
been stopped up with cotton waste (pamba), it is
wrapped in a shroud (sada), which is fastened by a
cord round the neck, waist, including arms, and feet.
(3) The Grave. While these operations are
carried out the grave has been dug. It is about six
feet long, three wide and four deep, and runs from
east to west. .
On the north side of the bottom of the grave is
dug a cavity running the length of the grave, about
eighteen inches deeper than it and a foot wide. It
is called /wana wa ndani, and in this the corpse is
to lie. It is provided with a board, which will cover
it up when the body is laid there.
(4) Burial. When the body is ready for burial a
bier (gezeza) is brought, in which is placed a mat
and the body in its shroud on it. Over it are laid
kangas.
It is then carried to the graveside, and followed
by the mourners. Arrived at the grave it is taken
from the bier and handed to three men, who descend
 THE MAN 241
to the first level of the grave. These lay it head to
east, facing north, on its right side and with arms to
side, in the cavity above referred to. The shroud is
then loosened and the cords undone. The right ear
must touch the ground and the left is uncovered.
Then the board is laid over the cavity and plastered
up with clay. The three men now get out of the
grave, and then everyone pushes back the earth.
When the grave is full, the Mwalimu pours water in
where the head lies, and this is supposed to reach
the ear, though I cannot say why or for what purpose.
This being done everyone reads the Yasin. Wail-
ing takes place from death to burial, but mostly as
the body is being borne to the grave.
Burton, who makes several remarks on marriage
and death customs, says that on Tumbatu Island the
late friends, women and debtors indulge in reproach-
ing and abusing the dead, and compares this to Irish
wakes. I am told, though, that this custom, which
was but rarely indulged in even formerly, has now
died out. He also mentions, as a belief of the
natives, that most deaths occur ‘‘ when the tide ebbs,
at the full and change of the moon.’’
(5) Post-Burial Ceremonies. When it is all over
the relations gather together and subscribe money,
which is given to the nearest relation to buy food—
rice and fish, fowls or goat, according to the money
available—and for three days the men and women of
the family sleep at the home of the deceased, the men
outside and the women in the hut.
On the fourth day the whole countryside comes
to a large feast and service called hitima. The whole
Koran is first read through, thirty people each read-
ing at the same time a separate Jeza. After this there
is much feasting.
When this is over all intone the following prayer:
“ Elhamd ul illah, rabi-el-alamina, mungu amrehemu
maiti,’’ of which a free translation is ‘‘ Praise be to
God, the Lord:in whom we trust; May God have
mercy on the dead.”’
242 ZANZIBAR
An Arab woman remains in mourning for five
months (Kalia eda), and does not appear at all
during that period, but at the end gives a feast. The
natives do not do this.
Graves are generally kept in good repair and rarely
built over. Stones are set round them, and often
broken plates, etc. These latter perhaps not so
much for decoration, but, I have been told, for the
use of the devils. Relations generally visit the
graves and see that they are in order.

THE WOMAN

(a) Childhood
The differences observed in birth ceremonies
between boys and girls have already been referred
to. The life of a girl of early age differs but little
from a boy’s. Her games are not so rough, and her
spare-time occupations are more domestic. I do not
think dolls are of general use among children, though
I have once seen a little girl playing with a rag doll,
referred to as mwanangu (my child).
A girl is generally, when old enough, employed
by her mother on such tasks as minding the baby,
and later on the small daughter will pound the flour
in the kim and sift it in the wzga, and generally assist
in the preparation of food. When the milNet or rice
is ripening, they will also sit in little shelters in the
fields and scare away the birds.
As a general rule girls receive no education and
are not taught the Koran, though there are exceptions
to this rule, and I have a charm which I saw being
copied from the Koran by a little girl about thirteen
years of age.

(6) Puberty
When a girl perceives her menses beginning for
the first time she gives warning of her condition by
crying out. On hearing this, her mother or grand-
mother will examine her, and if it is in fact so, will
 THE WOMAN 243
shut her up inside, away from all people, as she is
then taboo.
_ The mother will then go and buy her two new
printed calico cloths (isw¢z), and search for a somo
(teacher or confidential adviser) for her, who will
come, and taking the girl on her back will carry her
to a washing place. Here she will take off her clothes
and wash her all over. All the women of the village
follow and pour a spoonful (fata) of water over her.
The somo will then take her back and will sit her on
a white mat.
The women will bring a wooden platter (chano)
and on it a cup of simsim oil. They then mix
pakanga (rue-Steere), pacholi (?) maua maulidi and
liwa (a sweet-scented wood, like sandalwood from
Madagascar—Madan), and grind it. The girl will
first be rubbed with the oil and then with the flour,
and all of the women present will smear a little on.
She will then be taught how to wear a diaper (piga
winda or sodo).
After seven days the girl may emerge from the
house, but may not speak to any old women unless
each of them gives her money; this prohibition con-
tinues in the case of each old woman until the girl
gets money from her or bears a child.
Hartland (Ritual and Belief, p. 277) has
apparently got hold of something of this custom when
he says of Swahili girls at puberty, ‘‘ among them a
girl returns from her seclusion in silence, and gives
her hand to every man she meets, receiving from
him in return a few small coins.”
Before they are married girls receive some instruc-
tions as to the relations of man and wife. In Zanzibar
Island, among the Wahadimu, a special xgoma is
played called msondo, and women imitate, for the
benefit of the novices, the sexual relations of men
and women. In Pemba, among the Wapemba, in
addition to this dance (msondo or unyago) gitls who
are to be married are sent for a short course of
instruction with an old married couple.
244 ZANZIBAR
Captain Craster is presumably referring to this
custom in his book, Pemba, the Spice Island of
Zanzibar, when he says: ‘‘ In each village there is
an old woman whose business it is to instruct the
girls of a marriageable age in their duties as wives
and mothers. She also teaches the girls to dance,
and to walk with a peculiar swagger that is supposed
to be seductive in the eyes of the men. During their
course of instruction the girls usually live in the old
woman’s hut. If, after marriage, the husband con-
siders that his wife has failed in her duties, he sends
her again to the old woman, who gives her further
instruction, and sometimes emphasizes it with a stick.
And if a wife has any cause of complaint against her
husband, she often consults the old woman, and
generally receives good advice, for these old women
are very successful in composing conjugal disputes.
She sometimes also acts as match-maker, but the
employment of a match-maker is not considered
essential,”’
It is not by any means considered essential that
a young girl should be chaste before marriage, and
I should be extremely dubious as to whether there
are many girls who are virgins at marriage, at any
rate in the town.
Bishop Steere says in a note under the word bariki
ku (to bless) in his handbook: ‘*‘ Young people are
said in Zanzibar to barzki, when they first have connec-
tion with the opposite sex. Girls are thought old
enough between nine and ten.”
Craster also mentions that he was told by a sheha
who was holding a wedding-feast for his son, that
the drumheads would be cut when it was time for
the guests to go. I have not heard this.

(c) After Marriage

The ceremony of marriage has been described
under the life of a man, but there is a note of a curious
custom in Captain Craster’s book (referred to above)
 THE WOMAN 245
which he says takes place in Pemba, though during
my stay there I could not find any confirmation of
it save in one case, when the Arabic clerk told me
it was so.
I quote it verbatim as follows: ‘‘ When a native
marries, he is allowed to choose three married women
from his village, who are installed in his house as
concubines during the honeymoon. On his arrival at
his house he finds the women each wrapped from
head to foot in a sheet; and he is required to guess
which is his wife. If he guesses wrong he must pay
a rupee to the woman he has mistaken for his wife.’’
As for the life of a woman after marriage there
is but little I need mention here, but it should be
stated that there are the usual taboos as regards a
woman in her courses. She is unclean in every way,
neither may her husband have intercourse with her,
nor may she prepare his food. If she comes to court
as a witness, she may not touch the Koran, but must
hold her hand above it to swear.
 CHARDERSSAT
FAMILY ORGANIZATION

A ulst of the native names for the various relation-

ships gives a clue to the way in which the native
regards his family.
English Swahili Kipemba

Son or daughter (father See) Mwanangu

Father (son speaking) ; Baba
Mother . Mama
Father’s elder brother . Baba mkuu
Father’s younger brother . . Baba mdogo
Father’s ethene wife . Mama
Father’s sister . ; . Shangazi
Father’s sister’s husband : . Baba
Mother’s brother 7 . Mjomba
Mother’s brother’s wife . Mkwe Hau
Mother’s elder sister . . Mama mkuu
Mother’s younger sister . . Mama
Mother’s sister’s husband . . Baba
Father’s father . Babu
Father’s mother . . Bibi
Father’s father’s brother . Babu
Father’s father’s wife . . Bibi
Father’s father’s sister’s husband . Babu
Mother’s mother . - Bibi
Mother’s mother’s husband - Babu
Mother’s father . Babu
Mother’s mother’s brother’ $ wife . Bibi
Mother’s mother’s sister’s husband . Babu
Elder brother : , . Kaka or Kake
Elder brother’s wife . . Shimeji
Elder sister . -. Dada Mbu
Elder sister’s husband . Shimeji
Younger brother . . Ndugu
Younger brother’s wife . Shimeji
Younger sister - Ndugu
Younger sister’s husband . . Shimeji
Father’s brother’s son . Ndugu
Father’s sister’s son . . Ndugu
Mother’s brother’s son . Ndugu
Mother’s sister’s son . 5 . Ndugu
Father’s brother’s son’s wife 5 - Shimeji Muwamu
Father’s sister’s son’s wife . Shimeji
246
 FAMILY ORGANIZATION 247
English Swahili Kipemba
Father’s sister’s daughter . . Ndugu Kikoi
Mother’s sister’s daughter . . Ndugu
Mother’s sister’s husband . . Shimeji
Son or daughter . . Mwanangu or
Mwangu
Son’s wife or daughter’s husband . Mkwe
Brother’s son or daughter - . Mwanan
Brother’s son’s eile or daughter’s oh
husband . , : : : . Mkwe
Sister’s son or daughter. ; . Mjomba
Sister’s son’s wife or daughter’s
husband ; : : : . Mkwe
Grandson or daughter . 3 ; . Mjukuu Mkewangu
Great-grandson or daughter. . Kitukuu
Great-great-grandson or daughter . Kirembwe
Great-great-great-grandson or
daughter : ; - . Kinyingingya
Great-grandfather or great-great- “a ead
uncle : : : < s . Ba Mkuu
Great-grandmother or great-great-
aunt : : ; 5 6 . Bi Mkuu or
Ma Kkuu
Husband : : : ‘ : . Mume
Wife ; F . ; A : . Mke

A study of these words shows to whom the native

renders obedience, and from whom he exacts it. If
he says he must consult his wazee (elders), he means
all those people whom he calls baba, mama, kaka
and dada, and more particularly the babas, kakas
when they are living. He will also render respect to
his ibis and babus. Sibi in particular is a term of
the highest respect, and is applied, not only to the
array of ‘‘ grandmothers ’’ shown above, but to a
wife, particularly of another person, to the mistress
of a household, and in general essentially means a
‘“‘lady.’’ In the case of marriage it is generally the
father who chooses the young man his wife, and
arranges with her parents the dowry to be paid. The
father also often builds a house for the young couple.
In the case of girls, guardianship follows the rule of
the Shafite school of Mohammedan law, which also
governs the relationships of a man with his wife or
wives. If he has more than one, he is bound, should
they wish it, to furnish each with a separate house,
and to treat them all in an identical manner.
248 ZANZIBAR
Custody of the children again follows the law of
Islam. The supervision and care of a child which
has not reached the age of discernment (in the case
of boys, seven, and puberty in that of girls) is primarily
a woman’s duty and is a right of the mother, even if
divorced, which cannot be alienated. In the absence of
a mother it devolves on her female relations. When
the child is of the age of discernment, it may follow
its own preference and stay with the parent it chooses.
In a man’s actual family or fungu he includes all
those relations named in the table given, except skimeji
and mkwe. His own wife is one of his fumgu. As
regards marriage in the fangu, the rule is xyumba
mkubwa huingia mdogo, 1.e., the small house may enter
the larger. Thus, a grandfather may marry his grand-
daughter (in Zanzibar as well as Pemba), and a grand-
mother her grandson. In practice this does not occur,
for obvious reasons of age, but a grandfather sells his
right over his granddaughter for a rupee or so. This
right is not taken very seriously, but it is established
custom. Prior claim like this does not exist in the
case of a grandmother and grandson.
A man may marry the daughters of his shangazi
(father’s brothers and sisters), whether they are older
or younger than his father, and he has a first claim
on them. He may also marry his deceased younger
brother’s wife. He may not marry the daughter of
his mother’s brothers and sisters or the wife of his
deceased elder brother or any other members of his
fungu. A woman may marry the sons of her shangazi
and her deceased elder sister’s husband. She may
not marry her deceased younger sister’s husband.
A grandfather has no rights at all over his grand-
son’s wife, but calls her mkewangu (my wife) affec-
tionately. In the same manner a grandmother calls
her grandson mume wangu (my husband).
A man may not marry two sisters while both are
living. Incest of father with daughter or of brother
and sister are heinous, but liaisons between relations
who can marry are of no account.
 CHAPTER XXII
VILLAGE LIFE

(2) The Village

Native villages vary very much indeed. Those of

the more “‘ civilized ’’ people, the Swahilis, ape the
Arabs and even the Europeans, generally having
streets more or less wide, and the houses almost in
rows facing each other.
The Watumbatu, whose chief towns are Kichan-
gani (with its principal quarters, Chwaka, Uvivini and
Gomani), and Jongoe on Tumbatu Island, build their
houses very close together, with no idea of streets or
anything else, and it is a very complicated business to
find one’s way through a perfect maze of houses to the
Sheha’s house.
There are no outlying huts in a Tumbatu village,
which may, of course, be accounted for by the fact
that the space suitable for building is rather limited.
The Pemba villages are airier and more picturesque,
and generally consist of a collection of small or family
clumps of houses, but all in a certain radius.
Those of the Wahadimu, or so-called aborigines of
Zanzibar, consist usually of large, roomy huts well
scattered about, with no suggestion of crowding.
They are extraordinarily pleasant places, especially
on the north and east of Zanzibar Island, where the
houses are generally built of stone and often have two
storeys.
Very often the Wahadimu live in solitary huts in
the bush, or with not more than two or three
neighbours.
These four types ot villages have certain public
249
250 ZANZIBAR
buildings, etc., common to all of them. These are
a mosque, invariably, though of a very simple design,
a market, often merely an open banda, a well or two,
and sometimes a police station, or a chief’s hut.
The simplest form of mosque is a rectangular hut
with a kibla, and outside a water-pot and stepping-
stones, so that worshippers can avoid soiling their feet
after ablutions.
In many villages there is an mkahawa, or coffee-
shop, where all the gossip of the day is discussed.
This corresponds to the ‘‘ Public House’’ of English
villages.
In a few villages in both Zanzibar and Pemba I
have come across ngoma bandas, or theatres, where
dances are held, and there is also one at Kichangani,
on Tumbatu Island.
A rare building to find is an Mzimu, or dwelling-
place of a spirit. The only built one I have seen was
a small secluded hut, and in it many broken potsherds
and rags, placed there as offerings to the devil.
Sometimes the Sheha has near his house a small hut
where no one lives, but which he uses as an office, or
to entertain distinguished guests.
Chicken huts, built on four legs to keep mongooses
and civets off, are common objects, and also goat,
cattle and donkey bandas, the former often a lean-to.
Outside the villages or behind a cluster‘of huts is
the midden, the chickens’ paradise, on which such
refuse as empty shells, food scraps, etc., is thrown.
The native paths are proverbially crooked, and
they seem incapable of making them straight, even
when there are no obstacles. If a tree falls across a
path, a new one is made round it, the obstacle is never
removed, and even when it is decayed the path still
goes round. Perhaps this is why there are so many
bends. Near many streams are built platforms of
wood with a kata near, which are used for prayers.
To build over a narrow stream a convenient tree is
usually thrown across it (if the bed is deep and the
descent difficult). Ferries often ply between adjacent
 VILLAGE LIFE 251
islands and over wide creeks, for which a fare of two
pice is usually charged, though, of course, the fare
varies with distance.

(6) Moving a Village and Founding a New One

The old map of Zanzibar is now quite inaccurate
and cannot be relied on, at any rate as far as small
villages are concerned, as the owners have moyed to
fresh woods and pastures new.
If a Sheha, or the head of a large family, dies, his
hut is not occupied again, and gradually his family
round breaks away and builds new houses and founds
new villages, each of which gets a different name. If
the owner dies before the house is completed, it is
left unfinished, but it is possible that this custom is
derived from the Arabs. (Princess Salme says it
is not from sentiment, but from innate indolence.)
Another reason for frequent shifting is that the
land gets exhausted and no longer bears muhogo
(cassava) in profusion, and fresh land is therefore
broken up. ,
There is one rite that is always observed in the
building of anew hut. Before entering the new house
to live in it, a sacrifice of a goat or fowl must be made
outside the door, and the blood allowed to fall
there. The owner does not eat the flesh, but gives
it to the poor. The intention of this is to appease
any lurking devil, or to stop any spell that has been
put on the house. : with
The same sacrifice must be made before digging
a well, and the blood allowed to fall over the place
it is to be made, so that the devil living there may
drink it and not be annoyed at his dwelling being
disturbed.
Native huts are often rented at from two to five
rupees per mensem, but a higher rental is, of course,
payable for more superior dwellings in important
areas.
252 ZANZIBAR

(c) Shehas and Organization

Formerly almost every little village had its chief,
or Sheha, but when a more direct system of govern-
ment was introduced and the Shehas, were paid, the
number was cut down, and now Shehas control quite
large areas.
The Sheha’s official function is to act as a kind
of glorified policeman, and he has statutory police
powers of arrest. If the Administration want to see
a particular man, it is to the Sheha that the summons
for him is sent; if information or labourers are wanted
the Shehas supply them.
A Sheha also unofficially endeavours to settle
small disputes, and if a native has a complaint against
a neighbour, it is first taken to the Sheha, who
endeavours to settle it. If he is unsuccessful, he hails
both parties before the Kadi or the European in
charge of the district.
Above the Shehas (correct plural A/askeha) are
sometimes placed Maakida, and above them again
a Liwali, but this is an Arab arrangement. The Arab
title Mudir has now (1928) been substituted for Akida,
and there are no Liwalis left.
The Sheha is also responsible for keeping the
paths and village in his district clear and clean, and
must provide porters and guides if required.
When a Sheha dies or resigns, and a successor is
needed, the elders of the village, or district, are
required to select a new man.
Shehas generally have an assistant called a
Naibu, very often their son. As on a Sheha’s retire-
ment or death the Maibu is very often appointed to
replace him, the office tends to become hereditary.
Each Sheha is provided with a silver or bronze
badge, an official waistcoat (Kisibaw) and a red flag,
which he flies outside his house from sunrise to sunset.
Since the above words were written, the Sheha’s
position has been greatly improved. He is now a
 THE MAN’S DAY 253
member of a district court which tries small criminal
cases.
(d) Daily Life in the Village
If one pays a visit unexpectedly to the village in
the morning, one sees very few men, but on each
baraza there are several women seated, working,
perhaps, at mat-making, which takes the place of the
knitting of Western countries, or making coir or
preparing flour and other kindred occupations.
_ There is a general air of peace and quiet, and it
is very pleasant sitting on a shady baraza listening
to feminine politics.
Their men are generally away at work, save those
that are old, and in large villages the local tailor
pedalling briskly away at his ‘‘ Singer.’’

THE MAN’S. DAY

Very often I have been travelling at night, or
camping, and up early in a native village about four
a.m. when the cocks crow for miles around, and have
seen the day start for its inhabitants, and ‘‘ before the
phantom of false morning dies’’ one hears the
muezzin, who is surely the earliest riser of all, call
out to the drowsy worshippers to pray, and those that
are most pious come hurrying out of their huts to
begin their orisons before sunrise.
Otherwise in early morning there are few men who
rise before the sun, except in those villages not too
far from town, where the milkman is up early to milk
the cows before the long ride to town to sell it.
There is soon a ghostly greyish light over the
village, and as the sun rises, which it does quickly
near the Equator, one sees the foliage begin to assume
its colour. Smoke rising from the eaves shows that
the women are astir preparing breakfast for their lords
and masters. With a clang of wooden bars being
thrust back, doors open, men and women stagger
sleepily abroad, some to sit yawning heavily on their
254 ZANZIBAR
barazas, others to perform a perfunctory toilet. Goats
get up, stretch themselves, and bleat, and cows low.
Soon after the village bustles with activity, the men
have fed, and after a visit to the mosque, each goes
out to his occupation. Even the African realizes that
early morning is the best part of the day for work,
and wants to get it done before the midday heat.
If asked what their occupation is, most answer
‘‘ Kulima’’ (cultivating), and very early they go off
to hoe up their patch and make the ridges for the
muhogo to grow in, and build walls to keep the pigs
away, or clear bush in order to break up fresh ground.
Carpenters, blacksmiths and other craftsmen go
off to their jobs, the former perhaps to the dhow he
is repairing or the canoe he is hollowing out for a
fisherman customer, and the blacksmith to the forge
to repair his neighbour’s hoe, or if it is too far gone,
to make him another. Builders go off to the hut
they have contracted to build, and so on.
In the northern village of Nungwe, or on the
Pemba Island of Mtambwe Kuu and other places, the
lime-burners repair to the shore to break the coral rag,
and build it up with wood into a bonfire to make the
lime they will afterwards export to the city.
About ten or eleven o’clock the market begins to
fill and sellers come with their wares—fruits and
vegetables and dried fish, chiefly, which are laid out
in little lots. Shortly afterwards the fishermen, who
have been at sea all night, come with their catch for
sale, which they hand over to the auctioneer to sell.
After this the purchaser again sells the fish by retail
either in that market, or carries them off to one of
the smaller markets and sells them there. Women
never sell, and but rarely appear in the country
markets. In clove time, of course, nearly everyone
is employed on picking the crop, and the ordinary
routine of life is very much disturbed.
Another skilled occupation is that of plucking
coco-nuts, at which one may earn a pice for each tree
climbed, and an allowance in cash or kind for the
 THE WOMAN’S DAY 256
number of coco-nuts felled. Certain songs are sung
during this work, as in clove-picking, when the singer
tells of passing events, and conversation is often
carried on in chant.
At four o’clock all leave their work, and after
going home to change their workaday clothes for their
spotless white kanzus, go and call on their friends.
About dusk the evening meal is ready and served on
trays on the baraza, and with the help of friends this
is soon dispatched, though first the piously inclined
perform their sunset prayers and afterwards the night
ones.
After this more visiting or an adjournment to the
Sheha’s house to discuss the affairs of the nation or
tell stories, or perhaps there will be a dance (xgoma).
Then to bed and so ends the day, which is not always
by any means as strenuous as I have pictured it.

THE WOMAN’S DAY

The woman is the housewife and the cook. Her
day starts before dawn with preparing the breakfast,
which consists of the remnants of last night’s meal
‘“hotted up.”’
Then when the master has gone to his work, his
wife cleans up the hut and afterwards goes and
exchanges a few remarks with her next-door neighbour,
thereafter to the well, where as much time is spent
in talking as in drawing the water.
After that, if it is the time for breaking the soil,
sowing or thinning out the rice, or keeping the birds
and monkeys from the crops, she will go to the fields
and work till eleven to twelve, taking with her a hoe
and a basket of odd things on her head, including
perhaps water to drink and sometimes the latest
arrival to the family slung on her back. Both sexes
appear to work indiscriminately in the fields, except
in the Ndagoni Peninsula of Pemba, where women
only do the work. If her work is that of catching
whitebait, or shell-fish, she will go with her basket
256 ZANZIBAR
and fellow-fishers to the shore, where two will hold
the cloth and the other drive the fry into it, or perhaps
if the tide is low they will pick up crabs, or shell-fish.
At noon back to the hut to grind the maize or
millet or to pound the flour, and prepare the food for
the evening meal. Later, perhaps, she will go out
a little way to pick up dead coco-nut leaves or wood
with which to make the fire. At four or five again
to the well, and whereas perhaps not many have been
there in the morning, all seem to be there in the
afternoon.
Then presently day draws to a close, the tropical
sun has quickly set and the short twilight is over.
Cooking starts about five or six, and when the meal
is ready, it is soon dispatched by the men who have
returned from work.
Talking fills in the gap between ‘‘ our after supper
and bedtime,’’ or perhaps a dance in the slack part
of the year (for they are forbidden during the clove
harvest), in which case there is no bedtime, for it goes
on till dawn has lightened the sky.

GAMES

There are two kinds of games which find especial

favour—dao and cards.
Bao is a game played on a board, having four
rows of eight holes in it, with the grey seeds of a
shrub that grows on the seashore. There are three
forms, Kiswahili and two kinds of Kiarabu. Kiswahili
is very complicated, but Kiarabu is more simple.
The debased form is as follows:
In each hole are three seeds, and two rows of holes
for each player. The starting player picks up the
seeds from one hole, and passing either to right or
to left, drops one into each hole. If the last of the
seeds in his hand drops into a hole with more seeds
in, all are picked up and distributed till at last one
falls into an unoccupied hole. He then picks up all
the seeds of his opponent in the two holes immediately
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 GAMES 257
opposite. The second player goes on, and the game
continues till one or the other captures all his enemy’s
seeds.
The true form from Arabia is played, using only
seven holes in each of the four rows and only two
seeds in each hole. Otherwise it is the same as the
form described above, except that all movement is
anti-clockwise, and if there are no seeds in the
opponent’s front line, those in his back line cannot
be taken.
Kiswahili has a multitude of rules, and requires
a lot of careful thought before each move, and a lot
of practice before proficiency is obtained.
To explain it a diagram is necessary.

The lettered spaces represent one player’s holes,

and the numbered his opponent’s. The round holes
are called kishimo, pl. vishimo, the square ones kun,
and the one marked “‘ Z’’ kichwa (head). This last
has no other purpose than a store and does not enter
into the game. Each player’s front rank is called
mbele, and rear rank myuma; the seeds are called
komwe, or soo, or mamu (see later). To set the
board for play is kupanga. To take seeds is kula.
Each player has thirty-two seeds, and the first
player puts six in A and two each in B and C, while
the second player puts six in 1 and two each in 2
and 3. The balance of the seeds is called xamu.
The object of each player is to capture his opponent’s
seeds and use them till his opponent can no longer
move.
The first stage of the game is called kunamua,
which lasts until ‘all the “amu have been played, and
the second, which continues to the end, ma7z.
258 ZANZIBAR
In the first move the first player puts a xamu in
either B or C, and taking up the three goes either
to right or left placing one in each. The second
player does the same, but may put his xamz also in
any hole where there is one opposite. If he does this,
he takes his opponent’s seeds and places it either in
4 or 13. The game now continues in this way, but
if you take more than one of your opponent’s seeds,
you play from either of your own end front row of
holes towards the centre, and if the last one falls
into a hole already occupied, you pick up all and
continue the way the board is lettered or numbered,
and on each occasion your last seed falls into an
empty hole with seeds opposite you, you take these
and go to either of your end holes and start afresh.
Thus any one turn may be a very long one.
There is a slight exception to the choice of ends
to start from, in that if the seeds you take are in the
end hole, or the hole next to the end, you must start
at that end and may not go to the other. This is
called Kiméz.
If at any stage there is no occupied space in your
front rank with an occupied space opposite, you may
takata, or put a seed in any of your own occupied front
rank spaces, and go not to the end, but right or left from
the hole in which you ¢akata-ed. If there is a choice
of holes to ¢akata in, you may not ¢akata in a hole
with only one seed. Of course if your safa7z, or move,
stops in a hole with seeds opposite, you take these
and go to the end in the usual way. You cannot
takata from kuu, but if there are only seeds in kuu
you play one to either side, you then place your amu
with it and go on. This continues until there are
only six seeds in kuu, after which you may use the
kuu to takata.
When all xamu in a player’s hand are finished,
the second part of the game called ma7i begins.
This consists in taking up the seeds in any hole
in which there are more than one, and playing towards
the end in which there are most seeds. If this results
 GAMES 259
in taking your opponent’s seeds, it is called mtaji. If
a player cannot make an mai move, he must éakata
in the same method employed in the first half of the
game, except that if no front rank space has more
than one seed he must ¢ekat¢a with the rear rank, and
if possible he must ¢akata with the seeds in a space,
which, on being played, will leave the seed to fall into
an already occupied space. He cannot /akata with
only one seed.
The game is ended when a player has either no
seeds in the front row and none placeable there, or
no hole with more than one seed in it.
Many other forms of this game are played over
Africa, and the éao is generally referred to as
Mankalta.
Card Games. There are four of these played by the
natives, and I shall give the rules of each one in turn.
(1) Chanis. Shuffle and cut the pack, deal each
player four, and turn up four on the table. The
player on the left of the dealer begins. If he has a
card of nine pips and there is a 5 and 4 on the
table, he takes them and lays them aside, if say, he
has a queen and there is a queen on the table, he
takes it, and so on. If he cannot take, he discards
one to the table. If he has two queens and there is
another on the table, he may lay one down saying
‘* Chanis,’’ if another player also has a queen, he
captures both saying “‘ datis,’’ if not the original
player takes the card with his remaining queen saying
‘* Satis.’’ When the four cards in hand are exhausted
another four are dealt. The player who gets the most
cards wins.
(2) Wahedusitin, or sixty-one. 2’s, 8’s, 9’s and
10’s are discarded. Three cards are dealt to each
player and the next one turned up, and its suit is then
trumps. Each player then plays a card; the highest
of the suit led, or trumps, wins. Then an extra card
is dealt round so that there are always three in hand.
To beat a card is kupika; trumps are terufu. The
Jack is always higher than the queen.
260 ZANZIBAR
When finished the cards are counted as follows:
A=11; Queen=2; 7=10; King=4; Jack=3. 3,
4, 5, 6, do not count. The player nearest 61 wins.
~ King, Jack and queen are generally known as
Mzungu Mosi, wa pili and wa tatu (first, second and
third European.) The low status of the queen 1s
probably attributable to the native attitude towards
women.
(3) Nakshi, or thirty-one. This is like vingt-et-un.
Each player is dealt one card, dealing from below.
Then the banker deals more to each player as he
wishes. If he stops under 31, he remains as he 1s;
if 31, the dealer pays, and if over, the player loses.
(4) Komari. This is even more of a gamble than
Nakshi. Each player calls a card, and in turn the
banker deals for each, two packs, one his, one the
player’s. If the card called falls in the player’s pack,
he wins, if not, vice versa.
Gambling is forbidden not only by the law, but
by the Holy Sheria (though it is more or less
countenanced during Ramathan after sunset). Need-
less to say, this does not prevent its being indulged in.
Tossing for a pice is a new pastime. This
is called Kamali, and consists in throwing two
pice into a hole. If only one goes in, the others
say maliza (finish), and the player throws a stone on
the one that is out. <
The following game is slightly more intelligent.
There are 15 bad men (long) and 15 good (short).
Arrange them in a row so that knocking out every
ninth you leave only the good.
This is the correct arrangement.
rir] TT UTrrIr1rf1ITJir1
I Ir11 1111
A favourite but concealed sport in Zanzibar and
Pemba is cock-fighting. It is concealed (a) because
gambling is illegal, and cock-fighting would not be
cock-fighting without it, and (4) because it might be
cruelty to animals, which is also illegal. It will be
easily perceived that, shorn of these two attractions,
 GAMES 261
cock-fighting would not be much of a sport, not only
to natives, but also probably to many who are supposed
to be more civilized than they. Good cocks fetch
as much as Rs. 10 (I have heard of one for Rs. 15)
each; they are let loose and fly at each other, while
the lookers on form a circle round and bet.
 CHAPTER XXIII
TRIBAL ORGANIZATION

Tue aboriginal tribes of the Sultanate are of no great

antiquity. Such tribal organization as there was, was
gradually built up by those conglomerate peoples,
but under Arab and British rule it has gradually
declined, and there is now little trace of it, though
a good deal of the tribal, or clannish spirit, is still to
be observed.
The Wahadimu were apparently welded into a
tribe by the Persian colonists, who pursued a policy
of assimilation reflected to-day in the numbers of
Hadimu who call themselves Shirazis, and claim
descent from the old Persian princes.
At their head was a chieftain called probably at
first Mfaume (chief), and latterly Mwenyi Mkuu
(the great owner). He was assisted in his administra-
tive duties by a number of Waziri (viziers), or
Ministers. The Wahadimu (many of whom, by the
way, claim only African descent) all owed allegiance
to him, and paid him taxes regularly.
There was a good deal of sanctity about the
person of the Mwenyi Mkuu, and he was treated with
the greatest respect by his subjects. His regalia
consisting of horns and drums were also sacred, and
used only on special occasions.
The last Mwenyi Mkuu, who was tributary to the
Omani Seyyid (Sultan), died in 1865, and no other
has been appointed, though his heir is still recognized
as such in title by the Wahadimu. The villages of
the Wahadimu are far more in the nature of separate
settlements than those of the other two tribes, except
perhaps to some degree the Watumbatu. In each
Hadimu village is a person known as the Mwana Zale,
262
 TRIBAL ORGANIZATION 263
or Mwana Vyale. This man is the senior descendant
of the original founder, or father of the village, and
on him devolves the care of the sacred places, the
homes of the spirits on whose goodwill the welfare
of the community depends. The word ale is
derived from zaa ‘‘ bear’? (children), and Mwana
Zale may be translated ‘‘ Patriarch.’’ Vyale is the
Kihadimu form. The administrative head of the
village is the Sheha, who is in the nature of a sub-
chief.
Among the Wapemba the organization was very
similar, and the chief was also of Persian origin (and
nearly all the Wapemba claim Persian origin), though
he was called Diwani. The Wapemba became
tributary about 1822, when Seyyid Said put the
natives on the same basis as the Wahadimu. The
Masheha of Pemba were, until a short time ago, the
heads of large families, and many of them can give
off by heart the names of all their families and rela-
tions amounting sometimes to five hundred or so.
Recent reorganization of the shehaships on more
or less geographical lines has been responsible for
some trouble among the natives, and has been also
the means of lessening the authority of the Masheha,
as the strange families put under their orders do not
easily accept their control.
The organization of the Watumbatu is different
again; at the head of the tribe was the Sheha, a minor
chieftain, to some degree subordinate to the Mwenyi
Mkuu of Zanzibar to whom he was distantly related,
but possessing considerable powers in matters of
internal administration. Under him was the Wazir,
and below the Wazir a subordinate official known as
the Makata. a
It may be noted that among the Wahadimu and
Watumbatu, women acceded to the chief power if
in the direct line, but there is no record of a woman
attaining this position among the Wapemba. /us
prime noctis appeats to have been exercised by
chiefs in Pemba, and possibly in Zanzibar.
264 ZANZIBAR

TAXATION

There is no direct taxation on the natives nowa-

days.
The Wahadimu have apparently paid taxes con-
sistently to every successive conqueror, Persian,
Portuguese and Arab. The Watumbatu are said
to have been originally exused from tax-paying by
the Mwenyi Mkuu, as their chieftain was related to
him.
When Seyyid Said, at the invitation of the natives,
expelled the Mazrui, he imposed a tax of $2 per
head on all the natives.
Pemba tradition says that there was also an excise
duty of 5 per cent. on all produce, and that free
labour had to be given on Government works, though
a native document gives the price of his aid as the
provision of regular quantities of mats and ghi.
In Zanzibar $1 went to the Sultan and the other
was retained by the Mwenyi Mkuu.
Apart from this taxation the natives were left to
their own devices.
There was a hut tax later (with remissions for
clove owners) of Rs. 2/2 per hut, which was finally
abolished in 1911.
bs

POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY

The commonest form of greeting in Zanzibar and

Pemba is Jambo, to which the reply is also /amdo,
but this is short for Hu jambo and the answer Si
jgambo. It means ‘‘ How are you?’’ and ‘‘I am
well,’’ though more literally “‘ There is nothing the
matter,’’ and ‘‘ I have nothing the matter.’’ Instead
of ku jambo, Hali gani is often asked (what is your
health ?).
Children, or one of the slave class, often say to
their superiors, as do young men to old men and
women, Shikamuu, and this is an abbreviation for
 POLITENESS AND HOSPITALITY 265
Nashika miguu (I hold your feet). To this the great
one replies Marahaba (It is welcome).
Sabalkheri means ‘‘ Good morning,’”’ though it is
used all day long in Zanzibar, Mesalkheri (Good
afternoon) being but rarely heard even among Arabs.
They are abbreviations for Sabbakum (and M essakum)
Allah bil kheri— May God make the morning
(afternoon) good for you.’’
An Arabic form of greeting much in use in
Zanzibar is Slamalik (for Salaam Alekum) meaning
““ Peace on you,”’ to which the reply is Wa Alekum
es-Salaam—‘“‘ And on you peace.’’ Salaam alone is
generally used only by Mohammedan Indians (to
Hindus and Parsees Sahibje—‘‘ God ’’).
Another greeting copied from the Arabs is Kef
Halek—‘‘ How are you?”’’, with reply Hamdulillah
(El hamed ul Illah)—‘‘I am well (understood),
Praise be to God.”’
‘** Good-bye’ is commonly Kwaheri, in plural
Kwaherini (-heri meaning “‘ good luck’’) or, copied
from the Arabic, Fiaman Illah.
When approaching a house or entering the baraza,
it is customary to say Hod, the exact meaning of
which is doubtful, though it may be an idea of
‘* safety,’’ but which has come to mean ‘“‘ May I
approach? ’’ The answer is Karibu—‘‘ Draw near,’’
or ‘‘ Welcome ’’—or even the same word, and without
such reply good manners forbid entry.
When passing a house after greetings the owner
will often say Karibu—‘‘ Draw near,’’ to which one
replies Starehe—‘‘ Stay where you are,’’ or Kaa
kitako—‘‘ Remain seated,’’ whether one approaches
or not. j
Hand-shaking is now indulged in, and often kiss-
ing the hands of a superior. In any case it is good
manners to bow over the hand being shaken, and
when saying ‘‘I am well,’’ place a hand on the
head and heart. Sometimes one’s hand is held for
a very long time. : ee
After greetings it is usual to inquire the news,
266 ZANZIBAR
Khabari gani, or Khabari za siku nyingi—‘* What
news?’’ or ‘‘ The news of many days? ’’, to which
the reply is invariably N7ema (good) as is Sz zambo
to Hu jambo, though a moment after, your visitor
often begins to recite a long tale of woe, or of his
bad health. After that one may ask after mutual
friends, or the family of our friend—the latter is
generally inclusively referred to in the word /amaa
or Nyumba. I have not noticed that either Arabs
or natives in Zanzibar are particular about not ask-
ing after womenfolk, and often volunteer informa-
tion as to their wives’ health.
For those desirous of making conversation,
‘* trade,’ ‘‘the weather,’’ ‘‘ crops,’’ ‘‘ the Govern-
ment,’’ etc., are just as useful in Zanzibar as they
are in England, and one may every now and then
intersperse a ‘‘ How are you? ’’ in a sort of after-
thought tone of concern, or reply emphatically, “I
am very well’’ (Jambo sana).
A visitor will always be offered some kind of
refreshment—coco-nut milk from,the tree, an orange,
sherbet, or coffee, or more, according to the wealth
of the owner.
Any visitors to your office, although they have no
business with you, will send in word they want to
Amkia (greet) you.
It is a great insult to say to anyone Hunu abadu
(You have no manners); in fact this often leads to
blows and litigation.
When there are two or three together and one
sneezes, it is usual for the others to say Hamdulillah,
which corresponds in this instance to the English
‘* Bless you.”
 CHARTER X<AlV

LAW

THERE is no regular system of native law in Zanzibar,

and traces of it have to be searched for in the customs
of the people, and in case reports.

Administration of Law
_ The chief appears to have been, as in other places
in Africa, a law-giver and judge, as well as
administrator. Cases are generally settled by com-
pounding, when the local chief, or Sheha, patanishas
(makes to agree) the parties. Thefts, assaults and
trespasses are frequently treated in this way, and
settled on the payment of damages.
Criminal Law
Theft. If this is not settled it frequently happens
that the injured party takes the value from the thief.
That they regard this as a perfectly legitimate action
is shown by the surprise with which they receive one’s
dictum that it is wrong.
Adultery. The rule seems to be, judging from
assault, murder and wounding cases, that the wife
may be beaten and the adulterer killed, or beaten.
Witchcraft. The only penalty for witchcraft in
Zanzibar appears to be ostracism.
Civil Law
Disputed Possession. The claimant enters into
possession and picks the crops. If the action is
disputed, the case is decided in the usual way by the
chief, and the claimant may, or may not, have to pay
damages according to the result of the case.
Pre-emption. Apart from Mohammedan law,
there seems to be a well-established custom that the
267
268 ZANZIBAR
neighbour has the right to the first refusal of land
bordering on his plantation.
Land Tenure. Roughly speaking, the Swahili
rule seems to be that waste land is common property
which becomes the property of its cultivator, who in
some cases thereafter always holds it, and in some
loses it if he fails to keep it in cultivation, though in
both cases the wild trees and fruits on it remain
common property. In the usual way sale of this
land is prohibited, though among some more advanced
tribes, sale is allowed to members of the family, and
in other cases to outsiders when relations have had
the first refusal.
Custody of Animals. Unless a sum is agreed on
for the herding and custody of animals, it appears
that half the value of the offspring is retainable by the
herdsman.

International Law
It may seem curious to consider that there are
any traces of International Law among the natives
of Zanzibar (though, of course, Zanzibar had a well-
defined position as an independent state and treaties
with it—many of which are still in force—were entered
into by many foreign powers), but the study of the
history of the native shows that they have a well-
defined idea of the nature of an international obliga-
tion. The principle of International Law from the
earliest times to the establishment of the Roman
Empire has been laid down that states, as such, had
no mutual rights or obligations, but that the tribes
which were cemented by blood relationship owed each
other certain duties. It will be seen, however, that
in Zanzibar the natives went somewhat further than
this in their relations.
At the time of the Zin} Empire, when it had
broken up into separate states, there are many indica-
tions that there were international understandings
between the different states. It is true, however,
that the heads of these states were of the same family,
 LAW oe
and war often occurred between states that were not
of one confederation, as witness Pate, Mogadisho and
the Zinj Empire states; but further alliances were
entered into at a later date between the Portuguese
and Malindi, and in the case of states other than
Malindi, the Portuguese seemed to have made agree-
ments which were in some cases respected and in
other cases broken by one or other of the parties.’
Mombasa was always in a state of war with Portugal,
Kilwa sometimes broke away from the condition of
limited and tributary independence which Portugal
allowed her, and Zanzibar appears usually to have
respected her engagements with the Portuguese.
It will be remembered that the Wahadimu called
themselves people who made promises (ahadi), and
they claim that whether with the Persians, Portu-
guese or Omanis, they respected them. In the case
of Pemba, a local manuscript not only describes what
were apparently verbal agreements between the Portu-
guese and the Wapemba, and the Mazrui and the
Wapemba, but also gives us an example of a genuine
treaty which may be divided into clauses thus:
‘*Diwani Ngwachani and Diwani Athman
journeyed to Muscat and agreed with the Seyyid these
conditions:
(1) You shall assist us in every way you can and
you shall remove the Mazrui.
(2) We shall be in friendly relations reciprocally.
(3) We shall pay all our taxes. ,
(4) We shall bring you ghi and shall bring you
mats.
(5) You shall build wherever you please.
The Seyyid agreed to these conditions, and we
exchanged blood for the treaty which we had made.
This treaty seems to me of peculiar interest. It
would be quite easy to translate it into the phraseology
of treaties, and it would comply with all the require-
ments necessary -to make it a valid treaty.
1A treaty between Portugal and Bwana Tamu Abubakar bin
Apivariitied® Kine of Pate, was concluded on August 24th, 1728.
270 ZANZIBAR
(a) The parties to it must be capable of contracting.
In this case the two Diwanis were the rulers of
Pemba, and went at the request of their people.
Whether Diwanis are to be considered as absolute
monarchs, or constitutional monarchs whose tenure of
office was to be regarded as to some extent dependant
on the will of the people, it will be seen that in this
case they had full power to contract on behalf of the
Wapemba.
Seyyid Said was an absolute monarch; his position
needs no inquiring into; he frequently entered into
treaties with foreign powers which he negotiated
himself.
(5) Ratification is necessary except when an
international contract is personally concluded
by a sovereign.
In this case the treaty was concluded by
sovereigns, but nevertheless a ceremony was entered
into which approaches more nearly to an Act of
Ratification than a mere signature to a treaty.
We have seen that in the more primitive societies
duties were owed to each other by tribes which were
connected by blood relationship. The ceremony
which took place on this occasion was one which is
well known among semi-savage tribes, and was the
medium intended to bring tribes, which were not
related by blood to each other, within that‘category.
As there was no true blood relationship, the parties
gashed themselves and rubbed their blood together,
thus being able to consider themselves in the position
of people of the same blood.
(c) Interpretation of treaties.
(a) They must be read according to their plain
sense, or where that is wanting, according
to their spirit.
There is no difficulty in reading this treaty in this
way,
(4) So as to give due effect to the fundamental
rights of the State.
No treaty can be taken to restrict by implication
the rights of sovereignty. Any restriction of such
rights must be affected in a clear and distinct manner.
Nothing could be more clear or distinct than the
manner in which the sovereignty and independence
of Pemba was restricted by this treaty. The reader
may be reminded that the taxes mentioned were
subsequently fixed as the poll tax of two dollars a
head, and the excise duty of 5 per cent. This treaty
was loyally adhered to by the Wapemba until it
became extinct.
Treaties of which the object is to seat a dynasty
or prince upon a throne, or guarantee its possession,
are not subjects of International Law, because such
contracts are in the interests of individuals and their
personal capacity. Thus documents written by the
Sultan and appointing the new Mwenyi Mkuu scarcely
came within the scope of the section; however, they
are interesting as showing how these appointments
were made.
The first of these documents is of that precise
nature, the second is in the nature of a new com-
mission issued by the Sultan’s representative, the
Liwali, to the Sheha of Tumbatu on the occasion of
the accession of the new Mwenyi Mkuu.

(Translation)
In THE NAME OF THE Most MERCIFUL GOD.
The ae ro
Signet.
From Majip BIN SAID ;
To All whom it may concern amongst our friends,
God Save You.
WE have appointed and installed our beloved
friend, SuLTAN AHMED BIN SULTAN MOHAMMED, in
place of his father in all matters that concern him.
Therefore no person shall interfere with him. And
Peace is the Best end. Written on 15th Rabial
Awwal, 1282.
272 ZANZIBAR
Written by His Command by his slave,
Mohammed, with his own hand.
(Translation)
In THE NAME OF THE Most MERCIFUL Gop.
From SULEIMAN BIN HAMED
To All whom it may concern.
We have appointed Msellem of Tumbatu to hold
the same position as he used to do in time of Sultan
Mohammed, and so he, Msellem, is now (working)
on behalf of Sultan Ahmed bin Sultan Mohammed.
No one from amongst Wahadimu of Tumbatu
shall disobey his orders, for he is their overseer as
much as, and perhaps more than, he was before.
With Compliments. Dated the 28th day of
Safar, 1282.
This is written by me, the humble Suleiman bin
Hamed, with my own hand.
SIGNET.

Local Laws .
Two examples of what might be termed municipal
by-laws, framed for the benefit of the community by
the Sheha and strictly observed by the community,
occur to me. .
(1) At Vitongoje, in Pemba, there are a number
of freshwater ponds on which the community depends
for their supply of water. These ponds are also the
home of tortoises and catfish, which form an item of
the native food supply. The method of catching
them, however, involves the stirring up of the mud,
and the consequent fouling of the water. It is,
therefore, in the power of the Sheha to prohibit fishing
in several ponds at a time, in order that clean water
may be obtained.
(2) At Makunduchi, in Zanzibar, fresh water is
scarce and has to be obtained from wells dug with
great labour to a depth of eighty feet. Sometimes
 LAW 273
the water gets so low that continual drawing of
water causes what is there to become muddy. Each
well is, therefore, provided with a flagstaff with a
black flag. When the flag is up, water may not be
drawn from the well.
 CHAPTER XXV

THE SOIL

Tuere are four chief kinds of soil which are cultivated

in Zanzibar.
(1) The black, loamy soil, which is quite the best.
It is found generally in the valleys, and planted
chiefly with rice.
(2) The red, clayey soil, which is the commonest,
and on which nearly everything (and particularly
cloves) is planted.
(3) The grey, sandy soil round the coasts—
particularly the east coast—which is planted mainly
with coco-nuts.
(4) The coral rag in the north, and running along
the east coast from north to south, which can hardly
be dignified by the title of soil, but nevertheless
supports vegetation in pockets of earth. This is in
places assiduously cultivated with muhogo and millet
by the Wahadimu, who burn and cut the bush off it,
and surround it with stone walls two or three feet high
to keep off the pigs. :
Pemba is also of coral formation, much hillier,
and about two hundred feet in height. The com-
monest soil is the red referred to above, but there is
also black and sandy.
Pemba is not so bothered with coral rag as
Zanzibar, except in the north.

LAND TENURE

Strictly speaking, no value is attached to the land

itself, its price being determined not by the soil,
but by its accessibility, and by the economic trees
or plants on it. Of course the quality of the soil
274
 PRODUCTS 275
does count in an indirect sort of way, as a coco-nut
on poor soil will be worth only about three to six
rupees, while on good soil it may fetch twelve, as it
will bear more.
Any native, i.e., Mpemba, Mhadimu or Mtum-
batu, may occupy and plant bush land, or wanda, as
it is called, but he has no right to anything but the
crops on it, all land being the property of the Sultan,
and prospective right cannot be acquired unless sixty
years continuous and undisputed ownership can be
proved.
A lot of trouble has recently been caused by
natives selling land to Indians and thus alienating it,
but I think I am right in saying the above is the policy
now (1920) insisted on by the Government, and based
on native custom.

PRODUCTS
(1) Cereals
The most important of the grain crops is rice
(mpunga), and in the old days a lot was exported.
Zanzibar and Pemba could probably be very good
rice-growing countries now, Pemba especially. There
are nearly one hundred hill and valley varieties of
rice there, some very good indeed. For many years
the huge importation of rice from India has made it
unnecessary for the natives to plant, but during the
war the difficulties of transport and the high prices
of rice made it imperative for them to grow it. A
lot of land that had been fallow and bush-covered
for years was dug up and planted. The great time
for preparing the ground is during the hot season.
Before the ground is broken up the bush is burnt,
and just before the rains begin, in February or
March, the seed is sown. This work is largely done
by women, and later on they transplant and thin out
the crop—a long, back-aching task. When harvest
time comes, and as the crop is ripening, the job is to
276 ZANZIBAR
keep the monkeys and birds off, even watching night
and day. This difficulty is increased, as the harvest-
ing is not at first done at one time but as the grain 1s
required, the women going out with baskets and
breaking the heads off. In some parts the straw 1s
used for thatching, but I think more often it is burnt,
thus forming a natural manure for the ground.
The cereal next in importance is muhindi, or
maize, which as the name, muhindi, suggests, was
introduced by Indians. It is probable that the natives
do not know how to cultivate it properly, as good
cobs are quite unusual.
The other two important crops are mtama (sorg-
hum) and mawele (millet); the latter by no means as
common as the former. Mawele is much smaller
than mtama. Pére Saccleux gives its scientific name
as Penicillaria spicata. Mtama stalks in poorer
Wahadimu districts are often used for building huts.
Another smaller grain is called wimbi (Eleusine
corecana—Sac.). Mr. Last tells me he has seen the
children cut wimbi stalks into lengths, heat them in
the fire and strike them on the ground, when they
explode with a loud bang.

