Evolution of economic and social formation
Physical features of Tanzania
The country is made up of 5 main regions : the coastal area, the low plateau, the mountainous region, the rift valley and the central plateau.
Environmental factors have resulted to variations in terms of political, social and economic formations in all these regions.
The coastal area
•Coverage; the width range between16-64 km and its length extends to about 804 km along the Indian ocean.
•Characteristics:
–The coastal line is irregular, i.e.……..
–The altitude is about 300M above sea level
–The soils range from poor to fertile alluvial deposits. why?
–Mangrove trees are dominant form of vegetation cover ( in swamps and river mouths)
–The coastal lowlands and islands of Zanzibar and Pemba are humid and hot (why?)
The low plateau
•Coverage: the region is located inland immediate after the coastal belt. It is narrow in the north and fairly wide in the south (why?). It includes some parts of Pare, Korogwe, Muheza, Handeni, and Bagamoyo in the North and most of Morogoro, Lindi, Ruvuma, and Mtwara regions in the south.
•Characteristics:
–The altitude range from 500m to 1000m above sea level
–It is less hot and less humid than the coastal belt (why?)
–Rainfall is generally low compared to the coastal area and usually vary from place to place
–It has mostly a Savannah type of vegetation Mountainous region
Mountainous region
•Coverage: in terms of coverage the area includes;
–In the North East it covers Usambara, Pare, Kilimanjaro, and Meru mountains. Also included are the highlands boardering the rift valley in the districts of Tarime, Serengeti, Bariadi, Meatu, Mbulu, Hanang, Kondoa and Kiteto.
–In he central part it include the highlands of Mpwapwa, Kilosa, and Uluguru.
–In the south west, it covers the highlands of Iringa, Mbeya, and Rukwa
The central high plateau
•This plateau is part of the East African plateau. The southern part of it covers a large part of Selous national park. The northern part of it covers a large parts of Dodoma and Singida regions.
•Characteristics
–Soils are generally poor (why?)
–Low rainfall, annual rainfall average is less than 750mm. The wet season lasts from October to May.
–Most of it is made up of open grassland with thin cover of trees.
–The semi arid parts of Dodoma, Shinyanga, Singida and Tabora are covered by scrubs and thorn bushes.
–Three quarter of the region is uninhabited or thinly populated.( why?)
–The better watered parts of the region are featured by pockets of Miombo and Mitundu woodland.
•
Relationship between environment and human activities
•
Environment and its associated climate are vital in determining human
activities in a given society. Favorable environment and climate supports a
good number of human activities and vice versa is true.
–
Favored environment (high rainfall, fertile soils, water
sources, favorable temperatures, free tsetse fly areas, iron ore
etc) usually attract a number of human activities than harsh
environment. The former(?), were able to support numerous human activities like
permanent agriculture, cattle keeping, fishing, iron
working and mixed farming. Example per excellence of such
areas included, the lake Victoria basin,
the coastal low lands, off-shore of Zanzibar and Pemba, northern
highlands and some parts of the southern highlands.
•
Continuation…..
–
Favored environment also included productive winds (?), especially
monsoon winds. These played a central role in integrating Tanzanian
societies and their economy in the external world (Asian countries)
resulting to the growth of coastal towns ( e.g.…..)
and its civilization ( Swahili civilization)
–
Harsh environment ( with poor soils, tsetse flies, poor water supply,
no iron ore and marginal rainfall) of such areas like Shinyanga,
Dodoma, Singida and Tabora, could only support limited and simple
human activities like hunting, gathering, pastoralism and precarious
/ uncertain agriculture.
•
Continuation….
•
Apart from environment and climate, other historians have argued that technology is another
factor that determine human activities.
In fortifying their argument, these scholars use an example of southern highlands. Despite the fact
that this area had favorable environment and climate, population remained
low and no centralized states developed in this region before Ngoni
invasion of the 19th century. The possible explanation behind
this scenario was lack of iron ore and its associated technology in the
region.
•
The above example implies that, societies of the region invested in
crude tools/ simple tools which were unable to support numerous human activities including agriculture.
