The Bondei People ( Swahili: ''Wabondei'') are a

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle * Black Association for Nationa ...

ethnic group based in

Pangani District Pangani District (Swahili language: ''Wilaya ya Pangani'') is one of the eight districts and one of 11 administrative councils in Tanga Region in north eastern Tanzania. As of the 2012 census, the population was Pangani district was 54,025, makin ...

in east

Tanga Region Tanga Region (''Mkoa wa Tanga'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the mu ...

in northeastern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. Bondei speak a

language and are related to the Shambaa ethnic group.. The name "Bondei" was given to the people by the Kilindi dynasty after their conquest, who called them "WaBondei"- people of the valley. This was to describe the people who lived between the Lwengera Valley and the sea east of the usambaras. After the Kilindi Kingdom collapsed in 1868, the Bondei moved southwards from Magila near present day town of

Muheza Muheza is a town in the Tanga Region of Tanzania. It is the capital of Muheza District, Tanga Region. Transport Paved trunk road T13 from Segera to the Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map ...

towards southern

Muheza District Muheza is one of eleven administrative districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the north by Mkinga District, to the east by Tanga and the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Pangani District and ...

and most of

Pangani Pangani Town is a historic Swahili settlement located on the south eastern shore of Tanga Region, Tanzania. The town lies south of the city of Tanga, at the mouth of the Pangani River. It is the headquarters of the Pangani District. Admin ...

District. They also moved lands south of the

Sigi River Zigi River also known as Sigi River (Swahili: Mto Sigi ), is a river in located in east Tanga Region in Tanzania. The river rises in the Amani Nature Reserve in the east Usambara Mountains in Muheza District, more precisely in Handei Mountains, a ...

. However, due to rampant slave raiding after the collapse of the Kilindi kingdom, some Zigua migrants also became the Bondei people for protection escaping to Magila. The Bondei population is roughly 100,000. Most of Bondei people reside in

where they engage in different activities, especially

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

. Some Bondei also reside in east

. The first Tanzanian to go overseas was a Bondei man named Dr. Geldart Mhando in 1890.

References

Sources

* * Kiango, John G. (2008). ''Kibondei: Msamiati wa Kibondei-Kiswahili-Kiingereza / Bondei-Swahili-English Lexicon''. . Ethnic groups in Tanzania Indigenous peoples of East Africa Tanga Region Pangani District Bantu languages {{tanzania-ethno-group-stub

See also

References

Sources