(2) Vegetables
The chief is the ubiquitous manioc, called muhogo.
In Zanzibar it is planted in heaped-up ridges, but in
Pemba little patches, about two feet in diameter, are
hoed up, and a cutting is stuck in the centre of each.
The ridges of Zanzibar are called matuta, and the
patches of Pemba makongo. The plant is propagated
from cuttings of the stems, one end of each being
stuck in the ground. In matuta they all lean in one
direction, but in makongo they are stuck in any way.
Some of us have tried to persuade the natives to
plant them with both ends covered, and so get a
double amount, but the general reply is that “‘ our
fathers and grandfathers have always planted them
by one end, so it would be wrong for us to do other-
 PRODUCTS 277
wise.’’ It takes about a year to reach maturity.
There are several varieties, bitter and sweet.
Sweet potatoes (viazz) are grown in the same way
as manioc, and are propagated from cuttings of the
creeper. They are A edetul and very good. There
are three varieties: the ordinary viazi, vikuu, which
are very big, and meu, which, as far as I know, grows
only on Tumbatu Island.
Mbazi on first sight one instinctively distrusts
as it looks, both in leaf and flower and pod, so like
laburnum, but it is a shrub and not a tree. The pods
contain peas which are very good. Pére Saccleux
identifies it as the Angola pea (Cajanus. indicus). It
is very plentiful in Zanzibar, and is grown in con-
junction with mzkogo, but planted round the patch.
Kunde are beans produced on the mkunde shrub,
and very popular. They are imported as well as
grown.
Mchicha is a weed that makes a good substitute
for spinach.
Mboga is the ubiquitous pumpkin; damia—
“‘ lady fingers,’’ or Hibiscus esculentus; nyanya are
tomatoes, but very small; its relation the egg fruit,
bilinganya, is a dark purple colour, and best fried.
The natives also eat the lufah in its early stages.
It is called dodoki.
Sugar-cane (#iwa) is popular, though not cultivated
as much as formerly; it is usually chewed, and there
is but little sugar (swkari guru) made now.
There are several more besides these, and so there
is no lack of variety among vegetables in Zanzibar.
(3) Fruits
There is a wonderful variety of fruit in Zanzibar,
but as most of them are well known and but few
indigenous, I do not propose to say much about them.
Citrous trees are the shaddock, two varieties, one with
pink flesh and one with yellow, oranges, several
kinds, lemons, limes, mandarins, or tangerines. Of
mangoes there are many kinds, but few of them are
278 ZANZIBAR
good, as the natives do not understand grafting.
Pomegranates, custard-apples, guavas, pine-apples,
dorian, bread-fruit and rose-apples are but a few of the
introduced fruits of which there is a great variety.
The varieties of bananas (dizi) are called pukusa,
sukari, mjenga, mladi, maua, mzuzu, sabatele and
mkono watembo. The two most important economic
trees are the clove and coco-nut, the latter of which
deserves a chapter to itself, as it is of such importance
in the lives of the natives, while the former, though
the speciality of Zanzibar, is outside the scope of this
book.
The pine-apple grows wild in two varieties and is
called xanasi (which shows it was introduced by the
Portuguese), the mzambarau, a kind of eugenia, whose
fruit looks like a damson, the mbi60, or cashew tree,
whose fruit is pear-shaped with a nut of boxing-glove
shape below, called kovosho, and which Europeans
reckon superior to monkey-nuts as a relish at dinner.
Choki choki (litchi) is a curious fruit which looks
like a large red beech-nut, but has sweet white flesh
inside and a stone. The mkwaju, or tamarind tree,
produces not only fruit but is a good wood for walk-
ing-sticks, which are made from its roots. The
mkunazi tree, brought by the Arabs, who call it sidr,
has a small, round fruit like a bitter cherry, some-
times identified with the lotus. It is under this tree
that the Mohammedans say the Resurrection will take
place. Arab ladies use the leaves as a cosmetic. Its
Latin name, S. Spina Christi, reminds one that it was
of this tree that Christ’s crown of thorns is reputed
to have been made. The papaw (fafai) is the
commonest of all cultivated trees, so much so that it
is not considered madi (property), and may be picked
by any passer-by.
Almost anything in the way of fruit or berry is
considered tunda (fruit), and part of the native’s diet
unless it is poisonous.
A reference should be made to scented trees which
are very popular, though, I believe, chiefly introduced
 PRODUCTS 279
by the Arabs. The chief ones are jasmine, ylang-ylang
and frangipani, the first two being the most important.
Women often wear bunches of the former petenbd
on to a black cord ornament round their necks, and
men often carry ylang-ylang in their caps (or pockets
if they have them).

(4) Tobacco
Tobacco is very extensively planted and grown in
the north of Zanzibar Island. It is not used for
smoking but for chewing, and a native considers
nothing so delectable as a bonne bouche made of
a clove, a piece of tobacco plug, a slice of areca and
a smear of lime, all folded up together in a pepper
vine leaf and stuck in the cheek. The horrid result
is the red juice which they spit all over the place.
The fact that 23,138 coils were exported in 1920
from the Mkokotoni district of Zanzibar to Pemba
shows what a large crop is grown. When ready, the
tobacco plant is cut whole and hung up to dry round
the eaves of the house. It is then plaited and rolled
into coils about ten to twelve feet long which sell
for Rs. 5 each.
A favourite story says: ‘‘ When tobacco came into
the world, wise men took it and admired it and smelt
it. Other wise men came and took it and smoked
it. The Wapemba, the fools, thought it was a food,
and took it and ate it.”’
In the more remote parts Indian hemp is cultivated
and smoked in a pipe, which consists of a coco-nut
shell with one hole at its apex into which a hollow
bamboo passes with a clay top to put the bhang into,
and another at the side with a longer bamboo. Water
is poured into the nut, which keeps the smoke fairly
cool as the end of the top tube is in it.
This practice is kept secret as far as possible, as
it is forbidden, and the dried leaf fetches a very large
price. It is packed in a peculiar roll made of large
leaves, or in sacks.
 CHAPTER XXVI

THE AGRICULTURAL AND NAUTICAL YEAR

1. There is a calendar, possibly brought by the
ancient Persians to Zanzibar, which is in use among
the Wahadimu and Watumbatu and is the Solar
year of 365 days.
It is divided into thirty-six decades of ten days
each and five days over called the Gathas, and the
festival of Hamaspath-madin is observed therein.
They are supposed to be the days of the creation.
The New Year’s Day is the vernal equinox, and is
called by the Parsees /amshidi Naoroz, after King
Jamshid, or Yima, to whom God gave the command,
‘* Enlarge My world, make My world fruitful, obey
Me as Protector and Nourisher and Overseer to the
world,’’ and he was presented with a plough and a
golden spear. It will be seen, therefore, that this
is a pastoral festival, symbolizing the creation and
resurrection of spring.
The Parsee year, however, was five hours and
fifty-four seconds short, and though they made a
correction to balance this, the Zanzibar natives do
not, and the beginning of the year is therefore now
a little out.
Jamshidi Naoroz is called Naorozi, or Siku ya
mwaka, in Zanzibar, and the last Gatha, Kigunzi.
The year is called after the day it commences on;
thus in 1921 it was Mwaka Alhamisi (Thursday in
early September).
The Siku ya mwaka is still observed, though not
in the way it used to be.
The following are, or were, the particular
observances: (1) At night or early morning every-
one (particularly women) must bathe in the sea, pray-
280
 AGRICULTURAL YEAR 281
ing for good health during the coming year. (2) At
midday a feast is cooked (karamu—Kitumbatu,
kiwao), women cooking the rice and the men the
kitoweo (relish), which is then dished out to all
comers. (3) Immediately afterwards the fires are
extinguished with water and lit again by means of
pekecha (fresticks). ne old ashes are carried out
and deposited at cross-roads. The floury ash is
sprinkled against the back of the house. (4) After
this free fights used to take place, very often with
fatal endings, but no inquiries were made. It was a
great day to settle old scores, and until the practice
was stopped Indians used to be thrown into the sea.
(5) Ngomas are played all night.
2. The seasons in Zanzibar are well marked.
The island is in 6° south latitude, and Pemba about
5°, and the latter island gets more rain than Zanzibar.
In fact, in April, 1921, there were 36 inches of rain
in Mkoani, South Pemba, and 17 in Mkokotoni,
North Zanzibar, about 50 miles apart, though this is
exceptional.
The sun is overhead about October 21st and
February 21st.
The season of the Kas Kazi (or north-east
monsoon) is called M/usimi, and lasts roughly through
December, January and February, when the sun is
in the south.
This is followed by the heavy rainy season called
Masika, during March, April and May. The cool
season is called Kipupwe, and takes up about the next
three months. The final season, which begins in
September and includes the Mvzli, or light rainy
season in November, is called Mwaka or Demant.
This is the spring of Zanzibar, and deciduous trees,
such as cotton (Z7iodendron anfractuosum), take on
new foliage then.
There are also light rains in August called Muua
ya mwaka. .
The south-west monsoon (kusi) begins to blow
about the beginning of April and drops about
282 ZANZIBAR
October, when the MMalelezi, or Tanga mbili (two
tacks), begins to blow.
The chief hoeing seasons are before the two rainy
seasons, i.e., in October and February.
The regular big clove crop is the mwaka crop
(August to October). A second one called mvule
(January and February) is generally small, but there
are exceptions, e.g., 1920-21, when the mwaka crop
was a failure, and the mvule very large.
The temperature varies from about 70° Fahr. in
the cool season, to about 90° in the hot. But by
the sea there is generally a breeze, so that it is never
really unpleasantly warm.
AGRICULTURAL CUSTOMS
An interesting custom among natives is that of
taking the seed rice (mpunga) in baskets, before it
is sown, to the Mwalimu, or teacher of the mosque,
who reads the Koran over it. This, of course,
corresponds to the custom of blessing the seed which
still obtains in some parts of England.
Further than this I have been unable to discover
any ceremonials connected with sowing or harvest,
despite extensive inquiries.
One would have thought it natural that some sort
of sacrifice or other to the guardians of the crop
would have taken place, but many natives assured
me that this was not so. The cultivators are far
too busy keeping off such material pests as birds
and monkeys, to bother about anything spiritual.
I remember on one occasion walking some little
distance behind a man carrying a large bundle of
muhogo (manioc) cuttings, which he was on his way
to plant. I saw him purposely take one of these
and drop it at the side of the path, and when I came
up, I saw it was dropped on one of the dwelling-
places of the Mizimu (which I shall deal with later)
at the cross-roads, where there was also a collection
of other offerings, including some unripe lemons,
grass and dead flowers.
 AGRICULTURAL CUSTOMS 283
Now it is just possible that this was a definite
offering to the spirit dwelling there, given in the
hope that it would assist his crop, but it is more
probable that it was the almost mechanical act of
dropping the offering, however small, which almost
every passer-by makes. This offering, however, is
usually merely a bunch of grass plucked just before
reaching the Mizimu, and as in this case muhugo
was offered, it is possible both intentions were in his
mind, namely, to make the usual offering, and by
giving a part of his crop to enlist the spirit’s
sympathies.
Standing in every field of ripening crops is a
small hut built on piles, which not only enables the
occupier to see every part of the field, but also keeps
him above the flood water, which, in the rainy season,
covers most of the land where rice is planted.
In these huts sit either children or old people,
whose duty it is to scare away birds and monkeys,
and many of them are armed with a small sling with
which they make a sharp crack, and shoot small
lumps of clay or stones in the direction of the intruders.
Sometimes these little huts are unoccupied, and
inside are small pots of water and dishes of food. I
have often asked if this was intended for the sheztani
(devil), but have always been told it is the food of
the usual occupiers, who are away at the moment.
Scare-crows, much the same as their English
cousins, are also used, as are old tins and rags on
string communication with the huts referred to.
Sir J. G. Frazer, quoting from the Bulletin de la
Société de Géographie, says, ‘‘ Among the Moham-
medans of Zanzibar it is customary, at sowing a field,
to reserve a certain portion of it for the guardian
spirits, who at harvest are invited, to the tuck of
drum, to come and take their share; tiny huts are
also built in which food is deposited for their use.”’
I have made many inquiries as to the truth of
this, but it is always denied. Mgomas (dances) are
certainly much played at harvest time, perhaps
284 ZANZIBAR
because they are forbidden during clove harvest, and
at other times the people are too tired after a day’s
work to play, and if asked to play they generally
say so, but those in which food is given to the devil
(i.e., eaten by the possessed one), are all dances for
exorcizing. The tiny huts are those I referred to
above, and as after a time I had little difficulty with
some natives in finding out far bigger secrets, I think
it unlikely they would have lied to me in a case
where concealment was hardly necessary. In Pemba
a charm is buried in each corner of a rice field, to
stop people stealing the grain; and the method of
cultivation also differs from that of Zanzibar, as the
rice is not transplanted. Also free rice meals are
given to all comers during the harvest.
The devils connected with certain trees such as
baobabs, cotton trees, and solitary mangoes, I shall
deal with later on.
You will often observe a double row of mango
trees, which makes a beautifully shady avenue to
walk under. These were planted by Arabs in the
old days to stop bush fires and protect their planta-
tions from wind.
 CHAPTER XXVII
FIRE
THERE is no trace of a fireless period, I have never
even heard any legend to account for its origin.
Matches are very cheap and almost universal,
but sometimes upekecha (firesticks) are used in the
more primitive places and in special rites. Captain
Craster records it in Pemba, and I have seen it in
Zanzibar. The method adopted is to spin a pointed
stick in a hole in a piece of wood, backwards and
forwards between the hands.
Captain Craster asked an old man near Chake
Chake, whom he saw, why he did not use a bow-
string, and showed him its use, but the man replied
that his ancestors had not used it and he ought not
to. This is the usual reply when a change of method
is proposed, though the non-use of a bow-string is
curious, for native carpenters use them both for drills
and lathes.
Fires are built with three stones set as corners of
a triangle. Inside these the small fire is made of
little twigs, etc., and dried coco-nut leaves, and the
pot on top. At each side, between the sticks, a long
stick is stuck in, and pushed farther in as it is
consumed.

SALT

Salt is now generally imported, though when

shipping was bad I have known it obtained from sea-
water by evaporation. As in Europe so in Zanzibar,
salt is associated with bad, or good, luck. Neither
salt, nor incense, nor needles and thread, nor ginger,
nor eggs, may be sold ae dark on peril of every
295
286 ZANZIBAR
kind of bad luck. I first found this out at an Indian
shop, and asked the woman there if it was a custom
imported from India. Shetold meno. I[ afterwards
confirmed from several sources, both native and
Indian, that it is purely native superstition, but so
strong that the Indians have adhered to it as well.
Should one want salt at night the only way to get
it is to be given it, but the giver must first either go out
and throw some on the roof, or throw some in the
fire.

FOOD

(a) The native generally feeds twice a day, the

chief meal being eaten in the evening, when he puts
a good deal away, and only stops when he 1s shiba
(full). The remnants of this meal are eaten either
cold or warmed up in the morning. (6) Dishes.
Muhogo is the great stand-by. It is eaten either
boiled (kuchemka—to boil) or burnt in the ashes
(kuchoma—to burn). ;
In Zanzibar bitter muhogo is peeled, and then a
traverse cut is made in it, and it is hung up on a kind
of netting arrangement to dry for some time (I have
never seen this done in Pemba), and then it is pounded
in a mortar (zzz) and flour made of it. This, made
with water into pastry, is then baked in a sufuria
(saucepan) with a lid on, on which fire is also placed
(i.e., as well as underneath), and a kind of flabby
cake of bread is made.
Grain is also ground into flour and made into
cakes in the same way. When muhogo or grain is
sufficiently ground with the quern (jiwe la kusagia)
it is turned into a sieve, or winnowing fan (umgo),
where it is well shaken up, and the rough bits come to
the top and are put back for further pounding.
Rice is much used, and often flavoured with a
coco-nut mixture called ¢wz, made by mixing ground
coco-nut with water and squeezing or straining it.
It is then very good indeed.
 FOOD 287
Curry is popular, and common almost everywhere,
but the poor Wahadimu people generally only boil
their food, or make the bread aboye referred to.
Meat is but rarely eaten, and generally only on
ceremonial occasions. Chickens are common, but not
often eaten. Eggs are not eaten by the natives (they
are by the Arabs), but usually left to the hens to
hatch. Mongooses and kites generally thin the
broods down.
In addition to vegetables, everyone eats either
fish or shell-fish, and the poor old people subsist
largely on the latter merely boiled. Fish of most
species is eaten, and the natives are not at all
particular if itis a bit high. Not only fish, but octopus
and cuttlefish, and, in fact, almost anything that lives
in the deep, forms an article of diet; practically
nothing comes amiss. /Majongo (béche de mer),
though, are barred, and the natives think the Chinese
fearful skenzis (savages) for eating them. There
are colonies of Chinese béche de mer catchers in
Zanzibar and Pemba.
I should mention #727, which is a porridge made of
any kind of grain, and boiled in water with a little
salt.
Pigs and dogs, of which some African natives
freely partake, are, of course, owing to Mohammedan
usage, never eaten. One Arab told me that in his
sect turtle (and béche de mer) were forbidden, but
this is not general (as regards turtle). I think that
some natives are not really particular to see that their
meat has been killed in the prescribed Islamic way.
Camels are a great delicacy, though rare.
Burton says Moslems do not eat pigeons, but I have
not noticed that our natives abstain.
Meals among the natives and many of the Arabs
are served on large trays. In more elaborate repasts,
there is a large plate, or bowl, of rice in the centre,
and small ones of curry, etc., all round, and one
stretches for anything one wants. Afterwards a
servant comes round with a kata of water, which is
288 ZANZIBAR
poured over the hands. It is also usual to rinse the
mouth out, from the hands, and to spit out the water.
This, to European ears, sounds rather disgusting, but
is really a cleanly habit. The right hand alone is
used for eating, the left being used for other purposes.

DRINK

The natives’ natural drink is now chiefly confined

to water, and though there is an abundance of clean,
good water in wells and springs which is appreciated,
and called ma7i matamu sana (very sweet water), yet a
very muddy and dirty substitute seems to do as well.
Madafu, or the juice of the unripe coco-nut, is
also popular, but the chief drink made from a coco-
nut used to be Tembo (toddy), either tamu (fresh),
or kali (fermented), but this is now forbidden.
Pombe is made of boiled mtama (sorghum), but
this is not a drink native to Zanzibar.
The Borassus is not tapped for drink (at least I
have never heard of it), but sometimes a decoction is
made of boiled nutmegs flavoured with pine-apple,
and fermented.
Honey is also drunk when it can be obtained.
The method of obtaining it is curious—the gatherer
instead of putting more on, as he does in England,
takes everything off, and goes for the bees and their
honey with a smoking torch of brushwood. Need-
less to say, he gets a good many stings, but does not
seem to mind that very much.
 CHAPTER XXVIII
LIVESTOCK
WEALTH in Zanzibar and Pemba generally goes by
the number of coco-nut or clove trees owned, but
animals have some significance. Oxen are in places
fairly plentiful, and are used both for milk and for
draught purposes. Comparatively few are turned
into beef, at any rate till fairly late in their lives, or
for some big feast. i
There appear to have been cattle in Pemba from
a very early date. Ox bones are plentiful in old
wells at Mkumbuu. Teeth are found with beads at
all places where the latter are picked up.
From the writing of Lancaster, Marco Polo,
Owen and others, it may be surmised that cattle were
plentiful in their times, and used for food and riding
(Marco Polo).
The species is Bos indicus, imported from India,
though another type of the same ee the ox of
the ancient Egyptians, is imported from Kismayu.
It is much larger in build, and has very big horns.
Many natives own cattle in both islands; they are
herded either skemeri (singly, with a rope through the
nose) or kikunde (in herds).
Goats are everywhere to be found. Most natives
keep them tethered, though on Tumbatu Island there
seems to be a-system of branding, and patterns are
clipped out of the ears. =
Donkeys are fairly common, and used for riding
289
290 ZANZIBAR
and draught purposes, but few of them are of a good
size, and many are badly cared for.
There are a few sheep in Pemba on Panza Island,
of a reddish colour with long hair and fat tails, but
I have never seen any in the country districts of
Zanzibar, though black-headed creatures with short
hair are imported for eating purposes in large
numbers.
Chickens are common, and large cocks fetch good
prices. They are used for cock-fighting, but being
illegal, it is kept very quiet and one has few cases
reported.
The chickens ‘‘ run to leg ’’ very much, as they
>

have to take so much exercise looking for a livelihood

which their owners leave to Providence to furnish.
Cock birds are not eaten, as their flesh is believed to
cause illness.
Muscovy ducks, funny squat creatures, with red
warts on their noses, are not uncommon, and
Madagascar, as well as African Guinea-fowl, are
often kept.
In many Zanzibar (though not in Pemba) villages
one may see old kerosene tins decorating the eaves
of the huts in which live tame homer, and white
pigeons.
Nearly every hut has a little cage, made from
the Borassus palm, outside with a dove or small bird
in it.
Geese and turkeys are known, but very rare.
Most villages have their following of pariah dogs
which compete with the chickens on the middens and
the crows on the shore for refuse. Sometimes good
ones are kept for pig-hunting, which is a serious
occupation rather than a pastime.

GAME

There is little game in Zanzibar, and so not much

chance for the hunting faculties of the natives to
develop.
 TRAPS 291

The wild animals trapped and eaten are the

Zanzibar Suni (Nesotragus moschatus), called paa,
which abounds on Tumbatu Island and on the coral
rag around the east coast in the bush, the rarer Duiker
(Cephalophus adersi), which, while new to science,
has long been known to the natives under the name
of paanunga, and the Neumann’s tree coney (Dendro-
hyrax neumanni), which is found chiefly on Tumbatu
Island and Fundo Island, off the west coast of Pemba.
Its flesh is much sought after by men who wish to
have children.
The gaa is not at all bad eating if hung for a day,
though a little dry. I have not tried the others.
Almost any bird, particularly if it has been killed
(kuchinja—cut the throat) in the right way, is eaten,
but the most important game bird is guinea-fowl,
called anga, and the rarer Crested Guinea-fowl,
fee kororo, both found and trapped on Tumbatu
sland.

TRAPS

The native traps are varied, and of considerable

ingenuity. I shall endeavour to explain them by
diagrams. Their chief ingenuity lies in the catches
used to release them.
(2) Pig Trap (called fywka). Materials required:
a pole about 10 feet long, very strong and very
springy, so that when it has one end in the ground,
if the top is bent down it will not break or remain
bent, but when released will spring into its original
position. Two pieces of wood about 18 inches long
with a hook on, thus:

aa Eat a aeea
Two straight and strong pieces of wood about 18
inches long, and about 6 feet of cord with a noose on
292 ZANZIBAR
it, and above the noose an attached piece with a peg
tied in the middle, thus :

a ae)
some small sticks and brushwood. It is built thus:
‘

4
t
6
6
e =ee
-—
©
fF

ele
eM
Kr
weer
=n
wr

The cord with the noose is fastened to the top

end of the spring stick. The two hooked sticks are
stuck in the ground about a foot apart, the hooks
pointing away from the spring. The first..straight
stick is put under the two hooks and one end of the
peg on the noose cord, fitted under it. To keep it
from flying back the other straight stick is placed over
the hooks, 2 inches lower than the first straight
stick, and the other end of the peg on top of it which
also prevents it falling down. Other sticks are now
leant against the lower straight stick, and brush, etc.,
on top of them. The noose is then arranged over
the whole.
The pig puts his leg on the brush, and this causes
the leaning sticks to press down the lower stick which
releases the peg, which in turn releases the spring,
which pulls the noose tight and the piggy’s leg is
securely held in mid-air.
 TRAPS 293
(6) Pemba Monkey Traps (called tenga). Mate-
rials required : a large wicker floorless cage, four long
sticks, one hooked stick about 2 feet
long, some string and a wooden peg
pointed at one end.
_ Make an arch of three of the long
sticks. Under the arch place the
cage longways on. This is the cage
sideways. It is closed all ways save
below.
Sa Te. ee,

To the front of this hinge the fourth long stick as

shown. To the back of the cage tie a large loop
of string with the two ends well apart. To the end
of the hinged stick tie a string with the pointed peg
firmly fastened by its middle to it.
Lift the cage up on its back edge, bring the hinged
stick over the top of the
arch, put the blunt end of
the peg through the string
loop and then insert the
hooked stick through the
bars with the non-hooked
end in the cage, the
hooked end between the
sharp end of the peg and
the two sides of the loop
which is now taut. On
the bottom end of the
hooked stick tie a banana
or other fruit.
The monkey enters the
trap, pulls the banana and
this
A
pulls < down the hooked a—string fastened to hinge net
b6—pointed peg. c—hooked stick.
stick which releases the a—string loop. c—cage. f—bait.
294 ZANZIBAR
peg from the loop, the hinged stick flies back over
the arch, the cage falls down, and the monkey is a
prisoner.
Back view of the catch on previous page.
(c) Tumbatu Monkey Trap. Materials required:
spring, a noose as in pig trap, notched peg with cross
piece, thus :

string and a long pole with a kind of wicker horn,

which is made by splitting one end into about
six ends and then plaiting twigs between them to make
a horn, thus:

The pole with the horn is fixed to the ground.

The notched stick is passed through the wicker-work
from inside, so that the notches are above, and so
that the cross piece prevents it from passing right
through.
A string loop is fastened to the outside of the horn,
and made so that when taut its top is level with a
notch on the notched peg.
The peg on the noose cord is then drawn down,
one end is placed on the loop and one end of a notch
on the notched peg. The noose is then passed
through the wicker-work of the horn and arranged
over its opening.
 TRAPS 295
Bait is placed against or tied to the lower end of
the peg. The monkey puts his hand in to get the
food; this disturbs the notched peg, which therefore
releases its end of the peg on the noose cord, and its
other end is thereby freed from the loop. The spring
is therefore released and draws the noose tight, which
Hens the monkey’s hand fast against the top of the
orn.

ee

Bee gash Pe ngrele Pee ear

(2) Genet and Lemur Trap. Materials required:
a box cage with barred top and drop door, with bar
hinged to top and arch fixed behind door, string,
piece of wood with cross peg, pointed peg.
This is somewhat like the Pemba monkey trap,
but the catch is different.
The pointed end of the peg on the string attached
to the bar (which is hinged to the door and passed
over the arch) is passed through the loop of string
and made to rest on the top end of the piece of wood
with cross peg, which (cross peg) prevents the piece
of wood from falling into the cage by resting on the
top bars. (See next page.)
(e) Bird Traps. Materials: spring and noose with
peg, as in pig trap, but very small and much weaker,
two small sticks 6 inches long, one very light stick
about 12 inches long. -
The two 6-inch sticks are set in the ground in
296 ZANZIBAR
front of the spring, about 7 or 8 inches apart. The
peg on the noose cord is brought round one of them,
and the top is placed against it; the bottom is placed
against the 12-inch stick so that it holds it against
the two uprights, forming a perch.
Over this perch the noose is spread, and seed for
bait all around. The bird alights on the perch, which
then drops and releases the peg, and the bird’s feet
are caught in the noose.

i+

ct
or
aes
Serge
ee se & oe ad - se « se ° - _—_— =

SIDE ELEVATION
a—door. 6—hinged bar. c—arch. d—string with peg. e—peg. /—loop.
g—wood, 4—bait. :—bars on top of cage. j—cross piece.

The plate facing this page shows two more bird

traps. The first is placed over an open nest, like a
thrush’s, and the bird gets its feet caught in one of the
nooses which hang from the superstructure. The
second is a netting bag placed inside the opening of a
nest like a tomtit’s, so that the opening of the trap
(Upper Left) RAT TRAP MADE BY SHINEN BIN SAID. (Upper Right) a.—
-CALABASH, USED FOR DRAWING WATER FROM WELL (NDO). po
NATIVE UMBRELLA. c,dande.—RAPHIA BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER
MANUFACTURE INTO CORD. f.—FISHING LINE AND HOOKS. g.—COIR
MATTING. h.—SLING. i.—BIRD TRAP. j.—BIRD TRAP, TOP VIEW. k.—
BALER, MADE FROM CALABASH (UPO).
(Lower Left) a.—WOOD. b.—ZOMARI MOUTHPIECE. c.—BHANG PIPE d.—
UKATA (NOTE INLAID WORK). e—UPAWA. f.—MODEL OF DOOR. g.—
HALF COCOANUT SHELL. h—MBATA. (Lower Right) a.—BROOM. b.—FAN.
c—KUMUTO (SIEVE). d.—BASKET FOR SCENTING CLOTHES, MODEL. e.
—DEMA (FISH TRAP). f— KATA (ROUND PAD WORN ON HEAD FOR
CARRYING LOADS). g, i and k—THREE KINDS OF CORD. h.—COIR. j—
TOOTHBRUSHES. | and m.—PAINTBRUSHES. n.—BIRD TRAP, SIDE VIEW.
ends > Gets i”‘vaos

aaa es 7 ig lal 7 .

ess wi eng be
a=-oru! 18 — oa Pe
oem MG ! @ Rimi
——
i
a a
 HUNTING 297
coincides with the opening of the nest. When the
bird flies in the string is pulled, and this closes it with
the bird inside.
Bird lime, made from Jack fruit, is also used for
catching birds.
Gazelles are caught as pigs are, or in pit-falls.
Sometimes nets are used, especially by the Wahadimu.
Nowadays many natives know how to shoot, and
some have shot-guns.
I should mention a rat trap invented by a clever
old man called Shinen bin Said. This is made out
of a piece of mwale midrib, and has a bow and arrow
which is released by the rat disturbing a stick below
the bait. This releases the peg holding back the
bow and shoots an arrow through the animal’s head.
Another simple rat trap consists of an overturned
saucepan held up by a very small coco-nut, with a
wire or stick stuck into the blunt end and protruding
under the saucepan. On this the bait is fastened,
and the rat, gnawing this, disturbs the coco-nut, which
causes the saucepan to fall down.

HUNTING

The only animal that is hunted both in Zanzibar

and Pemba is the pig, and the method of hunting
is in both places the same, but the pig varies. In
Pemba it is the black European wild pig (Sus scrofa),
a legacy from the Portuguese, and in Zanzibar the
red African bush pig (Sus potamocherus nyass@). —
A hunting-party is accompanied by dogs, and is
armed with knives, some of them also having spears.
The pack goes on in front, and when the trail has
been found, the pig is tracked through miles and
miles of bush. The passage has practically to be
carved out of the bush with knives. The dogs bring
the pig to bay in the end, and before he is dispatched
he always gets a run for his money, which results in
a few ripped-up legs and killed dogs, especially if
298 ZANZIBAR
he is a good tusker, which many of the black pigs
are.
The flat, two-edged end of the spear is used for
attacking, and the pointed end for giving the coup
de grace. It is interesting to note that in Pemba
pig-hunting takes place by day and in Zanzibar by
night. This is due to the difference in habits of the
respective types of pig.
The bow and arrow (wa and mshare) have only
survived in Zanzibar and Pemba as children’s toys.
 CHAPTER XXIX

FISHING
FisH are caught in many ways, and are very plentiful.
With the exception of vegetables, they form the chief
food of the natives...
(2) Hook and Line. Both hook and line are
home-made, and the hook is either baited with fish,
dried octopus, shell-fish, or, where obtainable, lug
worms. It is weighted with a stone or lead. All
the fishermen who go out in canoes use this method,
and their catches are considerable.
In Pemba I have seen a row of light sticks stuck
in the water with about twenty feet of line on each,
with a hook. A bite was at once signalled by the
bending of the sticks, and the watchers on the shore
removed the fish and rebaited the hooks.
(5) Traps. (1) Dema. Made of coco-nut palm
midrib. They are baited with fish, or other suitable
fish food, and weighted with stones tied to the out-
side. They are also buoyed with the sheathes of
the coco-nut flower.*
(2) Uzio, or tando. A long row of sticks is set
up in the shape of a V with a bulb at the bottom, in
estuaries or on shallow beaches, with the opening
facing shorewards, and the uzio, which 1s also made
of coco-nut palm frond midribs, placed up against it.
If, however, the net is made of sticks other than coco-
nut, it is in Pemba called ¢ando.
The rising tide brings the fish in, -and the falling
tide leaves them in the bulb of the V. The catches
of fish made by this method are enormous, but very
wasteful, as not even the smallest fry can escape
owing to the narrowness of the mesh. _
(c) By knifing or spearing. This is done at
1 This trap is of Indian origin, and its wide distribution was
due to the Portuguese. See Ingrams, 99 Man, 1924. It is also
found in Mauritius.
299
300 ZANZIBAR
night with a torch, either by canoe in deep water, or
wading for small fish in shallow water. The fish are
attracted by the light, and then knifed or speared.
(¢) With seine nets either 7arift, which is of large
mesh, or xyavu, which is smaller. These are both
of native manufacture, though nowadays the thread
to make the cord for the netting is bought.
(e) In creeks by using the thick, white creamy
sap of the Euphorbia cactus, which stupefies the fish
but does not harm the flesh (Tumbatu chiefly).
(f) By women with a piece of calico. Two
women hold the calico under the water, and a third
drives the shoals of whitebait over it when the other
two lift it up.
(g) In Pemba freshwater pools catfish are caught
with a kibaba, which is a wicker trap, looking rather
like the conventional parrot cage, with a corded open
top and open bottom. The fishermen hold it up by
the top, and advance together through the pond,
jabbing the trap at each step into the mud. I have
seen many tortoises and catfish caught in a short time
in this method.
(2) The mgono fish trap, a conical fish trap made
from the coco-nut palm, has a spring entrance in the
bottom. It is fastened ‘‘in the channel between the
breakers,’’ and is peculiar to Pemba. It is probably
the fish trap of the Periflus.
(7) Weights for baits. In deep water over fifteen
fathoms, weights are usually fixed to the line, but in
water about ten to fifteen fathoms the weight is made
detachable, either by tying it to rotten string, when
it will break with a jerk, or by fixing it with a bow,
in which case a jerk will untie it. Thus the bait,
having been taken to the bottom, is then released, and
is free to move with the water.
I give a list of the commoner fish, with weights
and native names and native remarks on them, and,
so far as I could find them, their English equivalents.
Anything not poisonous is considered eatable by the
natives.
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 FISHING 301
In the column ‘‘ Remarks ”’ in the following list,
the first word refers to native opinion and the second
toEuropean, but where the latter is not noted it
coincides with the native opinion.

Native Name. Usual Weight of Remarks.

Fish Caught.
Guruguru 1 lb. Very good. Sole.
Kambisi 30 lb. Good. No good.
Mzira 20 lb. Good. Barracouta.
Samsuri 10 lb. Good. No good, barracouta.
Chazo 2 lb. No good. Sucker fish used
medicine.
Changu 3 lb. Good.
Mpono 3 lb. No good. Good.
Mkundaje amlbs eee
Tasi 2 lb. Good. No good.
Kungu 4 lb. Good.
Kigombe-Gombe 1 lb. Good. No good.
Nyaenya 3 lb. Not very good.
Tawa 4 lb. Good. No good.
Njana 2 lb. Good. No good
Kapungu 6 lb. No good.
Mzia 6 Ib. Good.
Mwelea 2 lb. Good. No good
Mkiki 1 lb. Good. No good
Mkule 4 lb. Good. No good
Chaa 1 lb. Good.
Sororo 1 lb. Good.
Mbawawa 4 lb. No good.
Kilende 4 lb. Good. No good
Mzumeire 1 lb. Good. No good
Bange 1 lb. Good. No good
Chuchungi 1 lb. Good. No good
Chewa 5 lb. Good. No good
Mjombo 6 lb. Good.
Kowana 4 Ib. Good.
Bunju 1b: bad See Globefish, poisonous.
Mchumbuluru 3 Ib. Good. ely bes
Papa Pingushi 40 lb. No good. Shark.
Papa Amrani 50 lb. No good.
Papa Upanga 30 lb. No good.
Nguru 20 lb. Good. Horse mackerel.
Kole Kole 25 lb. Good.
Panju 6 Ib. ues fees
Nduara 50 lb. Good. No good.
Taa 7 lb. Good. No good. Sting-ray.
Kipilipili 1 lb. Good.
Tuku 3 lb. Good.
Kangaja 3 lb. No good. Bad smelling.
Puju 3 lb. No good. Good Unicorn fish.
Gaio gaio .3 lb. No good.
Biliwili 4 lb. No good. |
Kitatange 3 lb. Good. A spiny fish.
Panzi Bahari 3 lb. No good. A flying fish.
302 ZANZIBAR
Usual Weight of Remarks.
Native Name. Fish Caught.

Kuwi 3 lb. Good.

Komba 3 lb. No good.
Changu Chole 4 |b. vee good.
Kaa Crab.
Kamba Lobsters. Crayfish.
Kamba Prawns.
Mgisi 2 lb. Good. No good. Cuttle-fish.
Pweza 20 lb. Very good. No good. Octopus.
Kasa Good. No good unless cleaned.
Green turtle.
Chaza Oyster usually very small.

Customs Connected with Fishing

These are probably many, but I could never get
much information, as the fishermen are very reticent
about them.
It betokens bad luck for a fisherman early in the
morning, on going out to fish, to meet a one-eyed man,
and should this occur no fisherman would fish that
day.
Nor will a fisherman pick up a fish by its tail, as
this is sure to bring bad luck. Possibly this originates
from the fact that several fish, notably sting-rays,
have stings in their tails.
Fishermen who use uzio fish traps place in the
cage a small offering, be it only leaves, so that the
spirit concerned may send plenty of fish.
As fishermen approach the shore in their_canoes,
hordes of small boys rush into the water to help them
Spas which service they receive a small ‘‘ tip ’’ in
kind.
It may be noted that in Pemba, at any rate, there
is a trace of totemism among the fishermen, some of
whom will not catch certain kinds of fish, which they
state will come to their rescue if they fall into the sea.
Different fishermen have different protecting fish.

SAILING

A great variety of craft may be seen in Zanzibar

harbour, especially during the time when the north-
east monsoon is blowing, as then come a great variety
 SAILING 303
from the Persian Gulf and from India. The un-
initiated generally refer to them indifferently as
‘‘ dhows,’’ but there are very many different types.
A brief reference must be made to some of these:
(1) Baggala. From Muscat and Persian Gulf.
Up to 200 tons and nearly roo feet long.
High square stern. Tall poop and long
prow. Main and mizzen mast, both raking
well forward. Large stern cabin. Muscat
make has short, stunted, curyed bowsprit.
Zanzibar make has no bowsprit.
(2) Bedeni. From Persian Gulf. Broad in the
beam and very fast. Upright masts. Sharp
stern, high rudder-head and perpendicular
cutwater.
(3) Awesia. Same as bedeni, but no prow or
head, but only perpendicular cutwater.
(4) /ehazi. A smaller type, usually up to about
20 tons, square stern, of Indian origin, but
built in Zanzibar and Pemba and on the
coast.
(5) Pattamar. Indian. Main and mizzen masts,
very long yard.
(6) Batilz. Persian Gulf. Long and low, but
with high rudder-head and sharp, high stern.
Roomy poop and perpendicular cutwater.
(7) Ganja. Cutch. Like a baggala, but not so
high in the poop or long in the prow.
Various other kinds are the 7albuti, with a sharp
covered bowsprit, the kachi (Cutch) a large jehazi,
the grab, also from Cutch, and the #kararu from the
Tanganyika coast.
A tishari is a lighter, carvel-built like all native
craft, broad in the beam, and with a stern like
a whaler.
I now come to a class of boat of great interest,
namely the mitepe, which are not made in Zanzibar,
though they may. have been formerly. They now hail
chiefly from Pate Island, though a small one called
dau ya mtepe is built at Lamu.
304 ZANZIBAR
The mtepe is a large, open vessel with a long
projecting stern, and a long prow made to resemble
a camel’s head. It is not nailed, but is sewn or
pegged together with wooden pegs, and the boards
warped close against each other with coco-nut fibre.
It is generally caulked in the usual way. Whereas
all other vessels are lateen rigged, the mzepe is square
rigged, and its sails made of coarse matting. It is so
fast that the natives often compare it to a man-of-war
(kama manowart).
It always flies a white pennant when leaving and
returning to its home port, and on the bowsprit
(usually made of mangrove wood) is a row of charms
of alternate leaves of mkindu (wild date palm) and
mvinji (casuarina). Aft is a pole painted with
alternate black and white bands, from which it flies
its national flag.
It is an object that seems to have been remarked
by all the early voyagers to Zanzibar and the coast.
Whether historians, geographers, or people who have
called there in the course of duty or casual trippers,
one and all seem to have noticed these curious objects
‘sewn like clothes with twine.’’ It will be remem-
bered that the first written account we have of the
coast, namely, the Periplus, says that in Menuthias
there are sewed boats, and also in Rhapta,.the very
name of which was derived from the word. These
boats were known as Aodpa parrd, and the word
Rhapta is apparently derived from the Arabic */
(Rabta=to bind.)
Farther on the Periplus says that in Oman there
are “‘ boats sewed together after the fashion of the
place; these are known as ‘ madarata,’ ’’ which is from
the Arabic ‘‘ muddarra’at,’? meaning fastened with
palm fibre.
Its advantages are that it can sail very close to
the wind, and that the elasticity of its make allows it
to stand a good deal of hard usage. ‘Sir John
Mandeville’ (pseudonym probably of Jehan du
Bourgogne, the fourteenth-century Liége physician,
 SAILING 305
who wrote a book of travel full of fabulous stories)
Says that near Ormuz ‘‘ there are ships without nails
of iron or bonds on account of the rocks of Adamants,
for they are all abundant there, that it is marvellous
to speak of, and if a ship passed there that had iron
bonds or iron nails, it would perish, for the Adamant,
by its nature, draws iron to it, and so it would draw
a ship so it would never depart from it.”’
We have seen before that Ibn Said reported that
north-east of Mombasa there was a mountain extend-
ing a hundred miles into the sea, half iron mines
and half magnetic. In the story of the third royal
mendicant in the Thousand Nights and One Night,
there is the following passage: ‘‘ On the following
morning we drew near to the mountain; the current
carried us towards it with violence, and when the ships
were almost close to it, they fell asunder, and all the
nails and everything else that was of iron flew from
them towards the loadstone.’’ This mountain of
loadstone was no doubt the rocky coast of East Africa,
on which many ships, owing to the East African
current, before referred to, have been wrecked. The
Arabs call it, says Burton, the Bahr el Kharab, or
Bad Sea; the mountains el Mulattam (lashed or
beaten), el Nidameh (of repentance) and el Ajrad
(the noisy); the mountains of Magnet and the “‘ Blind
Billows ’’ and ‘‘ Enchanted Breakers.’’
Most early voyagers have commented on the
danger of these seas.
Here we have, then, the legendary origin of
these boats. Knowing nothing of currents, those
navigators, seeing themselves impelled by some in-
visible force on to the rocks ahead, would attribute
magnetic powers to these rocks. The Arabs were
always ready, like all superstitious people, to attribute
the natural to the supernatural. Perceiving that these
sewed boats were better able to withstand the rough
usage resulting from rocky beaches, it would be
supposed that they owed their virtue to the absence
of iron nails. The real raison d’étre of the mtepe
306 ZANZIBAR
was probably the lack of these nails at this early period
of history; in fact, it seems possible that ‘‘ canoes
hollowed from single logs’’ were the earliest form
of boats, and that sewed boats are second only to
them in antiquity.
These boats on the east coast of Africa were
probably, in the days of the Periplus, as now, sewn
with coco-nut palm rope, the word ‘‘ muddara’at ”’
itself implies it, and that the coco-nut was in East
Africa is shown by the fact that palm oil was exported.
Marco Polo also mentions these ships, though at
Ormuz.
It will be seen from his account also that they
were sewn with coir rope. He also makes mention
of their being smeared with fish oil, but nowadays
they are smeared with a mixture of shkami and lime
mixed with simsim oil.
Duarte Barbosa also says that they are sewn with
a cord called ‘‘caire’’ (coir). Ralph Fitch, for.
1583-1591, refers to ‘“‘sertain shippes made of boards
and sewed together with cayro, which is threede made
of the husk of cocoes.’’ Friar Odderick also says of
Ormuz, ‘‘ Here also they use a kind of barque or
ship called Jase, being compact together only with
cords.’’ Jase is, of course, of the Arabic djehaz
and the Swahili 7ekazi. see
The Portuguese called these vessels pangayo,
and the dhow ya mtepe they called zambuco
(derived from the Arabic sambuc) and luzio.
By the Arabs, the boats are called muntafiyah.
Burton refers also to its twin round eyes, painted
white like the Ark of Osiris and the Chinese junk
which, he says, were possibly, in the beginning, holes
for hawsers, though I should imagine that it was
rather the other way round, and that they sub-
sequently developed into holes for hawsers.
Chatterton says that ‘‘ earlier Greek ships had
only patches of colour on the bows, blue or purple
or vermilion. The painting on the bows was probably
to facilitate the recognition of direction taken by the
 SAILING 307
vessel.’’ I myself was told, with reference to a canoe
painted in the same way, that it was to enable a vessel
to see her way. Chatterton also says, ‘‘ The eyes
painted on the ships of the Greeks and Romans still
survive to-day in the hawse holes on either side of
the ship’s bows. And this belief of the ancients, that
by means of these eyes the vessel could see her way,
was but one article in the general creed still shared
by every sailor, amateur and professional alike, that
a ship, of all the creations of man, is indeed a living
thing.”’
It is indeed interesting that the three curiosities
of Menuthias as mentioned in the Peripflus, namely,
dug-out canoes, sewed boats, and wicker fish traps,
should have survived for two thousand years. We
may rest assured that they would not have done so
had it not been that they had much to recommend
them to a people to whom good results from a small
outlay is an important factor in life.
The usual dhow made at Zanzibar is the be/ela,
which is of medium size with a curved prow, and the
ordinary boat stern of European boats.
Even more typical of Zanzibar are the daw and
kidau, the latter being a small edition of the former.
It is a small, open vessel and sharp at the stern. It
is used for carrying firewood round the island, or for
fishing. Formerly they were rigged with square
matting sails, but canvas is now used.
All these craft except the mtepe are lateen-rigged,
and all except the dedeni have masts raked forward.
While sitting in my house at Mkokotoni almost
every night, I could hear the music and dancing
performed on a jehazi to appease spirits of the deep,
before it set out on a voyage.
I now come to ‘‘canoes hollowed from single
logs,’’ which are of two kinds, though a third, the
hori, is a visitor on Indian dhows. It is wider
than the native canoe, and has raised head and
stern, and generally has a corner painted.
First of the Zanzibar canoes is the mtumbwi. It
308 ZANZIBAR
is small and feels extraordinarily unsafe, but is not
so bad as it looks. Mitumbwi do not go out far to
sea, though some will carry up to six people and are
fitted with sails.
The xzgalawa is longer and narrower than the
mtumbwi, and is fitted with outriggers on both sides,
which give it great stability. It sails at a great speed,
and xgalawa travelling is a very exhilarating form of
amusement. I have heard of them going from Pemba
to Mombasa, a distance of about sixty miles, and I am
told that during the war, some captured German dhow
crews escaped from Pemba to Tanga in xgalawas.
They are much used for fishing, and the fishermen are
extraordinarily skilful in sailing them, standing on the
outriggers and holding on to the sheet. The xgalawa
is probably of Asiatic origin.
On a recent visit to Mayotte, in the Comoro
Islands, I noticed that the canoes had only one
outrigger. The Zanzibar xgalawa has a rudder
affixed to its stern, but the Mayotte /aka is ‘* pointed
at both ends.”’ ;
The canoes at Ngazija, another of the Comoros,
are galawas proper, but at Nossi Bé, off Madagascar,
lakas are seen again.
Both mtumbwi and ngalawa are propelled by a
paddle (kafu) in deep water, or a punting pole
(pondoo) in shallow water when not fitted with sails.
There is a proverb typical of the native which says
‘“* don’t paddle when you can punt.”’
The knots and hitches used are the clove hitch,
half hitch, reef knot and simple knot. ‘‘ Grannies ”’
are rare, though a succession of simple knots is often
used to secure a stone for anchor.
The Song of the Dhow—A Tumbatu Story
When the dhow is going up from the shore the
pulley calls ‘‘ Watoto, watoto’’ as the sail goes up.
The rudder says ‘‘ ao, ao’ as it scrapes on the sand,
and after the dhow goes on the prow shouts “‘ ¢aa wa
saa’’ as it strikes the waves, and the dhow goes
joyously on.
 CHAPTER XXX
CLOTHING
ZANZIBAR and Pemba are now clothed chiefly from
Manchester and India, and it is impossible to say what
the inhabitants wore formerly. Probably nothing at
all, or just something made of vegetable material
round the loins, as they are mostly very particular to
Ss part covered.
he simplest clothing for a man is a kikoi (this
has variants) round the waist, with a kanzu, a thing
like a nightdress or a surplice over for best occasions,
and for women a kaxga fastened round above the
breast, and when not working another over the head.
I have seen old women on Pemba Island wearing
merely a cloth round the waist.
Small children are generally clad only in modesty.
The elaboration of men’s costume is the wearing
of an embroidered cap (kofia), a vest (fulana) and a
pair of sandals, in addition to the other two articles
mentioned.
Those who wish to imitate Arabs and appear fine
may wear a turban and a oko or bushti (kinds of large
embroidered overcoats).
The elaboration of women’s costume is, in addition
to those mentioned, another famga to swathe round
the face, and a bwibui, a black cloak that envelops
all, with a veil sewn on to cover the face (sometimes).
A pair of elaborate drawers with frilly ends falling
over the ankles and a pair of heelless shoes complete
the picture.
his is a description of the garments :
Kikoi, a cloth with a coloured border. The cheap
ones are made in India, the best are woven in Muscat
on hand looms, and the border is of silk.
309
310 ZANZIBAR
Shuka. The same but either plain or with a black
border. The word is also used to denote sheet.
Doti is much the same.
Kisunga. A checked one.
Kanzu. A long shirt-like garment, which looks
simple enough but has a variety of names applied to
various parts. (See Steere’s Handbook of Swahili
Language.)
Amazu. A shawl. Not now used; it used to be
twisted round the waist.
Kisibau. A waistcoat, generally sleeveless.
Joho. Is generally made of thick blue cloth; the
bushti is finer, and some are made of camel’s hair.
It is fuller than the joko and in Zanzibar is usually
brown.
Kofta, or caps, are often beautifully embroidered,
and many town Swahilis make them in their spare
time.
There are five varieties of vzatu (sandals), one of
wood with a stud (msuruake), two of baobab bark, one
plain and one plaited, one of threefold ox-hide loosely
tied, and one of the usual imported variety.
Women’s kangas are printed in Manchester, and
have many designs ranging from a flat-iron or an arc-
lamp to a sun or a lion or a view on them. They
often bear greetings. The women are very particular
about the fashions, and Indian traders sometimes tell
me they cannot get rid of old patterns. The poorest
women only wear a dark blue cloth called Aisutu, and
sometimes over their heads a ukaya of the same
material with two long ends.
Trousers are called suruali, and sometimes the
extra kanga, used to swathe the face, is of silk and
is called dusamaii.
Kanzus for women, which were coloured and
shorter than men’s, as well as embroidered waistcoats
and barakoas (face masks), are not now worn, except
by women of rank and position. Another garment
no longer used is the lebwani, a large square of black
silk thrown over all to go out in. The last two are
 ORNAMENTS 311
now replaced among the ‘‘ quality ’”’ by a silk buibwi,
with a veil sewn in front of the face.
Arab girls have lately started to wear dresses with
high frilled collars, and they look very well in them
too. European dress is much in favour, and its use
Is growing generally. Silk stockings are very popular.
Many natives now own a pair of trousers and a
shirt (which is often not tucked in), but the limit of
absurdity is reached when they take to soft felt hats.
: native somehow looks very ridiculous in European
ress.

ORNAMENTS

As with other races so with the Zanzibaris, it is

chiefly the women who adorn themselves. Men rarely
wear any ornaments. Some have a silver ring, and
some wear rosaries (fasbihi), but these can hardly be
called ornaments. The head is shaved.
Hadimu fishermen plait hats from the dried leaves
of the Pandanus. These hats are conical, with a wide
brim and a cord to fasten under the chin. The cone
of the hat is often used for the carriage of the fishing-
line, the coiled line being laid over the cone.
The women plait their hair in ridges, or part it
in the middle or plaster it down (this is a new
fashion). The comb used for doing this is imported.
Their ears are bored and coloured paper rings inserted,
three in each ear, and the orifices in the lobe may
grow to 2 inches in diameter. Their faces are
painted with soot in circles and other figures.
Generally the outlines of the cheek pattern is made
by putting wan7a (antimony) round the edge of a
coffee-cup and pressing it on. It is then elaborated.
Sometimes a nose-ring is worn in the left side of the
nose. Fingers and the nails are dyed with henna,
and the palm of the hand is treated like the cheek.
Beads are worn on wrists, neck, and round the
waist next to the skin. Why, I cannot say, as they
312 ZANZIBAR
cannot be seen there; perhaps it is a survival of the
days when no clothes were worn. Formerly bead
belts (kondavi) used to be worn there, and on the
wrists fine wire bracelets called madodi, but these
are now no longer used.

HABITATIONS

The houses of the Zanzibar natives are all

rectangular. The simplest type is made of mtama
straw or makuti (plaited coco-nut), and the better ones
of mud and wattle or even with stones built in.
All are roofed either with grass or makutt,
generally the latter.
This is the method: the materials for the wooden
framework are first collected. The requirements are:
Six stout poles 8 feet long for the corners of the
house and the door frame, called xguzo; more, not so
strong, sufficient to fill the spaces between these six
at intervals of 1 foot, also called xguzo, two stout poles
to support the top of the roof about 12 feet long
(zguzo).
One stout pole to lay across the top of these two,
about 16 feet long, called mwamba; four stout poles
to lie from the corners to the ends of mwamba, about
8 feet long, called Lombamoyo. Others not quite so
thick to lie from the walls along the mwamba, 7 feet
long, also called kombamoyo. A quantity of long,
thin poles to lie longitudinally on these about a foot
apart (pao).
A large quantity to tie inside and out about 3
inches apart longitudinally round the walls (fo).
Two pieces of wood for the top and bottom of the
door, kizingiti (Kitum: kisityangu). A lot of coir rope
(kamba). A lot of mud (udongo). A lot of makuti
to make the roof (front and back—faa, sides kisusi
or kipaa). A door.
This will make a house with no rooms and no
windows, about 26 feet long and 12 feet wide. The
 HABITATIONS 313
rooms can be added afterwards by building partitions,
and many people do without windows.
Owing to lack of funds, it is generally a long time
before a hut is finished. This probably makes for
the better security of the hut, as it allows the mud to
settle and harden.