Hence, food production remained too low to support population growth and
evolution of centralized political institutions.
•
The Pre- 1000 AD socio-political structures in Tanzania
•
By 1000AD, the country was inhabited by people of different origin
and spoke different languages. These communities had attained different levels
of economic development. At least four economic levels were evident, hunting
and food gathering economy, cattle keeping economy, crop
cultivation economy, and mixed farming economy.
•
Regardless of their different levels of economic development, they were
commonly characterized by the following :
(i)Essential means of production (land,
forest, rivers, etc) were collectively owned.
(ii)Production of means of subsistence
was carried out either by a group
or individual family.
(iii)There was equal distribution of
the product of labor i.e. whatever
was produced was shared equally among members
of the production unity ( a group or individual family)
•
Continuation….
(iv) Existence of subsistence
economy, that is, commodity production
aimed mainly to meet family needs only.
(v) Classes and exploitation never
existed in all those communities, they were some kind of egalitarian
societies.
(vi) Societies were organized along
lines of kinship ( kind of organization in which members are tied /
bonded by blood relations)
or hunting and gathering bands / groups.
Generally
speaking, by 1000AD, Tanzania had 2 types of socio-political
organization, kinship group (in settled communities) and social
group (among the nomads). The largest kinship group was the CLAN
while the largest social group was represented by AGE SET ORGANIZATION.
•
Continuation……
•
A clan is group of people who claim to have a common area of origin
and a common ancestor/fore bearer. Each clan was made up of small
related family.
•
It should be noted that, kinship/clan organization was very weak among hunter-
gatherer and pastoral societies due to nomadic mode of life. This provided
fertile ground for age set to prosper among the nomads (hunter –
gatherer and pastoral societies).
•
On the other hand, kinship gained a strong foot hold among agricultural
societies and mixed farmers as they had permanent settlement.
As a result, villages were made up of several related families, forming a clan
(political unity) at the highest level.
•
Continuation……
•
As a political unity, a clan was headed by a clan head. Thus, a
clan head had the following functions:
Ø
To maintain law and order by settling disputes, punishing offenders and
enforcing laws.
Ø
Dividing land among other members of the clan
Ø
To marry off the young
Ø
To organize religious ceremonies (rituals and sacrifices)
Ø
To maintain health of clan members, thus, they were doctors of the
clan.
Ø
To locate people for public works.
That is how
Tanzania was socially structured by 1000AD.
•
Evolution of complex communities after 1000AD
•
The period after 1000AD witnessed the beginning of great social,
economic, and political changes.
•
These changes were greater in agricultural and mixed
farming societies than pastoral and hunter-gatherer
societies (why?).
•
The changes were a result of 2 factors:
–
The mingling of people with different background (
origin, language, culture, social organization, political organization, etc).
The mingling was due to :
•
Migrations from out side
the country
•
Population movements within the
country
–
Possession of iron technology which introduced by the Bantu during the
1st millennium AD. This technology had 3 important effects:
•
Continuation……..
ü
It triggered changes in animal production ( as headers could
effectively their cattle against
enemies) and agricultural production (due increased size of agricultural
lands as a result of better tools)
ü
It triggered the evolution of exchange system as iron tools became
trade items.
ü It led to
evolution of complex societies or differentiated societies.
•
A differentiated society is the one in which the social order of equality
and equal access to resources has been destroyed by the division
of people according to wealth and power.
•
In other words, the period after 1000AD, was featured by class
based societies/ complex societies/ differentiated
societies.
•
Continuation…
•
Differentiated societies were featured by centralized political
institution known as States.
•
A state is a political unity with a centralized leadership or
common administration headed by the King who had power to:
–
Collect tax
–
Allocate people for public works
–
Make laws of the state
–
Enforcing the laws
–
Administer justice
–
Maintain peace and order
–
Maintaining health status of his people
•
Formation of centralized states in pre-colonial Tanzania
•
In order to explain the formation of states in different parts of
pre-colonial Tanzania, four regions will be cited as case studies:
–
The North Western region
–
The Ntemi region
–
The North Eastern Tanzania
–
The Southern highlands
–
The Swahili Coast
•
The North Western Tanzania
This area covers
modern administrative regions of Kagera
and Kigoma,
it forms part of the interlacustrine region
•
Continuation……..