A door of the midribs of mwale palm.

First of all the four corner posts are driven in,
and a string fastened all round the tops of them, by
means of which the tops are levelled. The founda-
tions are about a foot deep. Then the doorway is
put in, in the middle of the front. After this the
other xguzo are placed between these corner poles
and door poles at intervals of about a foot, and these
too are made level with a string, which should rest
on top of them. The tops are then notched and
fitoes laid over them. Then fitoes are tied to the
sides, beginning at the bottom and working up about
3 inches apart, one on the outside and one on the
inside,
314 ZANZIBAR
This is the view from the top

IoHCHCEOR
and from the sides

When all the walls are done like this, the two tall
nguzo to support the roof are placed in the middle,
and the mwamba across these, for they are notched.
The corner kombamoyo are then laid to them from
the corners of the house. After that the other
kombamoyo are laid across from the walls to the
mwamba.
When this is finished the pao are tied across these,
at intervals of about a foot, and then the house is
thatched with makuti, or grass, from the bottom
upwards. Makuti is of two kinds, kike and kidume.
The roof must be put on first, for if the mud were
put in the walls and there was no roof it would be
washed out if the rain came.
The Kipemba house has no visusi, or ends, to the
roof, but the wall goes straight up to meet the roof
in the angle caused by the back and front faas.
After this, mud well kneaded is built up into the
interstices of the walls, and perhaps small stones
mixed with it, a style of building called ‘¢omea.
Sometimes the big holes are filled with stones first
and mud put round them.
After two or three days the mud sets a little, and
then more is put on and it is smoothed off. This
process 1s called kurudishia. The door is then fixed
in. It is generally bought ready-made, frame and
 HABITATIONS 315
all, and merely requires fastening in position, but
simpler people make simpler doors.
The door can be made of makuti too, and these
are merely tied on to a door-post, but a better door
is made by taking the midribs of the mwale palm,
cutting about a dozen to one length, and fastening
them through with a skewer, top and bottom. A
spike is then fixed on the top and bottom of one end
of the door to revolve in sockets in the frame. If
pieces of wood to form the sockets are fixed behind
the still and lintel (Aizizgiti) they are called kimandu.
DIAGRAMS OF HOUSE IN CONSTRUCTION

a—Mwamba. b6—Two-corner kombamoyo. c—Two-corner nguzo.

d—The roof supporters, mguzo, e—Level of wall, zguzo.

Pee
a :
ob
aa EE EEEEHEEEE
eb Cees

FRONT PART OF ROOF CALLED PAA

a—Mwamba. 6b,c—Kombamoyo. d—Faa.

After all this, garden walls can be added, and a

backyard or anything else required. Often a partial
316 ZANZIBAR
ceiling is made under the roof of fitoes on which
things can be placed. China and clothes, etc., are
generally kept under the bed.
This is a plan of a simple house.

a—Ua or makuti wall surrounding backyard with choo (privy), etc.

b—Jiko (kitchen). c—Women’s bedroom. d—Men’s bedroom.
¢—Roofed in daraza, to eat meals, welcome guests, etc.

A mud projection is often made round the base of

a house to protect it in wet weather.
It is interesting to note that trunks of the wild
date palm (Phenix reclinata) are not used by the
natives in the construction of their houses, though
they last long and are not eaten by white ants: Poles
of another species are invariably mixed with them,
as it is said that he who lives in a house built only of
mkindu poles will not live long. There seems to be
a general prejudice against timber that lasts long.
(See chapter, ‘‘ Botany.’’)
 CHAPTER XXXI

CRAFTS

POTTERY

THE art of the potter is one of the oldest in Zanzibar,

and is practised to-day probably just as it was
practised centuries ago. The reasons for this
are that there are very few potters (or wa/imangi), and
that for many hundreds of years imported pottery
made of a better clay has been known and obtainable
cheaply. Thus the demand and competition having
been small, there has been no need for improved tools.
These two causes, coupled with the fact that the art
is hereditary in Zanzibar, contribute to make it a
dying art, though none the less interesting for the
very primitiveness of the methods which are practised.
The clay necessary is not really common, but in
several places there are large pockets, to which the
potters go to dig it. Before being baked it is greenish
in colour. The potters I have seen generally keep
a fair store of it, and when it needs replenishing,
repair to the bank from which it is obtained with an
old sack. The store is generally kept piled by the
side of the hut.
The potters do not keep a stock of articles ready
made, but make them to order and at a very cheap
rate, though they are usually of a more or less uniform
size. I discovered this, as on visiting a potter to give
him an order for a set of models of everything he
made, it took several attempts and a lot of time to
explain that I wanted them far smaller than anything
he made for practical purposes.
When they were finished the old man had no idea
what to charge me, so the price for all the articles
317
318 ZANZIBAR
depicted was fixed at about 4o pice by a committee
of natives who accompanied me. When I gave him
Re. 1 he was overjoyed, though I thought it rather
poor remuneration for the trouble he had spent over
his work. It is interesting to note that this old man,
in common with all the native craftsmen I know, was
a real enthusiast at his trade, and would never let
anything that he thought poor workmanship pass.
The potter’s tools, etc., consist of a flat board or
piece of wood, a piece of ‘‘coco-nut cloth,’’ that is
to say, the cloth-like envelope of the young leaves
called #ilifu, a smooth shell, a piece of wet rag, and
one or two half coco-nut shells in which is kept water.
The method is as follows: the potter takes a piece
of clay approximately enough to make the vessel (say
a bowl) required. This is first roughly kneaded
together with water in the same way as one makes
pastry, to the required consistency, and made into a
rough ball. It is then dumped on to a piece of “‘ coco-
nut cloth ’’ on the board to which it adheres, and by
pressure with the fingers of both hands it is hollowed
out.
When it is roughly of the shape required, though,
of course, small and thick and by no means sym-
metrical, the potter begins to turn it with his left hand
while fashioning with the right. It still adheres to
the coco-nut cloth, and the board beneathis very
polished in the centre from frequent rubbing. By
putting his finger inside the bowl the potter makes it
larger, and when it is a little too large, with the inside
very smooth and the outside rough, he turns his
attention to the exterior and smooths that, every now
and then pouring water over it to smoothen it. When
both inside and out are uniformly smooth, he may
make a groove or lines on it with the aid of the wet
rag or the shell, and when it is finished, make lines
or patterns in much the same way as one decorates
a pie-crust.
The pot is now left to stand for a day in the sun,
and the next day it is dipped in a fluid bath made
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 BASKET AND MATTING WORK. 319
of the same grey clay, thinned to the consistency of
soup, in a hole outside his hut. If it is wanted to
be red it is painted, the red colour being bought and
not therefore to be lavished on it.
After this, it is baked in a hole excavated in the
ground from which a fire has been raked; when the
pots are in the hole, bars are laid across it and the
fire remade on top.
Lamps are not now made, though the old potters
still know how to make them, as in the last decade
or so they have been replaced by small tin lamps
imported from India, from, whence come also the
large water-jars which, being of better clay, have
largely supplanted the home-made product. Water-
jars altogether are gradually dying out before an
invasion of kerosene tins.
Sometimes, particularly in Pemba, women make
pottery, but I think it is generally men, and in Pemba
there is also a red clay used which I have not seen
(though it may exist) in Zanzibar.
BASKET AND MATTING WORK
This industry is entirely in the hands of the women,
who make all the articles. Matting and basket-work
among the Zanzibaris is of the plaited type, which is
one of the things that demonstrate their origin as
forest people. The material from which these articles
are made is called wkindu, and is the dried leaf of
the mkindu, or wild date palm. The women collect
these leaves and clean and scrape them, and then
tie them in bundles and put them in the sun till
they are bleached white. Some of them are then
dyed with imported colours, chiefly red, black, yellow
and green, and others are used white.
Mats (mikeka and misala) and dish covers (kawa)
are made from long strips which are first plaited about
an inch wide. To make an mkeka these long strips
are sewn together, one of each colour, till they form
a broad strip about a foot wide. This is then sewn
together edge to edge to form a bag about two
320 ZANZIBAR
feet wide and open at each end, and to the
required length. This is then cut down one side and
a black border sewn on.
To make an msala (prayer mat) the strips are
narrow and are sewn edge to edge, but in an ever-
widening oval shape so that there is no bag formed.
The kawa is made by widening the circle gradually,
and so building downwards. A tucked border is then
added.
Large mats for drying cloves and called jamvi are
also made, but these are much coarser, as are the
circular mats on which the quern is sometimes worked.
Majamvi are often made by old men, especially
south of the Zanzibar Island.
Misala (plural of msala) are principally made in
Mafia Island.
CARPENTRY AND CARVING
Before I embark on a description of the articles
made, I must give a short description of the tools
used,
All European tools can be obtained in Zanzibar
and have their native names, but the ones made, and
generally used, by the simpler folk are as follows:
saw, chisel, adze, knives, hammer, pincers, drill and
lathe. None of these save the last two need a
description, as they are of the usual type. The drill
is called kekee and consists of four parts. The iron
(kekee), its handle (msukono), and the handle this
turns in (7ivu~). The bow used to turn it is called
uta.
The lathe consists merely of a frame of fixed size,
which between two nails holds the piece of wood to
be turned, on which a bow is fastened to turn it back-
wards and forwards. It is chiefly used in Pemba
to make the stools which are a speciality of the place.
Of carving, chip-carving is most employed,
though examples of deep or wood-carving are also
shown, as is a kind of fretwork, though this is done
by knife and not by saw.
 METAL-WORK 321
Inlaid work is done with a knife, chiefly on coco-
nuts and horns, and inlaid with lime. Mortising is
known, and examples are the duzi, the chair and the
bed. The Suzi is an instrument used for shredding
coco-nuts. The woman sits astride the seat and
shreds the coco-nut over the fretted iron head.
The woods chiefly used are mango and jack fruit.
Mvule and mvinji trees are much used for masts, and
a good tree will fetch as much as Rs. 100.
The marufaa, or Koran desk, deserves notice, as
it folds and is made from one piece of wood.
The poker-work used on the mwiko (spoons) is
always well done. MNgalawas and mitumbwi are
carved from mango trees, which are then burnt over
a fire to make them water-tight, and caulked with
old rags, bits of coir, etc. Wood is never seasoned.
Drums are made from solid trunks hollowed out.
Some have inscriptions on them. The ones that
belonged to the Mwenyi Mkuu are instances of this,
though many have a sentence of Arabic. Good bao
boards are made and sometimes have an inscription
on the back.
Door frames and window frames are made and
carved, some very beautifully.
A dhow repairer cuts out all the damaged bits
in an irregular hole, and then cuts a piece of wood
to fit it. He then uses a black fluid called his dawa
(lit. medicine) and paints the hole he has made with
it. He then hammers in the patch and makes it fit
by shaving off the parts which are blacked by contact
with the dawa on the hole.

METAL-WORK

Some of the natives are employed by the Indian

silversmiths and goldsmiths, and possibly a few work
at these trades on their own. However, I do not
think that they can have been practised for any length
of time. a
Lieutenant Ferguson, writing to Colonel Sykes on
322 ZANZIBAR
3rd May, 1852, says: ‘‘ The trades carried on by the
natives of Zanzibar are building, carpentry, stone-
masonry, shipbuilding and manufacturing of inferior
cotton goods and trinkets worn by the inhabitants.
We also find goldsmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths
and blacksmiths.’’
The art of the blacksmith, which, like that of the
potter, is hereditary, is probably of considerable
antiquity, and no native I have asked can remember
anything but iron hoes being used or spoken of.
Iron, of course, is not native to the country, but
has probably been imported for centuries. The
unknown author of the Pezipflus, in the first century,
mentions it as being imported into several places on
the coast, and though he does not specifically say it
was imported to Zanzibar, there is no reason to
suppose that it was not.
The geographer Idris also, writing about the
twelfth century (A.D. 1154), mentions iron mines at
Malindi, and also Manisa (? Mombasa) where the
King of Zinjibar lived. (‘‘ Les habitants s’occupent
de l’exploitation des mines de fer et de la chasse aux
tigres. C’est dans cette ville que réside le roi du
Zenghebar.’’ Jaubert’s translation, Paris, 1836.)
The tools employed by a Zanzibar blacksmith are
quite simple, but the class of work turned out is fairly
good. The tools consist of an anvil, hammer, tongs
and bellows.
The bellows are made of a goatskin sewn up,
except at the neck. One side is fastened to the
ground, while to the top is affixed a piece of wood
with a handle to draw it out and push it down. From
the neck proceeds a pipe for the air to pass in and out.

MACHINERY
I propose in this section to deal only with such
forms of machinery as I have not dealt with under
previous headings. Thus bows, drills and lathes are
 MACHINERY 323
dealt with under carpentry and carving, and bellows
under metal-work.
Such machinery as is employed by the natives is
of the very simplest character, and all moved by
manual power.
First, and perhaps most important, is the quern,
or millstone (7iwe la kusagia). This consists of a
bottom stone, in the centre of which is a pin, round
which a top stone revolves eccentrically, that is to say,
the hole in the top one is considerably larger than the
pin in the bottom one, and across it, but not diametri-
cally, a small piece of wood is fixed. The top one
is fitted on the outside rim with another pin which
serves as handle.
The elder natives tell me that zamani sana (a very
long time ago) the stones used to be made locally,
but that whenever new ones are now bought they are
imported. There is no great demand for them,
however, as, of course, they are handed down from
generation to generation. They are used for grinding
all sorts of hard grain, e.g., maize, millet, rice, etc.
Another little known but none the less interesting
implement is the za, or top, used for string-
making by the Wahadimu on the east coast of
Zanzibar.
This consists of a sort of glorified crochet hook,
over which is fitted a plaque with four notches at
equal distances on its circumference. The threads of
which it is desired to make the string (generally rafia
palm or bark of baobab tree beaten out) are fastened
by the ends below the plaque—enough of the thread
is then twisted to pass over one of the notches and to
take a turn round the crochet top of the centre stick.
The threads are then held in the left hand about 2
or 3 feet from the top, and the top is then spun
against the right thigh with the right hand. When
the length is sufficiently twisted it is wound below
the plaque and another length done, and soon. The
more primitive fishermen still use this method of
making the cord for their lines and nets, but its use
324 ZANZIBAR
is now very limited, as good string can be cheaply
bought in most of the shops of the ubiquitou s Indian
traders.
The use of rollers in moving heavy objects such
as boats is well known, and considerable ingenuity 1s
often displayed in lifting heavy weights.
I remember on one occasion wishing to erect as a
flagstaff a tree about 50 feet long, and I left the
job entirely to the natives to see how they would do
it. First of all they tried by lifting only its top end,
and by moving along underneath it to get the bottom
end into the hole and the tree upright. However, it
proved far too heavy. There was then a good deal
of palaver, but after a short time they hit on a
shauri (plan). A long stout rope was fitted about
half-way up by a knot so that it gave two free ends,
and then two long pieces of wood were crossed near
the top and nailed together to form a crutch.
First of all the mast was pushed as high as it
could be by hand as before, and then the crutch of
the X placed under it as far down as practicable, and
it was pushed farther up by this means. When it
was far enough up for the people on the rope to pull
they did so, and by this means the staff was soon
erect and planted in the hole.
The native pulley, which is used in some places
for pulling buckets up out of the wells, is consider-
ably simpler than the pulley blocks imported from
India. It is, of course, possible that the principle
of the native one is copied from the Indian, but as
the invention of the pulley is of considerable antiquity,
there is no reason to suppose that the natives did not
develop it on their own.
It looks rather like a series of large cotton reels
fastened together, end to end, with a stick passed
through them.
Captain Craster, in his book, Pemba, the Spice
Island of Zanzibar, gives a photo of a native sugar-
press, and IJ have also seen one in the Mwera district
of Zanzibar. This, however, is not a local invention.
 CRAFTS AND INDUSTRIES 325
The one in Zanzibar referred to is maintained and
worked by an Indian.
MISCELLANEOUS CRAFTS AND INDUSTRIES
In concluding the occupations of the Zanzibaris,
I should just mention a few not worth a section to
themselves.
The first of these is lime-burning, which occu, ies
most of the inhabitants of Nungwe village, in
Zanzibar, and Mtambwe Kuu Island, in Pemba,
though it is by no means confined to these places. A
large circular fire, called ¢amo, is built up with
marvellous care and neatness, of alternate wood and
soft coral to form a pile about 10 to 12 feet in
diameter and 3 feet high, and on top of this again
coral is heaped. The pile is then burnt and the lime
sold, mainly to the Government, at Re. 1 a bag.
Charcoal-burning is also carried on to a large extent:
charcoal is usually made of mango wood, and the
tree when cut down is piled into a rectangular heap
about 20 feet by 6 feet by 4 feet high. The pile is
then covered with earth and fired. The charcoal is
packed in sacks with a large wicker end and sold for
Rs. 3 a bag.
In nearly every little village one is surprised to
see a tailor peddling briskly away at a treadle sewing-
machine. The chief articles he makes are kanzus,
the calico for which he buys from the Indian shop,
and women’s trousers, generally made from a kanga
for the top part and calico for the legs and frills.
Rope is made from coir in several parts of Zanzibar
and Pemba, and in Zanzibar town there is a place
called the ‘‘ rope walk ’’ where it is made. The coir
is first made into two strand cord by women, and
several of these are twisted into a rope about an
inch in circumference. Four of these are then laid
along the ground, and at one end all of them are
fastened to an axle on a trestle with a handle at the
back end of it. The other four ends are each fixed
to a separate axle in another trestle at the opposite
326 ZANZIBAR
end. Each of these axles is also furnished with a
handle. The five handles are then turned simultane-
ously, the four at the one end one way, and the other,
which is making the large rope, in the opposite
direction.
In former days many other industries must have
been carried on, for instance Colonel Sykes (Climate
and Productions of Zanzibar, 1850) says ‘“ one branch
of manufacture is carried to a considerable extent,
that of round shields 18 inches in diameter made
from the hide of a rhinoceros, which, after being
soaked and boiled, can be moulded into any form.”’
In these days of peace and prosperity shields are not
wanted, and no doubt with increasing civilization more
and more of the ancient crafts have disappeared and
will continue to do so.

PALM TREES

I think it fairly safe to say if the coco-nut trees

of Zanzibar and Pemba could be, magically spirited
away, the natives would be absolutely lost. The
number of uses to which they are put are almost end-
less. These are a few:
1. The coco-nut (food). 2. The heart of the
tree (food). 3. The milk (drink). 4. Toddy—
tembo (drink). 5. Oil for cooking, light and lubrica-
tion. 6. Thatching—makuti. 7. Doors. 8. Fans.
9g. Baskets—pakacha. 10, 11, 12. Three kinds of
rope. 13. Pad worn on head to carry heavy weights
—kata. 14. Fish trap—dema. 15. Plaited beaters
for gong. 16. Drum-sticks. 17. Bird trap. 18.
Chicken cages—susu. 19. Basket for scenting clothes.
The clothes are put on top and the incense under-
neath—T unda la kufakizia nguo. 20. Tooth-brush
—msuake, 21. Brush for sweeping. 22. Fish nets
—uzio, 23. Toothpick. 24, 25. Two kinds: of
paint-brushes. 26. Coir for mats, etc. 27. Sieve—
kumutu. 28. Torches. 29. Floats for fish traps.
30. Bailers for boats. 31. Child’s boat. 32, 33. Two
 PALM TREES 327
kinds of spoons—kata and upawa. . Bhang pipes.
35. Half nutshell used riactbaytmeen a pak a
inadance. 36. Lippieceofzomari. 37. Forcharms.
38. Medicine. 39. Child’s windmill—Zititia. 40.
Timber for props. 41. Firewood. 42. Tops to walk-
ing-sticks. 43. Rat traps (Pemba).
I is prepared from the nut called az and 2 is
called kilele. 3 is called madafu. 4 is made by tap-
ping the tree and collecting the sap. Fresh, this is
called ¢amu (sweet), but fermented ali (strong).
5. The nut is dried in the sun and copra made. Oil
1s expressed from this. 6, 7, 8, 9 are plaited from the
leaves; there are two kinds of thatching. 10. Coir
rope is made from the husks (*#akumbi), which are
taken fresh and buried for five months in the sand
below high water. 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 are
made from strips of the back of the midrib (wchukuti).
20 cut from the flower stem (apunga). 21, 22, 23
made from the midribs of the leaflets. 24, 25, 26
made from the coir. 27 made from the cloth-like
envelope of the young leaves (Rilifw). 28. The dried
leaves. 29, 30, 31 made from the woody flower
sheath (favara). 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 made from the
shells (Aifuz). 37 written on leaflets (wkuti). 38.
Roots. 39 made from leaflets. 42, 43. Immature
nuts. The flowers are called punga; the small nuts
that follow, kidaka; a half-grown nut, &itale; and when
full-grown but before flesh is formed, dafu; a half-
ripe nut when the flesh is formed is called koroma,
and a ripe nut is called azz. :
A good ripe nut but rattling in the shell is called
mbata, and a nut that has grown with a white sponge
inside is called joya.
The juice squeezed from the scraped coco-nut and
used in cooking rice is called ¢uz.
Copra is the most important product of the coco-
nut tree, which, when properly prepared, is the sun-
dried nut, and. exported in large quantities. Bad
copra is made by drying the nuts with a smoky fire.
The coco-nut is celebrated in a proverb, ‘‘ Mazi
328 ZANZIBAR
mbovu harabu ya mzima’’—‘‘ A bad coco-nut spoils
good ones.”’
The mwale, a kind of rafha palm, is also deserv-
ing of mention; its leaf provides an umbrella, and the
mouthpiece for the zomari (a kind of clarionet), and
the midrib, doors and ladders, while pieces of the
midrib are made into bird-cages and also used to clap
in dances, giving a sharp noise. A rat trap is also
made from the midrib.
The Borassus palm (mvumo) has many uses, for
it also provides umbrellas from its palm, and strips
of dried frond are used for making large coarse mats,
called mazamvi, and the rattles, called manganja,
while bird-cages are made from the midrib. The
wood is also useful, being much harder than coco-nut.
 CHAPTER XXXII

COMMERCE
TuE history of commerce in Zanzibar is the history
of Zanzibar itself, and I do not propose to go into it
here, as it has been so fully dealt with elsewhere.
In this chapter I shall refer only to the small retail
trade that affects the natives.
Much of the currency of the Persian traders is
to be found on the shores of old settlements in the
shape of beads, and there is no doubt that these were
used and intended for currency, for many of them
have been so misshapen in the furnace and not by the
sea, that it would be impossible to wear them, and
the occurrence of two joined together sideways is by
no means rare. Beads are, of course, still currency
in some parts of Africa.
Nowadays the currency is all Indian silver rupees,
and Seyyidieh copper pice introduced by Seyyid
Barghash, and of which sixty-four equal one rupee.
Formerly Maria Theresa silver dollars were currency
and worth Rs. 2 pice 8. They exist now chiefly in
name at auction sales, but some natives have them
hoarded up.
Nafaka means not only coin but corn used as
money, and before pice were introduced (1845),
mtama, or millet, was given as small change; indeed
even nowadays change for a pice or two is often given
in mtama at country stores.
Most of the small trade nowadays is in the hands
of the Indians, who live in nearly all the small villages
and keep a positively marvellous assortment of goods
in their shops.
329
330 ZANZIBAR
The following is a list I made of the articles on
sale in an Indian’s store in the Mkokotoni district:
Kangas (for women’s clothing), calico, khaki drill,
cushion-covers, chintz, handkerchiefs, trousers,
kanzus (men’s shirts), sail cloth, shukas, vikoi (men’s
underwear), children’s clothes, caps and many other
cloth things in great variety. Strings of beads of
all colours for women. Needles of all sizes, thread,
buttons, string. Knives, spoons, tin lamps, wicks,
candles, paraffin oil, matches, Muscat fans, sandals,
sieves (kumuto), kitanga from Muscat (woven food
plates), pictures, fishing-line, fish-hooks, locks and
keys, rosaries, combs, coloured papers for ear-rings,
soap, Reckitt’s blue, coffee-cups, bowls, glasses, cups
and saucers of the “‘ Present from Brighton ’’ type.
Dates, raisins, rice (two kinds), choroko and bundi
beans, maize, mawele, mtama, Huntley and Palmer’s
biscuits, Cadbury’s chocolate, tea, salt, pepper, bread
(very stale), alwa, coffee beans, dried shark, flour,
onions, ghee and potatoes. Sherbet of several kinds,
salad oil, marashi (scent). Herbs of many kinds,
ginger, incense (two kinds), mangano (turmeric),
curry stuffs of many varieties, dyes for colouring mats,
and pots. |
It is very interesting to sit in a shop in the country
about six o’clock and watch the crowd that comes
in and note their tastes. E
Lots of children come with little lamps to have
a pice worth of kerosene oil, men bring lamps, and
buy grain, one buys rice, another buys a few pice
worth of choroko and a little maize, and so on, and
all tie their purchases up in different corners of a
cloth and hand over the pice for each article as they
buy it. The weights chiefly used for this trade are
the £zbaba and its fractions, and a pishki, which equals
about 6 lb. and 4 kibabas. A frasia used for bigger
weights is 35 lb.
The Indians also buy up local produce, such as
shells (exported and, I believe, used for making
cameos), cloves, copra, areca nuts, goatskins, a little
 COMMERCE 331
tortoise-shell, etc., which he afterwards exports to
the city and sells to the merchants at a considerable
profit. Some natives take firewood to town and sell it.
The natives themselves engage in trade but little
except in Tumbatu villages (where they will not have
Indians) and distant villages like Nungwe in Zanzibar
and Chwaka in Pemba, but their shops usually
contain little but rice, matcnes, oil, soap and possibly
dried shark and a few clothes.
Otherwise the only trading the natives do is in
the local markets, where, with much haggling, they
sell local produce at as inflated a price as they can,
even taking advantage of a scarcity in the market
itself to put the price up. There is a kind of whole-
sale and retail system about this, as some cultivators
and fishermen sell large lots by auction in the market,
and the purchasers then and there divide their
purchases into small lots and sell at fixed prices.
Many of the imports and exports, especially ivory,
have been the same for centuries. The antiquity of
the import of iron I have elsewhere dealt with, and
it is interesting to note that the early Arabian
geographer Masudi writes, “‘on export aussi de ce
pays des écailles de tortue’’ (de Maynard’s transla-
tion, Paris, 1864). Even to-day in the Official
Gazette among prices ruling ‘‘ Tortoise-Shell’’ is
quoted.
 CHAPTER XXXIII

LANGUAGES

Tue language of Zanzibar par excellence is Swahili,

and Zanzibar may be said to be the home of this
language, not in the sense that its oldest form is
spoken there, but because the Zanzibar dialect has
come to be known best owing to the writing of such
men as Steere, Madan, Saccleux and to some extent
Krapf, whose dictionary, however, contains many
words in the Mombasa dialect. Also in the days of the
opening up of Africa, explorers and traders generally
fixed up their caravans in Zanzibar, and these porters
and soldiers journeyed into the far interior, some of
them remaining there and thus making Swahili a
lingua franca understood, as Steere says, along
the coasts of Madagascar and Arabia, by the
Seedees in India and in Central or Inter-Tropical
Africa.
The old classical or literary Swahili is known as
Kingozi, and there are but few specimens of it surviv-
ing, Save in poetry. The name is said to be derived
from Ngozi, the plot of land where the palace of the
old king of Pate was. Ngozi in Swahili means skin,
and the application of the word to the place suggests
the story of Carthage and of Kilwa, though there the
land was bought from a neighbouring chieftain for the
cost of surrounding it with cloth. A similar story is
extant at Tumbatu.
The Arabs have made of Swahili a language
332
 LANGUAGES 333
full of Arabic words Swahiliized, and this form of
speech has been carried by Arab traders as far as
the Congo.
It would be difficult to say what is the purest
form of Swahili spoken to-day. The word itself is
Arabic and means the Sawahil people of the coasts.
Kiswahili means the language of these people.
Kiswahili may therefore legitimately include words
of Arabic origin, as the Swahili people have
been intermarrying with the Arabs for many
centuries.
In the Zanzibar protectorate there are several
dialects. There are also several forms of speech
even in the town itself, which vary only as the speech
of Whitechapel varies from that of Whitehall. In
the Arab quarter of Baghani many words of Arabic
are used but slightly disguised. In Malindi the
harsh gutturals of Arabs born in Arabia are more
apparent, while in Ngambo the speech is far more
African.
The speech generally of Zanzibar is known as
Kiunguja, Unguja being the native name of the
island.
In the outlying portions of the Sultanate there
are three dialects, the first of which has several
forms.
Kihadimu is the dialect of the Wahadimu. These
people live in the south and on the east of the island.
The most archaic form of their language is spoken
in Makunduchi and Jembiyani, large villages of
respectively 1,500 and 400 huts, in the south-east
of the island. This dialect is totally incompre-
hensible when spoken to a person knowing only
Kiunguja, owing not only to the number of different
words and the peculiar conjugations of the verbs,
but to its unusual pronunciation which is_ very
nasal.
Coming northwards up the east coast, the dialect
of the next two villages, Bwejuu and Paje, varies
again and has forms peculiar to itself. Nearly every
334 ZANZIBAR
village has different forms till one reaches Nungwe,
the northernmost village of the island, where, if an
inhabitant spoke in his own dialect to a man of
Makunduchi speaking his own dialect, they would to
some extent not understand each other, and to an
outsider would appear to be speaking different
languages.
Kizimkazi, the most south-westerly village in the
island and the old capital, has a number of forms
peculiar to itself, but coming northwards up the west
coast, the dialect approaches more and more the
Kiunguja proper.
But these dialects are to-day known as Kikale
or Kikae, a word meaning archaic, and while they
are used in the villages, Kiunguja is known to most
of the people.
Separated by a channel about a mile wide from
the north-west of the Island of Zanzibar is that of
Tumbatu, where the dialect used is called Kitumbatu.
This has many forms in common with Kihadimu, but
is nevertheless more distinct from the various forms
of the former dialect.
The Wapemba, so-called aborigines of Pemba,
speak another dialect called Kipemba, which
again varies considerably from Kihadimu and Ki-
tumbatu.
In addition to the dialects of every day, there are
others used by the witchcraft guilds. In Pemba this
is known as Kipepo, and is spoken in different
ways by the Robamba, Kumbwaga and Umundi
guilds. In Zanzibar there is a similar dialect called
Kimundi.
The medicine men have a form of speech,
consisting mostly of peculiar names for the trees
and herbs they use, which is called Kiganga.
There are different forms of this in Zanzibar and
Pemba.
Kinyume is not a dialect, but an enigmatic way
of speaking. The commonest form, at which many
natives are expert, is the transposition of the last
 LANGUAGES 335
syllable of a word to the beginning. This causes a
shift of the accent, e.g., mbengo nguwa faameku naja
for xg’ombe wangu amekufa jana.
In most highly developed languages a very large
proportion of words are borrowed or adapted from
other languages to express ideas for which the original
words of the language had no equivalent.
This is largely the case with Swahili which
borrows a vast number of words from Arabic, and
to a lesser degree from the English, French,
Portuguese, and Hindustani languages. When one
has eliminated these words there still remains a
number which are purely Bantu in origin, and would
suffice for the needs of a primitive people untouched
by an outer civilization.
Vocabularies of the Kiunguja, Kipemba, Ki-
tumbatu, Kihadimu (Makunduchi, Bwejuu, Kizim-
kazi and general forms), Kipepo, Kimundi and
Shingazija dialects which I collected in Zanzibar and
Pemba have been published in the Bulletin of Oriental
Studies under the title ‘‘ Dialects of the Zanzibar
Sultanate,’’ and space forbids of their reproduction
here. I give, however, examples of the grammar,
etc. of some of these dialects.
 YVNNVUD
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-e(nduary
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enftavyoey enley enfo{n3u *9}a Ie[ndo1

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en(tasyour enfojw

snleje
enfofwesu
enftavyorm snfayem snf{nofemsu

enfejny
en{itea

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enftardunaaduenti enya
enfisjeyeytpuns
wnftyjo

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enftanynaony enftny enfnyeyipuny
°d}a 1e[nda1

snfejem
entre en{taeynasy en(ipey
ZANZIBAR

snftyo) enfeqeytpuny
Bn{tan}naomy en(rny en{emeyipuon
wnftyar enftaumnawenfrpu enf{weytpunu
enfttem en{taenaamenlijea enfemeyrpunem
WIj19g vnfowra enfru jou) pasn ISB enfts}
St & ur19}jo (asnqe senf{ng
nnju

‘enlewe enfeun;
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enftaw
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vnfoun
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enftany
30a
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(21%) enfuin

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snfoume
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vA[nyeUIN}
232
 -efadunty ‘tgoNpanyeyy ‘ayequinyTy elizesuriys

Uasarg aalwedau ASS STIAIS ons

caine pie afriny
anfeyq aftaey aftaey alex

altsofny
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enfasura enltaazu

en(taozu
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aantugay
tesordroayy eaeyrnleny (e(ndunry) vasvxinfyy
LANGUAGES

‘vindunty ‘sympunyoyy
J
JURA eyHBIEN ByALYOeEN weyByoeuUNny eyAByLUBy VAVYOVUNY BYVYOLUWL VAVYOLUBAA
|[[eys
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BABYS ‘O39
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wHxeINAIS ByALYSIpIG SALYONEL BYBYOTCH
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‘OJ9

ques
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exuzelts Byeyoulrs

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337

Yod
| payuem
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pojaem
338 ZANZIBAR
Certain common verbs in Kiunguja do not exist
in Makunduchi dialect proper. One of these is the
verb to love—kupenda—in place of which an im-
personal verb is used. Kinkaza may best be translated
‘it gets ’’ or “‘ grips me.”’
Present. Future. Past.
Kinkaza Kichankaza Chevukinkaza
Kikukaza Kichakukaza Chevukikukaza
Kimkaza Kichamkaza Chevukimkaza
Kitukaza Kichatukaza Chevukitukaza
Kikukazani Kichakukazani Chevukikukazani
Kiwakaza Kichawakaza Chevukiwakaza
Perfect—Kimkaza. Conditional—Kingenkaza.

Examples of Kihadimu
The following sentences are an example of the
way the dialect varies in different villages. Each
sentence means much the same, but the mode of
expression is different. ‘*‘ Look out now! don’t go
upsetting everything! stop it.”’

Uroa: Babu we! Ah Choo!

Bwejzuu: Ee choo ja! MHivyo sivyo vyo sebu vyo!
Makunduchi and Jembiyani: Ee babu we! Njoo ga!
Eee Bwana! Sikiliza! maneno una panga vibaya!
Kizimkaai: Sikirize! usizunguruke hiyyo.
Unguja Kuu: Ee cho! Utenda usitifu.
Chwaka: Mwanume! sikiliza hivyo, usije uharibu !
Pongwe: Mwinyi wangu! sikiliza haya maneno!
uharibu maneno!
Michamvi: Eee choo jo! usije utende haya!
Charawe: Wasikiya sana, mwanume!
Kongoroni: Ajatiya kamba! usije uharibu maneno!
ajariya kamba!
Fumbi: Mwaname! usije uharibu maneno haya! usije,
mwaname!
In Kipeméa the expression is: Chee! wafanyaje sa!
In CH sha Eee! Kunaliharibu jambo la watu,
we!
Can you climb the coco-nut tree? I cannot, it is
thick and my arms won’t go round it.
 LANGUAGES 339
Kiunguja: Mnazi utaweza kupanda? Siuwezi, ni
mnene mkono yangu haikumbatie.
Kipemba: Mnazi waukidiri kuinjuka? Mnazi siuki-
diri, mbuni. Mkono yangu haizingilike.
Makunduchi: Mnazi kuchaugoma kukweya? Choo!
Siupinge, mnene. Siugoma kupinga.
Kitumbatu: Mnazi kuuvyeza kukweya? Siupinge
mnazi mine, kwa ni mnene.
What I want is to go home by that way.
Kthadimu.: Neno ja ilyo chakovitaikonde vyangu.
Makunduchi: Neno ja ilyo mchaka nlawe nde vyangu
kwa iko.
Greetings, etc., Makunduchi
Kuwamkuu ? How are you?
Niamkuu, I am well.
Je Kamkuu ? How are you?
Kamkuu. I am well.
Nyiwekiaga. Let me place it here.
Kuna lawa viko? Where do you come from?
Nalawa Makunduchi. I come from Makunduchi.
Kwendave ? Where are you going?
Kukuko. There.
Kunaliuzalipi ? What are you asking?
Negwile. Catch him.
Tkanya mvua haitukutu. It rained, but it did not get us.
Haja vano vana maji He knows here there is water
kumbi. certainly.
Kimundti (Z) Songs
There was an invasion of savages and much fight-
ing and raiding, and then they went away: the people
sang:
Ni pokuwa boguni ula uzama uzama hatta haja nyumbant
I was in the bush eating in hiding, until there came to the
house
Wakubwa wa zama Watu wakenda nyamwezi, mige
natazama.
The iene of the child. The men went to Nyamwezi, I
watch them. -
A man had a family of daughters, another came and seduced
each of them.
340 ZANZIBAR
Kawadanga, kawashipia, kasaza mpongozi.
He picked them, he finished them; there was left a woman
about to bear.

Kizimkazti
Enamba wendo. Nataka kwenda zangu.
I want to go home.

Examples of Kipemba
Mtoto mchesa pao atuzwa.
Mwembale helemewa ni mti tambi zika mwelemea.
Jivule la mvumo liafunika mwekule.
Mkono mtupu haurambwa.
Nataka hajaye nichinje puaye.
Fungato haiumize mkono.
Funika haikulingana na wazi.
Ntiamwana kulia ajalia ye nlezi.
Msafiri hachunguliwe bahari.
Kikunguenda ki kungurudi.
Ajae haulizwa nane. |
Mwitu hauchoma taa, mwitu hauchoma mwengi,
mkumwilika.
Mchana usiku akutia moto.
Mtutufu kale mbiche.
Ukisema najua, utatanga na njua.
Mwinyi hanyi mwai. .
Twemvyetu.
Wauya wapi?
Note.—In Kipemba
sh =S- or -ss- —e.g., singo for shingo, mossi for moshi
(not invariably).
ch-=ki- e.g., kiakula for chakula.
ch-=sh- e.g., shupa for chupa.
j-=z- e.g., zino for jino (pl. mazino).
s-=sh- e.g., shezo for sezo.

Examples of Kitumbatu
Mkwezi mpe kikweziche pindi ya mnazi ngawa pima;
mkwezi mwana wa watu; akigwa huna lazima.
 LANGUAGES 341
Hanga huingia hangani, je hangani huingia hun-
goni? (Kingume of Kitumbatu.)
Kata inaingia mtungini, mtungi inaingia katani?
(Kiun.)
A ladle goes in a water-pot, will a water-pot go ina
ladle?
Utakato nini? What do you want?
Kuna kwambaje ? How are you?
Kunawa wapi? Where have you come from?
Nawa Tumbatu. I come from Tumbatu.
Kunatendaje ? What are you doing?
Sinanavyotenda. Miye na Iam doing nothing. I am pass-
pitakuno. ing there.
A! tupite kukohuko. ae you are passing along
there.
Kukiwike wape? Where did you put it?
Niwike pano. I put it here.
Bono hakipo pano? Why isn’t it here?
Sije! ndo nipo wika pano. I don’t know. Verily here is
where I put it.
Kimakugwa. It has fallen down.
Kunaniuza nini ? What are you asking me?

Kitumbatu Kipepo
Kinyaovu—killa apita anya tu.
Miza kana donda lia kichwa, muyumewe nani?
Miza has a sore on the head, who is her husband?
gwazecha kanchinjibu tu kwa kijita.
Negwajecha has cut her only with a knife.
Q. Mwarabu mkundu humpe mkono. A. Moto.
Arab (3) the-red (2) one-doesn’t-give (1)
a-hand (4) Fire.
Kitandawile changu cha likabu; kina matona, matona
ya dhahabu.
Riddle (2) my (1) (is) of (3) difficulty (4); it has spots,
spots of gold.
A kitambuaye nane ni ajabu.
May-guess-it (2) he-who (1) is a wonder.
Examples of Kizimkazi
Kizimkazi chajuja usimwone mwidu, ukamba mja;
ole wana wa.
342 ZANZIBAR
(A man) of Kizimkazi is well known don’t see him
worthless, or think him a slave; they are all
children of
Pandu Mkuja weene lindija moja moja.
Pandu Mkuja shows (3) the-brand-of-fire (4) and (1)
each (2).
Dunga ya mwana Kiwangwa, ukenda kwa miguu uta
rudi kwa kitanda.
Dunga is of mwana Kiwangwa, if you go on foot, you
will return on a bed.
Uzi wa hariri tongoo pima, m7i shubin.
Thread of silk, say a pima, wait in the town.
Mwangasiya mbili moja humpona.
He who chases two things, one will miss him.
Kutu piko ? Where did you put it?
Ntuu pano. I put it here.
Usitue ipo. Don’t put it here.
Unaiyawa piko ? Where have you come from?

EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE VOCABULARIES

Possessive Pronouns and the Preposition “‘ of.’’

The vy forms are, except in Kipemba, only used
adverbially. Twende vyetu. Let us go home.
In the possessive sense pronouns have the ordinary
form. Nguo Zangu. My clothes.

Robamba is spoken in a drawling way, Umundi

and Kumbwaya fast.
The abbreviations Kiun., Kip., Kit. or Kitum.,
Kih., Kig. are used passim for Kiunguja, Kipemba,
Kitumbatu, Kihadimu and Kiganga, and _ these
abbreviations have been used throughout the book.
Shingazija is, of course, not properly a Zanzibar
dialect. I give it, as not much of it has been published
(except by Heepe).
The language of Mayotte, of which I collected a
vocabulary of the words given in Sir H. Johnston’s
Comparative Study, when on a visit there in 1927, is
 WRITING 343
called Shkimaore. It is not unlike Shingazija, but has
been largely influenced by Malgash. Examples:
Rongo’ntro ngo za Maore ngema?
Is the news of Mayotte good?
Na wantru navu zao?
And is everybody well?
At Nossi Bé there is a Swahili village, a relic of
Seyyid Said’s attempt to secure Madagascar, where
pure Zanzibar Swahili is spoken. Natives there
informed me that they considered themselves 7ayia wa
Seyyidi (subjects of the Sultan). One old man asked
me how Seyyid Barghash was!
There are about 10,000 Comorians in Zanzibar.
It may be said to be a native language in the same
sense as Gujerati and Arabic, which are so described
in the Code of Regulations, and for a knowledge of
which, in addition to Higher Standard Swahili, a
bonus of £50 is allowed. There may be said to be
a Zanzibar dialect of Arabic, as there are those of
Egypt, Syria, Hejjaz, Hadramaut, Iraq and Muscat.
WRITING
Swahili, since Arab influence has made itself felt,
has been written in Arabic characters. It has, of
course, no alphabet of its own. It is generally
considered that Roman letters are more suited to the
language, but it will be a long time before they are
widely used, or supplant Arabic. But to write
Swahili something more than the Arabic characters is
required. This is the Persian letters y (ge) and &
(che), and a third importation, § (ve), is also used.
Instead of 6 a modified shiz ue is often used. If
these characters are not used y (4e) is written for y,
wy (shin) for & or oe and J (fe) for ¥. It is generally
supposed that the three imported letters are modern
introductions, but this is not so. I have seen the
character ¢¥ in an old document written on Borassus
palm leaf. Fet-ha (for A), kesra (for E or I), dhumma
(for O or U) are always inserted. The hamza,
teshdid, and sukun are also used.
 CHAPTER XXXIV
PROVERBS

PRoverss are as plentiful in Swahili as they are in

English. The Rev. W. E. Taylor collected six
hundred of them (African Aphorisms). Many of them
are connected with the ordinary things of eyeryday
life such as fire, house, etc.

Nyumba ya udongo haihimelie kishindo.

A house of earth won’t stand a shock.
Nyumba kuu haina nafasi.
A big house has not room, i.e., there are few chambers
in it.
Dawa ya moto ni moto.
The medicine for fire is fire, 1.e., like cures like.
Ngoma ikilia sana, haikawii kupasuka.
When the drum sounds very loud, it is near to burst
(i.e., a braggart is soon found out).
M penzi hana kinyongo. <
A lover has no scruples. (AIl’s fair in love and war.)
Hapana maji yasiyo mawimbi.
There is no water without waves.
Kila chombo na wimbilt.
Every vessel has its waves to meet.
Kamba killa siku nakata jiwe.
Cord every day cuts stone (on the side of a well).
This from the Arabic habile dom yukatah el
Kaadah..
M finangi hulia gae.
A potter eats off a potsherd (being proverbially poor).
Haraka haina baraka.
Haste has not blessing. (The natives take this very
literally.)
344
 PROVERBS 345
Samaki akioza ni mtungo pia.
If one fish rots so does the whole string. (A sickly
sheep infects the flock.)
Kikulacho kinguoni mwako.
What bites is in your own clothes.
Wawili hula ng’ombe.
Two can manage an ox.
Penyi wimbi na mlango papo.
The wave and the channel are close (i.e., the dividing
line between safety and danger is fine).
Penyi urembo ndifo penyi urimbo.
Having finery is having bird-lime (i.e., is a snare).
Mtu hajzue kuandika, hajue kusoma mwache kuchunga
wabuzi.
Leave a man who knows not how to write or read to
tend the goats (from Arabic).
Samli ya Pemba haimpati mtu macho.
Butter in Pemba does not get a man’s eyes (i.e., is
no use to one in Zanzibar).
Amekula ngano.
He has eaten wheat (spoilt his reputation).
Some words are also used in a proverbial sense as
metaphors, e.g., kama maji—like water, i.e., fluent
(of words) ;kama chumvi—like salt, i.e., pungent (of
words); kama pono—like the fono fish, 1.e., sleepy.
It is said always to be asleep. I have also heard
anaio matako kama mbuyu.
This is a proverbial saying from Tumbatu :
Mkwezi mpe, kikweziche pindi (ya) mnazi ingawa
ima.
Ce eens to a climber if he climbs the rings of
a coco-nut tree, even though it is only a fathom.
Mkwezi mwana wa watu.
A climber is a child of men.
Akigwa huna lazima.
If he falls you have no obligation.

Zanzibar itself became famed in an Arab proverb.

346 ZANZIBAR
‘* When you play the flute in Zanzibar, all Africa, as
far as the lakes, dances.’’ Nowadays, this proverb
is not so true as it used to be, but it still has some
of its ancient force.
Proverbs in the dialects of Pemba and Tumbatu
will be found in Chapters XXXIII and XXXV.

RIDDLES

The natives, especially children, are very fond of

riddles or enigmas, and the variety is endless. They
are propounded in this way. The proposer says
kitendawili—a riddle. The one asked says tega—
trap. These are some of them:

Q. Kidani darini fetha mekundu kijamandant.

A necklace on top, red silver in the box.
Komamamga.
Pomegranate.
Nakwenda huko, nashika ng’ombe wangu mkia.
I go there, I catch my ox by the tail.
Kata.
A spoon. (Made of a coco-nut.
ger
Huko ‘‘ koo,’’ na huko ‘‘ koo,’’ katikati simba
angaruma.
Here ‘‘koo,”’ and there ‘‘ koo,’’ inside a lion
roars.
ms Mtungi.
A water-jar. (‘‘ Koo”? is a fair imitation of the
noise it makes if tapped.)
Kifaa Kifanana.
Two useful things very alike.
Tui na maziwa.
Coco-nut juice and milk.
Kuku wangu amezalia miibani.
My chicken has laid in the thorns.
eo
AS
ey Nanast.
A pine-apple. (Because it is a yellow, egg-like
fruit growing on a plant surrounded by
thorns.)
 RIDDLES 347
Mama nichukue.
Mother carry me.
Kitanda.
A bed.
Bandika, Bandua.
Put down, take up.
M guu.
A foot.
Shina mshawazi, tambi sokotera, si mbibo, si
mpera. Hun mti gani? (Kip.)
Mlangamiya.
oA
AO
HO Chini chakula, katikati mbegu, juu mchuzi?
(Kip.)
Below food, midway seed, top gravy.
= Muhogo (cassava; the tuber is eaten, the stem
planted, and the leaves provide a flavouring
to gravy).
Tumbili na mbwa, utakato nini? (Kit.)
Tombwa.
Hamadi Bega. (Kip.)
Kungwa Ndizi.
Nyumba yangu kubwa, nzuzo moja. (Kip.)
Huyoga.
Kamba yangu refu haifunge kuni. (Kip.)
My rope is long, it won’t fasten firewood.
Nyia.
A road.
Nalikwenda Myini nikasikiya “‘wift’’ nilipota-
zama sikumwona. (Kip.)
Mbaazi. (When the Mbaazi pea bursts it makes
a noise like ‘‘ wifi.’’)
Hichohichi. (Kip.)
Kivule.
Nyumba yangu kubwa, ikanya mvua ivuja. (Kip.)
My house is big, when it rains it leaks.
Mwembe.
A mango tree.
Kisima changu cha mawe, ndoo yangu ya mawi,
nikateka, nateka changalawe.
mM©&ABAO
ASCAGAGADS
Kungu manga.
348 ZANZIBAR

Q. Nyumba yangu kubwa, haina taa.

My house is big, it has not a lamp.
Kabure.
The grave.
Kuku wangu wote navaa visibau, asikwanacho
kisibau si mwanangu.
My chickens are all wearing waistcoats, if one
hasn’t a waistcoat it is not mine.
A. Kunguru. é
Crow. (The African crow is black with a white
waistcoat.)
Q. Nyumba yangu kubwa, haina mlango.
My house is big, it has no door.
A. Yayt.
Egg. . |
Q. Kuningwa yuu ya dari. (Kip.)
A. Nyuki.
These might be multiplied indefinitely.

When I went to Mauritius I was surprised to find

the great similarity between Creole folklore and that
of Zanzibar. But it is not really suprising. Many
of the Mauritian slaves came from Zanzibar, either
direct, as Captain Smee, quoted by Burton, recorded
in 1811, or through the slave markets of Madagascar.
Many, too, came from other Bantu tribes round
Mozambique.
The riddles of Mauritius are propounded in the
same way as those of Zanzibar. Sirandane,
Sampéque, corresponds to Kitendawili, Tega.
Examples:

Dileau pendant.
Coco.
Dileau dibout.
Canne.
Ptit bonhomme, grand capeau?
M birikimo mdogo, shumburure kubwa? (Pemba.)
vO
ORO
x Campion. Uyoga. (Pemba.)
 RIDDLES 349
Q. Labarbe ene bonhomme, figuire ene zenfant ciel
Sans tages, mer sans poisson?
A. Coco. (Husk acoco-nut, it has a beard : take off
the beard, you have the mouth and eyes of a
child : halve the nut, you have a cloudless sky
above, and a sea without fish below.)