•
Because of its favorable environment, it was among the
earliest areas to be settled by the iron using Bantu speaking cultivators and
pastoralists.
•
The region has two climatic zones:
–
The lake shore zone, laying at least 24 km from the lake
Victoria. With its reliable rainfall, it was suitable for banana
cultivation.
–
The grassland belt running from Kagera to highland areas of
Kigoma region. This area was suitable for animal keeping.
State formation
in Kagera area
Before state
formation in this area, the area was occupied by
small group of
cultivators organized along lines of Clan or
Kinship.
•
Continuation……
•
After 1000AD, kinship organization began to disintegrate. This
disintegration was a result of:
–
Migration from nearby countries ( Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda) plus natural increase.
Hence clan system was unable to accommodate the changes and challenges brought
about by the new immigrants.
–
Social differentiation or emergence of classes within the clan
system. This resulted to the emergence of specialized groups such as the iron
smith, pot makers, weavers, rain
makers and medicine men. Some of these specialized clans
became richer, influential and powerful economically, socially and politically, than
the rest. It was against this background that rulers emanated.
•
Continuation…….
•
In Karagwe, for example, after 1000AD, some powerful and influential
clans socially, politically, and economically, had emerged. Example of such
clans included:
–
The Basita
–
The Batundu
–
The Bahunga
–
The Bayango
–
The Baheta.
These influential
and powerful clans placed other clans
(weak and less
influential) under their control. This marked
he beginning of
the formation of kingdoms such as Karagwe,
Kyamtwara, and Ihangiro.
•
State formation in Kigoma area
•
Further south, in Kigoma area of Buba, the leaders of the
Bateko clan gradually became powerful and influential to the
extent of founding a state ( Buba).
These clan leaders began their career(?) as people who were responsible in
apportioning land to other members of their community.
•
Gradually, they became landlords who demanded goods
and labor services for the plots they gave to other members of
the community.
•
On the other hand, by the 16th century, the Tutsi
dynasty known as the Bahumbi, established a kingdom in
Buha, in the area North and East of Malagarasi river.
•
The most notable social and political
feature of kingdoms developed in North Eastern Tanzania was the PATRON-CLIENT
relationship., or the PATRONAGE OR CLIENTAGE.
•
Continuation……
•
Patronage was a system of giving favors and privileges by rulers to their subordinate
officials (state officials below the king) in exchange for services
and loyalty.
•
In this relationship, the giver of favors was known as
the PATRON, OR A MASTER.
•
The receiver of the favors and privileges from the patron was known as the CLIENT.
•
In the Lake Victoria zone where cattle less in number and less
important, this relationship was based on land.
•
(ii) The Ntemi Region
•
The region covered most of the western and central Tanzania, including areas like Usukuma, Unyamwezi, Unyiramba,
and Ugogo . The rulers of political units were known as “Mutemi”. States in this region
are said to have evolved between 1000 and 1800AD.
•
Colonial historians with their Hamitic myth / hypothesis
claims that, states in this area
were formed by the Hamitic Bahima and the Tutsi.
The Hamites are the people who are believed to be of European
/ Caucasoid descent ( the Tutsi, the Bahima,
the Gala, the Somalis, etc). The Hamitic
hypothesis argues that civilization in Africa was brought by a superior
race, the Hamites
who have European origin.
•
Before state formation, it was
inhabited by crop cultivators. Population was vey low and thinly
spread that villages and neighborhood were sufficient to constitute a
political unity.
•
Continuation……
•
In Usukuma, leaders of such political units were known as Batemi,
as such leaders were responsible in organizing people to clear the land for settlement
and agriculture ( Kutema). Thus, the early Batemi functioned as
village heads.
•
As time went on, population grew due natural increase and
migration. Population growth resulted to struggle for resources
(land) and power (dominance) between leaders of such neighboring
clans.
•
In such struggles, clans like the Babinza, Bakwaya,
Basega, Bakwimba, Basea, Basagali
and Bakamba, emerged victorious and thus became the rulling
clans in Usukuma.
•
By the 16th century, large political
institutions known as Mabutemi were formed as a result of uniting
a number of several neighboring clans.
•
Continuation……
•
Each Butemi was headed by Ntemi who was
assisted by a group of state officials (elders) known as Banang’oma
or Banikulu at the central level (headquarters. At the village
level he was assisted by village headmen known as the Banangwa.
•
The major feature of the Ntemi region was the existence of numerous
and tiny states . In Usukuma alone, for example there was about 30
small states before colonial invasion, and many more in Ugogo.
•
The prevalence of numerous and tiny
political units in this region was
attributed to :
– States were
founded by different rulling clans in different places of the
same region at the same time.
– The original
state was surrounded by plenty of unoccupied land . As a result,
people could move away from the original state and establish new settlement
which eventually developed to independent political units.
•
Continuation…..
– Shifting
cultivation necessitated people to move away and establish new settlement and
communities, which eventually evolved to political units (states). These
movements were propped by the search for virgin land.
– Harsh environment
(less fertile with marginal rainfall) of the region staved off the
production of enough food surplus which could support large ruling classes
•
In Ugogo, these states were more numerous and smaller as environmental
conditions were more unfavorable than in Usukuma.
•
(iii) North eastern Tanzania
•
This area covered the highland regions of Usambara, Upare,
Kilimanjaro, and Meru mountains. It also covered
the Masai plains and areas bordering the Eastern arm of the
rift valley.
•
The region was occupied by iron using Bantu agriculturalist,
Nilotic pastoralist, and Cushitic mixed farmers.
Generally, states in this region were formed by iron working people.
•
In Upare for example, the Shana iron making clan is said
to have established the Gueno state before the 16th
century.
•
In the semi arid areas bordering North Eastern highlands such as the
Masai plains and Handeni, unfavorable
environment and low level of technology could not support
a high population in the region, thus limiting the evolution of states. Their
social organization remained simple and based on age set.
•
(iv) The southern highlands
•
The region covers areas such as the highlands of Iringa, Mbeya,
Rukwa and Ruvuma.
•
This region was very eccentric, because, despite having
favorable environment, it has limited population, and no
centralized state evolved in this region before the arrival of the
Ngoni during the 19th century. Several grounds can be used explain
such a contradiction:
– Lack of iron and its associated
technology. Hence, societies of the region went on using simple
tools (wooden hoes) for cultivation until the 19th century
when the Ngoni made their first appearance in the region.
– Extremely cold
condition during the dry season could not woe a large population to allow social
differentiation as it was in other regions
•
Continuation…..
– Though the region
received high rainfall ( above 1000mm), the soils were poor except
in few places.
•
However, such limitation could not make life impossible. The small
population was well fed with banana, millet, Beans,
rice and cattle products.
•
Because land was abundant and population was low,
then land was communally owned. This influenced the kind of
social and political organization that developed in the region.
•
The most important characteristic of social organization in this region
was the age village.
•
Age village was a situation where by people of the same age or generation
lived together as equals in their own villages. When the youth
began to marry, they lived in their own villages which were officially
established after 30 years, and were headed by elected village head men
called Amafumu.
•
(iv) The Swahili Coast
•
Was the largest East African coast covering southern coast of
Somalia, the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania, together with its adjacent islands
( example…) in the Indian ocean.
•
When the Bantu inhabited the region, already, it was known to Indian
ocean traders and Mediterranean region traders as the source of ivory,
rhino horns, tortoise shells, mangrove poles
and coconut oil as early as 2nd century BC .
•
Among the earliest visitors (
travelers and traders) of the East African coast were the Greeks and the Romans
who named it Azania. What these traders saw and
heard about the region (Azania), was
written in the Periplus of the Erythrean sea and the Ptolemy Geography.