The xgomas of Zanzibar have their exact counter-

parts in the ségas of Mauritius, and many of the tales
are the same. For further comparision see Baissac’s
Folklore de V'Ile Maurice.
The Creole language is derived, as far as its
vocabulary goes, almost entirely from French, but its
grammar is Bantu, e.g.:
I love Mo content Napenda
I am loving Mo aprés content Nina penda
I shall love Mo pour content Nita penda
I loved Mo fec content Nili penda
I have loved Mo fin content Nime penda, etc.
I do not love Mo napas content Si pende

A comparison of customs between Mauritius and

Zanzibar is interesting. The slaves of Mauritius
came, first, from the Bambaras and Yolofs of West
Africa; secondly, from the Sakalava and other tribes
of Madagascar; and thirdly, a large proportion, two-
fifths of the slave population, according to d’ Unien-
ville, from East Africa. The tribes represented were,
among others, the Makua, Sena, Mashona, Gindo,
Maravi, Inhambane, Makonde and Nyamwezi. It
will be seen from page 32 that several of these tribes
contributed to the slave and African population of
Zanzibar.
 CHAPTER XXXV

TALES

In Swahili tales the place of the hare or fox is taken

by the Sungura. It is difficult to say what animal
exactly this is, as the natives call a guinea-pig
or a rabbit a Sumgura, though neither of these animals
are indigenous and are only found there in captivity.
The Sunxgura is often confused with Aibunwasi,
about whom many stories are told. The origin of
Kibunwasi is Abu Nuwas’, the famous poet and wit
of Baghdad, who is known to all through the medium
of the Arabian Nights. Punch and Judy (Kargoss)
have already been described. argoss is often con-
fused with the Suxgura or Kibunwasi, and the name
is no doubt derived from the Persian Khargosh—a
hare.
Many of the stories are introduced (e.g., from
Arabian Nights), and it is difficult to say which
originated in Zanzibar.
There is one important one about Liongo, who
was apparently a real person and of importance in
the history of the natives. Bishop Steere was
informed that a sister of his came to Zanzibar, and
that her descendants were (1869) living in the city,
and he was told by an Arab, Mohammed bin Ali,
that he had seen Liongo’s spear and other relics
preserved by the descendants.
Liongo is comparable to Samson and was, as Sir
J. G. Frazer says, an African Balder (there are
several others in African legends).
In view of the interest therefore attaching to him
I give an abbreviated version of the story of Liongo.
‘““ Liongo, a chief and a mighty man, lived in
Shanga, which was once a flourishing town near
300
 TALES 351
Malindi. He oppressed his people, and they there-
fore determined to get rid of him. One day they
bound and imprisoned him, but he escaped. Again
they captured him and put him into a small cell,
bound with iron fetters, but at last, through the
medium of a slave-girl, he got a cake from his mother
with files in it. Then, in order to drown the noise
that filing would make, he got his guards to play on
horn, cymbals and wpatu, and himself sang. When he
had filed his fetters through he escaped and killed
many of them. They then plotted to go and kill him
by treachery, but he saw through their plan, which was
to persuade him to climb a koma tree and then to shoot
him. Finding in desperation that seemingly nothing
would kill him, they told his nephew, promising him
the kingdom, if he succeeded, to ask him what it
was that was fatal to him, and he replied, ‘ A stab
with a copper needle in the navel.’
‘““ So two nights later, when he was asleep, they
stabbed him with a copper needle. He awoke with
the pain, and seizing his bow and arrow, he ran to
the well, where he died in the attitude of shooting.
For three days the corpse deceived the villagers, who
dared not approach the well, and they then sent his
mother, under threat of death, to speak to him. She
found him dead, but they did not give the kingdom
to the nephew, but killed him.
‘* He was buried at Ozi, and his grave may be seen
to this day.”’
Copper or brass needles are used by native women
in mat-making.
Several of the Azabian Nights tales are current
in Zanzibar, and in one, ‘‘ Abu Mohammed the
Lazy,’’? some merchants on a voyage from China to
El Basrah call at the ‘‘ Island of the Zunej, who
are a people of the blacks, that eat the flesh of the
sons of Adam,’’ and fare badly, as the King has a
few of them slaughtered and served up. Zune] is
the same word as Zen).
Swahili tales were very early collected by Bishop
352 ZANZIBAR
Steere, and there are many of them extant. 1 give
below some of them I have collected at first hand.
Stories always begin with this dialogue: the
story-teller says, Paukwa; the audience replies,
Pakawa, Then the moral is expounded or the point
explained, e.g., Mwanangu mwana siti mjino kama
chikiche, tamjengea kijumba kibueka kibuazama.
He or she is then pressed to go on; and the story
begins as all fairy stories should: Palikuwa—
‘“ once upon a time there was ‘3
The first is a slightly improper one of the ‘‘ Lady
Who Had Sense.”’ This is it, toned down a bit from
the way it was told me.
Once upon a time a man went to a woman’s house
and wrote on it, ‘‘ Awoman has nosense.”’ Presently
the woman came out and saw this, and was annoyed.
So she put on her best clothes and went to see the
man who had written it, and started making overtures
to him, to which he responded and came to her home.
Here they were engaged together for some time, and
then the man heard footsteps outside. He said,
“Who is that?’’ The woman said, ‘‘ My husband,
but do not be alarmed, stay quite quiet and I will
cover you up.”’
So she covered him up with clothes, and her
husband came in. ‘‘ What is that? ’’ he said, point-
ing to the clothes. ‘‘ I am sure you have a man there.”’
She said, ‘‘ There are clothes, and if you think I have
a man here go and search under the bed in the bed-
room.’’ So he went, and while he was away she
uncovered the man and he ran away. So her husband
came back and said he had found no one, and was
glad his wife was faithful. After he had gone she
went again to the other man’s house and said, ‘‘ Was
I not clever? ’’ and he said, ‘‘ Yes.’’ And she said,
‘* ‘Why then did you write ‘ A woman has no sense’
on my door?’’ And he was confused, but he went
and rubbed it off.
Here is a little ‘‘ Just-so ’’ story:
There was one Mzee Mkono (Old man Hand)
 TALES 353
and a Mzee Mbu (Old man Mosquito). Mzee Mbu
said to Mzee Mkono, “‘ Let us go and steal the goat
of Mzee Shikeo.’’? And they went and stole it.
Then Mzee Mbu said to Mzee Mkono, “ Let us kill
this goat and divide it between us. I shall take the
blood and you take the meat.’’? And they did it.
For this reason mosquitoes up to now like blood.

A Proverbial Story of the Wapemba in Kipemba

Wapemba wakichinja ng’ombe, wakikaa kitako
wakipige mbinda, wakisema. ‘‘ Mwingi hanyi mwai”’
wakisema. ‘‘ Mbwa akiwa mkali akiyuma mkia.’’
““ Udandaro wachelewa njiani.”’ ‘‘ Mtu tufu kali
mbichi.’”” Mgema yamtuza moyo, saburi ya vuta
kheri. Karibu harabu, nikheri kaufike. Ukisema
““sijue ’’ wastarehe na mjiwako, Ukisema “‘ najua ”’
utatanganajua. ‘‘ Wakarude, wakaimbana’’ Bwana
Ali si weye, mlauku na mayayiye. Kiambiwa na
mwana Baye kuku kimla na mayayi, moyo atia kinaie.
Upo moja anadonda wenziwe wakamfumba,
wanambiya ‘‘ Panyuka kiungu.’’ Akafaham, aka-
wambia ‘‘ Hapanyuki kiungu.’’ Usiku wa makungu,
mtumke gani mteleka kiungu. lLakini mwache
wacheka mashama ya mungu. Utapata ya mungu
yapite haya yangu. Ukatwende mwamwe, agana
kukagawe mwamwe changenya. Usiri wavuta akiwa
mkupa kidogo hakuliwaza. Ukiwa mwenezi, simkazi
kitako, kadyjanga kiguu mchume kwanenda tusikukaa
tu. Kazimbi si mcheso mwema. Kupakwika kuuza
kugea. Kilonge lungua. Kibule hama keche (ngaa)
Umang’a mang’a (early morning). Mtu mzima
kachoma na bocho waopozi wasiende wa toto.

The Virtuous Princess and the Wicked Wazirs

There was once a Sultan whose name was
Muhammad; he married a wife and had two children,
one a daughter and the other a son named Muhammad.
Presently the parents and the son journeyed, and the
354 ZANZIBAR
Sultan left his Wazir to look after the daughter and
his concubines, and the Wazir made a plan and told
the concubines that the child was a little mischief-
maker, so he created a mistrust of her in their minds.
One day the Sultan’s daughter was told by the Wazir
to massage him, and she said, ‘‘ How can I do such
a thing?’ ‘‘Am I not to you as your father? ”’
So the child went to massage him, and afterwards the
Wazir got sleepy and she went back to sleep in her
room, and on the second day she went again and
the same thing happened. On the third day the
Wazir wanted to make overtures to the girl, and when
he saw she was aware of it, he got under the bed and
stretched out his hand, and then she took a wooden
shoe and hit the hand as hard as she could, and got
the Wazir in the face with it, and when the Wazir saw
he was bleeding he ran away.
The next morning he told the concubines what
she had done, and they asked him why, and he said,
‘* Because I found a man inside and forbade him.’’
And they said, ‘‘ Master will come to-morrow. Tell
him.’’ On the next day the father came and he sent
Muhammad down to get news of the girl, and
Muhammad went and saw the Wazir and was told
that she had hit him because he had found a man
inside with her. And Muhammad went back to the
ship and told his father, and his father said, *‘ Go and
kill your sister.’”, And Muhammad returned to the girl
and told her, ‘‘ Father has told me to cut your
throat,’’ and she asked, “‘ Why?’’ And he told her
what the Wazir had told them. Then Muhammad
went inside and gave her three purses of silver and
a camel and sent her off, and after she had been gone
about three hours he returned and got a sheep and
a guruguru and cut their throats, and putting their
blood on his sword, went to his father and said, ‘‘ I
have killed her,’’ and the father was pleased.
When the girl got to the next town, she stopped
under a very large mango tree and slept there, and
when she awoke she cried from hunger, and about
 TALES 355
eleven o’clock in the morning she climbed up the
mango tree. Now in that city the Sultan had a son
who was very fond of shooting birds, and on that day
he had gone out for that purpose, and he had arranged
to have his lunch at twelve o’clock under that mango
tree, and slaves laid mats and he came and ate there,
and the child up the tree cried hard, and one of her
tears fell on the mat before the Sultan’s son. And
he asked, ‘‘ What is this? Is it a bird-dropping or
what?’ And the slaves said, ‘‘ No, it’s not a bird,
but perhaps it is water.’’ And the prince looked up
and saw the girl and said, ‘‘ Go and fetch her down.”
Then the slaves climbed up and told her, ‘‘ Lady, we
are told you are to come down,”’ and she said, ‘‘ I
can’t come down until you have gone away.’’ And
they went down and told the prince, and went away.
Thus she came down and saw him.
Then he asked her for what reasons she had come
there, and she told him that her parents and brother
had journeyed and that she had been left with the
Wazir, and what the Wazir had done and all he
had told her father when he came back, and how her
father had told her brother to slay her and what he
had done.
‘* And now,’’ she said, ‘‘ I don’t know what to do
or where to get food, and when I saw your food I
cried, for it is such food as I would get at home.”’
Then they ate together and he told his slaves, “‘ Go
and tell my father I shall be back at two a.m.,’’ and
at ten p.m. they started home and he got her inside
the house.
The next day the prince said to his father,
‘* Marry me to a room.’’ » And the father said, “* What
child of a Sultan has ever been known to marry a
room?’’ And the son replied, ‘‘ I have never heard
of it, but I want you to marry me to one.”’ So the
Sultan beat the mbiz to all the people, and when
they came he told them the next day he would marry
his son to aroom. And on that day he made a wed-
ding for seven days, and everybody came and ate at
356 ZANZIBAR
the palace and no one had permission to eat at home,
and on the same day the prince had a son, for the
room bore one, and he was called A/bamwezi (moon-
ray), and on another day he got another and he was
called /ua (sun).
He showed them to his father and said, ‘‘ I told
you to marry me to a room and see what the profit
is.’’ In the light Mbamwezi covered his face and in
the night the sun shone from the face of Jua. Another
day he got another child and he was called Nyota
(star), and at night his face shone too. After a time
his father asked where he had got these children, and
he showed him the daughter of Muhammad, so the
Sultan made a bigger wedding than before.
And after a month had passed the girl asked her
husband to make her a railway, and he told his father
to do it, and in seven days the railway was made, and
she took a joho, a kilemba, a kanzu and a kikoi from
her husband, and she asked if the carriage was ready
and he said, ‘‘ Yes.”’ Then she said, ‘“ How many
people will you give me to go home? ”’ and he gave
her thirty-five slaves and a Wazir.
Now the slaves were in the end carriage and the
Wazir in the one next to the lady. And one day
he saw how beautiful she was, and he went into her
carriage at night as she lay there with her three
children and he said, ‘‘ 1]have come to enjoy you
or kill you,’’ and she replied, ‘‘ I cannot do this,”’
and he said, ‘‘ Well, I will kill Jua,’’ and he did so
and she cried very much.
On the second night he came again and said,
‘* If you won’t do as I wish, I will kill Mbamwezi,’’
and she said, ‘‘ No, kill him,’’ and he did so, and
she cried very much. And on the third night he
went again and asked, ‘‘ Won’t you do this or shall I
finish Nyota?’’ and she cried, ‘‘ Finish him. I will
not do as you ask.’”’ So he killed Nyota. On the
fourth night he went and told her, ‘‘ Now I will do
as I want or kill you.’’ But she said, ‘‘ Give me an
hour,’’ and he agreed, and she said, ‘‘ Pull the cord
 TALES 357
and stop the train,”’ and it stopped. Then she said
to a slave, ‘‘ Take water in a kettle and put it under
that coco-nut tree,’’ and she went to wash there, and
the kettle she left on a stone and ran away. The
Wazir waited for an hour watching the smoke, and
when he looked he found she had gone. So he took
the train back to her husband and asked him, ‘‘ Did
you marry a djinn or a woman?”’ and he said,
““ Why?’ and the Wazir told him how she had gone
with the kettle and that later when they went to her
they found she had vanished, and her children. And
the prince said, ‘‘ Father, give me a horse and a sharp
sword,’’ and he did so, and the prince went to follow
her and said, ‘‘ I will get my wife, or I will die.”’
Now she had got to a place like a well and lived
there, and it was near to her father’s place, and he
asked who lived there, and he sent her brother
Muhammad to see who was there, and he went and
made a big feast there and asked her who she was.
And she replied, ‘‘I am Gharibu.’’ And he asked
where she came from, and she said, ‘‘ I don’t know
where I come from or where I go.’? And Muhammad
went and told his father, and the next day they went
together and made a big feast, and she knew it was
her father. After the meal she said to her slave,
‘“ Tell the young master when he goes to forget his
kitara (sword),’’ and he did so. And when they had
gone he told his father, and he said, ‘“ Send a slave.’’
But he said, ‘‘ I would, but it is a beautiful one of
gold, and if I lose it how can I get another? I will
go myself,’’ and he went. And his sister said, “‘ Do
you know me, Muhammad? ”’ and he replied, “‘ I do
not remember you,’’ and she said, ‘‘ Tell father
to-morrow to build a big tower and to beat the town
mbiu,’’? and he went and told him.
On the next day she went there, wearing her male
clothes and jambiya and sword, and all the men,
slaves and everyone, was there, and the women too.
And she said, ‘‘ I am going to speak, and my words
have a meaning. You must all sign a paper that if
358 ZANZIBAR
anyone interrupts me or interferes while I am speak-
ing he will have his head cut off.’’ And they agreed.
Now on that day her father, brother and their
Wazir were there, and her husband, father-in-law and
their Wazir also. Then she began to speak and she
told them a story of a long time ago, that there was
a Sultan and his wife and they had two children, a
boy and a girl, and the father, mother and brother
journeyed and left the girl with the Wazir, and at this
point her family knew who the speaker was, but
could do nothing as they had signed the paper. Then
she went on with her story, and when she had got
to the part about the kettle, her husband and his
father knew who she was, and when all of them had
heard her story they believed her and she took off
her men’s clothes. And her father killed the Wazir
and the concubines, and her husband did the same
to his Wazir and the slaves.
Then they had a big new wedding and fired guns,
and this is the end.

The Story of Zimwi Mroha

There was a man who had three children, two boys
and one girl. When the girl came to a marriageable
age, she said, ‘‘ I don’t want a husband who excretes
in the ordinary way. I want a husband who excretes
gold and silver.’ One day there came a Zimwi and
he was told about this, and he said ‘‘ All right,’’ and
he took some finery and bound it round his person,
and bound in it some rupees, and he went before
her and excreted rupees, and she agreed to him and
married him. After three days he wanted his wife
to take her to his house, and he was given her and he
went with her. After a short time he came back and
took his brother-in-law to come and see his sister,
and they went on their way, and they took with them
bread to eat on the road. And they went on till they
came to a sugar-cane plantation, and the Zimwi said,
‘“Let us go and cut some sugar-cane, but cut the
 TALES 359
young ones because the owners are very fierce towards
those who cut the ripe.’’ So the youth cut the young
ones, but the Zimwi cut the ripe ones, and he put
them at the bottom of his basket and the young ones
he put on top. They went on the road, and
presently the Zimwi said, ‘‘ Let us eat our sugar-
cane,’ and the youth said, ‘‘ It can’t be eaten because
it is young.’’ But the Zimwi took out his ripe canes
and ate them.
Then they found bananas on the road in a
shamba in the same way, and he told him in the
same way to pick the unripe ones, and the youth
picked the unripe ones and he the ripe ones,
and put the unripe ones above them. And they came
along the road, and he said, ‘‘Let us eat our
bananas,’’ and the youth said, ‘‘ They can’t be
eaten,’’ but he took out his ripe ones and ate. And
they went along the road till they came to a forest,
and the Zimwi said, ‘‘ There is a devil lives here.
When he says you must throw your bread to him do
so, or he will do you harm.’’ When they got there
he said, ‘‘ Wait for me. I am going to relieve
myself,’’ but as a matter of fact he went into the
forest and sang, and the youth thought it was indeed
the devil and he threw him his bread, and the Zimwi
ate it and came back. They went on their way till
they were near the houses, and he showed him a tree
on the road, and said, ‘‘ This tree is a great medicine
for me for stomach-ache. If I have its leaves it is
medicine, therefore if I send you, come here.”’ Then
when they got to the house food was ready, and he
said, ‘‘ My stomach aches with a pain, go at once and
fetch my medicine,”’ and he ate all the food. And
the youth returned and went on his way.
After a few days the Zimwi went and brought his
younger brother-in-law, and they came to that place
where the sugar-canes were, and he told him, “* Don’t
you pick the ripe ones, only the unripe ones, for the
owners are fierce.’’ So the Zimwi picked the ripe ones,
and the youth also picked the ripe ones and put unripe
360 ZANZIBAR
ones on the top as the Zimwi had done. And when
it had got to the time for eating, the Zimwi took out
his ripe sugar-canes, and the youth took out his ripe
ones too. And the Zimwi was very annoyed and he
gave him his, and the youth ate them all. And they
went on their way till they got to the banana
place, and he told him in the same way, “* Don't
you pick the ripe ones, pick the unripe ones.’’ But
the youth picked the ripe ones and put them under
the unripe ones till they got on the road, and the
Zimwi said, ‘‘ Let us eat our bananas,’’ and he took
his ripe ones, and the youth took out his ripe ones in
the same way, and the Zimwi was annoyed and gave
him his, and the youth ate them all. And they went
to the place where there was a devil, and he told him,
‘* There is a devil here, when he sings throw your
bread to him. Wait for me, I am going to relieve
myself,’’ and he went inside and he sang. And the
youth, instead of throwing the bread, threw a stone,
and knocked out his tooth and hurt him very much,
and he said, ‘‘ Why do you strike me?’’ And he
said, ‘‘ I thought it was the devil, so I struck him.”’
And they went on their way till they got near that
tree which was the Zimwi’s medicine, and the Zimwi
told him, ‘‘ If I am sick come and take for me the
leaves of this tree, for it is my medicine.’’ And the
youth said, ‘‘ Very well.’’ The Zimwi went on, and
the youth said, ‘‘ I am going to relieve myself,’’ and
he stayed behind, and he plucked the leaves of that
tree, dug up its roots and took its bark; everything
he took and he concealed it. When they got to the
house food was ready, and the Zimwi said, ‘‘ My
stomach aches, go and fetch me the leaves of that
tree,’’ and he gave him them on the spot, and he said,
‘‘ No, I want its roots,’’ and he gave him them. He
said, ‘“ No, I want its bark,’ and he gave him it. So
the Zimwi was very much annoyed and he didn’t eat
his food, and the youth ate it all, and on the next
day he took his sister and went home.
 TALES 361

The Strong Man

There was once a rich man who was yery anxious
to have a child, and after some time he had a son
and called him Pweke. On the day of its birth the
child cried, so they prepared some food for him,
about one &ibaba of rice. He ate it all, and on the
second day he ate two kibabas of rice and two fowls.
It kept increasing, till after some years, he ate one
sufuria of u7t in the morning, one sufuria of rice and
one goat for his lunch, and one sufuria of rice and
one goat for his dinner, and many areca nuts and
betel leaves.
One day he asked his father to make him a bow
and arrows, and the rich man sent many labourers
into his store to fetch iron bars for making arrows,
and it took a month to make one arrow, for it was
very large. Then he said he wanted a very big bag
with three rooms inside, and his father made one for
him, and in the first room he put so many goats, and
in the second so much rice and water, and in the third
some betel leaves and areca nuts. He took his bag
and arrows and went away, saying he was going to
find a man as strong as himself.
After journeying some time he saw about fifty big
cooking-pots and some water-jars full of water; he
asked whose they were and whether a feast was being
held, and was told, ‘‘ Do not speak aloud. Bwana
Mswaki-M buyu-M kongo-Mvumo (Mr. Toothbrush-a-
baobab-tree-walking-stick-a-borassus-palm) is asleep.
He will kill you when he comes.’’ But the man got
excited and ate up all the food, drank all the water
and chewed the betel leaves, and when he spat, all
the people near him were drowned. He then sent
and caught Mswaki-Mbuyu-Mkongo-Mvumo and put
him in his bag, and went away. After some days he
met another man, Kidevu Mfunge. His meal was
about one hundred cooking-pots, the boy ate all the
food and drank the water, chewed the betel leaves,
and the people were drowned as before. He then
362 ZANZIBAR
put the man in the bag with the other and continued
his journey. After some days he saw a very tall and
thin woman sitting opposite a large lake, and he was
told she was Kiziwa Chama Kana Madina, and she
was keeping the birds off her rice-fields. Pweke took
up his bag and threw it across to her, telling her to
keep it for him, and she picked it up and put it in her
pocket, and he was surprised at her strength. He
went over to her and was going to sit down on a very
large stone about one hundred yards in length, but
she took it up to throw at the birds.
Then Pweke, much astonished, went back to his
father and told him that in future he would only eat
half a kibaba of rice and one glass of water and one
betel leaf as other people did.

The Sultan and the Wife of the Grand Vizier

Once upon a time there was a Sultan and he had
a hundred wives, and his Wazir had one, but she was
very beautiful. Now the Sultan went one day to the
Wazir’s house, and saw his wife and loved her, but
saw no way of getting her; so he sent his Wazir on
a long journey to inspect an outlying portion of his
kingdom, and in his absence went to the lady and
told her he wanted her, and she agreed, and he said,
‘© This evening I will come.’’
When he had gone she cooked thirty plates of
different kinds of sweetmeats. In the evening the
Sultan came, and the lady bade him eat and he
refused, but she pressed him, so he took off his ring,
and putting it under a cushion, ate some of the food.
When he had finished she asked him which was the
sweetest, and he said, ‘‘ All are equally sweet.’’ So
the lady said, ‘‘ If that is so it is bad for you to want
me, for after a few days you will not be able to see
me, and all we women, like the sweetmeats, are
equally sweet.’”? To this logic the Sultan could not
reply and left, forgetting his ring.
The next morning when the Sultan woke he heard
 TALES 363
the guns on shore fire a salute to the Wazir, who was
returning. At once he remembered the ring, but he
had no one to send to fetch it. The Wazir dis-
embarked, and went home and ate; after he had eaten
he moved the cushion and saw the ring. He put on
his oko and went to the Baraza (meeting), taking the
ting with him. After the Barvaza was over the Wazir
followed the Sultan inside to make his report, and
when he had finished he said, ‘‘I have come back
and I went to see my Zizi, which has only one ox in,
and I see footsteps of a lion, won’t it hurt me?”
The king understood and told the Wazir everything,
and the Wazir gave the Sultan back the ring and went
home to his wife who told him everything.

The Magician and his Pupils

Once upon a time there was a couple who had
two children; presently the father died and they were
left to their mother, who, when they grew up a little,
sent to look for a teacher for them. She eventually
found one, and as she had no money it was agreed
that when they were taught the teacher should keep
one. She sent her children to be taught, and of the
two the younger was far the keener to learn. In
fact, whenever the teacher was absent the boy would
get his big books and read them. When the teacher
returned he found out that the boy had been reading
the books, for no one else could get such knowledge
except in this way.
Now the teacher was really a Zimwi. One day
when the teacher was out their mother came to give
the boys food, and before she went away again the
younger said to her, ‘‘ You must be sure to take me
when the time comes, as I am very clever.”’ When
the teacher had finished their education the mother
came to take one of her sons away. She wished to
take the younger, but so did the teacher, and they
quarrelled, so that they had to go to the Kathi to
decide. The Kathi’s judgment was that as no agree-
364 ZANZIBAR
ment had been made beforehand as to which child
each should have, the mother should have the first
choice, and of course she chose the younger.
When they got back home again the boy told her
that they could make a great deal of money, as he
had the power of turning himself into any animal
he liked, and he could do this and his mother take
him to the market and sell him, but he said, ‘* You
must be sure to take the rope back every time.”’ So
each day the boy would turn himself into a sheep, or
a goat, or an ox, and his mother would lead him to
market and sell him, but she always insisted on the
rope being returned, and as soon as he was led away
by the purchaser he would seek for an opportunity
and escape.
One day the teacher heard that the woman was
selling these animals in the market and that she would
never part with the rope, so he went there and bought
a horse from her for Rs. 200, and when the woman
wanted the cord he refused, and she was much
disturbed but could not stop him, and the teacher
led the horse away by the rope. Now the teacher
knew well enough that it was not really a horse but
his former pupil, and on the road he told him that
he would kill him because he refused to follow him
and had gone back to his mother.
When he got him to his place he put him into
an iron cage and gave him no food or water. After
this he went to a blacksmith’s and got arrows made,
and during his absence the boy’s brother and the other
pupils in the teacher’s house gave him food and water.
When the teacher returned in the evening, he used
to ask if they had done this but they denied it. For
seven days this happened until the teacher had seven
arrows ready, and on that day he was ready to kill
him, so he went to the door of the cage and shot the
first arrow, but he missed him for while he shot the
horse was reading the Koran, so that the arrows
missed their mark. Six arrows he shot and the horse
knew that the seventh was the one that was bound
 TALES 46:
to kill him, for it was the only thing that could kill
him and his charms were finished; so as the teacher
drew, back his bow to shoot the seventh arrow he broke
through the cage and got out, and turning into an
mwewe (an Egyptian kite), flew away. The teacher
did the same and followed him.
When the boy got tired he turned into a cheche (a
mongoose) and the teacher turned into a dog and
hunted him. He got so close to him that the boy
thought he was bound to be caught, so he turned into
a kipanga (a kestrel) and the teacher did likewise.
Flying towards the sea, he saw a fisherman bathing
and his clothes with some pice on them left on the
shore, so he turned into a pice and fell among the
others. The teacher then turned into a man and
walked up to take the money, but as he approached
the fisherman came up and saw him and raised an
outcry that he was robbing the poor; but the teacher
pacified him and he said he only wanted one pice
for which he gave him four rupees and went on his
way.
As he was passing over some coral rag on the
shore the pice turned into mfama (millet) and the
teacher turned himself into a chicken, but a grain
of this fell into a hole under the coral and the chicken
picked up all the rest and ate it; then he saw the
lost grain, and as he tried to get it, it turned into a
cheche and bit the chicken’s throat, and it died.
The boy then turned into a man, went to the
teacher’s house and released his brother, and took the
two wives of the teacher and all his property. He
and his brother then married the two women.

The Beggar’s Son who Married the Daughters of

Eight Kings
Once upon a time there was a beggar and a
merchant; the merchant had a daughter and the
beggar had a son, and the children p ayed together,
and one day he seduced the merchant’s daughter.
366 ZANZIBAR
When the merchant found out he hit the buffalo horn
to call all people, and asked them if any knew who
was the perpetrator. After a search of twelve days
his men found that it was the beggar’s child, so he
was caught, and the merchant had his arms cut off,
after which he ran away until one night he came to
the town of another Sultan.
He went into the mosque at Alfajar and prayed
a petition, and his voice was so beautiful that all the
people awoke and came out of their houses to find
out who it was or whether it was a spirit, for no one
had heard such a beautiful voice. Even the king
himself woke up and went to see, and when he saw
the boy he took him to his palace and married him
to his daughter because of his beautiful voice.
On the night he entered into his bride’s house
she became pregnant, and the boy ran away at once
at night, as he was ashamed to be married to the king’s
daughter without any arms. He went to the town
of another Sultan where the same adventure happened
to him, and after that to a third, a fourth, a fifth, a
sixth, a seventh and an eighth, and in each case
married the king’s daughter and she became pregnant
on the night of his entering the house.
After leaving the eighth city there were no more
states in that country, and so he went into the desert,
and about two o’clock in the night a Pixga of the
night came whose duty it is to fold up the night and
spread the day. The Pixga asked him where he was
going, and the youth said he did not know, and the
Pinga said, “‘ I know all that has happened to you,
and I will give you your arms back if you bring to
me the child of your eighth wife.’’ The next day his
eighth wife bore a child, and he went in the night
and brought the child to the Pimga. Now there was
a big lake where the Pixga lived. When he got
there he was told to put the right stump into the
water, and when he did so he got a beautiful arm.
The Pixga told him to do the same with the left, and
he got another arm more beautiful than the other;
 TALES 367

SO he gave the Pinga the child in a flour sieve together

with razor, grindstone, lemon and beads. Then the
Pinga said, ‘‘ Cut its thoat.’? He did so, and the
Pinga told him to separate the meat from the bones,
and he put the meat on one side and the bones on
the other. After he had finished this task the Pinga
said, ‘‘ Of all the sons of Adam there is not one
more honourable than you, and you have kept your
bargain, so good-bye.’’ When he was nearly out of
sight the Pzzga called him back and said, ‘‘ Take
the bones and the meat and mix them together,”’
and he did so. Then he was told to throw them into
the lake, and when he had done this the Pixga said,
‘* Look away,’’ and when he turned back again there
was the child alive with a golden chain around its
neck, and the Pixga said, ‘‘ The child is my grandson
and my gift is the chain.’’
Then the youth took the child back and laid it
by its mother’s side, and when she awoke she saw
the chain and wondered who had put it there, and
the Sultan beat the buffalo horn to call all men
together to see this chain. Now when anyone called
to the chain, ‘‘ Oh, chain of the child, come here
to me,’’ it did so of its own accord and fell on the
neck of each.
The boy stayed there twenty-four days, after
which he said, ‘‘I have left home a very long time
so I pray permission to take my wife and my child
and go there.’’ So they packed everything and took
seven camels to carry food for the journey and started
off, and in each state that they passed through that
he had been through before he stayed twenty-four
days and took his wife and child, for all the other
wives had borne children, and journeyed on, taking
each time seven camels.
When he got back home his father was very pleased
to see him, and they made a small town for themselves
for there were many of them.
Then the youth accused the merchant before the
king, and there was a big case to prove he was not
368 ZANZIBAR
guilty, and the king gave judgment that the merchant
and his daughter were to be sewn in sacks and thrown
into the sea, but the youth grew more and more
prosperous and became Wazir to the king.
The Woodcutter and the Log
Once upon a time there was a poor beggar who
earned his living by cutting firewood. One day when
he was working he happened to be cutting a big log,
and while he was doing this he heard a voice say,
‘Who are you? Who are you?’’ He answered,
‘‘JT am a poor man who cuts firewood to earn my
living.’ So the log begged him to spare it, and
when the man did as he was asked, gave him a goat
and told him whenever he wanted money he had only
to tell the animal, who would drop as much gold and
silver as he liked. When the man got home he and
his wife immediately tried to prove if this was true,
and were overcome with joy on finding that it was
so. They became very rich and for some time were
very happy, but the husband was not satisfied, and
wanted to get a kid by. the goat, so he sent the animal
to a shepherd in order to get it crossed. He advised
the shepherd not to allow the goat to relieve itself
and he agreed, but after the owner had gone he was
overcome with curiosity and ignored the advice given
him. Finding that it produced gold and silver, he
kept the goat for himself, and when the owner came to
fetch it, gave him another instead. The man did
not discover this until he reached home, and then
it was too late to do anything.
He went to the log and told him what had
happened, so he was given a tray and told that when-
ever he wanted food he had only to tell the tray and
it would produce whatever he wished for. He went
home and tried and found that it did so. After a
time, again becoming dissatisfied, he sent the tray
to a tinsmith’s to be cleaned, and advised the man
not to tell the tray if he wanted any food. Naturally
the man did so out of curiosity, and was so delighted
 TALES 369
with the result that he kept that tray himself and
gave the owner back a nice new one. When the
man returned with it to his house he found he had
again been cheated.
He went a third time to the log and begged for
something else, and this time he was given a stick
and was told to go into the house with his wife, close
all the doors and windows, and order it to play. This
he did, and the stick got up and gave them both a
good beating ; they tried to stop it and only succeeded
after a long struggle. He then took the stick to the
men who had stolen his goat and tray, and made the
stick beat them until they were forced to give up his
property. In this way he got them both back and
was happy again.
The Seven Sons of Abdul Karim
Once upon a time there was a Sultan named Abdul
Karim; he had seven children, and died three years
after the last was born. The seven children quarrelled
over the Sultanate, and the youngest, whose name
was Muhammad, said that they ought not to quarrel
about it, but should go and journey round the country
and study it. He told his mother that they wanted
a year’s food to go on safari, and when it was ready
they mounted their horses and went.
At the end of the year they were still far away
from home and their food was finished, neither could
they see any means of getting more. Presently in
the forest they came to a tiny house in which an
old woman dwelt, who lived on millet husks. She
welcomed them and asked where they had come
from and where they were going; they told her that
they did not know. She made them food of millet
husks, which they ate.
One day the eldest said, “‘ I am going to shoot
birds.’’ After going through the forest for about
twenty miles he came to the end of it, and saw a plain
of about another twenty miles in extent which was
clear of all bush. In the middle he saw a sheep with
370 ZANZIBAR
a brass horn, which he started up and followed for
about twenty miles, until they came to a very high
wall which the sheep jumped and where the youth
could not follow. So he looked for a door, and
having followed the wall for some way round he
found one, and in the doorway was a water-jar with
a plate over it and glasses on it. He picked up a
glass and drank, and immediately he was struck on
the head and both he and his horse were lost.
The next day the second brother went off to the
chase, and he, too, saw the sheep and got to the
door and was lost likewise, and so were the third,
the fourth, the fifth and sixth brothers, until there was
only the youngest left. He went out and he met
the sheep and chased it, and saw it jump the wall,
and he looked for a door, but when he saw the jar
and the glasses he kicked them to smithereens and
went home. On the second day he again chased the
sheep and it again escaped and jumped the wall,
and when he went to the door there was another glass
and jar, and those he also broke and went home. On
the third day after he had chased the sheep again
and broken the glass and jar, he went and unfastened
the door in the wall. He went inside, but he saw
no house and nothing but a sandy plain all bare,
surrounded by the wall. For two days he went inside,
seeing nothing, and then he saw a big stone with a
hole inside and within an old woman sitting.
Now the sheep that he had been chasing was not
really a sheep but a djinn, and the old woman was
one of the ayahs of the djinn, and her work was to
keep the entrance. She wanted to destroy the boy,
but he read and read and read until he had broken
all her strength, and he had 1,000 rupees with him,
The ayah of the djinn said, ‘‘ Men do not come here.
Why have you come?’’ and he replied, ‘‘I want
the djinn who has taken my brothers.’ So the ayah
said, “* I will give you a plan for getting there,’’ and
on his giving her 50 rupees she gave him some roots,
and she said, “‘ The ayah of the inside will tell you
 TALES 371
more. Go there at six a.m. and when you get to her
bite the roots and puff and her fierceness will go.”’
_ When he got there he found the ayah of the
inside and did as he was directed, and then told
her what he wanted, and she said, ‘‘ Wait until six
a.m. to-morrow.’’ So he waited and came again, then
she said, ‘‘ Go as far as the horizon and there you
will see a stone. Move it and enter the hole it
covers. If you hear nothing do not go, but if you
hear noises go, and at the end of the passage you
will see a door. Knock it three times and each time
you knock a horse inside will cry; when you knock
the fourth time you can enter, and to subdue the
horse’s mistress you must hold her by her hair.’’ So
the boy went on as far as the horizon, and found the
stone which he moved. Underneath the stone was
a flight of stairs which he descended, and hearing
the noise of a horse stamping, he went on to the
door at the end of the passage,
This he knocked once, and inside the horse cried
out and woke its mistress, and she rose up and gave
it food. When it had quieted down he knocked
again, and again the horse cried out. Out came its
mistress again and gave it water. The third time he
knocked, and this time the woman was annoyed and
came out and knocked the horse with a &iboko, and
when she had gone he heard the horse say, “‘ If the
door is knocked again I shall not cry out.’’ So he
knocked on the door and went in, and passed the
horse and entered the sleeping-room of its mistress.
When he saw her in bed he took hold of her hair,
and by some of it he fastened her on to the bed and
the rest he held in his hands; then he woke her.
She tried to get up, but she could not as her head
was fastened. She said, ‘‘ Loose me,’’ and he
refused, and he said, ‘‘I will loose you only if you
swear to do me no harm.’’ So she swore and he
loosed her, and they agreed together, and then he
married her and they lived together for twelve days.
On the twelfth day she said, ‘I want to wash
372 ZANZIBAR
my hair.’’ Now there was a river which passed
through the middle of the house, and she said she
wanted to go to the bathroom to wash her hair, but
he said, ‘‘ I would like you to do it here and I will
scrub you.’’ As she washed her hair one hair broke
off and floated down the river and outside the house.
It floated to the Sultan’s palace where the river
entered his bathing-place. When the horses went to
drink they saw a black thing in the water, and it
filled up the whole of the bath, for the hair of a
djinniyah’s are many pimas long. Then the Sultan’s
son asked the groom why the horses did not drink,
and he replied, ‘‘ I do not know.’’ So the Sultan’s
son went to see, and when he got there he took out
the hair and got a horse and put it on it, and it was
a big load, and he went to his father and said, ‘‘ I
must marry the owner of this hair.’’ So his father
said, ‘‘ This hair is the hair of a djinniyah. How
do you think we can get her? ’’ But his son said, ‘‘ If
I do not get her I shall run away.’’ So the Sultan
was at a loss, for he loved his son dearly and would
do anything to please him, so he called for his Wazir
and told him to take the army and look for the owner
of the hair, and they followed the river and came
to the house of the d@7ixniyah and her husband, and
she said to him, ‘‘ There is war. Stay inside and
I will go and fight, but when I return you must not
speak to me. Hold a glass of water until I say you
may speak, then speak.”’
So she went and fought and slew the Sultan’s
army save one man, whose ear she cut off, after
which she returned. After she had given her husband
leave to speak she related everything to him.
On the second day she said, ‘‘ There are some
more coming, about half the number of those yester-
day; half of them will follow the stream and half will
come the other way. You take on those on the water
and I will manage those that come from above.”
They had a hard day’s fight, and the lady killed all
her opponents and the youth all but two, and then he
 TALES 373
killed one of those, but the other killed him. She
came back and saw her husband dead, and the
suryivor of their opponents came inside and tied her
up, and called men and carried her off, and when
they got to the palace the Sultan’s son rejoiced,
but the d7ixniyah neither spoke nor ate nor drank day
or night.
Now in the house where her husband lay slain,
after everyone had gone there came out two rats, which
played together, and presently out came two snakes.
When the snakes came out the rats hid and watched,
and the snakes fought each other until one was killed.
Then the surviving snake went to its hole and fetched
out a stick which he put on his companion’s nose, and
he revived, and both went away in different directions.
Then the rats came out and played again, jumping
over the prostrate body of the youth. One of them
picked up the stick, and running towards his com-
panion on the youth’s body the stick came near his
nose, and he immediately revived and sat up. Then
the rats ran away. When he did so he saw his wife
was not there and he was greatly distressed, and he
went outside and walked a long, long way to find her.
Presently he got to the house of an old woman
and asked her the news of the country, and she told
him that the Sultan’s son was about to marry a woman
who neither spoke nor ate nor drank, and at once he
said, ‘‘ She is my wife; make a plan that I may see
her.’’ So she said, ‘‘ We will go to-night,’’ and the
old woman dressed him in woman’s clothes, and they
went to the wedding and to the bridegroom’s mother,
and the old woman said, ‘‘ This is my daughter, I
married her to your slave and sent to the shamba; now
I want her to see the bride.’? So the Sultana said,
‘Tet her go,’’ and when he got to the bridal chamber
he and his wife knew each other, and she was over-
come with joy. Now he had a ring, so had she, and
they exchanged, each putting the ring on the other’s
finger, after which she said, ‘‘ To-morrow night
before seven p.m. wait for me on the forest path.”
374 ZANZIBAR
The next day she ate and drank and spoke, and
the Sultan’s son rejoiced. That evening she said,
‘Tt is our custom at marriage time to go out in the
evening if we wish to,’’ and he agreed, and gave her
five Arab women to follow her. At the edge of the
forest she said, ‘‘ Wait here while I retire for a few
minutes,’’ and she went into the wood to where her
husband was, but while he slept in the undergrowth
the djinn held his horse. When his wife came she
thought that the djinn was her husband and mounted
behind him, but as they went away the smell of her
husband grew faint behind her, so she looked and
saw that the rider in front of her was not he, so she
struck him and killed him and returned to where she
had mounted, and found her husband sleeping. She
woke him and upbraided him and gave him thirty
lashes, and said, ‘‘ To-morrow come again and wait
for me here.”’
Then she returned to her women and went back
to the palace. The next night she did the same
thing and found her husband awake, so they got on
to the horse and went to their home. The Arab
women waited until midnight, and as she did not
return they went to the palace and told the Sultan
and his son, and they went into mourning.
The dzinniyah and her husband got home and
lived in peace. After a while he said, ‘‘ I want a plan
to find my six brothers.’’ And she said, ‘‘ Your
brothers are ready,’’ and she went to the door of the
chamber and unlocked it and opened it, and the six
brothers with their horses and their swords came out
well and alive.
Now the Sultan’s son still wanted the djixniyah
as his wife, so the Sultan beat the buffalo horn, and
all that was left of his army, about a hundred soldiers,
came out again, and the Sultan told them to go and
make war, but the men refused, saying that they would
be killed. So the Sultan’s son had to give up, and all
the rest lived happily ever afterwards.
 TALES 375
The Ingratitude of Man and the Gratitude of
Animals
Once upon a time there was a snake, a lion and
a man, who lived together at the bottom of a dry well,
and when it rained there was only a little water in the
well. One day there came a beggar who was thirsty,
and he made a rope from the climbing plants of the
forest and let down a calabash to draw water. When
he got the calabash near the top he found he had
caught a lion in it, and being frightened was about
to drop him when the lion said, ‘‘ Don’t drop me and
I will get you some water.’’ When he got it he said,
‘* There is also a snake down there and a man; help
the snake but not the man.’’ So he let the calabash
down and pulled the snake up, and when he saw it he
was so frightened that he wanted to drop him, but the
snake said, ‘‘ Don’t drop me and I will get you
water,’’ and he got it, and then he said, ‘‘ There is a
man inside, but don’t fish him up.”’
The beggar went on his way, but reflected to him-
self, ‘‘ I have rescued two animals—am I to leave a
man, a fellow-human, inside the well? ’’ So he went
back and got him and took him home, and they lived
together like brothers.
Some time after that the beggar got work under
the Government and heard that the king had a very
beautiful big sheep, so he went to steal the sheep and
hid it, after which he bought another and killed it;
then he went to his companion and told him he had
stolen the king’s sheep and killed it, and he said,
** Let us eat the meat and say nothing.’’ Now when
the king missed his sheep he searched high and low
for it without finding it, and offered a reward of Rs.
soo for its recovery. When he heard this, the man
who had been rescued from the well went and caught
his companion and said, “‘ You will have to go in
front of the king.’’? But he said, “‘ Let me go; it is
not right to act like this.’” But he insisted, ‘‘ No,
you will go,’’ and despite further pleading he struck
376 ZANZIBAR
him and put him in handcuffs, and took him to the
king. When he got there the king said, ‘‘ Where 1s
the sheep?’’ He said, ‘“‘ The sheep is all right, but
I have hidden him.’ So the king asked why he had
done it, to which he replied that he wished to test
whether his companion could be trusted, and the
sheep which he had killed was another one which he
had bought. So the king said, ‘‘ Bring my sheep,”’
and he brought it, and the sheep was fat and well and
had been well cared for, but the king said, ‘‘ The
Government cannot compound such an offence,’’ and
he sentenced him to be fastened to a post by his ankles
and wrists with his hands above his head, and gave
orders that anyone who liked might throw rubbish at
him. So he was tied up, and very soon buried to his
thighs in rubbish. Then the snake came to him and
asked him if he found that the man he had rescued
was good, and he said, ‘‘I have seen of what kind
his goodness is.’’ Then the snake said, ‘“‘ Listen,
to-day I shall hide two bottles of medicine here, do
you see them?’”’ He said ‘‘ Yes,’’ And the snake
continued, “‘I am now going to bite the king’s
daughter.’ So he went away and bit her as she was
going to her bath, and when he bit her she was very
cross. The king offered a reward saying, ‘‘I will
give Rs. 1,000 to the man who cures my child,’’ and
many people came and tried, but their medicine only
made her worse.
On the second day at about five o’clock in the
afternoon, the man who was tied up saw the king
sitting in the window of the palace, and the man who
was drawn out of the well passed. The king called
out to him and said in the hearing of the other, ‘‘ If
you can give my daughter medicine and she recovers
you shall marry her.’? As the man was passing the
poor man who was tied up reflected aloud, ‘‘ If I
were unfastened I would go and make medicine for
her,’ but his erstwhile companion said in a tone of
scorn, ‘‘ You indeed,’’ and boxed his ears. The
king saw this and called out, ‘‘ Who are you hitting?
 TALES 377
Unfasten him and bring him here.’’ So he took his
medicine and went to the king, and the king asked
him why he had been struck. He replied, ‘‘ I only
said that if I were unfastened I would make medicine
for the lady, and he struck me.’’ So then the king
told him to proceed, but first of all he took two bottles
of oil and cleaned his legs, then when he had finished
he went and spread the medicine on the king’s
daughter, and afterwards she demanded food, water,
and everything else and quickly recovered entirely.
After that they were married and had a grand wedding,
and feasted for seven days.
At the end of the festival the snake came and
said to him, ‘‘ To-day I am going to bite a rich
merchant,’? and he did so, and they charged the
merchant Rs. 1,000 for curing him and his child,
and then the snake bit the child of the Wazir, who
paid Rs. 1,000, and then the child of a Hindu
merchant for which he got Rs. 2,000. After this
the snake said, ‘‘ This I do in gratitude for rescuing
mene
One day the lion came and gave him a ring, and
whatever he wanted he might ask the ring and it
would do for him. So he asked for a big town with
beautiful houses in a place away by itself and he got
it, then he wanted many retainers and he got them.
Then oxen and donkeys until his town was complete
and everything inside it. After which the lion gave
him medicine and said, ‘‘ If ever you want me put
some of this in an incense dish and I will come.
Have I sufficiently shown my gratitude?’’ and he
said ‘‘ Yes.’’ So the lion went, and afterwards the
king gave him the kingdom, and announced to every-
one that he was king, and everyone came and rejoiced
over his good fortune.
The Lion and the Carpenter
There was once a carpenter going to his work;
on the way he met a lion who asked him, ‘‘ Who are
you? Are you a man?’’ The carpenter replied,
378 ZANZIBAR
‘‘ No, I am not a man, but a carpenter.’’ The lion
said, ‘‘I am very anxious to see a man.’’ The
carpenter said, ‘‘ I can show you a man if you like,”’
and the lion said ‘‘ Yes.’’ The carpenter made a
very strong but very narrow cage and put the lion
in the cage in order to show him a man. He locked
the cage at once, and then boiled some water and
poured it over the lion, and told him, “‘ ] am a man
if you have never seen one.’’ The lion was about
to die, so he let him go as he could not move.
After some time the lion got better and asked his
companions to help him kill the carpenter, so they
went to find him. The carpenter had a storied house,
so in order to get up they stood one on top of the
other, and the injured lion was at the bottom, in
this way they managed to reach up to the house.
The carpenter came and shouted to his wife to bring
hot water, and when the bottom one heard this he
ran away and all his companions fell down. Some
were injured and some were killed and some ran
away, and the carpenter escaped.

The Number of Days in Ramathan

There was an Arab who had an idea for checking

the number of the days in Ramathan, so that there need
be no quarrelling as to which day of the month it was.
He put a stone in a tin for each day every morning.
His son noticed this and said to himself, ‘‘I will
help my father; he is having a lot of trouble with his
stone collecting.’’ So he put a lot more in one day.
Some friends came to the house and they started
disputing as to what day it was, one said the twelfth,
another the sixteenth, another the thirteenth, and so
on. The Arab said, ‘‘ Don’t dispute, I can settle
it. I put a stone aside for each day.’’ So he went
to his tin and counted a hundred and fifty stones. He
was astonished and saw something was wrong, so he
took a lot out and went back and counted again.
 TALES 379
“To-day is the fortieth,’ he announced. All
exclaimed at this, but he said, ‘‘ F orty is a little, there
were a hundred and fifty days in my month.”’
The Young Man and the Dishonest Beggar
Once upon a time there was a very rich Arab and
he had a son. After some time he died and the son
inherited his property, but he spent it all very soon
and was left destitute. One day he was sitting down
about twelve noon, very hungry as he had had nothing
to eat, and said to himself, ‘‘ I will do some work
and if I earn six rupees I will give two to the poor,
with another I will buy food for myself, and with the
other three I will trade.’’
He went out to work and he earned six rupees.
On his way home he saw a beggar sitting by the road-
side, and reflecting aloud, said, ‘‘ I made an oath
that if I earned six rupees I would give two to the
poor, with one I would buy food, and with the
remainder I would trade.’’ So he took out two rupees
and he gave them to the beggar. But the beggar
had overheard him and caught hold of him, and cried
out, ‘‘Oh, Muslimun, quickly help, he is a thief,
he has taken four of my rupees.”’
People collected quickly, and he was searched
and four rupees, being found on him, were given to
the beggar, while he was arrested and beaten hard,
and they said, ‘“‘ You are a thief to cheat the poor,”’
and he denied it. Then men said, ‘‘ This is the
first time he has done wrong, release him.’’
After this the crowd dispersed, and the young man,
determined to get his money back, followed the beggar
who in the evening returned to his companions.
Arrived at the meeting-place of the beggars, the beggar
recited an account of the affair to his companions,
who were six, and like himself, all blind. The
beggar was much congratulated on his ruse, and
exclaimed, ‘‘I have now thirty-six rupees in this
pocket that I wear round my waist, so that they are
quite safe.”’
380 ZANZIBAR
At night the young man followed the beggar to
his hut and saw him unfasten the pocket and lay it
on the bed, whereupon the youth picked it up and
went away while the beggar cooked his food and ate
it. After he had eaten he went to the bed and felt
for the pocket to tie round his waist again, but without
success, after which he hit the cords of the bed with
his stick until he broke them, thinking the purse
might have caught in them, but all to no purpose,
for he could not find the purse and cried hard all
night.
In the morning he went to his companions and
said, ‘‘ All my money has been taken,’’ and the first
of the other beggars said, “‘ You don’t hide them
properly. For myself, I hide mine under the hearth-
stone when I cook.’’ The youth, who was there, heard
what he said, and waited until the evening, when he
followed the second beggar, who, when he reached
his house, turned up the hearthstone, found all his
money correct and added two rupees that he had got
that day. When he moved away the youth took them
all, fifty rupees. The beggar found out when he
had finished his meal and cried out, ‘‘I am blind
and I have been robbed,’’ and the next morning he
went and told his companions. The third beggar
said, ‘‘ You yourself are to blame; you do not know
how to conceal your money. Look at my kanzu. I
have a pocket sewn on the inside of it into which I
have buttoned up sixty rupees.’’ The youth over-
heard, and in the evening followed the beggar home,
where he took off his famzu and put it on the bed
to prepare his food. The youth at once cut out the
pocket and took it with sixty rupees inside. The
beggar ate his food and then picked up his kanzu
which was very light; he felt it all over to find the
money and cut it up, but it had gone. In the morn-
ing he too told his companions, and the fourth said,
‘* I hide mine under the threshold and I always look
if they are there. I have seventy rupees there.’’ The
youth got the money that evening with little trouble,
 TALES 381
and the next morning the fifth beggar informed his
companions that he hid his in a hole dug under the
leg of his bed so that he could always hear if anyone
dug them up. The youth took all the money, a
hundred rupees, in the same way. The next morn-
ing the fifth beggar, when he told his companions
of his loss, said, ‘“‘ The thief must be among us and
overhears what we say,”’ so that they took their sticks
and hit round everywhere, but got no one.
The sixth beggar said, ‘‘ Well, my money is safe
anyway, for I have a hole bored in my stick and in
it a hundred and fifty rupees.’? When they went off
to their begging the youth, who had as usual over-
heard, took a bamboo stick and prepared it nicely and
filled it with potsherds, small stones and bits of tin
so that it rattled. In the evening he followed the
beggar home. When he got to his house, the beggar
leant his stick up against the wall to undo the fastener
at the top of the door. While he was doing it the
youth took it and put the dummy one in its place.
When the beggar had finished he took up the stick
and at once remarked, “‘ It is heavy.’ He turned
it out and found only potsherds, so he cried out,
‘* Help, I have been robbed,’’ whereupon his com-
panions came up, and after sympathizing with him,
the seventh said, ‘‘ All you people have been robbed
but I can hardly lose my money for I have it all,
three hundred rupees, sewn into a kistbau which I
wear under my /ulana and kanzu and never take off.’’
When the youth heard this he was much perplexed,
and went home to think over how he could become
possessed of it. In the morning he went to a shop
and bought a quarter of a pound of gimger and a
quarter of a pound of pepper and took them to his
wife and said, ‘‘ Make 77 and mix them in and prepare
also a chicken with wale and bring it to the Juma
mosque to-night.’’ He then went to find him and
said, ‘‘ I am a blind man and a stranger from Arabia,
help me; take my hand and lead me to a place to
sleep.’’ The beggar took his hand and led him to
382 ZANZIBAR
the Juma mosque and said, ‘‘ Sit down here ’’; after
which he conversed with him for some time asking
news from Arabia. At ten o’clock the youth’s wife
came to the door with w72 and the fowl and bread and
said, ‘‘ Hodi,’’ and called out, ‘‘ I have brought food
for my husband who was to have returned from
Arabia.’ The blind beggar got up and fetched the
food and endeavoured to wake the youth who had
fallen asleep, calling in his ear, ‘‘ Muhammad,
Muhammad.’ ‘‘ What is it?’’ asked the youth
sleepily. ‘‘ Wake up, wake up,” said the beggar.
‘*'Your wife has brought some food.’’ ‘* You can
have it,’’ said the youth, ‘‘ for I am not hungry.’’
The beggar drank three cups of 72, but it was so
hot he burnt his inside and made him perspire so
much that he wanted to bathe, which, however, he
was afraid to do on account of having to take his waist-
coat off. He called, ‘‘ Muhammad, Muhammad,”’
but the youth feigned sleep, so he quietly took off
his clothes and went and turned the tap on; then he
returned to the youth who was still feigning sleep, so
he went back and started to bathe, whereupon the
youth at once jumped up and seized the waistcoat
and ran away.
When he returned from his washing the beggar
discovered his loss and made such an uproar that
many people came, but they did not catch the youth,
who got right away.

The Three Sick Wagunya

Once upon a time there were three Wagunya;
one of them had itch in his arm, one had a sore on
his leg, and the third had a discharge from the eyes.
The one that had itch was continually scratching his
arm, the one that had a sore on his leg had perpetually
to drive flies away, and the third was always having
to rub his eyes.
One day when they were sitting together they
agreed that for a whole day the one with itch should
not scratch himself, the one with a sore should not
drive away the flies, and the third should not take
the discharge out of his eyes. They sat together for
some time suffering much irritation, but after a while
the one with the sore said he had been to see a dance
where the performers sang Panga timba and clapped
their hands over and below their legs, of which he
gave a practical demonstration which succeeded, not
only in showing his companions the nature of the
dance, but in keeping the flies away from his sore.
The one who had itch said he had been to the
shore and seen a fish about “‘ this size,’’ with which
words he drew his nails up his arm from wrist to
shoulder. The one who had the discharge from the
eyes said, ‘‘ Yes, it is so, for I saw it with my own
eyes,’’ and here he pulled them down, which allowed
the discharge to escape.

The Two Thieves

Once upon a time there were two thieves; one

stole a duck and the other stole a gun. They were
put in jail, and the one who stole the duck was
brought up first to be tried before the Kathi.
The Kathi asked him if he had stolen the duck
and he said, ‘‘ No, I bought the duck when it was
a duckling,’’ and the Kathz told the complainant that
he had no proof and let the thief go.
When he went back to the jail to get his property
the other thief asked him how he managed to get off,
and he told him.
So when the second thief came before the Kathz,
the Kathi asked him in the same way, how he had
got the gun, and he said, ‘‘ I bought it when it was
a pistol, and I oiled it and looked after it, and now
it is a gun.”’ The Kathi said, ‘‘ I am afraid if you
are not stopped it will grow into a cannon.’’ So he
put that man in jail for some time.
384 ZANZIBAR
A Cunning Rabbit
Once upon a time during the hot season a
collection of animals made a plan to dig a well. All
agreed except the rabbit, who said he had got very
sweet water for himself. The other animals dug a
well, and when the water came they used to keep one
animal on duty to see that no animal should get the
water other than those who dug the well.
The first time a hyena was put on duty; he was
there alone and the rabbit came, singing, ‘‘ Vgungu
vu N gunguru ’’—‘‘ and I fetched a little water ata time
from the well.’? When he arrived the hyena told
him not to take any water from the well. The rabbit
replied, ‘‘ Who wants that tasteless water! I have got
some very sweet water to drink. If you want any
I will give you some.’”’ He had honey in his pot,
and he gave some to the hyena who found it very
sweet and asked for some more. The rabbit said,
‘* T will not give you any unless I tie you very tightly
with a rope, because you will fall down after you
have drunk this water of mine.”’ The hyena agreed
and was tied very tightly so that he could not move.
Then the rabbit refused to give him any of his water
and went to the well, took as much water as he liked,
bathed in the well and went away. When the hyena’s
companions came and found him tied they asked him,
‘*Who has done this?’’ He said, ‘‘A rabbit.’’
He was found to be useless.
A lion stayed there the next day. The rabbit
came as usual and saw the lion who said to him,
‘“'Why do you come here?’’ He replied, ‘‘I am
going to my work. I do not want your water, I have
got very sweet water.’’ The lion asked to taste it
and the rabbit gave him some, and he asked for some
more, but the rabbit told him he must tie him first
because he would fall down. The lion agreed and
was tied, then the rabbit did as he liked.
The next day a turtle was put on duty, and he
sunk himself under the water in the well. The
 TALES 385
rabbit came singing as usual, and as there was nobody
there, he filled his pot with water, then went in to
bathe. The turtle at once caught him by the legs
and held him there until all the animals came and
found him and they tied him up. They wanted to eat
him and he said, ‘‘ If you want to eat me, you must
tie me with a very dry banana tree rope and put me
in the sun, then I will become very fat, otherwise you
will find me very weak and tasteless.’’ They did as
he told them, and the rabbit, on being put in the sun
with rotten string, ran away and escaped from the
cruel animals.
This story is common in many countries, and is
told in Mauritius.

The Chameleon and the Buffalo

All the animals were called to a feast; some
went on in front and others lagged behind. The
chameleon was a long way behind. Presently he met
the buffalo, and the buffalo said, “‘ Why don’t you
hurry up?’ ‘The chameleon said, “‘ I shall get there
before you. When are you going?’”’ The buffalo
replied, ‘‘ To-morrow,’’ and the chameleon said,
‘‘'When you go, pass along here, because I have
something to tell you.”’
The next day the buffalo came and they chatted
together for some time until the buffalo said, ‘‘ Good-
bye,’’ and left the chameleon behind saying, “‘ Go,
and I will come behind.’’ As he went the chameleon
climbed on to his tail.
When he got there the buffalo wanted to sit down.
Suddenly he heard the voice of the chameleon:
‘* You big people should look where you are FOS
you don’t consider us small people, and you will hurt
uSat.
The buffalo was astonished, as he had no idea
how the chameleon had come, but the chameleon did
not tell him and he returned the same way that he
had come.
386 ZANZIBAR
Kibunwasi Recovers the Poor Man’s Goats
Once upon a time there was a poor man who had
a she-goat, but he had no male goat, so he asked the
Sultan to have his she-goat crossed. So the Sultan
told him to keep the goat with his herd and when she
got kids he might have them. After some time the
she-goat had many kids, and the man went and asked
for his goats, which were many. The Sultan refused,
saying, ‘‘ They are all mine; if it were not for my
goat you wouldn’t have got them.’’ The man could
not do anything, so he went to Kibunwasi and com-
plained. Kibunwasi was the Sultan’s jester, and he
said, ‘‘ When you get the goats, how many will you
give me?’’ He agreed they should be divided equally
between them.
Next day Kibunwasi left his house early in the
morning with an axe on his shoulder, and passed in
front of the palace. The Sultan was standing on his
verandah and asked him where he was going to.
Kibunwasi replied, ‘“‘ Sultan, I’ am very busy at
present, I will come back later.’? When he returned
he was carrying some very large logs on his shoulder.
The Sultan asked him what the logs were for. He
replied, ‘‘ My father has delivered, sir, and I am going
to make a fire for him.’’ The Sultan said, ‘‘ You
are telling lies; how can a man deliver a child?’ He
then said, ‘‘ Why has your Highness not given this
poor man his goats? He had a she-goat and you
have a he-goat; how can your he-goat have produced
the kids?’’ Then the Sultan laughed and gave him
all the goats belonging to the poor man. Then they
divided them.

Kibunwasi Builds a High House in a Day

One day the Sultan said, ‘‘ Among all my people
is there anyone who can build me a very high house
in a day?’’ Kibunwasi said, ‘‘I can, but you must
get me the stones and labourers.’”? So the Sultan
 TALES 387
replied, ‘‘ Very well.’? So Kibunwasi made a huge
kite, and got a lot of string and tied a lot of old tins
on it, and sent it up. It flew up to the end of the
string and roared in the wind, and the tins clattered.
Then he went to the Sultan and said, ‘‘ The fundis
say the stone is finished; send some more and come
and have a look at the work.’’ When they got there
Kibunwasi said, ‘‘ Climb up and see how the work
is getting on.’’ But the Sultan said, ‘‘ How can a
man climb a string?’’ And Kibunwasi said, ‘‘ How
can a man build a very high house in a day?’”’ So
the Sultan determined to kill Kibunwasi, and he
called his bavaza and gave everyone an egg, and said,
“* Presently I shall tell everyone to lay an egg, and
you must produce your eggs.”’
After this Kibunwasi came in, and they waited
until the end of the daraza, and then the Sultan said,
*“ Everyone must lay anegg. If anyone does not lay
an egg, I will kill him.’’ So everyone produced an
egg except Kibunwasi, but he got up and flapped his
arms and crowed loudly. And the Sultan asked why
he did so, and Kibunwasi replied, ‘‘Is there any
animal who can produce without a male? All these
people have laid eggs, and I am the cock.’’ So
Kibunwasi triumphed, and everyone was ashamed that
Kibunwasi could be the only male among them.

Kibunwasi and the Three Thieves

One day Kibunwasi was going along the road with
his goat and he met three thieves, who, when they
saw him coming, agreed that one of them should
pretend to have a stomach-ache and lie down on the
ground. Kibunwasi came up, and seeing the man on
the ground, asked what was the matter, and he
said, ‘‘I am in great pain.”’ So Kibunwasi said,
‘‘ Are you able to hold a goat’s string?’’ and he
replied ‘‘ Yes.’? So he took the man us and carried
him, and gave him the goat’s rope to hold.
On the way the thief let the goat go, unknown to
388 ZANZIBAR
Kibunwasi, who, on reaching his house, asked the
thief what had happened to it. And the man said,
‘‘] was in great pain, and the string slipped out of
my hand.”’
Meanwhile the other two thieves had caught the
goat and killed it, and divided it into three parts,
and their companion, who had pretended to be ill,
managed to escape from Kibunwasi’s house while he
was away, and soon rejoined them. When Kibunwasi
found out he had gone, he told his wife that he must
go and find them, but before doing so he got two
gazelles, which he fastened in the yard, and a bladder
which he filled with blood. He said to his wife, ‘‘ I
will follow the thieves with one gazelle, and you must
fasten the bladder of blood to your throat.’’ And she
did so.
He then went and found the thieves, and after
talking to them for some time, told them he wanted
to join them, and they agreed to let him. Whilst
they were going back to his house he hit the gazelle
with a stick and said, ‘‘ Go to my wife and tell her
to cook food for three.’’ The gazelle ran away into
the bush. When they arrived home at Kibunwasi’s
house, he called out, “‘ Wife, have you cooked the
food?’’ and she said, ‘‘ No. Why?’’ And he
said, “‘ Didn’t the gazelle tell you to?’’ She replied,
‘““ The gazelle came back and went into the hut and
told me nothing.’? Then Kibunwasi fetched the
second gazelle and asked why it hadn’t told her,
and the gazelle cried, “‘ I told her a long time ago
to do it.’ Kibunwasi then went and knocked his
wife down, cutting the bladder at her throat, and
she pretended to be dead. The thieves were very
frightened, and said, “‘ He has killed his wife.’’ But
Kibunwasi said, ‘‘ She has no sense, so I punished
her,’’ and he took a bottle of medicine and let her
smell it, then touched her with a stick. When she
got up he told her to wash herself and then cook some
food, then they all sat down and ate.
After they had finished, the thieves, who had been
 TALES 389

greatly struck with what they had seen, asked if he

would let them have the gazelle, the stick and the
medicine, and after some discussion he sold them
to them for a thousand rupees, and they took the
things and went away. After they had gone Kibun-
wasi ran away from that place and went and lived in
another country.
One day when the thieves were out with the
gazelle, one of them hit it with the stick and told it
to go home and tell his wife to cook some food, and
it ran away into the bush. When they got home they
found nothing ready, and the man asked his wife why
she had not done as the gazelle had told her. She
said, ‘‘ No gazelle has come here.’’ And he, think-
ing she was lying, knocked her down and cut her
throat, and she kicked out in her death struggles and
expired. He then gave her the medicine to smell and
hit her with the stick, but they saw she did not revive
and was really dead.
Meanwhile Kibunwasi, having run away into a
strange country, had none of his own things with him,
so he had to go to a neighbour’s house to borrow a
saucepan, and when he returned it he returned also
another small one. The man wondered at this, and
Kibunwasi said, ‘‘Oh, your saucepan has borne
another.’? The next day he went to borrow one
again, and got such a nice one that he kept it a very
long time, and when the owner asked for it he said,
‘‘Oh, your saucepan died.’’ The man asked why,
and Kibunwasi said, ‘‘ Oh, everything that has breath
and loses it dies.”’

Further Adventures of Kibunwasi

Once upon a time there was a tom-cat, and he
went out for a walk and he met a very beautiful she-
cat. So he went home, but in the evening he went to
the tabby-cat’s house, knocked at the door and said
‘* Hodi.’’? The she-cat called out, ‘‘ Who are you? ’”’
‘‘Tt is I,’? he answered. ‘‘ Who are you?’’ she
390 ZANZIBAR
said. ‘‘I am the child of Panduna Kame,’ he
replied. ‘‘My brother,’? she exclaimed. She
unfastened the door and came out, and he said,
‘“Now I am going to scratch you.’’ She ran away
and he followed her, but he did not catch her, so he
returned home to his house, and she also went home.
The next day he did the same, and got hold of her,
but she shrieked and the owner came out, whereupon
the tom-cat scratched him and ran away.
The owner of the she-cat felt very bitter, but he
could not catch him, and wondered what cat it was.
He returned inside and shut up the she-cat. The
next day he did not come, but on the fourth day he
came and got into the fowl-house, where he ate two
small chickens. The fowls made such a noise that
the owner came out and saw the cat, which ran away.
He went among his friends and said, ‘‘ There is a
cat round here that is a great trouble to me,’’ and he
told them all it had done. One of his friends, called
Kibunwasi, said, ‘‘ I have a rat-trap which I will lend
you; it is a big rat-trap.’’ And he explained to him
how he should put his hand in to prepare the bait.
The owner of the cat took the trap home and followed
out Kibunwasi’s instructions, so that the trap caught
him by the hand and he could not get it out again.
There were no other houses near his, and no one
heard his cries and he died, and Kibunwasi got his
property.
Kibunwasi took everything of his and sold them,
after which he went to another town on the mainland.
After some time the dead man’s relations came and
found out what had happened, and were told that the
trap was Kibunwasi’s idea. Kibunwasi, who was on
the mainland, heard of this, so he journeyed farther
away. When he was a distance of two days away he
wanted meat, so he caught a gazelle, and taking it
with him went on his way. Presently he met a lion,
who said, ‘* Kibunwasi, your time is finished. Give
the gazelle to the dogs to eat (for Kibunwasi had two
dogs with him), you eat the dogs and I will eat you.”
 CARES 391
Kibunwasi was very afraid, but he gave the gazelle
to the dogs, and then a big frog came out, and puffing
his cheeks up to an enormous size, asked what all the
trouble was about. Kibunwasi told him, and the frog
said, “‘ Yes, do it quickly, and I will then eat him.”’
And he blew himself out to such an extent that the
lion said, ‘‘ Yes, it is true, I think he will eat me.”’
So he went ‘away, and the frog told Kibunwasi, “‘ You
are safe now, I can’t eat you; take your property
and go.”’
 CHAPTER XXXVI
A SPECIMEN OF PEMBA POETRY
Tue history of its composition is as follows: Salim
bin Masud wanted a wife from the village called
Vitongoje. He did not succeed in getting her. So
a friend, Nassor bin Khalfan, addressed the first
verse to him in a friendly derision. The second is
Salim’s reply, and the third Khalfan’s, and so on.
The first three lines of each verse rhyme at the
end and in the middle. The fourth rhymes in the
middle with the end syllable of the first three lines,
and its own end is unpaired.
The second or reply verse follows the same rhyme
as the first in each case.
Nakusikia waposa kwa nguvu na Makelele
Naweye huna mapesa uwape nini wavyele
Domo tupu utakosa kuwowa shoti riale.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Hilo kweli niliposa hakika kwa miyezi hile
Mayateni ukhamsa nilizowapa wazile
Nikaona wanitesa na nisai kwetu tele.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
Yakhe bure hutapewa salimu mke sinywelc
Twaona kuna ghumiwa kakulilia chechele
Kake jenendo lauwa utajifinja vidole.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Kufika Kwangu niowa muhibu kurudi kule
Hivi enda chukuliwa kwa shangwe na masokole
Nawe nakwita akhua uje ngoma Kopole.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
392
A SPECIMEN OF PEMBA POETRY _ 393
Mshahara wa notisi hudiriki hatta chele
Tena wafanya maposi wenda kwa yule na yule
Huwazi wala hukisi tanabuhi usilale.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Mshahara wa notisi hushinda wenye vilele
Kulla stku niarusi kwa fedha yakazi hile
Patole silakiasi dawamu nivile vile.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
Unyonge unakuweza kijio wala matale
Nabado wautembeza mwezangu wajinga Ole
Huwezi kujituliza nakukhofia na ndwele.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Bado haujaniweza shai hunywa kwa magole
Penye rizki huyenza japo tumwa mtambile
Wajifumbiya aziza kula pweza na uwele.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
Kulla siku twaabiwa msikitu hendi mbele
Kwa kuku hutaozewa ya leo siyo yakale
Watafuta kashifiwa wajsijuwa ushongole.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Hilo kweli twaambiwa mvivu haba patole
Hodari huchunukiwa japo mpemba wa kwale
Wajaala hujaliwa vyalia vigelegele.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
Tulizana mposaji hapa ngojea kazole
Baada thiki farajt mwakani machumi tele
Wawatatu ni mmoja usidhani mi wapole.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Takithiri maposaji madamu silimi chale
Fulust ni kama maji maneno yako male
Nipendae tazawiji japo akawa kingwele.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu niowa.
Tama ajile na dama ukanambia sumile
Utadhiika daima na kashifa ya milele
Watu wataka ndarama utowe weye wazile.
Salimu mke sinywele yakhe bure hutapewa.
Tammat sitakwandama kwa leo siji keshole
Kwakula mtaka vema huuza japo shambale
Nakwosha vitowa vyuma mimi simtu jefule.
Muhibu kurudi kule kufika kwangu nowa.
394 ZANZIBAR
I heard that you propose to marry by force and with
disturbances, and you have got no money. What will you
give to the parents? You won’t get a wife with words only.
you must have money. Salim, a wife is not hair. You will
not be given free.
That is true. I intended to marry for some months past.
I have two hundred and five (rupees) to eat. I saw them
putting me off, and women are plentiful in our village.
My good fellow, when I returned home I got married. |
My brother, you will not be given free, a wife is not hair,
you seem to be perplexed, the chechele bird sang for you.
My elder brother, walking will kill you, you will break
your toes. Salim, a wife is not hair. You will not be given
free.
When I reached home from there I got married. Now
she is going to be taken with ceremony and pleasures. And
I invite you, my brother, to come to the dance at Kopole.
My good fellow, when I returned home I got married.
A summons server’s pay won’t even pay for rice. Then
you propose to marry anyone from anywhere. You don’t
trouble now, but afterwards you will not get sleep. Salim,
a wife is not hair. My brother, you will not be given free.
A summons server’s pay is better than that of those who
have trees. Every day I can have a wedding for the money
of that work. Every day we get more than what you think.
My good fellow, when I returned I got married.
In poverty you make a meal of unripe coco-nuts. And
besides that you make a show of it. My companion, woe
to fools, you cannot get peace, I am afraid of sickness for
you. Salim, a wife is not hair. You will not be given free.
I can still bear poverty, I take tea with soft cakes.
Having means of life I keep it, even if I am sent to
Mtambile. You are making a riddle for yourself, my friend,
eating octopus and small grain. My good friend, when I
returned home I got married.
Every day people say that anyone who has nothing does
not go forward. Fora fowl you can’t get married; to-day is
not like a long time ago. You are looking for disparage-
ment for you know you are a fool. Salim, a wife is not
hair. You will not be given free.
This is true, for we are told that a lazy man gets little.
A clever man gets things given him even if he is an Mpemba
of Kwale. Those that are destined to get things get them
and make joyful noises. My good fellow, when I returned
home I got married.
Stop asking for a wife now, wait until cloves are plentiful.
After hardships is ease. In the coming year there will be
plenty to pick. He who had three wives now has one; don’t
think they are mad. Salim, a wife is not hair. You will
not be given free.
 ART 395
I will continue to ask for a wife, for I don’t cultivate
a new shamba. Money is like water; your words are wind.
Anyone I like I will marry, even if she is unthinkable.
My good fellow, when I returned home I got married.
Finish quickly and I follow you. You told me to
get out of the way. You will have trouble every day and
disparagement for ever. Men who want money you will
pay, and they will take. Salim, a wife is not hair. You
will not be given free.
This is the end. I won’t follow you to-day. I don’t
know about to-morrow. For everyone who wants good
things must sell even his shamba. I have already paid the
money, I am not slow. My good fellow, when I returned
home I got married.

This is a very good poem and argument to show

a native’s way of chaffing and repartee. Salim is, as
will be seen, one of the Court summons servers.

ART

The art of the Swahili is not to be found among

his drawings, for very few of them can draw any sort
of a picture, and when asked to their efforts are most
crude, as will be seen from the accompanying sketches.

A duck and a fish

This statement is also true of the Arabs, though

there is a notable exception in Zanzibar in the person
396 ZANZIBAR

of Sheriff Mansab, well known to all Zanzibaris,

whose paintings in oils and water colours, both portrait

A dhow in full sail and a flying fish by an Mhadimu

and landscape, have a modest fame in the city. He

has had several pupils, and there can be said to be

A dhow at anchor by an Mtumbatu

a Mansabia School of artists, for their work is all

 ART 397
characterized by the same style, which shows the same
good points and faults, chief of which latter is a lack
of proper perspective.
The most interesting form of native art in Zanzibar
is probably that to be found in the ‘‘ poker-work ’’ on
the large wooden spoons which are
made in most villages: to the
uninitiated, the patterns on them have
little meaning, but each of them has ee,
its mame, and they are all derived
from natural objects, such as leaves,
fishes and lizards.
Photos of various examples of
their work from both Pemba and
Zanzibar are to be found in this book,
but the best come from the village of
Unguja Kuu, in Zanzibar Gboal
I give a picture of these fine examples.
The following is a description of what
the various patterns represent.
No. 1. Reading from __ top.
(1) Ukaia—the ornamentation on
woman’s ear paper. (2) Cap decora-
tion. A cock. Grass on_ top.
Two rows of mtama (sorghum) for it
to eat. Back and front of it a fan. 4picker climbing a
Mnyamata—a sea creature found on cree att pera an
the foreshore. Three groups of cakes a
called sambusa. Three windows with chains round
each. A sambusa cake. Borities (building poles).
Windows with fish called kzkande between them.
Sambusa cakes in corner. Two windows with two
fishes, pono above and Zasi below. Two windows with
kikande fish between. Two round windows with a
big one between and borities and fans round. Star at
bottom. (There are also stars on the back of the
spoon.)
No. 2. Chain. House with windows. Date
between borities. Mmxyamata. Peacock. Mnyamata.
Sambusa. Sambusa and Mnyamata between two
398 ZANZIBAR
windows. Chain round big window. In the middle
above date, chains between two stars. At bottom
borities. Aole Kole fish. Leaves left and right of
window. Sambusa. The fish at the bottom are
Mkundaje, Changu and tasi. Borities below (stars on
back).
Na 3. Heart (kopa=the conventional heart of
playing-cards). Sambusa above, grass inside. Sam-
éusa and two fans. Bao or board to put the heart on.
Stars. Kenge (Nile monitor) chain on each side.
Stars. Kole Kole fish with borities above, fans in
corner and stars around. Mkundaje with chain each
Sidé, slnree stars:
Right Side. Chain. Butterfly, three wings.
Fans. Sambusa.
Kenge. Borities above and Sambusa each side.
Grass below. House cap. Munyamata.
Left Side. As right. Date with chains above
and between.
The rope and cheyron patterns, which are of con-
siderable antiquity and found on ruins in Pemba, are
popular. They are above referred to as “‘ chain,’’ as
they were so described to me by the carver of the
spoons.
Interesting patterns are also embroidered on the
beautiful caps worn by all natives, all of which are
called by separate names.
The patterns of the wood carvers, as shown in
several examples in the book and especially on doors,
are also worthy of attention.
Arab art on copper, brass and silver ware is some-
what outside the scope of this book. The work of
Ali Muhammad, a Comorian, on jambiyas or curved
daggers is very famous, and specimens of his work
command high prices and are scarce. One speaks of
Ali Muhammad jambiyas as one does of Chippendale
chairs.
segureeerangeeaogren serene en:
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7
HREE HADIMU SPOONS DECORATED WITH POKER WORK
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 CHAPTER XXXVII

Music, Soncs AND DANCES

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

I sHALL first give a list with short details of the

musical instruments, under which heading I include
anything that makes a noise.

(@) Drums—N goma,

Vume, big drum; one end oxhide, one goatskin,
with a charm fixed inside. Chapwo, small variety of
vume, both ends goatskin.
Msondo and kinganga chake. Used in women’s
dance msondo. The former is covered with oxhide
and the latter with goatskin. The skin is usually
shaved after being fastened on.
Mshindo. Three-legged, hollow inside, and no
bottom. The top is the skin of Cephalophus adersi.
Tutu. Drum used to signal news of ngoma to be
held. The top is the skin of Nesotragus moschatus.
The only drum beaten with a drum-stick (of coco-nut
midrib).
Rewa is used as a gong, as well as in the dance
rewa. Top of oxhide. A large edition of tutu.
Kindimba. Formerly used in Zanzibar in the
dance marinda, which is now forgotten. The top is
the skin of Varanus niloticus.
Kiminingo. The top skin is of goat, used in the
dance kidebe and others.
Mrungura. A Pemba drum. Top skin of goat.
Small drum on three or four legs, which are all on a
stand. The drum legs and stand are all carved from
the one piece of wood, and often beautifully decorated
with carving. Used in dance msembwi and others.
o09
400 ZANZIBAR
Vume, chapuo, and mshindo are used in most
dances.
(6) Tambourines—7 72.
Tari used in the dance tari. Skin of Nesotragus
moschatus. Tari na kengele with bells used in the
dance tari. Skin of Cephalophus aderst.
Kinganga. Used in maulidi. Skin of Cephalo-
phus aderst.
(c) Wind Instruments.
Baragumu, a large shell with a hole in the side,
used to announce the fact that fish is in the market.
Zomari. Made in Pemba, a kind of clarionet. It
sounds like bagpipes. The players get high fees, and
are trained from youth to get distended cheeks. The
mouthpiece is of mwale leaf, and the lip piece of coco-
nut, note-part of metal, key-part and horn of wood.
(Z2) String Instruments.
Zeze, a kind of banjo, played for amusement and
not in dances. Ainanda, a mandolin.

(e) Miscellaneous.
Kayamba. Flat rattle used in most dances.
Miwale. Pieces of midrib of mwale palm, used
in some dances as cymbals.
Upatu. Brass gong used in most dances. When
not obtainable a kerosene tin is used.
M biu (not mbui as Steere). A buffalo horn beaten
with stick in some dances.
Lelimama and mpinga. Horn and beaters. Used
in the dance lelimama.
Sanji ya cherewa. A tin rattle used in the dance
cherewa.
Misewe. Worn on the legs in a dance. Seeds
of the cherewa tree with beads in.
Njuga. Iron bells each with a different note,
tied to legs and worn in msondo and other dances.
Kidebe. A new invention played by children,
and used in child’s dance of same name.
 (Upper) ORCHESTRA FOR THE DANCE KUMBA
(Left) ORCHESTRA FOR VINGAGO. (Right) a and j—CHAPUO. b.—MSHINDO.
c.—TARI NA KENGELE. d.—TARI. e._KINGANGA CHA MSONDO, f.—KINDIMBA,
g.—MSONDO h.—KINGANGA CHA MAULIDI. i.—TUTU. k.—VUME. 1.—KIMININGO.
tay -
oer
=>- re
ooa 7
sieets &: senders ae hy
a¥o~—@ ST ee = fas
Mine: Vay ose
(1s = Penny ®th
N Dib ~—S we <es Brie, an
to 410 lepeeageenhe
’~oée Ww
i - : hints
 DANCES 401
Manganja. Made of shavings with seeds inside,
worn on the legs in kidebe and manyema dances.
Marimba (Xylophone). Played with beaters
with rubber ends. The rubber is gathered from wild
rubber vines.
The orchestral accompaniment to dances is very
monotonous, and this produces after a time a kind
of hypnotic sensation. This is precisely the effect
aimed at, and natives much prefer their own music
to European tunes for this reason.

DANCES

I now come to consideration of the dances them-

selves. The following is a list of some of the dances
native to, or extensively played in, Zanzibar: Robamba,
Lelimama, Komero, Kinyawa, Kigala, Rohania,
Magani, Kidebe, Miulani banda, Kumbwaya,
Manyago, Tahari, Rewa, Kibisa, Sediriki, Jinga muto,
Cherewa, Mwamba, Bwende, Msinda, Msondo,
Kihiyao, Kidagaa, Tiari, Kibundi, Tari, Kitimiri,
Nyunja, Mchanga, Mdebe, Umunde, Chapauringe,
Bondogea, Mdema, Ngwale, Kunguwiya, Vinyago,
Unyago, Kikwayakwaya, Mabugu, Kidahariro,
Sakata and many others.
There are two others, now prohibited, called
bora and kiumbizi, which latter consisted chiefly in
knocking your neighbour over the head with a big
stick.
Maulidi, or the celebration of the birth of
Muhammad, might also be included, and the Pemba
bull-fights must also be described.
The following is a brief description of some of the
above dances. It will be noted that there are many
dialectical words in the songs. I give the interpreta-
tions given me. (They were translated into Kiunguja
for me).
(a) Kidagaa (Hadimu).
Instruments used: mshindo, chapuo, zomari and
upatu.
402 ZANZIBAR
Some of the words:
Pwane kidagaa we, Pwane kidagaa.
Nataka mcheso kidagaa we, Nataka mcheso kidagea
Wana Wa membe wendaye Fungunt.
Jehazi imetia nanga. Teremkani.
Go to the shore, Kidagaa, thou. To the shore, Kidagaa.
I want the play, Kidagaa, thou, I want the play, Kidagaa.
The children of the sea-gulls go to the shoal,
The dhow has let down its anchor. Go down.
A kind of small fish. Said to refer to a man
who is impotent. The players shuffle round in a
circle, shrugging shoulders from side to side.

(0) Tiari (Hadimu).

Instruments used: mshindo, zomari, chapuo and
upaty.
Words:
Nitendeje chombo, mwana wa miza
Nambiye wongo, tendeje chombo,
Nilipokwenda majini ya chukiwa
Tendeje chombo uziwa. :
Kule mjini kuna mambo, mkobelene mtenda hando.
What shall I do, Chombo, child of miza?
I am told lies, what shall I do, Chombo?
When I went to the djinns, they were angry.
What shall I do, Chombo? Has it (the devil) gone to the
sea?
There in the town there is business, play till you reach the
woman.
This is played in the same way as Kidagaa.

(c) Kibundt.
Instruments used: chapuo, mshindo and upatu.
Food used: honey, sugar-cane and bananas.
Words:
Kina mama msakose mayowe,
Kwende tendeje mchana kibandani kwa mtwana,
Ukitake nikatia kanga, siutake msugunda
Siafu wandruma, ndruma siafu.
Thou, woman, make song.
What did you do in the day in the slave’s hut?
 DANCES 403
If you want to, cut mea cloth; I don’t want a black one.
The ants are biting me, biting me, the ants.

This is played when a man is sick (in head, chest

or stomach). He is put on a bed and the drum is
beaten, then the afflicted one shakes his head and
the devil is then located there. Then he falls in with
the women and men. First the women in a line on
one side, and the men opposite. The lines approach
and join and then go round in circles face to back
very fast. The dance starts at twelve noon and ends
at sunset, when the food is given which (as in all these
exorcizing dances) goes to the devil really, though
the patient eats it.

(2) Lelimama.
Instruments: mbiu, chapuo, or vume, zomari,
upatu, mpinga.
Words:
Mwanzo wa lelimama ni lala, lilipoanzwa lelimama.
The start of lelimama is lying, when lelimama is started.
Swaying movements—no motion. Played at
weddings or for amusement only.

(e) Rohania (Pemba).

Instruments: chapuo, vume, upatu and zomari.
Food, etc.: Yungi Yungi (blue water lily—
Nymphea stellata), sugar-cane, ripe bananas
(mpukusa) halwa, dates, raisins, granulated sugar,
lump sugar and bread.
Words:
Sikuapo atokea maziwa, misiwapo miende, akumbiwe. La
mnyonge hilo jiwe.
I was not there when the milk came out; the goers were
not there, he was told. This stone is not a musical
entertainment.

Used for exorcizing or amusement. Rohan is a

storm devil.
404 ZANZIBAR
(f) Magant.
Words:
Tata, tata, tata wambia kijana hakinacha, tumehasiana
imependeza wawilt kukumbatiana.
Tangle, tangle, tangle, tell the youth not to leave off. We
have gone apart. It is pleasant for two to embrace.
All sit down, no instruments, hand-clapping only.
For amusement.
(g) Manyago.
Instruments : xjuga and misewe.
The wearers of misewe also wear a short dress of
wild date-palm fronds (wkindu).
Words:
Hainama dondore
Kitambihiki chako bwana
Mkongwe, amkera kwenda minya
Natufike Kichane mataa ruma umande.
He will not bend down to pick it up. This piece of cloth
is yours, master. An old man is worrying me to go
to kill. Let us get to Kichani. The dew is on the
spokes of the wheels. '
Played at circumcision.
(kh) Kumbwaya.
Instruments: chapuo, vume, tutu, zomari, upatu.
Words :
Si wewe, mwambia jambo, si wewe.
Not you, bid him greeting, not you.
For amusement and to exorcize the devil
Kumbwaya.
(7) Rewa.
Instruments: vewa and drum-sticks, two chapuo,
upatu and zomari.
Food: millet, Zalwa, dates, raisins, flour, sugar-
cane, ripe bananas, bread.
Words:
Makame juma, Mpunga rewa, kitumbo.
Makame Juma, exorcize Rewa, stomachwise.
To exorcize the devil Rewa.
 DANCES 405
(7) Kibisa.
Instruments: four misondo.
Words:
Kumbiye mwaka wendao Bara umhimiza maneno.

To exorcize. The bead dress shown is worn.

(2) Tari.
Instruments: ¢a7i and kinganga.
Words :
Shungia ngoma, jini akija, Shungia ngoma.
Increase the pace of the dance; when the djinn comes,
increase the pace of the dance.

Played moving backwards and forwards. To

exorcize or for amusement.
(2) Cherewa.
Instruments: San7z ya cherewa.
Words:
Nipigie cherewa, kimaulidi bwana.
Beat cherewa for me, like Maulidi, master.

For amusement.
(m) Mwamba.
Instruments: two vume, chapuo, upatu, zomari,
tutu.
The exorcizing implement zsizga is also used.
Food, etc. : sugar, sugar-cane, raisins, cardamom,
cinnamon, betel, madafu (coco-nut milk), eggs, bread,
flour, mxyonoro, dalia (yellow cosmetic), wanza (black
cosmetic).
Words:
Tumekuja kiringenit, mambo mtendayo sio
Tulizana we, kaini, tukunyamaza hilio.
We have come to the devil dance; you are not doing it
properly. Stay you of a hard heart, that we may
silence your cry.
To exorcize.
406 ZANZIBAR
(x) Bwende.
Played as Mwamba, but different words. A
turban is used like that in the dance Rokamba, but
white instead of blue.
Sikuapo, nalikuwa Potowa, nipokuja mwamba unalia,
nilikuta chumbani goa.
Kisu changu cha ngereza mpini wa rezareza, nyoka, kam-
wambiya mkunga kama leo takumeza, mpikia mchuzi wa
pweza leo, Hivt ta bwereza, maliza habari ya nyamweazi.
Nagopia takweleza, nimechoka upagazi mzigo mkubwa
Ssiwezi.
I was not here, I was at Potowa (a village near Mkokotoni).
When I came you were singing mwamba. I met the
Goan in the room.
My knife is English, the handle of Reza Reza. And the
snake has told the midwife. If to-day I shall swallow
it, cook gravy of cuttle-fish to-day. fn this way I will
delay, finish the business of the Nyamwezi man.
I fear I shall tell it. I am tired of the carrying of a big
burden, I can’t do it.

(0) Msinda.
Instruments : vume, two chapuo, zomari, upatu.
Food, etc.: sugar-cane, Yungi Yumngi, dates,
raisins, halwa, granulated and lump sugar, bananas
(kisukarit), eggs and bread. All to be served on a
chano, and the following Koran text written on a
saucer and dissolved in water.
La llahi ila Allah, lla hua, li hayu, li kayumu Uli tahutha,
Sinatu walla naumu llahi majt. Samawali walla aretha,
walla ya uduhu kifithu huinu llialihu llathimu.
Words:
Ya kwanza, ya kwanza wa kurufumzi, mkewako
Ya kwanza mwambwa yeye.
Tairem waganga mwarikuja kirimgeni
Tairent waganga.
The first, the first was one who had been initiated, your
first woman spoke well. Give permission, medicine-
men, for the initiate to come to the devil dance, give
permission, medicine-men.

To exorcize.
 DANCES 407
(p) Msondo.
Instruments: msondo and kinganga chake.
Words :
Tito yayo kukaole, kibonongwa
Uka usifu ya ngombe, unyago Zingwe Zingwe.

Played with the utmost secrecy by women when

a girl is ready to be married.
(7) Manyema, or Kumba (Pemba, but imported).
Instruments: chapuo, zomari and manganja.
Words:
Mulume wangu lungu. Tubengele tumkwa mbe kibanda
lelele. Awini nyamile witamba leyo nami hali kaleta
ndo mitambe miye kibande ah ah, mulume wake ah ah.
(From Craster’s Pemba.)
In this dance extraordinary head-dresses of
feathers, etc., and even cast-off European ladies’ hats
are worn, and the faces are whitened in some cases
with elaborate patterns in chalk. The chief feature
of the dance is the extraordinary contortions which
the women players are capable of performing with
their hindquarters.
The Manyema are Congo people, and during the
dance time they speak no language but their own.
(7) Kitimirt.
Instruments: vume, two chapuo, tutu.
Food : sugar-cane, raisins, /ozi (almonds), kungu-
manga (nutmegs), granulated and lump sugar, flour
and mnyonoro.
Words :
Watu waginda kisingere wa mi nauya kisingere.
(s) Kihtyao.
Instruments: kiminingo, kinganga, msondo and
likuti (I do not know this instrument; it is not native).
Words:
Che che che che chambara, manda ngala jangu ndima dire
natiji ngatole kaje kuazimana ardamilile wati korondo
neso.
408 ZANZIBAR
This was given to me by a mainland policeman
who helped me a lot, and that is the real reason I give
it. He told me that the meaning 1s:
‘A woman was calling her son, who was taken away by
Zimwi, a devil, ‘Come at once, I left my water-pot at
the well.’ ”’

(t) The appropriate foods in the important devil dance

Umunde (which it will be remembered has a
dialect of its own) are in Pemba:
Uvumba (incense), ambergris, musk, saffron,
sandalwood, nutmeg, viswkio (kachiri), honey, sugar-
cane, cloves, xgongote, mayunge (either water-lilies or
another plant of the same name, much used in magic),
mkadi, eggs and bananas.
The words of the foregoing dances are not com-
plete, and in some cases I managed to get but a few.
I give now the performance called Robamba, which
is in full, and also gives an example of a good piece
of Kipemba dialect.
Robamba.
Instruments used: two chapuo, vume and one
upatu, zomari and miwale.
Words :
Tumwombele muungu, koma na mizimu yache
Kama Nyange tambua kama hapa
uwanjam pana pembe.
Wamli wao waganga kuku wangu wamuhanga
wamli wao waganga.
O Niteremke nipande vilima niteremke.
(Here the devil climbs the head of the sick man, who
cries out: )
Mwanangu usilile, ngombe utapewa wako uchinje.
Mke mwenza Mwenambia kwega nikwegege na nguo moja.
(ate the women shuffle backwards and forwards where
seated.
Then the fundi having seen the devil satisfactorily seated: )
Mshipe wangu wishagwia nyama
Mchukua we mtoto mchanga hana mfupa
Wachawe hao wawiya kwanza.
_ (Then play in circles, and the possessed ones are crowned
with turbans.)
 DANCES 409
Wachawe wote wakutana Chambani
na Mvumo moja.
Ho arembwera mtoto mchanga.
Wangojewa wewe urendo waja fag gia wanja tule nyama,
Mkongwe msimeno karanga ufundi.
Mafundi wenda zao kapu na ifungwe
Baaba ya kunita na utaka msare wa mwanangu unipe
Banja kungu.
Mamie mwana na babu mwana labe.
Tangulia, naja nabanja. vitondoo viangu kwanza.
O Seya Manga namwola ye mpenzi wangu naze
Uvinji welea na maji mviniji.
Kikira cha mbuzi, faggia ulalapo
Mchuchile Kembe mtima wa nitwanga.
Leo ni leo, we kesho twanagana.
(Here the fundi dances round with the women, one at
a time, much like Sir Roger de Coverley, but in one figure
they clasp toes.)
Nipaninile mtima wende na moyo
Wa robamba wendavyo na urendo.
Wimbe elemeya miuja.
(If the devil is now ready to be allowed to depart in
peace, before he is allowed to do so he is asked a lot of
questions as to whether he will behave in future, and
exhorted not to make a nuisance of himself.)
Translation.
We are asking God His blessing, and the mizimu below.
If you are a doctor where the horn is kept outside the home.
The doctors have eaten my fowl of the sacrifice. O I
will come down; I climbed the hills, and I will come
down.
My child, don’t cry, you will be given an ox to kill.
My fellow wife, you didn’t tell me to shuffle back and fore;
how can I play with one cloth. My fishing-line has
already caught the meat (devil). Take you a young
child without bones. The witch-doctors are coming
from their play. All the witch-doctors, they have met
together at Chambani (a wizard’s heath in Pemba), at
the one Borassus palm.
Play well, my devil. ;
People are waiting for you to play, other people are coming;
clean the wanja; let us eat meat. An old toothless
man pounds karanga (grain). The fundies are going
home, the basket must be tied up. ; ‘
After calling me, I want a piece of cloth of my child, give me.
Break an almond. — c
Mother of the child, father of the child, I am here.
Go ahead, I am coming, I am breaking my tondoo first.
410 ZANZIBAR
O seye Manga, I see him, my lover himself. A mvinje tree
floating in the water, a mvinje tree. The last of the
goat; clean this place; you will lie. Soothe the devil,
my spirit is beating me. To-day is to-day, to-morrow
we shall be gone. Give me to eat, my soul and heart
are going. The robambas are going with their journey.
The waves are retiring with the sickness.

This is not by any means a literal translation, but

is in great part the fuzdi’s explanation of the meaning
of the words.
Mngware.
Played by inter-village ‘‘teams,’’ this game or
dance is well worth watching. The players stand in
a circle. The fumdi, or leader, sings, and the circle
gives the responses. The time is given by hand-claps.
No instruments are used. The claps go in series,
three with the hands, four or five with the hands, and
three on the hollow between the breast and arm,
hopping at the same time on one leg. The movement
of the circle is backwards and forwards and round
the circle. Only loin-clothes are worn.
In the centre, contests between individuals of
opposing sides take place. A challenger goes and
touches a foe, and they wrestle. When one or other
party is down, the ring breaks up and surrounds the
contestants, shouting the kapzilio, the peculiar barking
noise of the Wapemba. ,
The Ugoe is wrestling, and a clever throw is
used, which is made by hooking the legs in a peculiar
way.
This dance is peculiar to the Wapemba, and said
to be very old. Old men say that in the old slaving
days, when warships came to the east coast of Pemba,
contests at it took place with the British sailors, who
always won.
Fundi; Moyo ukiwendekeya mengi usipolalani hawache
kupoteza. Kukutia matatani Hija Naufuatiya
ukanitupo njiani.
Najuta la layitani na la mumoyo yangu.
Chorus: Warile Nyanja.
 DANCES qq
Fundi: Dimbweye mnyamazani dimbwe
Karouni, Karoun kipene kangang’anya kitunga
Haina moto bangi.
Mpenzi nimewasili kitako najikaliya umpe yako
_ shauri
Njema iliotuliya ya jana siku ya kiri sikuweza
Vumiliya, nikipe kinacholiwa, kilacho mto pekeye,
Dunia, dunia.
Karibisha, karibisha, mgeni
Pemba ile umeiona
Kijinu kilitipemba kikinamiya Unguja wa
Pemba na masherifu wakenamiya kumoja name
Ni panga la Sefu, kutongoa sina hoja mlililene
Mwenzenu kufa hakuna moja.
Chorus: Naumia, Naumia.
Fundi: A jabu ya midirara kulla ukimkumbuka mbono
Nane mwanikera na mimi nasumbuka kupenda
Si masehara kunalava na masharka mutasema
Mutachoka, kinda sina budi naye.
Chorus: Lainama, lainama.
Fundi: Hodi, fundi wa mazengo nalitumwa_ nikijumbe
HG nguo ya shingo anakuja yule ng’ombe,
andoro akake kichango kukinendea mazumbe
nipane nguo, hamcheze ng’ombe? Kandoro
aniliya mwanawe, toto geupe.
Chorus: Sagabeni, Sagabeni.
Fundi: Napata nitafutaye nimepumua masharka napata
Nimpendaye mwelewa, asiye sharka napata takete
naye
Si mwezi wala si mwaka napata nashuwarika
Moya unatabasamo.
Chorus: Ilikuwa miye ngiwana.
Fund: Njoo! Waziri nakwita, Njoo! usitaahari najumla
a mambo, yengine udahadari lubune yangu
abuda in Shaabani, ahiri, kimeazimu safari
Hatuwa ikinondoa.
Chorus: Yes, yes.
Fundi: Washirike masalata yatakago Msalite nawewe
Ukafuata maneno ya ugalate bilashi ukanileta kwa
thana na tiyate ya sheraffa libinate ni eleza
ukosha wangu.
Chorus: Nainyo nyote, Nainyo nyote.
 CHAPTER XXXVIII

Music, Sones AND Dances (continued)

VINYAGO

A DESCRIPTION of the dances played would be incom-

plete without a reference to Vinyago, which is played
by descendants of slaves from Nyasaland, and is quite
the nearest thing to acting to which the natives attain.
They will consent to play it on no occasion save
on a pitch black night with no moon, and they are
quite right in doing this, for with any light the effect
is quite spoiled. In the dark one can just see enough
to be impressed, and the vagueness of the outlines
gives a realistic flavour to the performance.
The properties for the dance are made in strictest
secrecy in the middle of the bush, with outposts
around, and anyone who attempts to approach
gets warned off, and if he persists a rough handling
results. The properties used are burnt before sun-up
on the night of the performance.
The drums used are msondo and mrungura, which
give a very hollow note, and are just appropriate
to the performance. Sanji rattles are used and
accompany each figure.
The performance consists of a series of figures,
which, with the exception of the first, are supposed
to represent some animal or well-known object. The
animals represented are generally mainland animals,
and the names are mostly unknown to me. The
animals or other figures are made from branches,
palms, etc., tied together with forest vines, with men
in them. The figures are brought into the ring by
A412
 VINYAGO 413
men with rattles, and make their bow rather like circus
animals.
The first figure is called xdoara, and consists of a
chain of white figures, each holding the one in front
by the waist, and rushing round in this formation at a
great speed and in all directions.
The next figure is always manyani, or apes, and
consists of about a dozen naked men leaping about
like apes, and they are very realistic too on a dark
night. 3
After this figure there generally appear about seven
or eight figures from the following repertoire: karuru
(a rabbit), 7ozgoo (a millepede—one I measured was
seventy-five feet long and had twenty men inside—it
was very good indeed), stima—the Pemba steam-
launch complete with awning and funnel. I have
seen one also with wings. The maker had seen a
hydroplane, he informed me (the hybrid between a
steam-launch and a hydroplane was weird and
wonderful), dunda, kiparamoto (a man covered with
glowing pieces of dried stalks—very good indeed),
chui (leopard), 7ogoo (a cock, and easily recognizable),
kasa (a turtle—recognizable), donxga, ngombe (an Ox).
mbawara, kasenga, kuchi, nguruwe (a pig—recogniz-
able only from its grunts and method a8 progression),
tunga meli (H.H.S. Cupid, with funnel, masts, etc.),
mashua (a boat, and easily recognizable), motokari (a
motor-car), peleleza.
None of these beasts are recognizable except those
I have marked. In addition there is a performance
on stilts called gogodera, which is played in the day-
time, presumably owing to its hazardous nature.

SONGS
Most of the songs that are not accompanied by
dances and music are sung by sailors and fishermen,
and I give a few here.
(a) Mwakimburo sese, mwache mwana apunge urembo; 00
leo sese, mwache mwana apunge urembo.
414 ZANZIBAR
(b) Ukenda pwani nambiya usimle mwana kikoa, kibora
pumua kutomba mwenyewe kesha tambua.
(c) Part song—1. Mwana juma twende zetu.
Child of Juma, let us go home.
2. Nangojea kitambaa changu kwanza,
I am waiting for my clothes first.

A variant:
Dada mwajuma kantwalie kitambaa changu kwanza.
(d) Mwache angurume, mwache angurume, Simba hamle
: mwanawe, urongoo.
Let him roar, let him roar. The lion is not eating my
child, it is false. ;
(e) Mwalimu we, mama mwalimu we, ukinenda kamwambie
nahoza nimeingia mtoni gangawtya.
Teacher thou, mother teacher thou. When you went did
you tell the captain I have gone into the river
Gangawiya ?
(f) Pararara pontia, pararara pontia, pararara pontia, mamie
mwari naumia.
This is very like ‘‘ Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay,’’ and is sung
like it.
(g) Kimeni choma, kimen choma kijiba cha mchongoma.
Si kweli, mpenzi sijakuona.
It has pricked me, it has pricked me, the thorn of the
mchongoma®* tree. It is not true, I have not yet
seen a lover.
(h) Ndo wiro kwenu wapi, shungi mbili na mnyororo.
(i) Zezee inalia, zezee inalia, mwaka jana hailia zeze, mwaka
huu inalia.
The banjo cries, the banjo cries; last year the banjo did
not cry, this year it cries. Ss

Unfortunately I was unable to record the tunes of

most of these songs, and of the dance songs, having
no knowledge of music, but from constant repetition
I learnt the tunes of (c), (é), (f), (g) by heart, and give
the airs of them on the page opposite.
The Askaris (police) are very fond of singing, but
chiefly mainland tunes. ‘‘ Tipperary,’’ however, is
very popular.
Children have their songs, and the following is a
child’s part song called Duwe. The first word is
sung by the leader, and the second by the chorus and
so on:
1 Thorn bush.
 SONGS 415

Nwana Juma wen de

setts fam boa, change Ree:~ral

wet t t

ahinenda kamwanbie nah ye - meingva

h fo he
416 ZANZIBAR
Mbagale nayale kidusi chanona nazifu koroma
Je tembo lamgema Myini mwenu taawa kituatua kyawawa
Je hija njoo dase Yup utakae.