– The Periplus of
the Erythrean sea was a Greek document which
described and provided information about sailing conditions, trading
centers (ports), and trading
opportunities in the Indian ocean (the Erythrean sea).
•
Continuation…..
– Generally, it was
a marine book which had important information regarding sailing
direction, navigation hazards (strong winds), harbors,
cities, markets, and trade goods. It
was written by unknown author about 70 AD in the
Egyptian city of Alexandria.
– The Ptolemy geography , this document was
written by a Greek-Roman citizen of Egypt, Claudius Ptolemy (90-168
AD). It was a compilation of several books and maps
about African physical features, for
example, the Nile river and its direction of flow. It also contained important
accounts about the East African coastal trading activities.
Ø Though before
1000AD trading relation between Azania and the Mediterranean region, Arabia and
India were so limited and irregular, very few
trading centers or towns succeeded to emerge along
the East African coast as a result of this trade.
•
Continuation…..
– Among such towns,
Rhapta was the most known and well documented. Account of
the Erythtrean sea locates the city
somewhere between the Ruvuma and Pangani rivers.
But Rhapta is said to have disappeared soon after the collapse of the Roman
empire in the 5th century AD. To date, archaeologists are working
die and do find out where exactly Rhapta was located.
Ø Social, political
and economic changes began taking place along the East African coast from about
1000 AD, as it was in other parts of the country. Arab writers such as All
Masoud, All Idris and Ibn Batuta points out
that, the region began receiving Muslim,
Persians traders and settlers since the 10th
century.
•
Continuation…….
ü These Arab
scholars, further maintains that, these early Arabs settled first at Benadir
(Somalia) and Kenyan coast, and referred the East African coast
as the “Zenj (land of the blacks) empire”.
ü However,
historians have refuted the argument about the existence of the Zenj empire,
since the East African coast never united in history as each town
was an independent city state with its own ruler
and political administration.
Ø After 1000 AD,
Tanzanian coast became very important as a result of 2 factors :
ü Increased demand for ivory by
the Chinese and Indian traders.
ü Increased demand
of gold from Mwenemutapa ( Zimbabwe) by the Persians,
after their old source gold (Central Asia ) was captured by the Mongols .
•
Continuation…..
v Since the
southern coast of Tanzania was suitable ( in terms of good
natural harbors) and close to Mwenemutapa, then, trade in gold
facilitated the growth of several independent ports (which later became independent City states)
such as Kaole, Kunduchi,
Mafia, Kilwa kisiwani, Kilwa kivinje,
and Kilwa songomnara.
•
By 1200AD, Kilwa was an independent
city state ruled by the Sultan (head of the city state),
handled most of the gold and ivory trade. In carrying his
administrative duties, the Sultan was assisted by state officials (
Waungwana) who came from the most
influential families.
•
Therefore, by 1200AD each of the East African coastal town was an independent
city state until when the Portuguese conquered the East African coast
in the 16th century.
•
Continuation…..
Ø The economy of
these city states depended on agriculture, fishing
and trade with the interior on one hand and the external world,
on the other hand.
– The economy of
these city was devastated (how ?) by the Portuguese when
they conquered and ruled the East African coast between the 16th and
the 17th centuries.
•
Economic recovery of these city states came when the Portuguese
were expelled form the East African coast by the Arabs in
collaboration with the Swahili traders towards the end of the 17th
century (following the capture and collapse of the Fort Jesus in Mombasa in
1698).
•
From the middle of the 18th century, several other towns
such as Tanga, Pangani, Saadan, Lindi,
Bagamoyo, Mbwamaji, and Mikindani,
gradually emerged as a result of caravan trade between the coast and the
interior.
•
Commodity production and exchange to 1800 AD
•
Commodity is a product
which is produced basically for sell. It is an item which has a market
value, that can be bought and sold in the
market. It is something which is
produced mainly for exchange and not for subsistence.
•
Commodity production refers to the
process of generating items (trade goods) to be sold and bought in the market
as may be determined by the market forces of demand
and supply.