The meanings of some words are unknown, but

some of them are as follows:
A parasite—gets fat. A coco-nut—an unripe coco-nut.
Is there tembo? A tapper. To your town—I will go. A
little bush. I will come out. When I come. Come and
touch. Whom? Anyone you like.

We have an expression in English ‘‘ Whistling

for wind,’’ and the natives of Zanzibar also have a
corresponding method of calling it up. This consists
in calling softly ‘‘ kuru, kuru, kuru, kuru,’’ on the

I must now give the incantations used for summon-

ing local devils in the Ngezi rubber forest in North
Pemba, and for keeping them off. These are also
given in Captain Craster’s Pemba, but I can confirm
them, as I checked them with the natives at Verani.

Hodi Muamu. Nakuja kuamsha na ni ujima.

Wenzi wetu watungoja nawe toka hima hima.
Niwageni wa kingeja leo ndenge itavuma.
Ramka twende ngoma pia mkulala. =
Muamu hi kuamsha ndipo wa zidi koma
Walla hu-u siulazio ulalo daima.
Ramka twende ngoma pia mkulala.
Muamu wewe mkubwa jamii sini masnuma.
Yafaa kupita mbele wadogo tukawa nyuma.
Ramka twende ngoma pia mkulala.

_ The above is to summon devils, the following to

drive them away:
Watendaje hapa pwani Kichege
Maandamo hayo mchagoe mume chaya.
Binti Kirimbo upo? mipo.
Ngombe kakata haya haya
Haya bado hajalala haya.
Banja, Banja wewe yai moja
Kuku wane yuapi alizali.
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 SONGS 417
Toka kuzaliwa sijaona
Ngombe wa mavani kuzalia
Tiro Tiro ngombe tuicheze.

The songs sung at circumcision are as follows:

When the circumciser first arrives at the house set
apart for circumcision, and is preparing his instru-
ments and sharpening his knife he sings: ‘‘ Kwembeya,
Shungira wageni,’’ which I am told means ‘‘I am
coming. I am glad to have these children.’’ The
purpose of this, a circumciser informs me, is to
frighten the initiates.
As I have said, the initiates remain in the kumbi
twenty-one days, and each day the circumciser comes,
and as he approaches sings out ‘‘ Wario?’’ to which
the initiates reply ‘‘ Hoo riambo. Yamsimangiti
pawant kwa zumbe, kurt miti na misasarimbo, Hili na
Hilti tupe, kungwi tupe.’’ The meaning is ‘‘ Hodi,’’
and the reply, ‘‘Come in. We are all right in the
place that has been cut. It is a little better, but still
there are sores. Give us some medicines and some
songs.”
After this he sings as follows:
Wari, Mtiwao nyumbani, Juma ’nne ndio ngema ya
kuaviwa vitanda, vitt vyombo alama shoka ya mwinyst
mngwachant, Iketwa ikagozama, Mtakuwa kiranja nani,
naje tumle nyama, Msikuwa kiranja nani, nakat nyuma
nyuma, ‘Makunguwi amkuwani tufunze wana yatima.
Tunakua usozoni mambo yetu yakusema. Mola, tupe
salimini, tuwawe bandari salama.
A free translation of this is:
Ye initiates who are inside. Tuesday is a good day to
take out the beds and put the stools, the indication of the
knife of the circumciser, inside. These things were asked
for and were brought; who will be the first, let him come
to be circumcised. Let him who will not come first stay
behind. Attendants, make a noise to drown the cries of
the children. We have finished our affairs of cutting. God
give us safety that we may come out of the house safely.

In addition to this there is a repertoire of enig-

matical songs, some of which I cannot get the exact
418 ZANZIBAR
meaning of, but which mainly refer to that part of the
initiates’ anatomy which has suffered during the rites.
I have probably not got all of them, but the
following are examples:
Naona mataajabu, shupa kuingia mkono, Ikangia
wajakazi, watu kumi na watano, Ikangia na watwana watu
kumi na watano, Ikangia mashemere mchunga lete Kiamo.
Hiyo nifumbo kwa fumbo, wafumbuzi fumbuwani.
I see it a wonder, a hand going into a bottle, and there
went in female slaves fifteen people, and there went in male
slaves fifteen people, and there went in a pregnant cow tied
by a rope. Herdsman, bring a milking bottle. This is a
riddle, who can discover it, let them.
Baharini kuna nyama, Msirifu, Msipembe. Atafunae
tambuu akipa watu uchembe, uchembe wake nidawa,
unawatibu viyumbe; huyo simbuzi wala singombe watambuzi
tambuwent.
In the sea there is an animal, not long, hornless. It will
bite betel. If it gives people a drop, its drop is a medicine,
it cures human beings. This is not a goat, neither is it an
ox. Who can make it out, let them.
Naliona mataajabu kuku kuvaa viyatu kanyoosha shingo
yapata dhiraa tatu, Warabu mwaitwa Masikati kwa Rashidi
mla watu.
I have seen a wonder, a fowl wearing sandals. It
stretches its neck, about three dhiraas (a measurement of
length, the elbow to the tip of middle finger). You Arabs
are wanted at Muscat at Rashid’s the cannibal.
Kasungura kanyama kadogo kanya mavi ya mviringo.
A rabbit is a small animal having round dung.
Kisusurt kisusunt sikitege hakigwiya, Mbawaze huyumba
yumba, munakula kisusuri hamwempa nadota.
Kisusuri, kisusurt (probably a bird). Do not trap it to
catch it. Its wings hang about. You are eating kisusuri.
You have not given nadota. (I cannot find the meaning of
this word in Kipemba. Kudota means to tap very lightly.)
Nifunge safart yangu ya wima wima, Mkadamu mbele,
mwalim nyuma. Ukenenda kantakire mwanamke mwema.
I prepare my safari in haste, the sub-overseer in front,
the mwalim behind. When you go, arrange for me a good
woman.
Mnazi mkinda mtambaa komba, hauna_ tembo,
wagemewani ?
A young coco-nut tree, a creeping-place for lemurs. (This
is literal, mtambaa komba is said to mean of a coco-nut
 MAULIDI 419
ae yet erect.”’) It has no tembo, why are they tapping
1!

The circumciser sings this song while washing the

boy’s sores :
Pwam kumti shini ya jiwe, Tawi zimile, shina ling’ owe
Imjakuchimba ndiye mwenyewe.
On the shore there is a tree beneath a stone. The
branches (zimile), the trunk is uprooted. He who digs it
“out is indeed the owner.
Students of Kiswahili will note that many words
are unusual. Many of the words belong to the
Kipemba dialect, but some of these in the first songs
are not even found in the Kipemba in ordinary use
in Pemba.

MAULIDI
The festival of the Maulidi occurs on 12th Rabi-el-
Awwal, and it is then that the biggest performances
are held, though small ones are often held at other
seasons.
I saw an exceptionally large one at Mangapwani,
where I was informed that 1,800 performers from all
parts of the island took part.
A huge enclosure was: built of bamboo and
decorated with flowers and much paper. All the
women had new clothes (they do for an important
affair) and I should say most of the men; certainly
the kanzus were spotlessly clean. The enclosure was
brilliantly lit with arc-lamps, and the moon shining
down through the palm trees made a wonderfully
impressive scene.
My friends and I were played up by a band hired
from the town to a small banda where refreshments
were served, and we were then escorted to reserved
seats. There were four Maulidis going on, and
about 100 to 150 men in each, kneeling in two rows
facing each other and clad, as I say, in snowy linen.
Their movements were all in unison, and woe betide
anyone who failed to move with the others, for “‘ the
conductor ”’ or ‘‘ stage-manager’’ was down on him
420 ZANZIBAR
in an instant. Between the two rows incense was
burnt and sprayers of rose-water walked up and down,
and mullahs performed the tricks which will be else-
where described.
I give a description of the Maulidi by Captain
Cooper, once a District Officer in Zanzibar.
‘“A Maulidi is a singing of the Koran, and is
extraordinarily tuneful and beautiful, and the music
reminded me very forcibly of the priests in the Temple
of Vulcan in ‘ Aida.’ The soloists sit on the ground
facing the chorus, who kneel together in a row about
twenty in number, dressed in white Kanzus, and as
they sing they sway in perfect unison. The accom-
paniment is soft on tambourines and gongs. The
whole effect is extremely fine, and they must practise
very hard to get it so perfect. The singing is all
unison, of course, and of a Gregorian type, all in a
minor key. The women sing, but they are placed
behind a grille. Incense is burnt, and that and the
flickering lamps make a wonderful scene. It is the
most striking thing of the kind I have ever seen, and
vastly different from a Ngoma.”’

PEMBA BULL-FIGHTS

Bull-fights as practised in Pemba are a relic of

the Portuguese occupation. Curiously enough, they
are never performed in Zanzibar, though apparently
Pemba is not the only place where the Portuguese
introduced them, as Major Tremearne mentions them
as being played in Nigeria. The accompanying
diagram gives a very good idea of the arena.
It is usually on an open sandy place, set in
picturesque surroundings among palm and mango
trees, The four o’clock sun, shining through this
greenery, on to the white amzus of the men and the
coloured kaxgas of the women, makes a very pretty
picture.
Before the start young Wapemba usually run
about in small companies uttering their curious cry,
 PEMBA BULL-FIGHTS 421
a series of short, sharp, staccato barks peculiar to
them, and then suddenly rush to another spot and
repeat the call. Then the matadors usually line up
and salute—perhaps a kind of Morituri te salutamus.
Sketch Diogreaa of Bull ring, Htanbwe, Peata.
+ Banda for hand clapping wcren and Zoamariplayer who
stands just behind pole marked "L*, At the point
L the rope of the ox is put through and it 1s thrown
B.C, D. stands for woren. E. Mosquito netting
cage for Arab wonen. F, Grandatand witn
canopy. G.H,J. Stands for wasn. EF. Cage for
bulls.

The orchestra then begins. This consists of a

man playing on a zomari in the corner of the cage ot
the women, who clap their hands and chant low and
monotonously.
The next appearance is that of the bull. If one
expects anything fierce one is grievously disappointed.
The animal trots in looking perfectly meek at the end
of a long rope (called xgoweo), and another thin one
fastened by a noose to its hind leg.
The long rope is then passed through, behind the
422 ZANZIBAR
bottom of the right-hand pole of the cage where the
women are. It is then pulled short and the bull
thrown, after which the leg rope is removed and a
perfectly fiendish din made over the poor brute, who
becomes thereby thoroughly bewildered and is then
loosed. He springs to his feet and charges wildly;
sometimes he gets a matador or one of the many
adventurous youths who throng the ring. Some of
the matadors are very skilful in enticing the bull on,
and then twisting to one side to avoid its rush. After
a really good turn the matador will come up to
salute and receive applause.
If the bull shows any tendency to leave the ring,
it is checked by a pull on the rope. Each bull’s turn
is about twenty minutes, and its feats are warmly
cheered by the spectators. In fact, during the whole
of the time it is in the ring the place is in a perfect
uproar.
At the end of its turn it is again thrown by the
women’s daxda and a ring put through its nose, and
it is then allowed to wander ‘away. There are
generally three or four bulls played in one afternoon.
Interesting features of the ring are the coffee-
sellers and betel merchants, who go round selling
their wares during the performance, just as girls sell
coffee and chocolate in a European theatre.
Those who use the stands are charged two pice
each, which goes to pay the hire of the bulls and the
fees of the matadors and the clarionet-player. The
price of the performance of a good bull may be up
to Rs. 10, a matador may receive Rs. 20, and a
zomari-player Rs. 5.
The Kipemba word for the stands on which
spectators sit is dumgu, for the pen in which the
women clap eg the leg cord used to lead the ox
on or away mbungo, and the peculiar cry of the
Wapemba biapilio. i ss
Bull-fights are played to induce rain in times of
drought.
 CHARBERokxX XXX

NATURE

THE ELEMENTS, ETC.

THE winds (pepo) are well known in Zanzibar, as

indeed they must be to so nautical a people.
The north-east monsoon is known as the Kas kazi
and the south-west as Kusi. The Kas kazi blows
roughly from December to March, and the Kusi from
April to November.
During the time of the latter monsoon, from July
to November, the wind drops about two p.m. and an
easterly wind blows up called the Matalai. This is
extraordinarily convenient for sailing, as it enables
one to go one way in the morning and return in the
afternoon.
Rain is Mvua. The rain spirit has the same name.
Thunder is Ngurumo (onomatopeeic). It is said
to be the direct voice of God.
The Wapemba believe that the earth is carried on
the horns of an ox, and the ox in its turn is borne on
a sting ray (tezga) which swims in the sea, and the
sea is carried by the wind, and the wind by the will
of God. Others say that the ox is carried by a
mosquito. When the ox tires of its burden it shifts
its position by tossing it a little, and thus causes
earthquakes.
As regards the daily rising and setting of the sun
they say that there are 360 holes in a circle, and that
the first morning of the year the sun rises from the
first and sets in the second, on the second day it
rises from the second and sets in the third and so on,
although it always appears to us that the sun rises
423
424 ZANZIBAR
in the same place each day. The distance the sun
has to travel daily would take a man five hundred
years to do on foot.
The moon in similar fashion has holes to rise and
set in, and some say that eclipses are caused by the
sun and moon getting accidentally into each other’s
holes or each other’s paths, but in Pemba it is
generally said that if the eclipse is black it is an eel
(mkunga) that is eating it, but if red then a crab or
an octopus. I am told you can tell which by putting
water in a flat pan and looking at the reflection when
you can see the monster. When an eclipse is on,
the Wapemba forgather in large crowds on shore,
beat drums and sing, “‘ Eel, eel, give us our moon
and go to the shore and eat little fish.”’ In Zanzibar
it is said that it is a snake that eats the moon.
I asked several people why the moon waxed and
waned, and was informed that it prayed on the 15th
of each month and gets fatter at the thought of it.
After the 15th it wanes when it reflects on its sins.
Stars (zyota) are not much’ known save the
Pleiades, which are called Kilimia from lima
(cultivate), as their rising signified the time for start-
ing to cultivate, i.e., October. It is said that if they
set in fine weather, they will rise in wet and vice versa.
Shooting stars are called kimwondo, and are said
to be missiles thrown by the angels at the /imz.
Most natives know el thuhura (Venus) but few
other planets. Of Venus, the Arabs say that there
were once two other stars who wished to wed her,
but she continued to put them off, as she wished for
time. Both these stars could fly, but Venus could
not, so she promised that if they taught her she would
marry one. But when she had her wings, she
managed to fly out of their reach, and so every day
she flies up and drops down in the evening when
they are away.
The tides are said to be caused by the water being
swallowed and disgorged by a whale or oyster, or big
fish called chewa.
 BOTANY 425

BOTANY

This ought to be a very large section, but as I

have dealt with a good many species of plants, etc.,
in Chapter XXV and shall give a great many more
under Medicine and Magic, I give no more here.
Plants are very well known and even varieties
have their own names, e.g., each kind of grass or
fern is differently called. Their chief uses are as
food or in medicine.
Pére Saccleux gives the names of a great many
flowers and plants, and I believe a flora of Zanzibar
is now being prepared.
Almost any tree has a variety of uses, and interest-
ing studies may be made in each case. As an
example I append an account of the Cassia. Experi-
ments have recently been conducted with this wood
in Zanzibar to see if it would be useful as timber in
constructional work. There is a good deal of it in
the Ngezi forest in Pemba.

Cassia. Swahili name Mwavi

This is a large tree and has several economic
uses. The wood is exceptionally hard and is said
never to rot. For this reason it is particularly used
in the construction. of cesspits and bridges where it
is exposed to damp. I am told that a bridge was
recently demolished near Chake Chake to be replaced
by a concrete structure, and although it had been
built many years before, and before the memory of
the paehboanne people, the mwavi poles used in
its construction were as sound as if they had been
put in only a short time before.
It makes excellent charcoal and burns long, and
for this reason is much used by blacksmiths in
furnaces, though I am told it is not used by
silversmiths. The reason apparently is that its use is
considered unlucky, and there is a saying that he who
uses mwavi will never become prosperous.
426 ZANZIBAR
I am informed that its foliage is preyed on by a
species of hairy larva which reaches 6 inches in length,
and is eaten by mainland natives. I do not know
what species it is, nor have I seen a specimen.
The different parts of the tree have medicinal
uses, as follows:
Internal use.
Stomach-ache. Boil the roots in water and drink
the decoction.
External uses.
U gonjwa wa chavi. Grind the bark of the trunk,
mix with water and apply to sore place.
Swellings. Grind the roots and the potato of
kiviza together. Mix with lime-juice and apply.
U pele (spots). Boil bark in water and apply.
Caution.—The medicine man who produced the
latter recipes tells me that it is dangerous to teeth
and eyes. (But in the first recipe one is told to drink
it).
Magical uses.
If the roots are buried in a plantation anything
near will die (i.e., rice, cassava, etc.).
To remove your enemy. Find the cut stump of
a mwavi tree, get eight male (i.e., the point) ends of
half coco-nut shells, a bunch of xyassi grass (the kind
used for thatching), small pieces of mwavi wood, small
pieces of the wood of the tree called mkame chuma,
a piece of grass found on a patch of ground usually
swept clear by the movement in the wind of an over-
paneine branch, and wood of the tree called mvimbi
ashi,
Lay out these ingredients round the stump of the
mwavi tree and set fire to them. Read Yasin from
the Koran eight times and eight chapters of Ahali
Bederi, and at the end the Hetima of the Koran (i.e.,
the bit at the end after the text). These operations
must be performed on a Tuesday, must begin at seven
a.m. and end at two p.m. Your enemy will remove
from your neighbourhood and trouble you no more.
 ZOOLOGY 427
ZOOLOGY

(1) The natives are very good zoologists, at any

rate as far as mammals and birds are concerned, and
nearly every animal has its name; at least, when ask-
ing natives the name of a bird I had seen or whose
call I have heard, I have always had a name given me.
Zanzibar is rich in birds, but poor in other fauna.
Very often species which occur in Zanzibar do not
occur in Pemba, and vice versa.
(2) The following is a list of mammals with their
names, English, scientific, and native:
Order 1. Primates.
General native name for monkey—Kima.
Kirk’s Colobus Colobus kirkii Punju Zanzibar local
Syke’s monkey Cercopithecus WNgedele Zanzibar and
_ albigularis Tumbatu
Grey monkey Cercopithecus
rufoviridis Tumbili Pemba
Order 2. Lemuroidea.
Galago Galago crassi- Komba Everywhere
caudatus
Order 3. Chiroptera.
Bats, all sorts Popo Everywhere
Order 4. Insectivora.
Great elephant Rhyncocyon (north) Kirodo Rare
shrew adersi (south) N’gombo
Small elephant Petrodromus N’gombo Rare
shrew sultani mweupe
Order 5. Carnivora.
Leopard Felix pardus Chui E. Zanzibar
Civet Viverra Pate Wiese . Zanzibar
Viverra emba gawa
Genett megaspila dizeueibat Fungo Everywhere
Bdeogale Bdeogale tenuis Kitu Zanzibar
Mongoose Mungos gracilis Cheche Everywhere Z.
Rare Pemba
Order 6. Cetacea.
Whales Nyamgumi Rare
Porpoises and Pomboo Everywhere
dolphins
Order 7. Sirenia.
Dugong Halicore dugong Nguva Rare
Order 9. Hy ggeoided, i
Tree cone Dendrohyrax
y eaiinat Peleele Fundo Tumbatu
Dendrohyrax Fundo. Else-
adersi Peleele where rare
 428 ZANZIBAR
Order 10. Ungulata.
Duiker Cephalophus
i Paa nunga Zanzibar rare
Cephalophus
pembze Paa N. Pemba
Suni Nesotragus Paa Zanzibar Islets,
moschatus E. Zanzibar .
Pigs Sus scrofa Nguruwe Pemba
Sus potamo-
cherus Nyassz Zanzibar
Order 11. Rodentia.
Rats Panya Everywhere
Mouse Panya nunga Not common
Giant rat Cricetomys
gabianus Buku Zanzibar
Squirrel Paraxerus
palliatus lastii Chinde Zanzibar

(3) I now come to a list of birds, and this must

not be taken as being in any way complete, but only
as a selection.

Order 1. Passeres.
Java sparrow Zawaridi
Black-billed Bisho Bird Pyromelana nigriventa Chekeche
Kersten’s weaver-finch Symplectes kersteni Kinanda
Paradise flycatcher Tersiphone crustata Shore Kishusl-
ungi
Layards Bulbul Pycnonotus layardi Shore
Black African Drongo Buchana assimilis Mramba
Orange-yellow weaver- Hyphantomis aureo-
bird flavus Mnana
Brown’s red-faced
weaver-finch Pyletia afra Tunguribi
Southern grey-headed
sparrow Passer diffisus Jurawa
African roller Eurystomus afir Jore
Senegal bush shrike Dryoscopus senegalensis Kipwe
African crow Corvus scapulatus Kunguru
Finches Fringillide Chiriko
Sunbirds Nectariniidz Chozi
Flycatchers Muscicapidee Tiva
Swallows Hirundinz Kijumba mshare.
Mbayo wayo
Starlings Sturnidge Kwenzi
Canar Kurumbizi
A little black and white Koma kanga
finch
Order 2. Picarie.
Black and white horn- Laphocerus melano- Thembe (south)
bill leucus Kwembe (north)
White-eyebrowed lark-
headed cuckoo shrike Centropus superciliosis Tipi Tipi
Pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis Dete Pwane
 ZOOLOGY 429
Long-tailed bee-eater Merops persicus Keremkerem
Nightjar Caprimulgus fossei Zanzibar Kipasua
sanda, Pemba
Baba watoto
Wood hoopce Irrisor erythorhyncus Gore Gore
Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus Mtama wa bibi
Lesser woodpecker Campothera caillianti Gongnola
Order 3. Striges.
Barn owl Strix flammea Bunde
Order 4. Psittaci.
Parrots Kasuku
Order Columba. Njiwa
Green fruit pigeon Vinago delalandei Ninga
Tambourine pigeon Tympanistria tympan-
istria Pugi or Puji
Half-collared turtle-dove Stroptopelia semitor-
quata Hua
Vinaceous turtle-dove Stroptopelia vinaces Hua
Large dove Mwigo
Order 6. Gavia.
Gulls Chakwe and
Membe
Order 7. Limicole.
Curlew Sururu
Curlew sandpiper Tringa subarquata Kitwitwi
Dotterel Chekehukwa
Order 8. Gralle.
Moorhen Fulicaridz Kuku ziwa
Order 10. Galline.
Common guinea-fow] Numida mitrata Kanga
? Crested guinea-fowl Numida cristata Kororo
Order 12. <Accipitres.
Egyptian kite Milvus sgypticus
Kite
Mwewe
Kipanga
A speckled kite with Kozi
bluish back
A black and white fish
eagle (Pemba only) Korho
Order 13. Anseres. Bata
Dwarf goose Nettapus auritus Bata mtoni
Wild duck Salili
Order 14. Herodiones.
White and black egret Herodias alba Korongo
Grey reef heron Ardea gularis Yange Yange

(4) Reptiles are not common in Zanzibar, at least

there are not a great many varieties.
Order 2. Chelonia.
East African sternother Sternothzerus sinuatus Kobe (Pemba

Hawksbill turtle Chelone imbricata

Green turtle Chelone midas
 430 ZANZIBAR
Order 3. Lacertilia. Mjusi
Geckoes (at least four ies
Mery Mjusi
Small lizards (at least Karakaka
four kinds) (Pemba) or
Mjusz
Chameleons, 1 kind ‘
Zanzibar Kinyonga
1 kind Pemba ; Kigaogao
Monitor Varanus niloticus 7, & (Zanzibar
only) J
Large burrowing skink Guruguru (Zanzi-
bar only)
Order 4. Ophidia.
Python Python sebze Chatu
Large snake General name—Joka
Small snake General name—Nyoka ~
Boomslang Dispholidus typus Gangawiya
(Pemba)
Black-throated cobra Naja nigricollis Kipili
Egyptian cobra Naja haji

(5) Of Amphibians there are only frogs and toads.

Toads I have seen only in Pemba where they are
very common—perhaps two species. Of frogs I have
kept about a dozen species, including a variety of
Xenopus and tree frogs (one of the latter Megalixinus
fornasinii). They are all known as Chura (Vyura).
(6) Fishes I have dealt with elsewhere, but I must
just mention here a peculiar little fish with a box-
like coat of armour and two horns in front which looks
like some weird submarine, and called by the fisher-
men Kibupembe. It is not eaten, but considered a
great curiosity.
There is a legendary sea-monster called Chinusi
which holds men under water and drowns them, but
it has never been seen. Perhaps the origin is a giant
octopus.
(7) Of Invertebrates, snails are called Konokono,
and each variety of shell-fish and crustacean has its
name.
Insects are called generally mdudu (wadudu),
and this includes such things as spiders, scorpions, etc.
These are some names: Butterflies, pepeo and kipepeo;
grasshoppers, famzi; spiders, buibui; scorpions,
mge; millepedes (and béche de mer), jomgo; ring-
 ZOOLOGY 431
worms, choa; flies, nzi; mantides, vunjajungo; wasps,
manyigu; gadflies, paange ; ants, general name chungu
and stzimizi; soldier ants, siafu; red tree ants, maji ya
moto (*‘ hot water’’ from bites); bees, ~yuki; centi-
pedes, taandu; cockroaches, mende; fleas, kiroboto;
termites, mchwa; jiggers, tekenya or dudu wa kepu;
firefly, Kimuri muri.
I think the lists I have given, though by no means
complete, will give a good idea of what good
naturalists the natives are. Some remarks require to
be made.
Owls and chameleons are thought especially
unlucky and killed whenever possible, the latter
especially in Pemba, where no native would touch
one, and those brought to me were always brought
at the end of a long pole. It is thought that they can
spit a peculiarly potent poison into your eye. Of the
nightjar it is said in Pemba, that where they fly
wizards follow.
The existence of a crested guinea-fowl on Tumbatu
I can vouch for, as I have kept two caught on that
island. I have mentioned no animals save those
found in the Protectorate.
As in England so in Zanzibar, the calls of the
birds are often translated to words, and many of their
names are onomatopeeic, e.g., tipz tipi, kitwitwi.
The half-collared turtle-dove’s call is variously
interpreted as Mama a kafa, babu akafa nimesalia
mimi tu. ‘‘ Mother is dead, father is dead. I am
left alone by myself.’? Or Kuku mfupa tupu, mimi
nyamateli. ‘‘ A fowl is only bone, I am plenty meat.”’
The Mwigo holds conversation as follows:
‘*Coo-00.’’ One answers ‘‘ Mwigo.’’ ‘‘ Coo-o0,”’
says the bird. ‘‘ Niagulie’’ (Prophesy for me), says
the traveller. ‘‘ Coo-o0.’’ ‘‘ Kwema nendako? ”’
(Is the going good?) ‘‘Coo-oo.’’ But if it answers
not ‘‘Coo-00,’’ it is a bad omen. My donkey-boy
told me once he never asked, as he was afraid of a
negative reply.
A little canary-like bird called Kurumbizi is
432 ZANZIBAR
almost as inquisitive as a robin. It is said that if he
sees a man talking to a woman, he hops round saying,
‘““ Mtu anasema na Mke’’ (A man is talking to a
woman).
Owls are said to cry as follows: Male bird,
“* Shimegi niazime mkufu’’ (Sister-in-law, lend me a
chain); female bird, “‘ Usiku huu’’ (to-night).
Monkeys are said to be the descendants of some
men, who were transformed into them by God for a
wicked misuse of a thin bread called mkate wa bisi
while in a dhow. Libero cuidam, post purgationem
anum pani deterserunt.
 CHAPTER XL

RELIGION

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

WHILE every little village has its mosque, which is

kept up by the villagers, and its Koran schools, which
every child attends, to learn and become efficient in
the parrot-like repetition of the Koran in a foreign
tongue, which even the teacher does not understand,
for several dreary years, the veneer of Islam is but
a flimsy veil for the simpler beliefs of the African.
Occasionally revivalist movements take place, and a
few years ago a young man who had been taught
religion in the city of Zanzibar returned to his people
in the south, and in a campaign of earnest preaching
told his people that their regard for the devils of their
ancestors was wrong, and that they should throw
down their altars and return to the worship of the one
God. Asa result of the inspired words and example
f the young man, by name Daudi Musa, now nick-
named Daudi Mizimu, the dwelling-places of the
Mizimu and the Wamavua devils in a few villages
were deserted, and thickets where formerly spirits
dwelt were cut down and crops planted. But such
an event is rare, and generally all that Islam does,
when as in Zanzibar so little of it is understood, is
to lend itself to, and to be adapted to, the more
efficient (in the native mind) practice of magic, and
even receipts for killing one’s enemy are headed, ‘‘ In
the name of God the merciful, the compassionate.”’
Sudden sickness with no knowledge to interpret it
aright may easily be attributed to supernatural
agencies, and to deal with all these terrors around,
433
434 ZANZIBAR
soon classified into various groups of devils, unusual
methods are required, and thus the beginning of
religion, magic, is called in.
Magic in Zanzibar and Pemba is at a high state
of development.

ISLAM

If one excepts the numerically few converts of the

Christian missions working in the islands, and a few
pagans, generally raw Wanyamwezi, who, however,
are usually rapidly converted either to Islam or
Christianity, according to what surroundings they fall
into on their arrival in the country, the whole of the
native population profess the Islamic faith.
The predominant sect, which, however, comprises
only Arabs, and is therefore in numerical minority, is
the Ibathi—a.p. 749. Of this sect His Highness the
Sultan is the head. The tenets of this sect came to
this coast probably not earlier than 1698, when the
Omanis under Seif bin Sultan conquered the
Portuguese.
We have noticed previously that the natives
of the coast are Sunnis, and as they are of the Shafi
school it will be well to make a few remarks on that
one of the four great branches of the Sunnis. Its
founder was Muhammad bin Idris esh-Shafi, and he
was of the prophet’s tribe, the Al Quraish, and a
descendant of Abdul Muttaleb, the prophet’s grand-
father. He was born at Askalon in Palestine a.p. 767.
His early life was spent at Gaza, and from there he
went to Mecca, and thence, in a.p. 813, to Baghdad,
where he started his work, gave lectures and wrote.
Thereafter he went on the Pilgrimage, and afterwards
to Egypt, where he died in 822. His two great works
were the al-Usul on the fundamental, and the Sunan
and Masnad on the traditional law. At the present
day the Shafi sect is chiefly met with in Arabia and
Egypt, and Ibn Batuta says that in his time the coast
natives were Shafites. These facts, therefore, in con-
 ANIMISM 435
junction with those previously recited, make it likely
that the greatest time of proselytism on the coast was
in the latter part of the ninth and early tenth centuries.

ANIMISM

I now proceed to the question of spirits or devils

(general term skeitan), and before passing from
revealed religion to that of the primitives, the first
class to be dealt with are the Djinns (A/azini), in whom
all Moslems believe. They are the genie of the
Arabian Nights, and are mostly harmful. They are
Moslem in belief, and certain sheikhs are credited
with leading them in prayer.
They are, of course, ‘‘imported’’ into the
Zanzibar pantheon, and therefore credited by the
natives with being able to travel by sea. Some
natives say they are only to be found at sea.
There are also Afriti, allied to Djinns, which may
be summoned up by the use of magic formule. They
were originally seventy, and were subjects of Solomon.
Of purely native spirits there are, firstly, the ghosts
who live in the Kuzimu, which are the ghosts of the
dead; they do not appear to man, and those manifesta-
tions which we should ascribe to ghosts are by the
native described by no more specific name than
Sheitani, or devils; powerful men of the past, such as
the Mwenyi Mkuu of the Wahadimu, or Mkame
Mdume, the chieftain of Pemba, are credited with
keeping in control large numbers of devils, which
even now appear in their former haunts. The Wa-
emba call ghosts Mkungwe pare, and say they live
in the jongo mayo, which corresponds to the Swahili
Kuzimu.
Then there are the Pepo, a group of spirits of
many different names, which may be known as personal
spirits, as they are the kind which possess people;
they are not all really harmful, and may even be called
up if the occasion warrants it, to take possession of
a person for his or her good; if they become
436 ZANZIBAR
obstreperous they can be exorcized by the use of their
particular zgoma. In the fasting month of Ramathan
these spirits are enclosed by the medicine men in bags.
The following are the names of some of the Pefpo:
Masewe, Kigalla, Kinyassa, Magadi (affect women
only), Kingindo, Kizaramu, Wabia, Manyema,
Watheramu, Watumbatu, Wahadimu, Kiwingo.
Nearly all these are the names of tribes, and I learnt
from witch-doctors that each tribe has its own devils,
and devils of one tribe will not affect men of another.
Thirdly, there is another family of important
devils called Mizimu, who have their abodes in trees
and caves, in each of which there is a seat or altar
to which flags are tied and offerings made and incense
burnt; they are far more common in Zanzibar than
in Pemba, and among the Wahadimu the Mwana
Vyali is especially charged with the sweeping of their
habitations, and with the responsibility of seeing that
the proper offerings are made.
There is then a class of what may be called local
and personal spirits, which are ‘known as Pango,
meaning also a cave or cleft in a rock; these are
common in Pemba, and manifest themselves through
the witch-doctors, who, on sitting down at the seat of
the devil, become immediately possessed by him in a
most uncanny way; the voice is changed, the eyes are
strange and unseeing, and the witch-doctor usually
ends his trance frothing at the mouth, and finally
collapses to wake up as out of a deep sleep.
There are also the Zimwi, several of whom are
met in the tales in this book. They were super-
natural beings masquerading as men, and generally
mischievous. In the tales one also meets the Pinga,
whose business it is to fold up the night and spread
the day. Muizuka are evil spirits under control of
witch-doctors, which can be imprisoned in charms and
bottles and buried to harm passers-by or a particular
passer-by.
Then the words zafsi, moyo, roho, mtima must be
dealt with when considering the question of soul.
 ANIMISM 437
Firstly God. God is considered, besides many
Mohammedan attributes, as a being of somewhat
limited powers, at any rate as far as foreknowledge
goes, and yet is responsible for most things that
happen, chiefly misfortunes. If one takes the omens
before doing a thing, and it goes wrong, it is Shawri
ya Mungu—‘‘ God’s plans ’’; if it goes all right the
fortune-teller and not the Deity gets the kudos. Not
only misfortunes and diseases are put down to God,
but also the vagaries of the Serkali. If the Govern-
ment does not do what the witch-doctor says it will,
or does something considered disagreeable, it is still
Shauri ya Mungu. The Deity has a lot to answer for.
The Mizimu are, as I have said, purely local
spirits, who may exercise an influence for good or
for evil. Very often it is for good, and they are
classed together—God and the mizimu, e.g., Tum-
wombe muungu koma, na mizimu yache (Kipemba).
** We are interceding with God and His mizimu.’’
They haunt the caves on the seashore or deep
holes or ruins or trees, particularly the baobab tree,
but also the cotton trees, and when isolated, away
from civilization, the mango tree. Offerings are
made to them chiefly of potsherds, rags and other
valueless trifles.
I have found many mizimu in Zanzibar Island,
particularly in caves on the coast, but I had not found
one on Tumbatu, and the following record by
Captain R. S. F. Cooper is therefore interesting:
‘‘ The western shore (of Tumbatu Island) is very
rugged and fine, and there is a great gorge made by
the sea, shutting off one part of the coast completely.
It is supposed to be the abode of a very fierce devil,
and the natives hang up flags and leave offerings to
appease him. They besought us not to smoke in
the gorge for fear we should offend him, and bring
misfortune on the village and ourselves. We com-
plied, of course, as there is no point in trampling on
their superstitions.”’
Many spirits dwell at cross-roads, and here the
438 ZANZIBAR
offerings are very worthless—a handful of grass will
do, though I have seen unripe fruit, a piece of
tobacco, a stick of muhogo and other odd things.
Anyone who takes away an offering to mizimu takes
misfortune too. The Ngezi forest and Pembe
Island, Pemba, should be mentioned as special
haunts of mizimu. The devils called Pango have
specific names. There is quite a celebrated one near
the town of Chake Chake, Pemba, which consists of
a deep pool in which formerly a large fish lived, but
which presumably has died, as it has not been seen for
some time. The pool, however, is still considered as
haunted and offerings regularly made. The name
of the spirit is Mwana Mashungi.
I also found another paxgo called ginyingi,
which is haunted by a devil Mwakungu. It is near
the village in Pemba called Chambani, the witch-
doctors of which place profess to have an invisible
stone house where they conduct their ceremonies.
I have not succeeded in finding the site of the
house, though I have been shown :the neighbourhood
in which it is situated.
Although I have seen many women alleged to be
possessed with devils, and having them exorcized by
witch-doctors with the particular zgoma necessary, I
think that the most impressive possession I have seen
was that of this paxgo. The haunt of this devil is
in a Cave in a rocky water-course, which is quite dry
during the dry season; the witch-doctor whom I saw
possessed was usually of a happy disposition, which
was reflected in his face, but squatted in this cave,
stark naked, as the medium of the devil, his face
seemed to reflect only utter and evil savagery, his
eyes were bloodshot and staring and yet unseeing,
his face was distorted in a horrible grin; he seemed
to display a double personality, his own and that of
the devil, which was supposed to be possessing him.
After speaking a few words in a strange voice, he
fell into a fit, his body writhed and twisted on the
earth, as if Juma bin Hasan the witch-doctor were
 ANIMISM 439
wrestling with Mwa Kungu the devil, his hands
clutched at his throat and his legs kicked, as if he
were attempting to remove an opponent. He was in
such a state that an Arab who was with me
endeavoured to calm him by saying, ‘‘ In the name
of God, gently, gently.’’ He gavea cry of “‘ I go my
way, farewell,’’ in the voice which was supposed to
be that of the devil, uttered a fearsome shriek, and
after one colossal struggle fell back motionless. He
awoke in a moment or two his normal self. My
Arab friend claimed that it was the invocation of
the name of Power that caused the devil to retire.
The other spirits I will mention again when I
come to Possessions and Exorcisms.
Next, the soul. The African distinguishes
between soul, heart and mind, and heart, as in
English, has a double meaning, both the physical
organ and the seat of his emotions.
The soul is considered as being in every part of
the body, and if part of you is amputated you lose a
corresponding bit of your zoho. Amputation of the
left leg is considered especially bad. It is for this
reason that hair and nail parings if left about can be
made so dangerous to their former owners.
Soul is rvoho, heart is moyo, mind is akili
(intelligence).
Roho, nafsi and akili are all importations from
the Arabic, but mayo is a bantu word, and the word
mtima, which is seldom heard, save among the old
people in distant villages, means rather more than
moyo, and I think is really roho. Both moyo and
roho are often confused. Examples: Amasema
maneno mazuri, lakini moyo yake mbaya. ‘‘ He
speaks fair words, but his heart is evil.’’ Moyo yake
anakwenda sana. ‘‘ His heart is beating fast.”’
Mtima wende na moyo. ‘‘ Soul and heart are going.”’
Roho amekwenda peponi. ‘‘ The soul has gone to
paradise.”’ :
Nafsi is often used merely to emphasize—self,
e.g., Mimi nafsi yangu—‘‘I myself.’
440 ZANZIBAR
I once asked an Arab if he considered we should
all go to the same heaven. He replied, ‘‘ No, we
shall all have separate towns, but as you and J are
friends we can have a house on the outskirts and
speak across to each other.”’
It may be wondered why I have omitted all
reference to Mohammedan feasts, but as I am
endeavouring to deal as far as possible with the
‘‘ three tribes ’’ only, I think such reference would be
out of place, particularly as the only one that they
really take any serious notice of is Ramathan, when
many certainly do fast. On the Siku kuu (Id-el-Fitr)
they make up for it and will not do any work at all.

SUPERSTITIONS

The European superstitions as to luck from

meeting cross-eyed women or touching hunchbacks,
and bad luck from other reasons, have their counter-
part in Zanzibar.
Superstitions as to salt, etc., and fishing I have
related under their appropriate headings, and here
there are just a few that cannot be classified elsewhere.
It is bad luck to meet on going out of the house
in the morning a one-eyed man or a hunchback, but
if on first leaving your house you meet two.men on
eth: together, or a man carrying a load, it is good
uck.
The one-eyed man and the hunchback apparently
being not sound of body cannot be prosperous, but it
betokens prosperity to see two men bent on a shauri,
or a man carrying a load which means property.
It is bad luck to hand scissors to anyone: they
should be put down for the other to take up.
 CHAPTER X LI

MEDICINE

SURGERY

THE practice of surgery is in a far more primitive state

than that of the sciences we shall afterwards consider.
There are only two operations that really deserve
the dignity of being called surgical—cupping and
circumcision. Cupping (kumumika) is performed by
a cupper (muumishi) with a cupping-horn called by
the Wahadimu chuku, but in the town umiko or
ndukiko. It is an operation for blood-letting, and
corresponds to the use of leeches in Europe; it is
generally resorted to in cases of high fever.
The horn is the top end of a cow’s horn with a
hole bored through the thin end and a lump of bees-
wax then stuck on toit. The knife is a small, locally
made instrument with a square point. The operation
is performed by making small incisions on the back
while the patient lies on his stomach, to the number
of about four, and then putting a horn over each and
sucking vigorously. When all the air is drawn out
the operator closes the hole by biting the bees-wax
with his teeth. When the cups are removed or fall
off in about twenty minutes they are full of congealed
blood.
A simpler operation is simply kuchanja. This
consists merelyof cutting gashes with a razor on the
back. The cuts are deeper than those for cupping,
as the blood has to come out without being drawn
441
442 ZANZIBAR
out. When sufficient blood has been “‘let,’’ the
bleeding is stopped by an application either of crushed
mbaazi leaves (a kind of pea that resembles laburnum)
and lime, or of the sap of the mono (physic nut tree
—Yatrofa curcas).
Chanja kwa ndui, to cut for smallpox, is a term
that is now applied to vaccination, an operation which
is performed also by Swahilis in Government
employ.
Circumcision (¢okara) is carried out by a circum-
ciser (zgariba), who is often also an elder, or Sheha,
or Mwalimu of the mosque. To circumcise is
kutahiri, though an euphemism kuingia kumbini (to
enter the porch, i.e., to be excluded from the house)
is also used.
The whole idea of ¢okara is circumcision in the
purifying sense of Islam, and futahivi means to
circumcise in the Mohammedan way. As I have
explained, however, in previous chapters, there is a
dance used on these occasions.
Wounds are not sewn up, at least I have not
known it done, and many gaping scars can be
seen.
The only other “‘ operation’ a native is called
’

upon to perform is the removal of those unpleasant

parasites, “‘ jiggers’’ (Sarcopsilla penetrans). This
is done either with a thorn—orange thorns are
often used—or a pointed wooden needle. Some
natives are extraordinarily skilful at removing these
lady jiggers whole with bag of eggs and all,
thus saving the ulcer that results if the bag is
broken.
Sometimes the Wakikuyu who, unlike the
Zanzibari men, bore their ears like women, wish to
get rid of the disfigurement, and this is done for them
by cutting out a few inches of the ring of flesh into
which the ear lobe is distended, and binding up the
two short ends. This heals in a few days.
Among a collection of bones recently excavated
in making a road in Zanzibar is a fragment of skull
 PHYSICS ve
—left parietal bone—which bears evidence of success-
ful trepanning; successful, because the margins of
the opening are healed over. There are no indications
as to race and few as to age. It is probably the
second oldest of eight skulls or fragmentary skulls
from the same place, all buried in tidal sand. The
external surface is deeply eroded and it is very friable.
From the history of the spot where it was found,
and its condition compared with that of the other
specimens, one may assume that it is at least a
hundred years old. It is the first record of a trepanned
skull to be found in Zanzibar, and is now in the
Zanzibar Museum.
The Arabs of Zanzibar know of the operation, but
I have never heard of them performing it.
Massaging—kukanda—is a common practice and
many women are skilled at it. They ‘‘crack’’ the
joints of the fingers and the backbone, and perform
most of the operations known to Western masseuses.

Puysics
THE PRACTITIONERS
The word for a doctor or medicine man is mganga,
and this not only includes a dealer in medicine, but
also in white magic. Under this heading, though, I
shall not refer to charms as cures for diseases, but
only definite medicines as we understand the word in
English.
The practice of an mganga is hereditary and is
passed down from father to son, from generation to
generation. Some doctors have recipes for some
things, some for another; none will communicate
these recipes to each other. I had the greatest
difficulty in compiling the Materia Medica I made,
and when each medicine man was explaining his
herbs, everyone else had to be excluded from hear-
ing, save he and me. I had to pay them pretty
well too.
444 ZANZIBAR
Another curious thing is that they have a sort of
language of their own, at any rate as far as concerns
the names of the herbs they use; this is called
kiganga. Especial care had to be taken to check
the names, and this I did by resummoning each man
after a few days and presenting him with the roots
or leaves in turn, asking him what they were and what
their uses were. In order to get the scientific names
it was necessary to get the flowers, and I had a lot
of trouble about this. One old gentleman brought
a huge bunch of flowers, and as I called out a name
he fitted any flower on to it. I found this out by
checking.

Lemon grass is grown outside most huts. Natives

make an infusion and drink it in fever. The use of
balsam is also known.
The figures in the ‘‘ Quantity ’’ column indicate
the number of pieces of root required. The pieces
(vipande) are about two inches long.
* denotes leaves and not roots.
Anything else than roots or leaves, e.g., bark,
is stated.
D=days. M.E.=morning and evening.
Snake bites are rare; I have only learnt of one,
and in that case the patient had in the end «to resort
to the mission nurse for treatment. The mganga’s
treatment was to tie a charm on and apply a concoc-
tion of leaves and dung to the bite.
Burton says that the Arabs make an infusion with
papaw seeds, and that it has a similar effect to the
compound I have numbered 7 below.
 VIXALVN VOIGAW

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450 ZANZIBAR

NOSOLOGY

The natives suffer from many diseases, which are

nearly all ascribed by them to the effect of witchcraft.
The diseases most common to the eye of a layman
are:
(1) Ankylostomaisis (Szfura).
(2) Malaria (Homa).
(3) Venereal Diseases (7ego and buhuete or
kisonono).
(4) Tropical Ulcers (Vidonda).
(5) Tuberculosis.
(6) Elephantiasis (/atende).
(7) Eye troubles.
(8) Leprosy (Ukoma, /ethamu)
(9) Yaws (Buba).
(10) Bilharzia, a helminthic disease common in
both islands.
There are also the usual cycles of endemic and
epidemic fevers and diseases, such as smallpox,
dengue, which derives its English name from the
Swahili name Kidinga popo, meaning literally a
‘“ going round like a bat,’’ and various forms of
dysentery =ete. etc.
A few words must be said of ankylostomiasis,
which is extremely prevalent, affecting something like
95 per cent. of the native community.
The individual is infected by the larve of the
ankylostome entering through the soles of his feet,
travelling up the blood stream and eventually finding
its immediate host in the intestine, where it develops
into the hook worm and thrives and multiplies
exceedingly. Large quantities of ova pass out with
the faces, hatch out, infect the ground and start the
cycle again.
It is a distressing disease, in so far as it lowers
the victim’s vitality; he suffers in the advanced stage
from profound anemia, naturally robbing him of
energy and initiative, and the disease is largely
 NOSOLOGY 451
responsible for the dado kidogo (not yet awhile) trait
in the native’s character.
Numerous complications are commonly seen, such
as heart disease, cedema, ascites, big sloughing
ulcers, etc., resulting from prolonged attacks ot
ankylostomiasis.
The victim responds readily to treatment, unless
too far advanced, but much has yet to be done in
teaching and training him in better sanitary conditions,
and also in the wearing of some covering on his feet.
Malaria. This does not require any description
here; it is enough to say that the native has no pro-
tection whatever against the mosquito (axopheles),
and in childhood has so many repeated attacks that
it is recognized generally that a child of eight years
has acquired some immunity, and later in life, unless
he is out of condition from some other cause, does
not have frequent attacks.
Venereal diseases are rampant, as in all coastal
towns, and are considerably lowering the birth-rate.
The difficulty here is that the native cannot
always be made to see the necessity of a prolonged
course of treatment, and will frequently, during this
period, return to his native doctor, imagining the
disease is due to some magic spell.
Tuberculosis is a great menace, and is increasing
rapidly owing to the moist climate, which is an ideal
culture media for the tubercle bacilli. This danger is,
of course, increased by the native’s habit of expect-
orating on every possible occasion, and their congested
and airless scheme of housing.
Nothing but segregation can combat this, and
this is always a difficult problem when dealing with
the native, as has been proved numerous times when
dealing with lepers.
Elephantiasis is due to a prolonged filarial
condition carried by the culex mosquito.
Its name exactly describes its appearance. The
parts mostly affected in men are the scrotum and the
lower limbs, which assume tremendous proportions.
452 ZANZIBAR
I have myself seen an amputated scrotum weighing
60 |b.
In women the breasts, or vulva, are most
commonly affected, although the condition may
appear in any part of the body.
These unfortunate conditions are operable, but
more to remove discomfort than as a radical cure.
Eye troubles are due to the glare of the sun and
dust, and also as a complication of other diseases.
Cataract (mtoto jichoni—lit. a child in the eye)
is of frequent occurrence.
Yaws. Unknown in Zanzibar, but prevalent in
the north of Pemba.
This begins with skin eruption, rapidly involving
and disfiguring the whole body. It resembles
syphilis, but is not venereal in origin.
 CHAPTER XLII

MasIc

POSSESSIONS AND EXORCISMS

THE spirits which can possess people are of many

different kinds, all have names, but grouped under
one heading—/efo.
Jini, the imported Arab spirits, do not so much
possess as hover round and make a nuisance of
themselves.
Illness is often considered to be the possession of
a devil, who must then be made to behave himself or
leave. Though devils can be exorcized completely,
they are generally merely made to be good tenants,
but people often like being possessed, and then a
devil can be made to come in as a tenant.
(1) Calling a devil for possession (Hadimu).
Take a piece of mmanuzi root, and three of muiza
Jini (mweusa jimi in Kiunguja, order Leguminose—
Cassia occidentalis), and boil together in a new pot.
When it boils, place a pad on the patient’s head (to
stop burning) and place the pot on top of it. The
patient will then shake her head, but the pot will not
fall down. The medicine man then gives the patient
some of the mixture to drink. The devil will now
come, and though he may go away for short periods,
will always come back. After this the medicine man
will drop the muiza jini down a ruined well, so that
it is out of the way of mischief-makers, and the other
root will be fastened to the leg of the possessed
person, where it will stay seven days. The correspond-
ing Pemba recipe is to take the leaves of nahakai
(Kip.), or mchakaka (Kig.), and kivumbani, or kivum-
453
454 ZANZIBAR
basi (Kiun.), or jembe la waganga (Kig.), and put them
in water. You then stand in front of the patient
reading Yasiu and sprinkling the water over him. He
will then become possessed.
(2) The following amongst innumerable others are
some of those devils who may make their presence
felt: Robamba, Bundi, Rohania, Kumbwaya,
Rewa, Kibisa, Tari, Mwamba, Bwende, Msindu,
Timiri and Dumgumaru.
Robamba is a very important Pemba spirit, though
apparently he has also penetrated to some Zanzibar
districts.
Bundi is probably the spirit who manifests himself
as an owl.
Rohania is a storm devil (Pemba).
Kumbwaya is another Pemba devil.
Besides these Steere and Madan mention Milhoi,
Kinyambala (a storm devil living at cross-ways),
Kilima, makoka, kotkoi, kizuu, kisimwe, Mwana
maua, but these are not known well now. I asked
about them all, but though several of the names were
recognized, my informants said they did not now exist.
All these require dances to exorcize them, with
special food, and many of them I have described
under Music and Dancing. Those that do not
require dancing I shall describe here.
It is generally women who are possessed.
(3) Prior to exorcism, the patient must be prepared
for it in this manner (Hadimu).
Take seven leaves and seven seeds of mkuu
(order Urticacee—Ficus sycamorus). Boil in water
in a chungu (clay pot). When boiling place pot
between the legs of the patient and cover her from
head to foot with clothes, allowing steam a free
passage around her private parts.
The devil can then be exorcized.
(4) To exorcize.
(az) Sometimes when a woman is ill she is said
to be possessed of a pepo and the dawa ya pepo is
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 POSSESSIONS AND EXORCISMS 455
read over to her, and at the same time a upatu gong
is beaten.
The patient sits before the medicine man covered
all over with cloths, and he gabbles off his recitation,
and someone else beats this gong incessantly till her
head begins to nod up and down. She cries out and
the devil retires.
The recitation is long and very nonsensical. This
is its beginning: ‘‘O Sultan Koran, come to us, O
Sultan Han. O Sultan Sultan, pat me. Where are
you, O Sultan? You are one of the subjects of
Solomon, the son of David the prophet, together with
your following (of djinns) born from the hottest
water,’’ and so on.
(6) An instrument for exorcizing pepo is called
pint. It consists of a cow’s horn with two bells
fastened through a hole at the end, and is filled with
the following magical ingredients: three pieces each
of ambari, udi uvumba, which are kinds of incense:
three pieces each of the roots of mkadi, mkua usiku,
vahani, mana afu and mvumbisi (Kiunguja—kivum-
bua, order Labiatee—Ocimum canum.); a dog’s
nose and the thread made from a tree called utugwa
are also inserted and the horn sealed up with yellow,
black, and white earth, after which before being ready
for use it must be smoked with incense. The doctor
dances round the patient with this at arm’s length,
touching the patient and reciting the dawa ya pepo.
(c) Yet another instrument used in exorcisms
is the wsizga, a piece of hairy ox-hide rolled up to
look like a tail stuck in a handle. This is placed on
the patient’s head while the mwalimu or mganga reads
from a book of magic.
WHITE MAGIC
Let us now consider white magic, that is to say,
magic that has no harm for its object but either to
cure, to combat-evil in black magic, or to make such
‘* medicine’? as love charms. Each will be dealt
with in turn. All are within the province of mganga.
456 ZANZIBAR
(1) To cure. This corresponds to medicinal
recipes and is intended to serve the same purpose,
namely, to cure sickness or disease. It goes about
its purpose in a different way, however, and instead
of being in the form of a drug or an application, is
something perhaps to be worn, which will produce
the desired effect if the directions are carried
out.
The following are examples:
Kilezi—for use in the delirium of high fever.
Take a section of bamboo and place inside it, in
quantities and order named, the following roots:
mweusha jini, three pieces; muweka (Kiun. tanda),
two pieces; muuya amali, three pieces; mpindu pindu,
two pieces; mtambuzi, three pieces; mpukusa, two
pieces; mwamba mji, three pieces; mpesi, two pieces;
mcheka na watu, three pieces; mbabuhaji, two pieces;
mchonjonea, three pieces ;mkindu, two pieces; mpepe,
seven pieces.
When they are all safely tucked in, place your
kilezi in a chungu (pot) with water and put it on the
fire. Then take a long piece of wkindu (dried strip of
the leaf of the wild date palm) and repeat, “‘ Kul hua
llahu ahad llahu samadu, wala mialidi, wala miuladu,
wala mia kullahu kufan ahad,’’ forty times. After
each time of saying, tie a knot in the wkinxdu, till at
the end there are forty.
Then plunge it into the pot, which by now is
boiling furiously, and the boiling will immediately
subside and with it the fever of the patient, who,
however, must have some of the medicine to drink
and to be bathed in.
A charm to be worn to cure conjunctivitis consists
of a string made of goat’s hair and a blob of some
sort of composition at the bottom. It is threaded on
to a necklace and worn there. It is of Shihiri
manufacture. In Pemba the medicine man professes
to cure sick persons at a distance, by putting the
ground leaves of mwopoa habari on the face of the
messenger who brings the news.
 WHITE MAGIC 457
Kombe (cup) are a variety of charms which consist
of Koranic texts written on saucers with soot, which
is afterwards dissolved in water and drunk, both to
cure ailments and to combat or ward off evil.
To assist a pregnant woman to deliver, the
medicine man in Pemba takes seven pieces of root
or seven leaves of mfukufuku (Kip.) or muwaawanje
(Kig.) and holds them in his hands, clasping a man
in his arms. The man breaks forth from the embrace,
and the herbs are then boiled and the decoction
given to the woman, who will then deliver safely.
(2) Into the next class fall such things as love
charms, etc. These are examples:
Love Charm. Recipe (a)—(Hadimu).
Take roots of mlaza laza (Kiun. mvumbua),
mnyamuta (Kiun. mnyamata, order Verbenacez),
muweka (Kiun. tanda). Grind the mlazalaza on a
stone and scrape the mmxyamata and muweka over it
with a knife, then grind all together again. Mix
this with a little mavashi. Put some of this on a
corner of your lady’s clothes, and scatter more in her
washing-place and where she sleeps. Then rub
some on your own hands and face. After this go to
the lady and, under pretence of business, make a
pretext of touching her. Thus you will gain her
affections.
Love Charm. Recipe (b)}—(Hadimu).
Take roots of mvunja chuma, mpamba wake
(male). Grind the mvunja chuma and scrape the
mpamba wake over it, then grind all this together
again with the mvunja chuma. Put the powder in
food and give it to your lady to eat, and at once she
will love you.
Love Charm. Recipe (c)—(Hadimu). ;
Take roots of mjuja (Kiun. mfuru) four pieces,
mjaza kapu, three pieces. Grind together, mix the
powder with water and put some on the lady’s clothes
in her washing-place. This will achieve the desired
result.
458 ZANZIBAR
Love Charm. Recipe (d)—(Hadimu).
Take seeds of mchunga (Kiun. mchungwe).
Grind and mix in food. Give this to the lady, whose
affections are then yours.
There are many more but mainly of these types,
either contagious or acting through a philtre.
(e) Sir J. G. Frazer (Taboo and the Perils of the
Soul) refers to a charm used to catch runaway slaves.
In these days when there are no slaves it is also used
as a love charm. The method is as follows: Take
a piece of coir cord and recite a passage of Koran
seven times, at the end of each recitation tie a knot.
Take the cord to the lady’s house, call her name
seven times and leave the cord on the door. The
lady will come.
Some love charms can be made to call a woman
from a distance.
(3) Recipes for Invisibility. (a) Tumbatu, (6) Hadimu,
(c) Pemba.
(az) Take the potato of matunda kanga (Kiun.
mlangamia, order Cassytha filiformis) and shred it.
Add hairs from the back of the neck of a black cat and
feathers from the back of the neck of a black chicken.
Put them all into a chungu and roast to ashes on a
fire. Powder up the result and place it on the back
of a mirror. Cut a small vertical cut above ‘the nose
in the middle of the forehead and rub the powder
with the mirror into the cut. Turn the mirror round
and look. If you are still there, rub again, when you
will be invisible.
(6) While walking along a path where Cassytha
filiformis is growing, swallow as you go seven of the
white buds (they look like pills) one after another.
You will then be invisible.
(c) Cut the throat of a black cock, take its blood
and rub the roots of a tree called mwaka mwaka in
it, and then smear them on your face. This should
be repeated until looking in the looking-glass you can
no longer see yourself.
Another Pemba method of securing invisibility is
 WHITE MAGIC 459
to write ‘‘Wa shems watheraka tofadamdama’’ on
a piece of paper with the blood of a black cock
mixed with the mwaka mwaka. Put this in your
a and smear more of the mixture on your
ace.
Under this heading also might be included such
charmsas the one which is fixed in the big drum to
give it its note.
An interesting form of white magic is that used
for catching thieves. It is not native but an importa-
tion, and is performed in Zanzibar exactly as described
in Lane’s Modern Egyptians. A magic square of
15 is used and certain incantations, including verse
21 of Sura so of the Koran, ‘‘ But we have taken off
the veil from thee, and thy sight is becoming sharp
this day ’’ (Rodwell’s translation).
The magician procures generally a small boy, not
arrived at puberty, though Lane says a virgin, a black
female slave or a pregnant woman will do equally
well.
The square is drawn on the boy’s hand and a
pool of ink in it, the magician makes passes and
recites incantations, and burns charms in a dish of
incense and commands the thief to appear. The boy
then sees a reflection of the thief in the ink and
describes him.
This is very often correctly performed, as is well
known. Possibly the explanation is thought-trans-
ference, but I have no doubt that the magicians
believe in their charms rather than in their powers
of suggestion, hypnotism, etc.
In Pemba should you wish a divorced wife not
to be married again, take the roots of munga nyungu
(Kig. hang’ongwa) and wrap in calico. Put this
charm under a log, saying, ‘‘I fasten so-and-so, I
fasten her by a cord.’’ If you want to break the
spell you have only to remove the charm.
(4) The feats performed at Maulidi (which, as I
have elsewhere explained, is a religious recitation
accompanied by music to celebrate the birth of the
460 ZANZIBAR
Prophet) are perhaps more in the nature of conjuring
tricks than magic in the sense of the word as I am
now using it. wo
They are three and are not native, being imported
from Arabia.
The first and the cleverest is swallowing fire.
The Mullah walks up and down between the rows of
chanters, holding a dish containing burning incense
in his hand and praying with uplifted head, but every
now and then blowing on the red-hot ashes of incense.
Then he takes some up in his fingers and places
it in his mouth, and the glowing incense and the smoke
issuing out is there for all to behold.
The next feat is performed with an instrument
called debussi, which is a long nail as sharp as a
needle, fixed in a wooden handle. The Mullah
apparently bores this through his cheeks after prayer,
and then withdraws it with no mark on his cheek.
The third trick is not so marvellous. The Mullah
bares his stomach, and calling on Allah, plunges the
sword against it, and it does not cut him.
I have examined the nails (and possess one) and
the swords, and they are certainly sharp and not false,
and I have asked the performers how it is done. Of
course the only reply i ever got was that it was done
by prayer, and God would not let the fire or the nail
or the sword do harm to a holy man.
(5) In the next class I place charms intended to
ward off evil. The following are examples :
Koma. A charm to keep off enemies from a
dance-ground, and to stop the players from quarrel-
ling. (Hadimu.)
Take a section of bamboo and stuff in one piece
each of the following roots in order (Kiunguja names
and scientific names, if known, in brackets): mlazalaza
(mvumbua), mtandika (mbu wa mwaka), mpinguzi
(mpinga), mualikia Mbali, mbarika, mbabu Haji,
maliwali, mtarawanda, mpingozi (mvingozi), muya
amali (muakikale), muiza, mviru mshike (mshikia
hanye, order Amaranthacee, A. chryanthes aspera) ’
 WHITE MAGIC 461
muambe mii, kichinja uzia, mtakasa, mpukusa
(mkwamba—securinega), mpinduzi (mwanga kwao—
a fern), msukuma (mlandege), haotajwa (mlachole,
order Verbenacee lippia), mjuvi, muhegaawa
(mchongoma), mtopetope, mshinda jemaa (kisinde),
mpekuzi (mfaggio), mshinda (mcheje, Fimbristilis
extilis), mwangakwao, mpite wote, mnvamuta
(mnyamata), mpevuatu (mpepe), michali (mjoma),
mtoga (mtarawanda), mshika jemaa (mkwaju,
order Tamarindus indica, Tamarind), kongapingu
(golegole), mtawa.
Seal both ends of the section with xdami (incense)
and uvumba (gum copal). The day before the dance
take the Koma to the dance-ground, dig a hole and
place in it more wbani and uvumba and burn it. Hold
the Koma over it and say:

‘* Koma we, tunakuweka hapa katika wanja wa ngoma,

Koma thou, we are placing thee here in the ground of
the dance;
adui akitoka kusini mwongushe hapa asiondoke,
akitoka
an enemy if he comes from the south make him fall
here not to get away; if he comes
matokea jua, mwongushe hapa asiondoke, akitoka
kaskazi
from the east, make him fall down here not to get
away; if he comes from the north
mwongushe hapa asiondoke, akitoka machwa ya jua,
make him fall here not to get away; if he comes from
the west
mwongushe hapa asiondoke, akiwa adui mwana mke,
aanguke
make him fall down not to get away. If it be an
enemy female let her fall;
akiwa adui mwana mume, aanguke, akiwa mweust
if it be an enemy male let him fall; if it be black
aanguke, akiwa mwekundu aanguke, na wewe, koma,
let him fall; if it be red let him fall. And thou,
Koma,
462 ZANZIBAR
uzuwiye watu hapa katika wanja wa ngoma wasigom-
bane,
stop men here on the ground of the dance from
quarrelling
wala wasipigane, wa rithihe furahaya ngoma basi.
or fighting and content them with the joy of the dance
only.”’
Then bury it in the hole.
After the dance the leader of the dance can take
it away, but in a mkoba (pocket or sachel), and it can
be used again many times.
Under this heading also may be inserted the vast
variety of charms falling under the name i7z21, which
are chiefly Koranic charms, consisting mainly of parts
of Suras 113 and 114 of the Koran, which are con-
sidered powerful medicines for combating evil.

Sura CXIII—The Daybreak

I betake me for refuge to the Lord of the Daybreak

Against the mischiefs of his creation,
And against the mischief of the night when it overtaketh me,
And against the mischief of weird women;}
And against the mischief of the envier when he envieth.

Sura CX LV—Men

I betake me for refuge to the Lord of Men,

The King of men,
The God of men,
Against the mischief of the stealthily withdrawing whisperer,
Who whispereth in man’s breast—
Against djinn and men.

Most children wear a necklace with two or three

little wallets bearing some of these sentences, and
they are also fixed up in huts to keep evil away in the
same way that texts are in Europe.
Some, however, although Koranic, are merely
1 Literally, who blow on knots. According to some com-
mentators an allusion to a species of charm,
 WHITE MAGIC 463
disjointed words and sentences, with astrological or
talismanic signs at the end. (Hadimu.)

These I was told were yoda (stars), and the one

on the right the moon.
Another interesting charm under this heading is
the £o7a, a chain of wooden beads worn by children.
In the long beads are stuck bits of a reed called
ndago. If anybody of evil intent approaches a child
wearing this, the child will vomit, thus disclosing the
malignant influence.
To ward off blows in Pemba, the roots of
mvunjashoka (Kig. mwambakua) can be worn in the
waist-fold of the loin-cloth. To achieve success in
any undertaking, wear the roots of shinde (Kip.) or
kishinda wa shindani (Kig.).
(6) Under this heading come those charms
employed to combat black magic, and they are all
protective.
(2) To enable yau to see witch-doctors. (Tumbatu.)
They are usually invisible. Take leaves of mchu
(Brugeria?) and mchakati. Pound these together and
smear on your face and over your eyes. You will
then see the wizards.
(4) To make a witch-doctor stand still until released,
or to make them stand without being able further
to approach your house, etc. (Tumbatu.)
Take leaves of msujft (cotton tree—eriodendron
anfractuosum) and write on it three times jul sluJ/
(asaki bi’ saki). - Write it also on small pieces of paper.
Wrap and sew these up in cloth, a leaf and a piece
of paper, as many as you require to make your circle,
464 ZANZIBAR
and bury it in the ground where you wish the witch-
doctors to be stopped. Write asaki bi’ saki three times
on another piece of paper, sew it into a cloth, make
an armlet of it and wear it.
(c) To prevent djinns being sent by witch-doctors to
worry you. (Tumbatu.)
Draw diagrams, shown in illustration, on a piece
of paper, and your name, or that of your client, under
it, and you or your client, as the case may be, whoever
requires the protection, will wear it in an armlet on
the arm. Should a witch-doctor send a djinn to you
it will return and eat him.
While walking through sleeping villages at night,
I have sometimes seen a curious phosphorescent
patch on doors. I investigated this, and found that
the bones of a certain fish which are charged with
phosphorus had been fastened there. My donkey-boy
told me it was placed there to keep evil spirits and
wizards away.
(d) To dispossess witch-doctors of their clothes.
(Pemba.)
Take the principal root (called the navel) of
mvuma nyuki (Kig. and Kip. mvuma) and wrap it in
calico with ambergris and sandalwood. Say ‘‘ Kiafu
wal kuran el majid bali yabibbu’’ and ‘‘/dha zul
zilat el aruzu zid,’’ seventy times each. Go to the
place of the witch-doctors and hold the charm in front
of your face. They will think you are a tree and hang
their clothes on you. You can then run away with
them.
Here are two magical formule of Mkame Mdume.
The first is as follows :
(1) Ukitaka kutumia Afriti katika Maafriti wa
Suleiman bin Daud Alaihima assalam ukae faragha
mahali saft na nguo zako saft na mvwili wakosafi
ufunge siku sabaa na wewe usome kulla siku marra
wahedt waarbainina usiku usome sura kulhuwallahy
marra elfu umia uhidaashara atakuja usiku ule watatu
na watano na wasita Afriti yule uliomwita yeye na
watu wake atakupa miadi yeye na watu wake.
 BLACK MAGIC 465
The first one reads in English: ‘‘ If there be one
who would wish to summon up and have at his bidding
an Efreet of the Efreets of Solomon, the son of
David, on whom be Peace, let him dwell apart ina
clean place, clad in clean apparel and his person clean.
Let him fast for seven days, and let him read every
day forty-one times and at night one thousand one
hundred and ten and one times the chapter of the
Koran beginning ‘ Say He is one God.’ There will
come to him that night, the 3rd, the 5th and the 6th,
the Efreet he has summoned, he and his people. He
will do your bidding, he and his people.’’
(2) Ukitaka kuondowa mtu wazimu au uchawi twaa
kondoo waeili mweusi na mwekundu uwatundike
uwafunge miguu uwatundike juu ya mti mkubwa wa
zamani ulio na matawi makubwa uwachinje ukusanye
damu yao tena uchukuwe maziwa na asali na maji
uwandike dua kwa maji yale umuoshe, mgonjwa yule
ikiwa niwazimu au uchawi atapona.
The second, which is protective, means as follows :
‘‘ If you want to remove madness or the effects
of witchcraft from a man, take two sheep, one black
and one red. Hang them up and tie their legs.
Hang them on a tree, a big one and an old one, one
with big branches. Cut their throats and collect their
blood. Then take milk and honey and water and
write ‘ Dua’ with that water and wash him. That
patient will be cured whether he be with madness or
the effects of witchcraft.’’
The reasoning is probably as follows: Black and
red are the colours of the men who may have worked
the madness or put a charm on the patient. If they
are killed and their blood put on the patient, their
virtue or wholeness will be transferred to him.

BLACK MAGIC

Medicine, exorcism, white magic, all these are

the province of the waganga, who are useful members
of society and who may practise their calling openly.
466 ZANZIBAR
We now come to consider that person of evil, the
mchawi, or wizard, whose province is wholly evil and
who is not at all popular, save with those who wish
to call in his services to do evil to their enemies.
This does not mean that the two are not sometimes
combined.
Pemba has got a reputation in East Africa as the
home of instruction for budding wizards. On a visit
to Nossi Bé in Madagascar, I iearnt that there, too,
it was well known. The magic of Pemba is charac-
terized by what is known as the guild system. The
guilds (chama) are organized secret societies which
have terrorism as their object. Different degrees have
to be passed by the initiate to these guilds. The first
is merely a test of nerves: on some suitable night the
initiate will awake to hear the barking of dogs and the
hooting of owls near his abode. When he ventures
forth he may see or hear dark crouching figures pass-
ing about in the bush or undergrowth. Read in broad
daylight this sounds tame, but it can be an extra-
ordinarily eerie experience, as I know from personal
knowledge.
The next step includes the actual entry to the
outer circle of the guild, and at a meeting convened
on the witches’ heath, the initiate is required to
promise a bag of rice and a goat. When this is forth-
coming he is considered as a member of the guild.
Entrance to the inner circle is purchased by the
provision of a child; the initiate or his sponsor is asked
if he can “‘ provide a man’’ (dupa mtu); it is said that
the offering of an infant has to be made, and that the
child is eaten by the guild. It may be said at once
that there is a good deal of doubt as to whether this
actually takes place, and most people consider it
wholly improbable, as Pemba is well organized and
administered, but in view of the secrecy observed by
all classes in this respect, it is difficult to state definitely
that this practice does not take place, as no inspection
of dead bodies is required, but only a registration of
the death. The registration of births is often more
 BLACK MAGIC 467
honoured in the breach than the observance, and a
new-born child could probably be easily disposed of.
All I can vouch for is that the candidate is asked if
he can provide a man.
My information as to the procedure necessary to
enter these guilds of witch-doctors is gathered from
first hand. In 1922, accompanied by an Arab friend
and disguised as an Arab, I had an opportunity of
going as a prospective initiate to a meeting of a guild
of witch-doctors. After a long ride through the night
we met our guide at the edge of a plain of silver sand
covered with cashew trees, called Gyinyingi, which is
the witches’ heath of Pemba. The night was inky
black, but the silver sand of the plain made it possible
for us to follow our guide fairly easily through the
trees. As we went along I traced rough arrows on
the sand with my stick at frequent intervals in order
to be able to find the way in daylight; after we had
gone a little way an owl hooted in the distance, which
gave us rather a shock; the guide changed his
direction and made in that whence the sound had
come. After a few minutes he stopped again, an
owl hooted so close and so suddenly that we were both
badly startled, and did not realize at once that it was
our guide who had made the call. An answer came
from quite close at hand; the guide softly clapped his
hands, making a hollow sound; answering claps came
from nearby; the bush we were passing through became
thicker. Suddenly somebody dropped from a tree
with a rustle as he passed through the leafy branches;
he brushed by us touching our clothes and had gone
almost before we were aware of it; the whole
atmosphere was extraordinarily uncanny. Then the
whole place seemed alive with black, almost invisible
forms; one could make out vaguely naked figures
which plunged by into the undergrowth and were gone.
We came at last to a circular clearing, and at a sign
from our guide squatted down. The hooting of owls
became frequent; distant calls were answered nearby;
with it was mixed the howling of dogs and incessant
468 ZANZIBAR
hollow clapping of hands on bare arms. Not a voice
was to be heard, but rustling in the bushes and snap-
ping of twigs indicated that there were a lot of people
about. Our eyes were now thoroughly accustomed
to our surroundings, and presently we made out the
bent figure of an old man who came into the centre
of the clearing. Behind him followed a procession of
nude forms in single file; we could distinguish both
men and women, and as they came they clapped their
hands on their arms. They squatted round the clear-
ing in a large circle; the old man addressed our guide
and asked whether we were both there. Other
sponsors were also asked if the initiates they were
introducing were present, and the dialogue was as
follows? (Old manny < [seae sthereraaee ZAnswer:
“SHevistheres “Srblas*hercome itorgoodior evils d
‘‘ For good.’’ ‘* What does he bring?’ ‘‘ Nothing,
but he will bring that which is usual.’’ ‘‘ A goat and
aisacksofsricer*) “> Eventisowtaw “Canwhercivera
man?’’ (Atavyeza kutupa mtu?) It was this last
question that confirmed for me the stories I had heard
of a child being demanded. Our guide said that we
could do no such thing, and there followed a muttered
conversation between him, the old man, and some of
his followers, and we were told to come again on the
night of the New Year. Nothing, however; came of
this, and I think it is probable that the guild had
suspected something of my identity.
As we went back I looked for the arrow marks,
but the guide, seeing me peering about, said that they
had been erased. The guild had no intention of let-
ting us know their meeting-place.
We asked to be taken to the invisible house, and
Juma bin Hassan, our guide, led us off there. How-
ever, after a few minutes’ walk a cock crew, and he
informed us that at cock-crow the home and the
wizards vanished !
The magic of the Hadimu of Zanzibar is charac-
terized chiefly by the use of potent poisons, and by
the fact that witch-doctors are credited with the powers
 BLACK MAGIC 469
of being able to keep leopards under control and to
send them at will to do harm. Many stories are
current concerning these practices, and I shall refer
to them again shortly. Not only the natives, but
also the Arabs firmly insist that the witch-doctors have
these powers.
The magic of the Watumbatu as contracted with
that of the Wahadimu shows much less trace of
foreign influence. The latter people use Koranic
charms to a very large extent, and make greater use
of the numbers 3 and 4 and their total.
All sorts of wonderful powers are attributed to
witch-doctors ; they can become invisible at will, can
pass through a ring, or ride upon a millet straw.
They can turn themselves into animals or raise the
dead. They can control wild animals and send them
to do harm. They can provide you with most potent
medicines to kill anyone.
For many months I tried to go and see a witch-
dance in Zanzibar, but the difficulties seemed insuper-
able. However, I finally managed to do so by
preserving the strictest secrecy and confiding only in
two trustworthy people, and by donning the disguise
of an Arab.
Hearing in a roundabout way that witch-doctors
were going to dance at a certain place in order to
cause the death of a sick man near, who would not
pay Rs. 100 to save his life, I proceeded about mid-
night in the direction the dance was to be held. I
was wearing the white Zazzu of an Arab, barefooted,
with a cap and a beard and a brown face. I also, to
enter into the spirit of the thing, wore a charm to
render myself invisible and a charm to enable the
user to see the witch-doctors.
As I was proceeding in the direction the per-
formance was to be held, I saw some way ahead a
pale blue light go vertically up in the air and with no
report seem to burst and fade away. Soon after I
heard a weird calling as of dogs, and the hooting of
owls, and presently came on some lonely mango and
470 ZANZIBAR
cotton trees, which appeared to be the scene of the
dance. There was a species of ‘‘ follow-my-leader ”’
in progress: a chain of about a dozen young men and
women dressed in black were following each other
silently but quickly in and out round the trees, utter-
ing no words, but slapping their bare arms in a
peculiar way, and every now and then barking or
hooting.
Not only did the barking and hooting come from
the procession, but every now and then it would be
from the trees, and forms would drop with a rustle
through the leaves and join in the procession darting
about among the trees. Although I was right in the
midst of it in a very white kanzu, on a moonlight
night, not the slightest notice was taken of me, and
I stayed watching for over an hour, till the procession
moved away in the distance, though I could still hear
the clapping, the barking and the hooting.
The native who was with me then accompanied
me to my canoe on the shore and went home. When
he got home (he told me after) he washed his face and
went to bed. Presently he heard the hooting and
barking just outside and turned out again. He could
see nothing, however, as he had washed the charm
off his face!
The end of it all was that the proposed victim got
off on payment of Rs. roo.
I once nearly got to a performance where the
wizard was to turn into an ox, but the arrangements
unfortunately fell through!
It is very easy to make too much out of witch-
craft, but it is just as simple to underestimate its
power over a people who emphatically believe in it.
Indeed many doctors who live among natives are
convinced that these wizards can work evil for this
very reason, and once in Nairobi a doctor told me
the case of a man who came to him one day and told
him that he had had witchcraft put on him and would
die on a certain day at two p.m. My friend examined
him, found him perfectly fit and told him so. Never-
 BLACK MAGIC 471
theless, as the day approached he grew weaker and
weaker, though for no apparent reason. On the day
in question he was so bad that my friend and another
doctor put him to bed and asked the name of the
wizard. It was a witch, and having brought her
there they told her to remove the curse. She refused,
so they tied a rope round her neck and throwing one
end over a tree, pulled on it. When the old lady’s
toes were off the ground, she signified her willingness
to remove the curse, and two p.m. being near, she was
hurried in and made some passes over the man, who
was really at the point of death. However, he got
up after this and walked away as well as he had ever
been.
Early in 1921, a leopard made its appearance
in my district, and in a few nights accounted for
eighteen goats. I went out to try and get it, and sat
up all night for it in a tree over a kill, but it was of no
use, and the natives and even the Arabs, especially
two very intelligent men, said I might have saved
myself the trouble, as an /chawi had fuga-ed (tamed)
the leopard and it would go where he told it.
One of my Arab friends (who knew the district
and natives well) gave me the names of the respon-
sible people, but inquiries would have been, of
course, useless.
This is firmly believed by all people. They say
that the Wahadimu witch-doctors alone have the
power to do it. They hide these leopards in holes
or caves in the bush, tied up, and then send them to
kill their enemies’ goats. On exploring a cave at
Kufile in the south of the island, I was shown a dish
with the remnants of food inside one of the inner
entrances, and was told that this was placed there by
the leopard’s master.
The Cadi of Mkokotoni told me a story of a
leopard’s activities. He said that a few years ago
in Chwaka the same thing happened and many goats
were killed. So he tried to find the culprit. This
apparently came to the ears of the Wachawi concerned,
472 ZANZIBAR
for on opening his door one morning the Cadi was
confronted with the leopard. Having no gun, he
slammed the door and went to the window—but there
was the leopard again. So he had to wait in till it
went. Having received information as to who the
Wachawi were, he sent for them and took them to
the mosque and made them swear “ Wallai, Billat,
Tallai, Wallai El Athimu’’ (a peculiarly sacred
oath) that they did not control the leopards. They
must have perjured themselves, for the Cadi informed
me that two days afterwards they were both drowned
fishing, and after a time a leopard was found dead
in the bush.
Black magic is usually either homceopathic or
contagious. An example of the former is the common
practice of making images of your enemy in bees-wax
and damaging them, so that your enemy suffers
corresponding hurt, and of the latter, working him
harm through something that has been in contact with
him or part of him, e.g., hair, nails, teeth, clothes.
Thus the Pemba method of wrapping up a live
fowl in a cloth of your enemy’s and burying it, is
contagious magic, and the death of the fowl acting
through the cloth will kill your enemy.
Some time ago, too, the Government wanted
porters for the mainland, and letters were sent to say
so. Ina Pemba village the Wachawi were consulted,
and they advised sewing up the lips of a goat with
proper invocations, and the fact that the goat could
not speak would prevent the Government likewise
from doing so. However, the Government apparently
was not sufficiently like the goat to be stopped talking,
and another demand came. It is alleged that then
a baby’s lips were sewn up, and this was investigated,
and a child was certainly found buried under the
eaves of a hut where the informer said it would be
found, but there was not enough evidence to convict
anyone of murdering it. This was homceopathic
magic.
Names, too, can be used bv unscrupulous persons
 BLACK MAGIC 473
to work you harm. On a visit to a cave in Kizim-
kazi, the Mwana vyale (custodian of the sacred
places) directed my attention to a pillar of stone.
‘““ Hear the story of Miza Miza,’’ he said. ‘‘ Many,
many years ago, a man of Kizimkazi took to wife a
young girl of Jembiyani. There was a great wedding,
and people feasted for seven days. Now he had
another and elder wife, who soon grew jealous at the
attentions paid to her young rival. One day though,
she bade her come with her, to draw water at this
cave. Miza was warned by two other women, that
whatever she did, she must not call anyone by name
in the cave, or the devil would destroy them.
“Down the hill they came, the elder woman
leading the way. At the bottom here, she stopped,
and rapidly filled her jar, and then told Miza to do
likewise.
‘* The girl obediently stooped, and commenced
her task, and the other wife climbed quickly up the
slope. When she reached the top Miza was kneeling,
and about to raise her jar, to put it on her head.
‘ Miza, Miza,’ called the woman, and Miza knew at
once that doom was before her. ‘All right,’ she
replied, ‘ you have done your worst, but go in peace.’
They were the last words she spoke; she started
weeping, but never moved again. Soon her husband
and others found out, and came to see what had
befallen her. They found her turned to stone.
The tears coursed down her graven cheeks for seven
days, but all they could do was of no avail. They
slaughtered white goats down here, and called in all
the magic they could. Miza, as you see, remains
here to this day, as she knelt so many years ago, and
still every year the people of Jembiyani, her people,
come here and make a feast in honour of that poor
girl who was destroyed by the jealousy of a wicked
woman.”’
I examined the stone closely, and with a
little imagination, one can make out the features.
The nose, the eyes, and the shoulders and arms are
474 ZANZIBAR
there, though to be sure Miza is now no beauty.
‘‘ No, age has not improved her, as it does not
improve any of us,’’ remarked my guide when I
mentioned this.
The following are a few recipes for black magic:
(1) To kill your enemy. (Tumbatu.)
Draw the diagram shown on a piece of brass and
write the name of your enemy below it. Bury the
brass in the fire. Your enemy will die a lingering
death.
(2) To kill your enemy—another method. (Tumbatu.)
Draw these symbols and write your enemy’s name
on a papaw, pick the papaw up and dash it to the
ground. Your enemy’s demise will be sudden.
Pies hee Ooi

eae 58 ee
(3) To send a snake to bite anyone. (Tumbatu.)
Draw the diagram on a piece of makuti (coco-nut
leaf) and write on it the name of your enemy, hold
it over burning incense and say, “‘I am sending you
to so-and-so to bite him.’? Then put it in the bush,
and it will change into a snake and go and do its
work.
(4) To make your enemies fall down unconscious.
(Hadimu.)
Take leaves of mpamba, mdume (Kiun. chomeko,
order Malvacea—urena lobata), kongwa (order Com-
melynacee, Commelyny benghalencis), kitumbwi
tumbwi (order Safundaceze, Cardiospermum _hali-
cacabrum), dumguza (order Malvacee, Thespesia
populuea). Grind them together and put in the
hollow stem of the papaw leaf. Get as near to
your enemy as you can. Blow it in his direction and
he will collapse unconscious.
How long he will remain so, I do not know!
The following magic herbal recipes are used in
Pemba:
 ‘IssndHad—} ‘HaWON—'s ‘INVAWOW
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WUVH OL aGvOu NI GHINNG WAVHO—'3 (HYNONAL) ANIOIGHW UOA HSVAVIVO—} ‘SIOVW AO WOOM—P « OdHd VA WMV »
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woe AHddaAD Ad Cason Svd—j (ONVGNIHSW) Asodund AWVWS AOA CGHSN ‘WIGHAHN NHGOOM—? ‘SUHOOIM ONILVOIYLXA
woud dasn ‘SNYOHL AONVUO—P “(ONVAEINM) SdHOUOA ONISIOWADUID—2 “(OONIH) SHAINA ‘IVOIOUNS ONINAHdAVHS AOA
ANOLS— 4 (IMIHVLOM VHO ATWAMIM) AAINA ONISIOWNDUID—*® (3431 42¢¢N) ‘SHAVOOS DIOVW ONIMOHS WOO AIO (aT 42440)
0 ee
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 BLACK MAGIC 475
(1) Take the stems of mpofuo macho (that which
blinds the eyes, Kip. muam, Kig. muamtu) and
squeeze the juice out. Mix it with rice. He who
eats it will die. The antidote is ¢ambwi, a coco-nut
in the stage between dafu and kokoche.
(2) Take a béche de mer and the leaves of mfag gio
(Kip. mkama kuuna, Kig. mzima kiwanda), ubondwe
(Kig. mwagiliza) and wild date palm. Roast and
grind on stones. Take the ashes and put them on
a tree in a plantation. All of that kind will die.
(3) Grind the leaves of mwagiliza (Kig. mchinja
uzia) with chillies and mix with water. This sprinkled
on the faces of people you dislike is a powerful
irritant.
(4) Take leaves of mtakawa (Kig. Muopoa
kiale) and in each leaf wrap three thorns of the wild
date palm. Tie them up in calico and throw them
where people wash. They will turn to ants and bite
them.
(5) This is a very celebrated recipe and said to
be much used. Take seven leaf stalks of mtope tope
(Kig. mchakwe, Kig. mcha kuzi). Cut a piece off
a disused beehive and a piece of koa, burn them all
and grind the ashes. Smear on seat of the buzi
(instrument for grinding coco-nut).
If anyone commits adultery with your wife, he
will get syphilis. The antidote to this is for the
husband to eat cooked mtama, covered with mkungu
(almond) leaves. He must then cover the face of
the sick man and urinate over him. Ground leaves
of mtu nguja should be applied to the sore. Only
the husband can do this.
Charms can also be buried on the road to harm
only the person for whom intended, and I have one
which was buried for me. It was a section of bamboo
stuffed with roots.
The powers of wizards are hereditary, but initia-
tion into a ‘‘ Guild ’”’ (chama) when one becomes a
follower, but not a principal, can be purchased as
described above.
476 ZANZIBAR
There seems little doubt that dead bodies are
sought after and perhaps eaten, but it is certain that
they are used to prepare the magic poison known as
unga wa ndere. This is prepared by hanging a
corpse up by the heels over a bowl, and a particular
juice is said to drop from the neck which is dried and
used as a poison.
Children are peculiarly subject to the attention of
devils and devil doctors. If they are albino, it is said
that before the birth the mother slept without a light
and the devil came and changed the unborn child.
If they are pale, they are especially subject to the
attentions of devils and their faces are blacked.
It is also said that twins and malformed children,
being both abnormal occurrences, are the work of the
devil and are killed, and for my part I should not like
to say that this is not so, as shortly before I left
Zanzibar, a Sheha reported to me he had found two
baby graves about a month old, and that he had had
no notification of birth or death. Investigations were
made and the bodies exhumed, but nothing could be
proved except the non-registration. But the non-
registration of death is so unusual that it seemed to
point to the children having been done away with.
Other magic poisons used are mumyani’ or mum-
mified blood, which is imported, and a composition of
the dried and pounded stomachs of the chameleon
and a large skink-like lizard, called the guru-guru,
both of which are classed with the owl as affairs of the
devil. This is called puxju. In Pemba, where the
' Mumiani is obtainable from the shops of the Indians and is
used as a medicine, especially in the case of fractures. The
broken bones are set and then the ends ‘‘ ground” together.
Cooked mumiani is then inserted in cuts made round the fracture
gues it is set in splints. The patient also takes mumiani in his

When I was in Nairobi in 1926 with my boy Zayidi bin

Bukheti, an Mtumbatu, he informed me that he had been shown,
in the heart of the town, the house where mumiani was made.
It is a general belief of the Swahili that the substance is of
European or Parsee manufacture. ‘‘ How else,’’? I have been
asked, ‘‘ could men’s blood be obtained and mumiani sold openly
in shops? ”’
 BLACK MAGIC 477
guru-guru does not exist, pumju is made of the
stomach of a small burrowing lizard, called kiuma
mbuzi or gonga-gonga, the tail of the green whip
snake, wkukwi and the tail of the chameleon. The
Pemba antidote is a ground-up concoction of Cassytha
filiformis and mwagiliza (Kig. mchinja uzia) mixed
with ghee.
During my investigations into witchcraft I also
succeeded in obtaining four books of magic, full of
various recipes and written in Arabic and Swahili:
one a big one, is well written, but the others show
poor penmanship. They are full of diagrams, magic
squares, etc., the big one especially, and the magic
anh I shall deal with when considering the use
of numbers.
This book is said by the Oriental Manuscript
Department of the British Museum to have been
written between 1800 and 1830, a great age for a
native book. It is written entirely by hand, and the
compiler apparently died before finishing his work.
It is remarkable for the excellence of the handwriting.
(It should be noted that books of magic are generally
written with each letter separately, and not in the
cursive form.) It consists mainly of medicinal white
magic, but there is some black. Many of the charms
give directions for pronouncing words in a certain
way to produce the desired effect. For instance, it
directs that if you wish the husband of the woman
you are attached to, to kill your rival, you must
enunciate, in the way prescribed, certain formule
against him. -
A smaller one is said by the same authorities to
have been written at the end of the last century; it
consists of a jumble of charms, magic squares and
Koranic texts.
A printed book of magic much used in the town
is called Skemsel maarifa el kubra.
 CHAPTER ALI

NUMBERS

In all the magic and medicine given in previous

chapters, it will be noticed that numbers are much
used, and that certain numbers frequently recur.
Those most used are 3, 4 and 7, and these have
always been considered perfect numbers; they are
used time and again in all sorts of different books
and places, e.g., the Bible. They were the sacred
numbers of the Chaldeans, and possibly were brought
by the ancient Persians to Zanzibar. They are also
connected, for 3+4=7. Perhaps for the same reason
use is also made of 3, 6 and g in one recipe. I do
not understand the use of 40, though that too is an
important number and occurs in several places in the
Bible.
Two of the books of magic I have (one particularly)
make use of a large variety of magic squares, most
of them squares of 3, 4, or 7 figures each way, and
the most popular one is the 15 square.

AS
oe Ps
Tt

Other squares are 34, 56, 72, 129 (3 and 4 square),

783, 124, 57, 99Ss8O25 070 a1 7 7amecis andeso lon abut
many of them are not perfect squares. —
There is, besides, an endless variety of talismanic
signs, etc.
478
 NUMBERS 479
The squares can all be solved by the use of the
following table:

neha 1 S Ws 90 H 5
Pea 2 Th. herd Co 800 yY ¢S 10
Peed 4oo T 9 1
Th.soft ~ 500 Th. herd & 900 Pr 2
Dae 5 A cE 70 ist 3
gra: 8 ch. eI 1000 aed ig aha
KH goo F VW 80 Died aes
pa) rm OnMNTES 100 4 6
Dh > 700" Ko 20 ie
Bees Agee OS Ds alee RS 30 A 8
Zettel) 7 ee 4o 9 9
S UY 60 N W 50 oo )

SH (pu 50 Cm aWa 9 6

Figures and letters are used indifferently and in

conjunction.
Letters as figures are used in combination, e.g.:
b ©759-
Very often the dots under letters are left out and
letters badly formed.
The twe following figures I am unable to decipher:
480 ZANZIBAR

DIVINATION

No one having any important undertaking on hand

would fail to consult a fortune-teller first.
There are two methods of fortune-telling on sand,
and the stars may also be consulted.
The fortune-teller’s apparatus consists of a small
board, some fine sand (generally brought from Pemba
Island, off the north-east coast, as there the waves are
so rough that the sand is exceptionally fine) and a
stiffsh piece of grass or coco-nut leaf.
The sand is first smoothed all over the board
thinly, but to cover it completely, and the one whose
fortune is being told traces his finger over it asking
what he wishes to know or expressing his desire.
This done the fortune-teller smoothes the sand
over again, and to tell ‘‘ Kzduzi,’’ the simplest form,
he draws six lines like this:
NO a ee ee

not counting the arches as he does it. When the

six are drawn he starts ticking the arches off in twos
from the bottom one and the right-hand side, thus:

and so on upwards. If there is one over as in the

bottom line it is said ‘‘ Kustmama’’ (to stand); if it
goes out evenly as in No. 2, it is said “‘ Kupita’’ (to
pass).
Each of the six lines refers to something, thus:
(1) Nafst, self. What state one’s inner self is
in is told by this.
(2) Sali, question. This line answers the
questions asked.
(3) M@7z, town. This concerns the state of the
town you are interested in.
 DIVINATION 481
(4) Haza, desire. The fulfilment or not of your
wish is decided by this line.
(5) Nakia, enemy. This tells you if you have an
enemy.
(6) Ghaibu, distance. Either of time or place.
How far off the fulfilment of your wish is
or how far away your enemy is, etc.
The key is as follows: If 1, 2, 5, 6 from the top
pass out they are good. If 3 and 4 “ stand’’ they
are good.
The other method, called Ramli, is more com-
plicated. There are sixteen stars alternatively male
and female (the female are said to be the wives of the
male), each with a symbol. Sixteen lines are drawn
with arches, which are ticked off in twos as in
Kibuzi, four lines go to a star. If a line ‘‘ stands ’”’
it counts=, if it “ passes’’ it counts—. I think the
following list of stars with symbols and meanings will
make the system clear:

Shemsi Hathihi - —-== male good luck

Mkewe kibla Hela
hathihi = - = -— female good luck
Zuhura (Venus) == -— — male good for wedding
Mkewe kausa —~ —-=- female good for travelling or
matriage
Utharidi Hathihi ===> aac trouble, words, quarrels
Mkewe Jetemai = -— — = female
J oe male }bad luck
Kamari ==--z= male good for thieves and
cheats; but bad for
others
Mkewe tariki i= aemale. same
Zohali Hathihi ===- male very bad people find
this a lucky star
Mkewe sini cafu —-==- female very bad people find
this a lucky star
Mshitara Hathihi -~=== male _ good star for travellers
and performing good
deeds
Mkewe u tubatu dahela = — — — female good star for travellers
and performing good
deeds
Mirihi Hathihi = -—-== male war star
Mkewe nakiu —=- -— female war star _
Harifa Hathihi —~--—z= male discord es,
Mkewe kabuthu elharia —~ = -— = female discord (fitina
482 ZANZIBAR
In addition to these, as I have said, the stars are
consulted, and no one will carry out a private under-
taking unless the moon is in a good quarter. I say
‘“no one,’’ but this should be qualified to mean no
one who has adopted or heard of astrology, for the
system was introduced into Zanzibar by the Arabs.
The names of the stars and their significance is
given below :
Names of Stars. Remarks.
Sharatini Neither good nor bad.
El Buteni Neither good nor bad. Perhaps divorce—
not very good.
Thureia Good. Kilimiia—Pleiades.
Dabarani Neither good nor bad.
Hakaa Neither good nor bad. Illness.
Hanaa Neither good nor bad. Illness.
Tharaa Good.
Nasara Good.
Tarufa Good.
Jabuha Good.
Zabura Good.
Sarufa Good.
El awah Very good.
Smaku Very bad.
Elerofa Good.
Zabanane Good.
Akiliti Good.
Shola Good.
Naaimu Very good.
Bildah Neither good nor bad.
Saadah Zabihuh Very bad indeed. Death.
Saadah Baradah Good.
El Akhbir Neither good nor bad.
Saadah Sorudi Superlatively good.
Furadha El Makadamu Neither good nor bad.
Furadha El Muaheru Neither good nor bad.
Batini el Huti (chewa) Very good indeed.
 CHAPTER XLIV

THE PEOPLE OF MAKUNDUCHI

In the south-east of Zanzibar Island is a large village
called Makunduchi, the population of which is, accord-
ing to the native census of 1924, 1,190 adult males,
1,531 adult females, 615 boys and 575 girls. Total
3,911. The number of huts in 1,579. The name
Makunduchi is derived by the inhabitants from the
name of a village on the mainland, opposite the south
part of the island and called Konduchi, whence they
state they came.
North of Makunduchi is another village called
Jembiyani; this village shares with Makunduchi the
peculiar dialect of Kihadimu, already illustrated.
Legend has it that many years ago an Arab visited
the shore before there were settlers there, and while
waiting for his slave, took off his 7ambiya, or curved
dagger, which every Arab wears fastened to a belt
round the waist, and rested. When he went he forgot
the dagger, which was subsequently found by a native
coming to the shore to get firewood.
Not knowing what it was, he went back to his
village in the interior and told his people. An old
man recognized it as an Arab 7ambzya, and it was left
where it was on the shore, to avoid any charge of
theft being made should the Arab return. He never
did return, and for years and years the 7ambiya was
left there, the spot being always kept clear of bush
and grass. The jambiya finally perished entirely, but
the spot is:still kept clear and the village known as
Jembiyani, or the “‘ place of the dagger.”
The population of es is 465 males, 565
453
484 ZANZIBAR
females, 238 boys, 218 girls. Total 1,486. The
number of huts is 593.
These villages are of exceptional interest, not
only on account of the dialect but because certain
other curious customs are observed there which are
known to no other part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
The people are Wahadimu, but different in many ways
to the rest of that tribe. They are remarkably law-
abiding, and many display unusual intelligence.
Makunduchi is the only place in the Sultanate
where transport is carried on with camels. These are
mainly the property of the Indians, who are known as
Makumbaro. With the exception of some in Zanzibar
city, Makunduchi is the only place with a settlement
of these Indians, whose home is in Cutch and
Kathiawar. The word is derived from the Sanskrit
Kumbhakar, a potter, and there are about thirty
families of them settled there. They live in great
friendliness with the Wahadimu, are very obliging
people, and bring up their families in the country.
The children speak Kihadimu as fluently as the
natives. The women of Makunduchi and Jembiyani
make coloured mats with a fringe from the fronds of
the wild date palm. This fringe is called xdevu, or
beard, and is not made on the mats of other villages.
Many of them make a good type of pottery.
I now turn to a description of the customs which
make Makunduchi so different to any other place in
Zanzibar.
The dance nyange. This exorcizing dance is
played by women, the orchestra only consisting of
men. ‘The instruments used are a drum on three legs
called mrungura, a small barrel-drum (chapuo), a
brass gong (upatu), the native clarionet (zomari) and
another three-legged but bottomless drum (mshindo).
Under a makuti (palm leaf) shelter, crowds of women
dance backwards and forwards. Under the shelter
and at one side is a small tent, made of the coloured
cloths the women wear, in which sits the woman
possessed of the devil the dancers seek to exorcize.
(Upper) NYANGE DANCE AT MAKUNDUCHI
(Lower) WAHADIMU
 THE PEOPLE OF MAKUNDUCHI 485
Every now and then the women dance out at one
end of the shelter in the sunlight, to fall back again
together into the shelter. The movement is extra-
ordinarily reminiscent of the waves on a sandy shore,
as they dash up, break into foam and catch the sun-
light, to fall back again into the unbroken sea.
About a dozen of the women carry iron tridents
affixed to long handles, one or two have swords,
others ivory-handled knives, a few carry model
ngalawas (outrigger canoes), and some model paddles
in size too big in proportion for the canoes. Canoes
and paddles are painted red with wavy white lines
on them.
In Zanzibar dances special food has to be provided
for each devil; the appropriate nourishment in this
case consists of dates, cardamon, raisins, cinnamon,
white bread (called at Makunduchi pufudo), pumpkins
and pomegranates.
The devil cannot understand the local dialect,
and can only make its wants felt in such incompre-
hensible syllables as: Zizezera zizejejera Nzujajaja-
jira. The former is said to denote a desire for food
and the latter for water.
The devil ~yanxge is said to be contracted only at
sea, and the result of inquiries as to its origin was
that many years ago three women went down to the
shore to catch kidagaa (white bait). There they saw
a devil riding towards them in a canoe and holding
in his hand a trident, and at the sight of him were
afflicted with madness. No one knew how the devil,
stranger as he was to their pantheon, could be dealt
with, but the remedy was revealed in the night in a
dream, and the dance xyange is the result.
Apart from this dance being an interesting
example of homceopathic magic, no one can fail to
be struck by the likeness of the sea-devil with a
trident (a weapon unknown in Zanzibar and used
by the people of Makunduchi only in this dance) to
the story of Poseidon, and there can be little doubt
that it is a relic of the worship of that deity, brought
486 ZANZIBAR
by the Greeks of old. These jealous gods were of
the same nature as the spirits of the Africans, and
one can easily imagine that to a simple fisher-folk the
worship of Poseidon would make a strong appeal.
The madness caused by the sight of the devil is
reminiscent of Pan, but I am unaware if similar
madness was caused by the sight of the other nature
ods.
i Pungwa and shomoo. Pungwa is the passive
form of punga, and kupunga pepo means to exorcize
a devil.
Owing to the activities of witch-doctors, and the
evil they may do and plant about the country for the
unsuspecting traveller, the people of Makunduchi
have evolved a guild of devil-hunters.
Prior to the hunt, puxgwa is played all night to
get the ‘‘ pack’’ into the proper psychic state to
enable them to trace the evil spirits left about by
less scrupulous people. Men only take part in the
ceremony, which is performed in much secrecy, to the
accompaniment of two drums, mshindo and chapuo.
In the morning the skomoo takes place. Carry-
ing such exorcizing implements as a fini (a cow’s
horn, with two bells attached, and stuffed with roots
and a dog’s nose, as a dog is a good tracker) and
usinga (a cow’s tail afhxed to a stick), the devil-hunters
search all over the countryside, now running about,
now crawling, now crouching, but always together.
When they get a scent they follow it up, and digging
with their hands, smelling with their noses, they
finally unearth charms buried by the witch-doctors,
and in which an mzuka (evil spirit) is imprisoned to
do harm to the passer-by. A man accompanies them
with a bucket full of herbs and water, of which the
hunters partake or with which they are sprinkled.
The Wamavua. The Wamavua of Makunduchi
have now practically died out. At their most, they
consisted of about twenty-five individuals, members
of a few families who were known by that name, and
followed the cult of rain spirits of the same name.
 THE PEOPLE OF MAKUNDUCHI 487
Their habits were peculiar: they wore no head-
dress, never slept on beds, and had a white flag tied
to the outside of their houses. They originally only
married among themselves, and only the eldest son
or daughter belonged to the guild.
Their place of worship was a cave, called genge
la mavua, to which they went to intercede with the
rain spirits.
They entered the cave on hands and knees clad
in a short white kanzu only, and kneeling or prostrat-
ing themselves round a small circle of stones and
fragments, in the middle of which was a stick, to
which white cloth was tied from time to time, they
burnt incense on a small fire of coco-nut shells, and
prayed to the spirits for rain or to avert sickness.
Their food consisted chiefly of chuwali, a mollusc
common on the shore, and which appears to be a
species of murex.
Their cave was always kept swept and tidy, and
though deserted for many years, was still tidy when
I visited it, though the white cloth had almost entirely
rotted away with age.
The best known of them was an old lady named
Mame Hodi, whose grandson, Karibu bin Hodi, and
another ex-member of the wamavua, informed me
they had seen her walk out over the sea, where she
remained for three days. She is also remembered
as a teller of the future, and said to have foretold
many events, including an outbreak of smallpox.
She never failed to obtain rain.
The wamavua spirits which, unlike many ‘Zanzibar
devils, can travel by sea, were for that reason in all
probability and like the djinns imported from some
other country. They are now said to have left, so
their worship has broken up.
Naoruz, or Siku ya Mwaka. In addition to the
customs observed on New Year’s Day by the rest of
the Wahadimu, Watumbatu and Wapemba, described
in Chapter XXVI, the people of Makunduchi have
two other customs. They build a small hut, or banda,
488 ZANZIBAR
of dried coco-nut leaves and put two people inside.
They then set fire to the hut and throw stones into
the flames. The two men are supposed to remain
inside, but in reality escape unseen through the back
of the hut.
After this the old men dance round the grave of
a bygone patriarch whose name is forgotten, but who,
like Mame Hodi mentioned above, could walk the
waves at will.
Tanga Tanga. Asan instance of the way in which
new devils become known, may be recited a story of
Paje, the next village north of Jembiyani.
Recently (1923) a large buoy marked Bajang was
washed ashore there; it probably came from Java.
Emitting a hollow sound when tapped, it soon gave
the natives the impression that it was the dwelling-
place of a devil, and as it was quite a new species, a
new dance was invented in its honour. The devil
and its dance were called Tanga Tanga, obviously
an onomatopceism from the sound the buoy makes.
 CHAPTER MXLV

SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY

A stupy of the chapters preceding this will give many

a clue to the psychology of the native. In this I
purpose chiefly to indicate the lessons that may be
learnt from them.
In order to learn anything of the character of
natives, sympathy with them and unbounded patience
is necessary. One must endeavour to “ think black.’’
These are the principal desiderata, but a knowledge
of their language and of something of the subject
under discussion is also important, and, above all,
one must never betray disbelief in their beliefs. If
one has these attributes, one will generally find that,
with a little lead in the desired direction, much
information will be forthcoming.
In this way particulars of customs, magic, folk-
lore, songs, dances, etc., will readily be obtained.
For the rest a close observation of them, a study of
the cases in which natives are concerned, and a
hundred and one other little incidences of daily life
will give the clue to their character and their outlook
on life.
Psychology in Folk-lore, etc. Many sidelights on
the native’s character may be seen in his folk-lore, and
it is not necessary for me here to give more than a
few indications of the points that may be looked for.
In stories will be seen, of course, that there is a great
leaning to sexuality, but that, on the other hand, a
good moral is appreciated. Cunning is always
applauded, sometimes if it is criminal, but the wicked
generally come toa bad end. Parables are favourites
489
490 ZANZIBAR
with the native, and in dealing with him one frequently
uses them in order to bring a point home. A form
of reasoning favourite with them is the reductio ad
absurdum.
The lesson indicated in the proverbs is generally
caution and deliberation combined with warning to
avoid unnecessary trouble. The native’s sense of
justice, and his somewhat childlike simplicity, is
clearly indicated in his folk-lore. From the study of
the riddles and art, one sees that he has a strong
imagination. His explanation of natural phenomena
indicate total lack of scientific reasoning; cause 1s
rarely properly connected with effect, or rather the
real cause, but man must have some explanation, so
it is invented (anything may be believed provided
it is suggested by the herd).
Childhood. It is hardly necessary to say that to
get a more or less true idea of the native child one
must look for it in a spot not habitually brought into
contact with civilization, and the native child in his
natural surroundings is truly attractive, as well as
being interesting.
As a general rule he will be found to be shy but
not frightened, for fear of things material may be
almost said to be non-existent; he grows up with a
natural fear of the unknown—a something that must
be constantly propitiated to be appeased. The devil
world is so real and vivid to his adults that it can
hardly be less so to the child who is born with these
ideas inherent in him, ideas strengthened by outside
influence from his earliest days. It is but natural
that superstition and fear of the unknown should
become part of his nature when it is realized that they
are made to govern most of his doings of every-day
life, and even his childish aches and pains are
‘“ charmed away.”’
In spite of his natural shyness, which is portrayed
in his big wondering eyes, the native child is remark-
ably precocious, mainly due to the fact that from the
time he can crawl his parents leave him to his own
 SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY 491
resources, and he discovers the dangers and trials of
childhood for himself. This early independence
tends to sharpen his wits and intelligence. Else-
where in this book have been described the native
games and toys, and when it is remembered that the
native child is the sole manufacturer of most of his
playthings, it gives one a good idea of his natural
capabilities. There is no doubt whatever that he is
intelligent and quick to learn, but this, unfortunately,
does not increase with his years. When puberty is
reached the consciousness of sexual desire, which has
lain dormant but been inevitably fostered in the home,
is actually active even at that early age, and begins
its work of absorbing all other interests, and starting
to become the hub of existence. This is hardly to be
wondered at when it is realized that the native child,
far from being sheltered from knowledge of life, is
brought up in an atmosphere teeming with sexuality,
and therefore these matters enter into his thoughts
and conversation from his earliest days.
Sex. Sex plays such a large part in the life of
the natives that, however unpleasant the subject may
be, it seems necessary to give it proportionate
emphasis. I have elsewhere quoted a remark of
Bishop Steere’s, that girls are thought old enough for
sexual intercourse at the age of nine or ten, and the
conversation even of small children often turns on
sex. This is scarcely to be wondered at when it is
made the central feature of their lives, and no restraint
is placed on such talk or actions by their parents.
The puberty rites of both boys and girls are
entirely centred on sexual matters, and the songs have
as their subject sexual intercourse. The central
feature of marriage is sexual gratification, most of the
dances are sexual, many of the tales are concerned
with sexual subjects, and even magic is used to further
sexual wishes; sexual desire is responsible for much of
the crime, so that the whole of the native’s life may
be said to be bound up in this subject.
In Nyago and Msondo dances young girls are
492 ZANZIBAR
taught by women how to behave in sexual intercourse ;
the motions of the women.during these dances can
only be described as revolting; a fair notion, though
by no means an extensive one, of these motions is
known to anyone who has seen the Manyema dance,
which is played in public. Girls are taught also how
to be seductive, and instructed in the way to carry
themselves; the chief features of beauty to a native
are buttocks, breasts and bearing.
Men may be said to be always ready for sexual
intercourse, on walks, at wells, and everywhere. It
is said that most natives fulfil their desires at least
once or even twice in twenty-four hours; it may be
also noted that the female desire is as keen as the
male.
Under these circumstances, it is not surprising
that prostitution is common, and that there is general
immorality of both sexes, particularly among the
Swahilis and freed slaves.
Polygamy and frequent divorce are no doubt con-
tributory factors to this state of affairs, and infidelity
in married life is the rule rather than the exception.
Among these town-living women there is great dislike
to child-bearing, and figures in a recent census in
Zanzibar are very illuminating in this direction, as
they show the minute percentage of children among
the Swahilis near and in the towns.
The percentage is very much higher among the
native tribes. This state of things has been com-
mented on by other writers on Zanzibar, notably
Burton.
Before closing this chapter, a note should be made
of the fact that old men beyond the physical act still
retain their sexual desires, and many of them have
women in their household as masseuses (to massage =
kukanda). °
As regards unnatural offences, sodomy is in-
frequent; there are occasional cases of men living as
women and even wearing women’s clothes.
I have only become aware of two cases of
 SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY 493
bestiality with a donkey and a ewe respectively,
Incest is not uncommon.
L motions
fear, This is the strongest emotion felt by the
natives, and is responsible for many strange customs
and beliefs. Fear of the unknown—death, illness,
thunder and the elements generally. But there is
little fear of that which is understood. Thus it may
be that a man will not fear death if he knows how
it is coming to him—if he can connect cause and
effect. There are frequent instances of cases in
which Swahilis have not feared either corporal or
capital punishment, because they can, in these cases,
connect the effect with the cause. They must not
be considered courageous, indeed they are far from
it, but they will regard things that they can know
and understand, and which would terrify other people,
with a greater indifference than say the suspected
presence of devils.
Love. Love as understood by us is a rare
phenomenon in Zanzibar, though it is by no means
non-existent. Love of a father for his children is,
however, more common than that of husband for wife
and vice versa. As a general rule fathers show more
affection towards their children than do mothers,
though instances of the latter showing intense
devotion are by no means lacking.
As divorce is so easy of accomplishment, it becomes
easier to separate the cases of real affection between
husband and wife, and I know but few cases where
marriages are of very long standing, though in the
few I know there is intense understanding and
affection between the parties, although in some cases
the husband has other and younger wives.
Hate. Hate is rarely violent; as a general rule
the native is not capable of a deep enough feeling to
enable him: ic hate thoroughly. He is very easy
going and toleranc. Dislike is frequent, but I have
never heard a native express hate for anyone.
494 ZANZIBAR
Joy. Joy is an emotion frequently expressed by
natives, but usually at only simple things. The
native is at his best when he is holiday-making.
Ngomas, feasts, marriages, funerals even, all these
induce joy.
He feels content, if he has enough money, with
a wife and a home. As regards employment, while
many work well and I think enjoy it, I do not think
that lack of it, provided they are equipped with
the aforesaid money, wife and home, causes any
depression.
Grief. Grief is only seriously felt by a few.
Loss of a wife induces but a very temporary grief,
and while a child may cause more it is soon over.
The native is happy by nature, and adversity cannot
depress him for long. This is probably due to his
fatalistic attitude to life.
Jealousy. Jealousy is usually sudden and, while
it lasts, excessive, generally causing the native to lose
complete control of himself. Such jealousy is usually
the result of a husband or wife finding the partner
paying more attention than he or she considers right
to someone else.
Anger. The native is subject to sudden fits of
anger, which subside as quickly as they arise. His
temper when it arises is almost uncontrollable.
Disgust. Disgust is rarely exhibited. Bad
smell, bad food, disgusting sights produce no expres-
sion of repulsion from the native. Anything that is
ceremonially unclean may, however, induce disgust.
Curiosity. Curiosity is very strong in natives.
Though good at concealment of their emotion, they
can rarely abstain from a desire to investigate, to
such a degree as their courage will allow them,
anything new.
Self-Assertion and Self-Abasement. The native
shows plenty of the former to those whom he considers
his inferiors, and too much of the latter, which,
however, is often assumed, to those he knows to be
his superiors.
 SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY 495
Gratitude. Gratitude is practically unknown.
The native is never really thankful for anything.
Anything that they do for each other is done as a
matter of course or as a matter of duty almost by
instinct. There is no Bantu word to express thanks.

Instincts
Gregariousness. The native of Zanzibar and
Pemba is, for the most part, a thoroughly gregarious
animal. But a study of the types ot villages
previously described will show to what degree each
tribe varies. Among the Wahadimu it is more of a
family instinct, though in its widest sense, among
the Wapemba it is also family, but somewhat
narrower, while among the Watumbatu it has come
to be a tribal instinct. Natives hate being alone.
Solitary confinement is the worst punishment that can
be inflicted on them, and unless they can help it they
do not travel alone, particularly at night.
The only cases one gets of solitariness are among
the Wahadimu, when old men will sometimes leave
their villages and live alone or with perhaps a wife
in solitude in the bush. It seems to be also an
instinct with those suffering from infectious diseases,
particularly smallpox, to isolate themselves. This
applies particularly to the Wahadimu.
Thus as a rule anyone who breaks away from the
herd is apt to be considered unusual, perhaps even
a menace, and to be credited with supernatural
powers, i.e., to be in alliance with devils or to be a
wizard.
Reproduction. The reproductive instinct has
been debased to a large extent to the simple desire
to gratify sexual appetite. It is, however, a general
rule that most natives desire children, but they desire
far more sexual gratification than is usually considered
normal.
This sexual desire is at the bottom of a great many
496 ZANZIBAR
of their social institutions, and results in a very
unmoral method of life.
Feeding. This is a strong instinct, and the
native often feeds entirely by instinct; that is to say,
he will often not keep regular hours of meals, but
eat when he is hungry and when opportunity offers.
This means that they frequently overfeed.
Acquisition. This instinct is strong, but if one
may call it so it is temporary. Thus the native
woman will collect an enormous number of clothes,
many of which perhaps she has used but once, but
she will part with them for the acquisition of cash.
Perhaps she will part with clothes less readily than
other articles of domestic use, for it is quite easy to
buy most things a native possesses, and he is often
quite ready to part with them.
He is anxious to acquire money in the easiest way,
and it is generally spent on food or clothes. The
native is not a collector, and therefore not acquisitive
in the same way that a European is.
Construction. The constructive instinct is not
strong—no native wishes to construct more of any-
thing than is absolutely necessary. In the same way
his destructive instinct is almost lacking, for he will
destroy nothing that is not in his way simply because
it is too much trouble to do so.
Self-Preservation. Self-preservation is as strong
among the natives as most other people but tempered
by a resignation to fate, 1.e., as a rule they will give
up easily if they believe fighting is hopeless. They
are perhaps too easily convinced of its hopelessness.

General Summing up of the Character of the Native

of Zanzibar
The character of the Zanzibar native differs con-
siderably from his cousins of other tribes on the main-
land. The reader should not fall into the error of
supposing that all African natives have the same
characteristics. The Nyamwezi, for instance, is a
 SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY 497
hard worker and the soul of thrift, but the Swahili
dislikes work as strenuous as that done by the
Nyamwezi, and is one of the most improvident people
in the world. There is, too, a difference between the
natives of Zanzibar and those of Pemba, and still more
those of Zanzibar town. The manners of all are
affected by their Islamic profession, but the Mpemba
is far more polite than the Hadimu; anywhere in
Pemba a stranger is received with all marks of respect,
those near stand up and one is continually replying to
salutations, but in Zanzibar the stranger rarely gets
a gambo unless he gives it first. Both the Pemba
and the Hadimu natives are hospitable, but the
exclusive Tumbatu goes to almost any lengths to
drive the invader from his island. The manners of
the town tough corrupted by evil communications are
often beyond description.
On the whole, though, certain general charac-
teristics apply to most of them indifferently, and
the average native may be described as utterly im-
provident, inordinately vain at heart, lazy, untruthful,
much given to procrastination and very sensual. He
is always ready to dispossess himself of responsibility,
and with no other scapegoat available, loads the blame
for things that go wrong on to the Almighty with the
words Shauri ya Mungu (All is God’s affair).
Zanzibar, as the late Miss Thackeray, who lived
there more than forty years, once said to me, is the
land of kesho (to-morrow), and Haraka, Haraka haina
baraka (more haste less speed) was nowhere else more
literally observed. Dasturi (custom) rules his life and
he will do anything, however shady, to increase or
preserve his heshima (rank, position, respect). Despite
all this, though, he is usually cheerful and rarely sulks;
as a general rule polite; generous to the point of
extravagance, he hates stinginess in others; tolerant
in all ways, he has a sense of humour and dislikes
sarcasm levied at himself. He has a strong sense of
family affection and loyalty to his friends.
Burton says the Waswahili have inherited the
498 ZANZIBAR
characteristics of Arabs and Africans. Arab, he says,
are their shrewd thinking and practice in concealing
thought, their unusual confidence, self-esteem and
complacency, fondness for praise and honours, keen-
ness but short-sightedness in business and horror
of responsibility and regular occupation. Their
tolerance, suspicion, duplicity, dishonesty, untruthful-
ness, foul language, nonchalance, carelessness, im-
providence, procrastination, cowardliness, sensuality,
he attributes to their African ancestry, as also their
dislike of overt request, combined with inveterate beg-
ging habits. Their manners he describes as rough
and free, yet dashed with a queer African ceremonious-
ness. Their conversation turns wholly on women and
money, and they hold that old custom, because it is
old, must be good for all time.
Their characteristic good points, he says, are
careless merriment, an abundance of animal spirits,
strong attachments, and devoted family affection.
As regards their untruthfulness he says, ‘‘ When
they assert they probably lie, when they swear they
certainly lie. The favourite oath is mimz wad (or
Mana) harami—\ am a bastard if, etc., and it is never
respected.’’ I once listened to a discussion on lying
between a coast Arab and a few natives. The Arab
said it was very wrong to tell lies, except ‘to one’s
wife. One of the natives said it did not matter how
many lies you told even in court if you only swore
Wallai (By Allah), but if you said Wallai, billai, tallai,
Walla el Adhim (By God, by God, by God, by God,
the Almighty), you must in self-defence speak the
truth or you would assuredly die. I think this is the
general attitude.
I give two little stories humorous to a non-native,
but which illustrate to some degree the difference in
the point of view between Westerns and Africans;
one I heard myself and the other was repeated to me.
A native was telling me about some coast places he
had visited; having heard of Shimoni I asked him
about it. His reply was, ‘‘ Allah. Shimoni. You
 SWAHILI PSYCHOLOGY 499
are not going to Shimoni? You had far better go to
jail than go there.”’
The other is of a native servant who had left a
very comfortable place. He was met by a lady who
knew him well and who asked him why he had left.
On being pressed he replied, ‘‘ Well, bibi, there is
so much brass in that house and it is always so
pea you'd think Allah was coming to tea every
ay.”’
Some of their humour, while quite witty, is also
rather of the doubtful variety, and they are quite clever
at repartee. The following example of this is better
left in the original Swahili. One said to another,
‘““ Huwez kula mboga,’’ taunting him. Like a flash
came the question, *‘ Kwanini, shimeji?’’
Character, no less than religion, seems to be the
result of environment.
As regards the Zanzibaris, their character seems
to be exactly what one would expect it to be.
Zanzibar is a hot, sunny land, where rain and cold
are the exception, a land where no one need work, for
the fertility of the soil would not allow one to starve.
It exudes an atmosphere which conduces to nothing
more than lying down, and sleeping and being at
peace with all men, taking the easiest path always.
Faults the native has in abundance, but he is a
lovable person, and repays sympathy and interest.
Also it must be remembered that their code of
honour and their ideals are entirely different to ours,
and cannot be judged from the same standpoint.
An Englishman finds at once that they are addicted
to bribery and corruption, but he must remember that
it is not bribery and corruption to them, and that
‘‘ payments made for services rendered’’ are con-
sidered perfectly right and reasonable.
 CHAPTER XLVI

DREAMS AND GHOSTS

Recorps of dreams and ghosts are of great value in

studying the psychology of a people. However, it
is extraordinarily difficult to obtain examples, or to
get good descriptions of the first class. The African
element places no importance on dreams, and I have
never had even a suggestion as to what causes them.
The commonest type of dreams are those con-
nected with money and women; many of each have
been related to me but only in two or three lines.
The Arabs make quite a science of dreams and
interpret them according to regular rules. This is a
common feature of all Semitic people. They also
have methods of inducing dreams. For example, to
obtain a dream of the prophet Mohammed recite “‘ Ina
Artenaki el Keuton,”’ sleep alone and pray to see him.
Ghosts and hauntings are common, but attributed
not to ghosts as we call them, but to devils.
Haunted houses are by no means rare. There
is a house at Chake Chake where the apparition of
an old man with long white beard who mounts the
stairs at midnight, so that they creak, and walks round
the bedroom, has been seen not only by Arabs, but
by Goans. Tundua Bungalow is said to be haunted,
and no native will sleep inside it alone. The same
remark applies to the ruins of the old towns of
Mkumbuu, Chake and Pujini in Pemba, and the
Ngezi Forest is haunted. It is said that when huts
were being pulled down at Zanzibar to make room
for the British Agency, an old woman who was
evicted pronounced a curse on the ground, manifesta-
500
 DREAMS AND GHOSTS 501
tions afterwards occurred and the Bishop was called
in to exorcize the ghost.
Doctor Spurrier’s story of Dunga Palace is now
well known, and is to be found related in Major
Pearce’s book. The ghosts of Dunga, in Zanzibar,
are as famous as those of Pujini, in Pemba. A
missionary told me a tale, which I forget in its details
now, of two of his colleagues who slept in one of the
old palaces of Zanzibar, one on a verandah and one
in a room. The latter had to evacuate in the night
as the feeling was so unpleasant, and he received a
distinct impression that a child was being murdered
there. It transpired subsequently that such indeed
had been the case years before. In Chake Chake
town the apparition of two small children walking
hand in hand down the main street at night has been
frequently seen. The phenomenon of stones, etc.,
being thrown by invisible hands (poltergeists), of which
instances are given, is well known, and the late Bishop
of Zanzibar has also described it.
When editor of the Zanzibar Gazette I published
a series of ghost stories therein, and the curious will
find them in the volume for 1927. The best is the
one of a haunted necklace, which was the first in the
series.
(2) Dreams
Omar Hasan dreamt that I gave him five rupees
in the office and told him to buy chickens. He woke
up and found himself in his home.
Another time he dreamt he was seized by the
legs, which were pulled up above his head and
shaken. He shouted out and woke up.

Sheha of Chambani. ‘‘I dreamt I was in my

house counting rupees. I woke up and found
nothing.”’
This man has a great deal of property, but has
many wives and sixteen children. He is, therefore,
always in need of ready money and thinks in rupees.
502 ZANZIBAR
Omar Hasan. ‘‘I dreamt that I had on a
ubinda and that the pepo had entered, and people
were playing an xgoma.”’
This man is the leader of an xgoma.

Juma. ‘‘ Four days ago I dreamt I went past

the market in Chake Chake town to Chachani with
Zayidi, and I saw a vast quantity of pice, so many
that I could not collect them.’’
Juma and Zayidi were house-boys of mine. Juma
had been in want of money for along time. His pay
was small and his manner of living modest. He
therefore thinks in pice.

Abdulla Mbaruk. ‘“‘I dreamt I was in a stone

house, and there was a table with glasses and cups
on it. A man came in with a beautiful glass, a
quarter full of yellow wine. He said, ‘ Drink,’ I
Said, INOw ~ bleé-said.abrink. Slesaidiar clssitanot
wine?’ He said, ‘Whisky.’ I, said, ‘I cannot
drink. I don’t drink whisky.’ He said, ‘ Drink.
You will see no harm come of it,’ and then I agreed.
I did not find it strong, but like water, and it did
not go to my head. I said afterwards, ‘I have done
wrong,’ and then I woke. I had been dreaming.
““T told Mohammed Suleiman about it,°and he
said, ‘ If you dream of a thing you don’t use you will
get honour and profit.’ I went to Abdulla and he told
me the same thing. After a short time I got the
Fourth Class of the Brilliant Star.’’
Good Mohammedans, of course, do not drink
intoxicants. Sheikh Abdulla bin Mbaruk is an
‘“akida’’ in Government service in Pemba.

Abdulla Mbaruk. ‘‘I was staying in Zanzibar

during the month of Funguo mosi, and one night I
dreamt that an askari of the police came and told
me I was wanted at the police station. I went and
found a European there, who said, ‘ There is a
road in Pemba. Go to Weti and do not get off at
 DREAMS AND GHOSTS 503
Chake.’ I said, ‘Very well.’ On mail day I
went on board, and at Chake Chake I said, ‘I will
get off for the day and return to the ship to-night.’
On shore I met Mr. A, and told him, and said, ‘I
do not know the reason,’ and he said, ‘I
do not know either, but Mr. B says you must go to
Wet.’ So I returned to the ship. I woke up and
found myself at home.
‘“T told my dream to some friends in the morning,
and after having been out to do some business in the
town, I returned and found a messenger, who told
me that I was wanted at the Government offices, and
I was there told that I was to go up to Weti (to which
place I was a stranger) to do some work in connection
with the road there.”’

(6) Hallucinations and Ghosts

Saleh one day left Ngambwa, a native village in
the Chake district of Pemba. He was walking along
the road and he heard a man following behind, and
he looked behind but saw nothing. When he came
to the river he crossed and heard as though a hundred
men were crossing together, and when he got to the
other side he felt dizzy and lost consciousness. After-
wards he sat down and laughed and chewed betel
and played a kizanda, although he had no idea what
he was doing. Nothing further happened, but the
next morning a man came and warned him not to
go on that road late at night, after what had happened
to him on the previous night.

When Mohammed bin Mbaruk was “ akida’”’ (a

post of authority) of the police, he went one night to
the market in Chake town to inspect the policemen
on duty there. It was midnight, and standing in front
of the mosque was a weird figure of a tiny black man,
with a very thin face and very thin hands, wearing a
white cloth from waist to knees.
He looked at the ‘‘ akida,’’ who, hypnotized with
504 ZANZIBAR
terror, stared at him for fifteen minutes, and then
managed to turn his head away. When he looked
again the apparition had vanished.
When the death of a member of the Mauli tribe
occurred in Muscat, a mysterious voice would
announce the news in Pemba, and when such a death
occurred in Pemba the voice would inform the people
of Muscat in the same way.
On these occasions a letter would be written to
say that the voice had announced the death of so-
and-so on such and such a date, and invariably a
confirmation of the news was received.

About fifty years ago, Abdulla bin Khamis, a

sub-‘‘ akida’’ was going from Mkanjuni, a village
near Chake town, to Mzambaraoni Samli, another
village close by.
It was night, and as he was going down the road
leading to the village, he was terrified by a sudden
apparition of a crowd of children in front of him, and
he turned and ran home in fright.

One day when Yahya was asleep in bed he woke

up suddenly, and to his great fear saw the wall of his
house split open, and through the opening a lamp
was shining outside.
When at last he overcame his fear and got out
of bed to see, it became pitch dark, and by the time
he had lit a candle he found the house was whole
again.

One day a man called Saleh left Gambani, in the

Chake district, to go to Mkanjuni, another village.
When he was going over a bridge in a place called
Selem, he was startled by a tremendous crash, as of
a very large tree falling, and as he stood still for a
moment, listening, the apparition of a child of about
six years of age, brushed him closely. He hurried
on, and a little farther he saw before him an animal
 DREAMS AND GHOSTS 505
eating grass, something like an ox but as big as an
elephant.
When he had passed it and was making his way
up a hill a man came behind him and beat him with
sticks, but he could not feel the blows. He stood
still in the road, and then he saw the form go
immediately in front of him, still hitting out blindly:
frightened, he took out a knife and struck it many
times, and suddenly the apparition vanished, then
there was silence, and he reached home and nothing
further happened.

A member of the Friend’s Industrial Mission

in Chake, Miss Hutchinson, had an_ interesting
experience while visiting a Bohora woman.
This woman, who had consumption, lived in her
father’s house mothering her widowed brother’s
children. One day she told Miss Hutchinson of a
voice she heard calling to her, and her brother con-
firmed the story, and as Miss Hutchinson was puzzling
over their statements a high-pitched voice from
behind her, apparently from the kitchen, called
‘* Bibi hujambo?’’ (Lady, how are you?) The woman
whispered, ‘‘ Did you hear? That’sit. Listen.” It
said again, “‘ Bibi anywa chai?’’ (Lady, will you
have some tea?) Then no more, and the people told
her how it had thrown bits of mortar, coco-nut shell,
charcoal from the fire, etc., into the room, how it had
asked for an orange, which had disappeared, and
how the voice had asked forgiveness for taking it.
The children treated it as a huge joke; not so the
adults, who were convinced it was a djinn and the sole
cause of the woman’s illness, for had not all the
medicine failed to cure her? So they engaged an
Arab teacher to come and read the Koran and exorcize
it, and the voice would tell which chapter to read.
This went on for many months, and Miss Hutchin-
son heard it many times when visiting the house.
One day she went and found the woman in great
distress :on asking what had caused it, she told her
506 ZANZIBAR
how the night before when she was alone the voice
had said to her, ‘‘ On Friday I shall take your fat and
drink your blood,’’ or words to that effect, and the
woman had taken it as a warning of death. Miss
Hutchinson told her she should not believe such
things, and that it probably had no such meaning.
However, on Friday afternoon she went down
again only to find that the woman had died that morn-
ing. From that time the voice was never heard in
that house again.

Khalef bin Nasor and his wife went to spend the

night in a new house at Kaole. He lit a lamp and
arranged everything inthe room. Then turning down
the light, they went to bed. Later in the night he
woke up, and to his great fear saw the light was turned
up, and the chairs, which he had previously placed
against the wall, arranged in a circle round the lamp.
Too terrified to get up, he stayed in bed until dawn,
when he got up and replaced them, as his wife would
have been frightened. In the morning, although he
knew it would have been impossible for her to reach
the lamp even on a chair, he asked her about it, but
she knew nothing. He then went and asked his uncle
for advice, and he.came and put charms in the rooms.
However, although nothing further actually happened,
Khalef still heard the noise at night of things being
moved about and of someone bathing in the wash-
house, which was, of course, securely locked up.
Also every time he filled the tank it was emptied,
although it had no leak.

One of the jail warders, an Indian, Mera Bux

by name, had a disturbing experience on one occasion
of being beaten with a stick by an invisible hand when
lying down.

Thwain bin Khalif used to bring strange women

into the house when his wife was away, and these
used to be beaten by invisible hands.
 DREAMS AND GHOSTS 507
Mamie Sadi was a mad woman at Kaole, who was
constantly having sand and stones thrown at her by
invisible hands.
On one occasion Mohammed bin Seif and Salim
were going down the road with her and they both saw
stones thrown at her, but could not discover whence
they came. They sent for a slave called Zaid to take
her by the hand, and then this stopped, and they took
her down the shore and put her under a huge cooking-
pot they found there, and when she was inside stones
came raining down on to the spot. Afterwards she
was taken to the fort, where the devil that possessed
her was exorcized.

On the 19th April, 1920, Juma Wadi Mambo

entered a house with wide, staring eyes, obviously
out of control, and behaving like a madman or as if
drunk. Being a man of excellent character, it was
surprising, and he was sent for medical examination
which, however, proved he had not been drinking.
His own story was that he was passing, on the road
to Kizimbani, a village in Weti district, when under
a mango tree appeared a very, very tall white figure
which startled him so that he went mad with terror.
To the peculiar behaviour of this man and his
wild, staring eyes I can bear witness, as I was sitting
in the house with the magistrate when he entered, and
overcame him with the aid of the police.

One night Abdulla Nasur was going home from

the market in Chake Chake town to his house, which
was on the site of the present hospital, when he met
a monstrosity, very tall, with a head like an enormous
saucepan. He fled home shouting with terror, and
was found in a panic-stricken condition.

Khalef bin Nasor was going home from the

market in Chake town about ten-thirty to his house,
in the native quarter of Kichangani, when he heard
the breathing as of a man who had fallen and was in
508 ZANZIBAR
pain, and he went to see what it was. To his great
fear he saw sitting on the baraza of a hut, a
monstrosity, with a head about two feet broad and a
small body with very short arms and legs, which he
was waving about—and he was making the noise
Khalef had heard. He turned and ran away in
terror.
Thenian bin Khalef was going from Kaole to
Mkanjuni, in the Chake district, with some com-
panions and they saw a “‘ Komanzi”’ standing by a
mchikiche (oil palm) taller than the palm, in white
clothes, and in the moonlight they could see he had
aturbanon. They were frightened, and the donkeys
could not move with terror.
The ‘‘ Komanzi’’ then ran away, and the noise of
his footsteps were like trees falling.

A Komanzi is perhaps the commonest form of

bogey. Many natives and Arabs say they have seen
them, and describe them as enormously tall creatures,
very thin, with big heads. The natives are not much
afraid of them, as they say they are great cowards.
Knowing the strong imagination of the natives and
their terror of night, which they think is peopled
with all sorts of bogeys, I should be inclined to‘suggest
that the origin of the Komanzi is the coco-nut tree.
In the uncertain light of the moon a solitary coco-nut
tree, perhaps with a deformed trunk, and standing
among other trees with its branches waving always
in the wind, might well be taken for a bogey. Gusts
of wind resulting in the moonlight being suddenly
thrown on a palm tree and turning it white, and then
the palm tree being as suddenly thrown into dark
again, might cause a delusion that it was something
supernatural appearing and disappearing.
 GHAP LER XLVIS

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ZANZIBARIS

Tue negroids of Zanzibar are woolly-haired, though

a few are to be found whose hair is of the peppercorn
description. ‘Their faces and bodies, with the excep-
tion of the pubes and the axille areas, are as a general
rule almost hairless, and even in the places mentioned
the hair does not grow strongly. Moustaches are
usually present but very scanty, and the beard, if not
entirely absent, is scantier still. Owing to their
mixed race, however, there are some notable excep-
tions to this, and the appearance of strong, bushy
beards is not a very uncommon sight among natives
claiming to be only of Pemba, Hadimu or Tumbatu
parentage. The skin varies from all shades of
yellowish brown to black, chocolate brown predominat-
ing, but the really black native is the most uncommon.
The average stature of those I have measured is
nearly 64 inches, 66 inches being an unusual height.
The span, always longer than the stature, averaged
70% inches. The teeth are usually very good and
regular, but the cusps are almost always worn away
inamanof thirty. They are typically dolichocephalic,
but there are a large number of mesocephalic heads,
and brachycephalic are not very uncommon. The
nose is always platyrhine, but is often well-shaped,
and prognathous faces are not common. The ears
are small and well-shaped, lying closely to the head;
‘‘cabbage’’ ears are never seen. The cranial
capacity of skulls I have measured varied from 1,280-
1,340 c.c., but skulls are difficult to acquire.
The natives sleep on their sides, with knees drawn
up and an arm under the head.
509
510 ZANZIBAR
The head is usually covered in sleep. They are
very alert sleepers, and when wakened suddenly lash
out with the disengaged arm with a backward move-
ment. This habit is born of the necessity that there
used to be in the old times of always being prepared
for attack. It is a dangerous thing to wake a Manga
Arab suddenly, as they usually sleep with a weapon
to hand.
They generally retire between nine and ten and
rise at six or six-thirty. During the night a small
lamp is usually kept burning.
When resting, natives sit with crossed legs either
in the traditional attitude of the tailor or with knees
up. It is curious, however, that they are now in a
process of developing new ideas of comfort, and
nothing is more popular than a hard-seated, straight-
backed chair, and this type of seat is rapidly becoming
universal.
When resting as opposed to sleeping, the native
does not lie down but nearly always sits up. When
resting for a very short time only, and to perform
necessary acts the native sits on his heels. Kihadimu
has a special verb for this.
This attitude is also adopted for drinking.
Loads are always carried on the head. In the
ordinary way a native cannot conveniently carry more
than 30 lb., but trained porters carry far heavier loads
for short distances up to half a mile. These vary
from bags of cloves of about 80 lb. to bags of salt
weighing 225 lb. Loads of over 100 lb. are usually
carried on the head and the back, the porter inclining
his head and back into one plane at about 70°.
Physically there are not many very strong, and
compared with other natives they are but slightly
built.
One sees few deformed (possibly these die early),
and the fact that the women are well set up and
straight, and that their bodies are not restrained,
probably also accounts for the scarcity of congenital
malformations. Of such deformities, talipes, infantile
 EN YoICALMEMARACTERISTICS «ra
paralysis, and dislocated hips can be seen, but
compared with civilized countries they are scarce.
The occurrence of a sixth but useless finger is not
rare, and a few hare-lips are to be observed. Idiots
and epileptics also occur. Owing to bad midwifery,
umbilical herniz are a common sight, and I have
seen them protruding two or three inches.
They are great walkers and think nothing of
twenty miles or so. Even on wide roads single file
is usually the rule, though there are frequent excep-
tions. It is obviously a habit born of long use of
narrow paths. As a result of going unshod the skin
of the toes often cracks and resists all attempts at
healing. For the same reason the toe-nails are very
short and worn. They dislike cold, but often remark
if the sun is very hot. Not many ride donkeys, but
all (including women) ride astride when using them.
They are skilful climbers and shin up a coco-nut
tree with remarkable rapidity. The way this is done
is to make a loop about a foot or eighteen inches long
and twist it into a figure of eight. A foot is then
placed in each loop, and reaching up the tree as far
as he can, the climber holds on and draws his feet
up as far as possible, and then stretches himself out
again and repeats the performance. Swimming is
done with the overarm stroke, though when under
water they swim like frogs with the forearm to the
sides. The big toe is not opposable at all, but is
often used to hold things with (between big and
second toe) especially by carpenters.
The native of Zanzibar does not live long. He
matures quickly and is an old man at forty. Sixty
is a ripe old age, and though there be some that come
to three score years and ten, few reach four score
years. Forty to fifty is an average age for those who
attain to manhood. I have seen two old women for
whom a century of years was claimed. Disease
accounts for a large proportion, and there is heavy
infantile mortality. Debility, tuberculosis and
malaria are given as the principal causes of death.
512 ZANZIBAR
As a general rule, when meeting with a native in
the ordinary way his facial expression is no index to
his thoughts.
The impassive look on his face, however, is rapidly
transformed by circumstances to one either of pleasure
or of fear.
These two expressions are readily ascertainable
and most marked. A less frequent one is a sulky
set look. Wonderment is to be noticed sometimes,
but rarely interest.
As regards the personal appearance of the natives
opinions have divided.
Marco Polo’s description is amusing but in-
accurate, as it was obtained only from hearsay. He
says: ‘“‘In their person they are large, but their
height is not proportionate to the bulk of their bodies;
were it otherwise they would appear gigantic. They
are, however, strongly made, and one of them is
capable of carrying what would be a load for four
of our people. At the same time he would require
as much food as five. They are black and go naked,
covering only the private parts of the body with a
cloth. Their hair is so crisp that even when dipped
in water it can with difficulty be drawn out. They
have large mouths, their noses turn up towards the
forehead, their ears are long and their eyes so large
and frightful that they have the aspect of demons.
The women are equally ill-favoured, having wide
mouths, thick noses, and large eyes. Their hands
and also their heads are out of all proportion large.”’
Burton says : ‘* The Waswahili of the island appear
physically inferior to those of the seaboard : as in the
days of Marco Polo, they are an emphatically ugly
race. If the girls in early youth show traces of pretti-
ness, it is of the grotesque order of the Beauté de
diable. Some of the men have fine, large, strong and
muscular figures, without being able to use their
strength, and as amongst uncivilized people generally,
the reality falls short of the promise.
“ The national peculiarity is the division of the face
 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 513
into two distinct types, and the contrast appears not
a little singular. The upper or intellectual part,
though capped by woolly hair, is distinctly Semitic
with the suspicion of a caricature—as far as the nose-
bridge, and the more ancient the family the more
evident is the mixture. The lower or animal part,
especially the nostrils, lips, jaws and chin is unmistak-
ably African. There are a few albinos with silk-
cocoon coloured hair, and tender red eyes, their
pinkish skins are cobwebbed by darker reticulations
and rough from pellagrous disease. Leucosis, how-
ever, iS rare; we saw only two cases, one on the
island, the other a youth near Tanga.
“The Waswahili are by no means a jet-black
people, as Pritchard, misled by Dr. Bird, has assumed;
nor, indeed, is this the distinction of the Zanzibarian
races generally. The skin is a chocolate-brown vary-
ing in shades, as amongst ourselves, but usually not
darker than the complexion of Southern Arabia.
About Lamu and Patta the colour is yellow-brown;
at Mombasa and Zanzibar dark brown; and south of
Kilwa, I am told, black-brown. Mostly the hair is
jetty unless sunburnt; crisp and curling short; it splits
after growing a few inches long, and often it is planted
like the body pile, in distinct ‘pepper-corns.’ The
barbule is a degeneracy from the Arab goatee, and
the mustachios are short and scanty. The oval skull,
too dolichocephalous to be purely Caucasian, is much
flattened at the walls, and sometimes the upper brow
(the reflective region of Gall) is too highly developed
for the lower. The eyes, with dark brown pupils
and cornea stained dirty bilious-yellow, are straight
and well opened, but the nose is flat and patulous, the
mouth is coarse and ill-cut; the lips often everted,
project unduly; the teeth are obliquely set, and the
jaw is prognathous. The figure is loose and pulpy,
and even in early manhood the waist is seldom finely
formed ;in many men I have seen the nipples placed
unusually low down, whilst the women have the flaccid
pendulous breasts of negresses. Both sexes fail in
514 ZANZIBAR
point of hips, which are lank and angular, whereas
those of the inner savages are finely rounded. The
shanks are bowed forward, the calf is high raised and
bunchy, the heel is long, and the extremities are
coarse and large. There is another proof of African
blood which can hardly be quoted here; many over-
land travellers have remarked it amongst the boatmen
of Egypt.”’
It may be that the appearance of the native grows
on one, but personally I prefer to side with Lieutenant
Ferguson, who wrote in 1852 that “the women are
only of moderate stature, well made, rather plump,
and in many instances very pretty. The features
of both men and women are well proportioned and
refined, with fine jet black hair and eyes, good teeth
and in general small hands and feet.’’ Of the men
he wrote that they were ‘‘tall and lean, but very
muscular.’’ Their height is not great, and I think it
is well agreed that their muscular strength bears no
comparison with that of some of the natives of West
Africa, for example.
Whatever opinions may be as to the look of the
women, everyone must agree that they have a fine
carriage, born probably of the custom of carrying
burdens on their heads.
Albinoes are not uncommon. I recollect seeing
quite a dozen. Their skins are quite white, but easily
damaged. Their eyes are blue and they are very
shortsighted, almost blind, especially in bright sun-
light. Albino men seem to marry quite freely and
their children are black. Albino women are never
married.

And thif if the end of the ftory of the Zanzibarif

and if in anything I have tranfgreffed the truth
I crave pardon; but God knowf beft: from Him
alone comef guidance and through Him
only do we attain to the truth.
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Zanzibar. Tumbatu MS. History of Shirazi advent and
genealogical trees of the Ba Alawi. No date.
Kizimkazi MS. Genealogical tree of the Sherifs of Kizimkazi.
Dated 10th Rabi-el-Awwal, 1229 H. (A.D. 1813).
Pemba. Ndagoni I. MS. Probably fictitious. An attempt to
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of Arab descent. Gives the story of Malik bin Fahm and
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names of any of Malik bin Fahm’s sons as Shiraz. No date.
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Ndagoni III. MS. History of the Shirazis in Pemba from their
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palm leaf. Dated 27th Shaban, 1267 H. (A.D. 1750).
Ndagoni IV. MS. Genealogy and arrival of the Shirazis who
settled at Mkumbuu, Ndagoni. No date.
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and Tumbatu. Together with genealogies. Includes copy
of Ndagoni II. Dated (in part) 22nd Safar, 1255 H.
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518 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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 BIBLIOGRAPHY 519
Vaux, DR. Les Penseurs de l’Islam. 5 vols. Paris, 1921.
WAYLAND, E. J. Report on the Geology of Zanzibar.
WELLS, H. G. The Outline of History. London, 1920.
WERNER, A. A Swahili History of Pate. J.A.S. 1915.
WERNER, A. The Wahadimu of Zanzibar. J.A.S. 1916.
Zanzibar and East Africa, Gazette for. Various dates.
Zanzibar Official Gazette. Warious dates.
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 INDEX
A Barros, Joao de, 75, 98
Barton, Capt. F. R.,
Abdul Muttaleb, 434 C.M.G., 219
Abyssinians, 71 Belgians, 170
Akamba, 32 Benadir, 173, 174
Albusaid, 198 Benguela, 67
Ali, 187 Bohora, 505
Ali Bey, 102, 112, 119 Bretschneider, 89
Ali bin Hamoud, 176 Burton, 129, 138, 145, 150,
Ali bin Said, 172, 173 188, 190, 241, 287, 305,
Ali Mohammed, Sheikh, 125 306, 348, 492, 497, 512
Ali Muhammad, 398 Bwejuu, 333
Arabs, 29, 72, 81, 83, 101,
114, 128, 155, 183, 194 et
Seq., 251, 278, 287, 305, C
311, 332, 434, 444, 498
Assyrians, 45 Cave, Mr., 27
Chake, 500, 503, 504, 505,
507, 508
Chake Chake, 425, 438, 500,
B 501, 507
Chaldeans, 46, 478
Bagamoyo, 124 Chambani, 140, 159, 438
Baghani, 333 Chanoni, 222
Bantu, 64, 69, 70, 87, 133, Chatterton, Keble, 51, 66,
146, 232, 349, 495 306, 307
Barawa, 166 Chinese, 88 et seq., 138
Barbosa, 128, 306 Chukwani, 179
Barghash, Seyyid, 163 et Chwaka, 126, 127, 139 et
seq., 169, 170, 329 $€q-, 179, 331, 471
521
522 INDEX
Clark, Mr. Edward, 176 G
Comoro, 103, III, 308
Cooper, Captain R. S. F., Gama, Vasco da, 96 et seq.,
139, 420, 437 132
Craster, Captain, 244, 285, Gambani, 504
324, 416 Germans, 166, 170, 172,
Crofton, Mr. R. H., 180 173, 175) 177
Greeks, 54, 486

D
H
Dames, Mr. Longworth, 128
Dar-es-Salaam, 124, 168, Hadimu, 468, 474
175 Hamed bin Thwain, 173,
Daudi Musa, 433 174
Digo, 125 Hamoud bin Mohammed,
Diwanis. See Pemba 175
Downton, Nicholas, 109 Hartland, 243
Duarte Barbosa, 100 Haruni, 139
Dunga Palace, 501 Heliolithic culture, 42
Himyarites, 56 et seq., 71
Hippalus, 59, 60
Hollis, Sar Claud,
E K.C.McG...9, 170, 180
Hutchinson, Miss, 505, 506
East India Company, 110
Egyptians, 47 et seq.
Eliot, Sir Charles, 49
Emin Pasha, 170, 17! I
Eratosthenes, 59
Ibathis, 184, 188 et seq.,
194, 238, 434
Ibn Batuta, 83, 434
F Idris, 82, 87, 89, 322
Indians,29, 33, 34, 35, 184,
Ferguson, Lieutenant, 514 276, 281, 286, 325, 329,
Frazer, Site).1Gs2227,0253, 330, 331, 484
350, 458 Islam, 35, 77, 113, 184
Frere, Sir Bartle, 165 et seq., 287, 433 et seq.,
Fundo Island, 291 442
 INDEX 523
J Kizimkazi, 106, 119, 133,
134, 135) 334
Jembiyani, 224, 333, 483, Konduchi, 483
488 Koreish, 198
Japanese, 91 Kufa, 187
Java, 87, 488
Jawa, 125, 127
Jews, 51 et seq.
John, Kison, 117
Jongoe, 249
Joyce, ) A. MOA. O.B.Es L
7
Juba River, 26, 83 Lamu, 120, 163, 166, 172,
513
Lancaster, Sir James, 103
et seq.
Latham Island, 20
Liongo, 350
K Lockyer, Sir Norman, 43

Kaole, 506, 507, 508

Kenya, 174
Khaled bin Barghash, 174,
175
Khalifa bin Harub, 176
et seq. M
Khalifa bin Said, 172
Khawarij, 187, 188 Madagascar, 48, 86, 93, 94,
Kichangani, 146, 249, 250, 95, 107, 109, 110, III, 124
507 Mafia, 89, 97, 100, 125, 132,
Kidd, Captain, 111 173, 179, 320
Kilwa, 119, 129, 131, 132, Majid, Seyyid, 163, 164,
133, 134, 138, 147, 2609, 168, 271
332, 513 Makunduchi, 55, 127, 272,
Kipini, 166 333) 334, 338, 483 et seq.
Kirk, Sir John, 131, 165, Malays, 86 et seq., 127, 138
167, 169 Malindi, 82, 97, 101, 102,
Kismayu, 165, 166, 289 105,.)112,e115,, 209,22;
Kiweni Island, 139 333, 351
Kizimbani, 507 Mambrui, 137
524 INDEX
Mame Hodi, 487, 488 N
Manga, 510
Mangapwani, 419 Ndagoni, 255
Manyema, 407 Ngambo, 333
Marka, 166 Ngambwa, 503
Masudi, 80, 81 Ngezi, 416, 425, 438, 500
Matthews, Sir Lloyd, 173, Nossi Bé, 466
175 Nungwe, 254, 325, 331,
Mauli, 195, 504 334
Mauritius, 348, 385 Nyamwezi, 496, 497
May, Henry, 107
Mazrui, 154 et seq., 264, 269
Medes, 46
Mela, 59 O
‘*Mkame Mdume,’’ 140 et
Seq., 154, 155, 464 Oman, 73 et seq., 114, 118
Mkanjuni, 504, 508 et seq., 153, 163, 164, 183,
Mkokotoni, 130, 145, 146, 304, 434
179, 279, 307, 330, 47!
Mkumbuu, 125, 137, 157,
289, 500
Mogadisho, 166 P
Mombasa, 82, 83, 101, 108,
112) 1lS bide 115, ci15, Paje, 127, 333, 488
119, 120, 132, 142, 149, Palgrave, 190, 191
158, 269, 308, 322, 332, Patta, 513 x
513 Panza Island, 290
Mozambique, 26, 57, 96, Pate, 120, 132, 144, 164
98, 99, 102, 105 Pearce, Major, 24, 137, 138,
Msuka, 139 139, 177, 178, 179, 501
Mtambwe Kuu, 254, 325 Pemba, °6;* 19)%20}. 21,27,
Mtumbatu, 31, 82 62, 63, 72, 81, 89, 92, 93,
Muhammad bin Idris esh- 94, 97, 100, 107, 112, 114,
Shafi, 434 TIO; DiS, 110,01 20,0812,
Muscat, 156, 193, 194, 200, 123; 1124, “1205912740120,
203, 330, 504 132, 136 et seq., 153 et
Mwenyi Mkuu. See Zanzi- S$eq., 166, 173, 177, 179,
bar 195, 204, 222, 233, 243,
Mwera, 324 245, 249, 250, 254, 255,
Mzambaraoni Samli, 504 260, 263, 264, 269 et seq.,
 INDEX 525
286, 287, 290, 293, 297, Ss
298, 300, 302, 308, 309,
319, 325, 326, 334, 346, Saadani, 124
392 et seq., 416, 419, 420, Sabzeans, 56 et seq.
424, 425, 430, 434, 435, Saccleux, Pére, 276, 277,
436, 438, 452, 453, 454, 332, 425
456, 457, 458, 459, 463, Said bin Sultan, 155 et seq.,
464, 466, 467, 472, 474, 161 et seq., 192, 263, 264,
476, 495, 497, 500, 503, 270
504, 509 Seif bin Sultan, 119, 120,
Pemba, Diwanis of, 153 et 434
seq., 269, 270 Seixas, Capt.-Major Fran-
Periplus, 60 et seq., 304, cisco da, 113, 114
322 Selem, 504
Persians, 46, 78, 126, 329, Shafi, 434
478 Sharpeigh, Captain, 109
Phoenicians, 50, 51 Sheha of Tumbatu. See
Pliny, 60 Tumbatu
Polo, Marco, 80, 83 et seq., Shirazis, 133, 136, 153, 185,
90, 289, 306, 512 186
Portuguese, 96 et seq., 112 Sinclair, Mr. J. H., 177, 179
et seq., 127, 131, 145, 154, Sofala, 80, 86
166, 167, 269, 278, 297, Spurrier, Dr., 501
306, 434 Stanley, 169
Ptolemzus, Claudius, 65 Steere, Bishop, 244, 310,
Pujini, 138, 140, 141, 142, 332, 350, 351, 454, 491
152, 500, 501 Stigand, Captain, 74, 79, 87
Stockley, G. M., 21
Strabo, 59
Sumerians, 43
Sunnis, 184, 189, 238, 434
Swahili, 30, 31, 35, 183, 220
R et séeq., 268, 310, 332 et
S€q., 350 et Seq., 395, 419,
Rankine, Mr. R. S. D., 180 492, 493, 497, 512
Razik, Salilibn, 119
Rodd, Sir Rennell, 173;
174, 175 T
Rogers, Mr. A. S., 175, 176
Rovuma, 166, 173 Tabora, 169
526 INDEX
Tanga, 308, 513 249, 262, 263, 264, 269,
Taylor, Rev. W. E., 344 280, 297; 311, 323, 3335
Thackeray, Miss, 497 396, 435; 436, 441, 469,
Timbat, 145 471, 484, 487, 495, 497,
Tippu Tib, 168 et seq. 599
Torrend, Father, 87, 91 Wakikuyu, 32, 37, 442
Tremearne, Major, 420 Wangoni, 168
Tumbatu, 31, 95, 132, 144 Wanyamwezi, 29, 32, 37,
et seq., 277, 289, 291, 294, 434
300, 331, 346, 437, 464, Wapemba, 29, 30, 31, 118,
474 122, 125, 129, 154, 156,
——, Sheha of, 160 185, 243, 263, 269, 279,
Tundua Bungalow, 500 334, 353» 397, 410, 420,
Tungi, 120, 166, 167 422, 423, 435, 487, 495,
Tunguu, 179 497, 509
Turks, 102 Warsheik, 166
Wasakalava, 124, 125
Wasegeju, 124, 125, 127,
U 146
Washirazi, 124, 125, 129,
Ugogo, 169 154
Umba River, 126, 173 Wasin Island, 129, 130
Unguja Kuu, 127, 134, 136, Watumbatu, 29, 30, 31,
397 32, 122, 129, 145, 146,
Utondwe, 132, 148, 152 249, 262, 263, 264, 280,
396, 469, 487, 495, 497,
509
Vv Wavumba, 126
Wells, H. G., 66, 68, 95
Vitongoje, 272 Werner, Miss, 124
Vivaldi, Leone, 85 Weti, 507
Vumba, 132 White, Mr. E. Costley, 179,
180
Windi, 124
W Witu, 166

Wadigo, 125
Wagunya, 76 y,
Wahadimu, 29, 30, 31,
122, 124, 126, 129, 243, Yakut bin Abdulla, 82
 INDEX 527
Z

Zanzibar, Mwenyi Mkuu of, | Zimbas, 102, 119

126, 147 et seq., 262, 263, | Zinj Empire, 131 et seq.,
264, 271, 321 153, 268, 269
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