•
Commodity exchange refers to the
process of transacting trade goods in the market involving two sides, the buyer
and the seller.
•
The major determinant of commodity production and
exchange is the variation of resource
endowment between regions or areas. Regions specializes in producing certain commodities depending on
the available resources.
•
Continuation…….
•
Different regions may have different resources and
therefore would produce different commodities. This in turn,
brings the need for exchanging goods as one region may specialize
in producing certain items/commodities which may be urgently needed in the
other region.
•
In order to analyze commodity production and exchange in pre-colonial
Tanzania, five economic regions will be cited as case studies:
– The
Interlucustrine region
– Western and
Central region
– North Eastern
Tanzania region
– The Southern
interior region
– The Swahili Coast
region
•
Commodity Production & exchange in the Interlucustrine region.
Ø The region
covered the present day Kigoma and Kagera
administrative regions. By 1000AD some parts of this region had specialized in
producing certain commodities. For example:
– Areas like Karagwe,
Buzinza, Buha,and
Butusi specialized in animal production.
–
The regions of the Bairu and Bahutu
specialized in crop production.
•
Since both places demanded items that they did not produce, then,
exchange of goods between the two regions became necessary. They were thus,
exchanging animal products such as milk, meat, skin, and agricultural
products such as banana, millet, beans, yams, and sweet potatoes.
•
Continuation……
•
Commodities which were not produced within the region had to be
acquired from outside the region. For example:
ü The region
produced poor quality salt out of surface pans and saline grasses (reeds).
But because the people of this region needed high quality salt for seasoning (adding flavor)
their food, then such salt had to be imported from western Uganda (around
shores of lake Albert) through exchange .
•
Large deposits of iron ores were found in areas like Karagwe,
Buzinza, Buhaya, and Buha. Thus,
these areas became the major suppliers of iron tools to other
parts of the Interlucustrine region and Western Tanzania which lacked deposits
of iron ore and iron technology.
•
The above description shows how commodity production and exchange
developed in the Interlucustrine region.
•
Commodity production and exchange in Western and Central Tanzania
•
The region covered central and western
Tanzania and was featured by harsh environment (poor soils,
irregular and unreliable rainfall). This kind of environment supported the
growth of seasonal crops such as grains (sorghum and millet) and livestock
keeping.
•
Due to the nature of the environment, the people of this region were
unable to get enough food to sustain them throughout the year. To ensure their
survival, they opted for the following 3
adaptive mechanisms:
– They adapted shifting
cultivation in order to maintain marginal (low) production of their main food crops, especially millet
and sorghum.
– They made use of
the forests, and rivers around by hunting
wild animals, collecting honey, making wooden
crafts and fishing
•
Continuation…..
– They developed an
exchange system which enabled them to share their resources
among themselves and to acquire from their neighbors the
products which they were unable to produce
•
Commodity production in this region, was greatly influenced by uneven distribution of resources and regional
and group specialization as it was in other parts of the pre colonial Tanzania:
– People of western
Unyamwezi specialized in fishing and pot making,
and thus exchanged their dried fish and pots for grain
with their north western neighbors.
– People of southern
Unyamwezi and Ukimbu who specialized in producing bark
cloth, bark boxes,
honey collection and wooden crafts (
furniture production) exchange their products for grains and
other products from their neighbors
•
Continuation….
– The people of north
eastern Unyamwezi and Usukuma, exchange their cattle
products for food, and iron goods from southern Unyamwezi and Ukimbu.
– Iron tools were
imported from neighboring areas of Buzinza, Buha,
and Ufipa. The collection of these iron tools from their centers
of production, usually took place during the dry season. Why was
this the case? Two reasons were important:
• During the dry
season people were free from agricultural works.
• There was no
rain, and therefore traveling was easier as there was no overflowing rivers or
swamps to cross.
High quality salt was produced in few places such as Uvinza, western
end of lake Rukwa (Ivuna) and in western Ugogo.
•
Continuation….
•
From this analysis of trading relations in the western and central
Tanzania, then, it can be observed that, the needs to obtain iron tools and
high quality salt from their centers of production made the people of this
region, particularly the Wanyamwezi to develop the habit of organizing caravans
and participating in them.
•
This habit enabled them to be the most active participants in long distance trade between the coast and the East African interior during the 19th
century.
•
What was originally local exchange in basic goods like foodstuffs,
salt, iron goods, livestock and livestock products gradually, expanded and
connected Western and Central Tanzania with other regions of east and Central
Africa.
•
Commodity production and
exchange in North Eastern region
•
This region consisted of the Muheza and Handen plateau, the highlands
of Usambara, Pare, Kilimanjaro, Meru, and the Masai plateua. The area is also
commonly referred to as the Pangani valley as it is drained by
the Pangani river.
•
The region had developed regional trade networks involving pastoral
Masai, agricultural Masai (the Kwavi),the Chaga, the Shambaa, the Pare, the
Bondei, the Digo and the Zigua.
•
Transactions involved ordinary consumer goods such foodstuff,
livestock, craft materials, animal products and tobacco.
– The Pare (the Shana iron
smith) were the most famous iron smelters who supplied iron
implements to the Chagga, Masai, and the Shambaa.
– The Shambaa in turn
specialized in tobacco production. This was exchanged with
commodities from the Zigua, Masai, Pare, Bondei and Digo.
•
Continuation……
– The Shambaa also
exchanged their tobacco, and livestock products for fish with the Swahili.
– The Zigua specialized in salt
production on the plains near Mombo. They also exchanged their iron
goods and game meat for bananas, tobacco and other goods from the Zigua.
•
Therefore , it is clear that, the people of the Pangani valley had
developed networks of local and regional trade which by 1800 AD had extended to
the ports of Tanga and Pangani.
•
Commodity production and exchange in the Southern interior
•
The region extends from the Makonde plateau in the East to the Fipa
plateau in the West, and from the highlands Iringa and Mbeya in the North to
the Ruvuma river and lake Nyasa to the South.
•
Trading partners included the Makonde, Makua, Yao,
Kinga, Nyakyusa, Bena, Sangu,
Hehe, and Fipa.
•
The main trade goods produced in the region were foodstuffs,
animal products, iron tools, pots, cotton
and cloth.
•
The Fipa specialized in producing iron tools, cotton cloth
and dried fish. This, were exported to Western Tanzania, North
Eastern Zambia and North Eastern Malawi.
•
The Nyiha, Kinga and Yao also were another group of iron smelters. The Nyiha and Kinga
supplied their iron tools to the people of the highlands, where as the Yao
supplied their iron implements to the people of the South East of the
highlands.
•
Continuation……
•
The Kisi of North Eastern shores of lake Nyasa were specialized pot
makers. Their pots were exported to Southern highlands and North
Eastern Malawi.
•
The Ndali of Ileje specialized in making bark cloth
and exchanged their products with the rest of the societies in the region as
cloth was needed almost every where in the region(universal need).
•
Thus, by 1800 AD, a number of exchange relations had developed in the
southern interior region of pre colonial Tanzania.
•
Commodity production and exchange in the Swahili coast
•
Historical evidence indicates that after 1000AD the region was occupied
by the Swahili speaking people who were iron using agriculturalists.
They also fished and traded their goods with external traders who visited the
coast occasionally.
•
After the Swahili settled along the coast, their small villages
spontaneously evolved into small and big towns mainly as a result of external
commercial influences.
•
Most of the Swahili societies settled on beaches and islands without
good natural harbors. They were thus
forced to become fishermen and farmers. They produced sorghum, millet, fish,
iron implements, fruits and vegetable for both, consumption and exchange.
•
Continuation……
•
They exchanged their products among themselves and with their neighbors
of the hinterland from whom they acquired ivory, rhino horns, animal skin,
honey, quality salt and other things.
•
They also traded with foreign traders who occasionally visited the
coast. Increased commercial contacts between the coast and the external world
resulted to the growth of coastal towns into independent city states.
