The Isanzu (Anyihanzu) 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 ...
ethno-linguistic group
An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...
based in
Mkalama,
Singida
Singida is a town in central Tanzania. The town is the location of the regional headquarters of Singida Region as well as the district headquarters of Singida Urban District. The region and district are named after the town.
Transport
Road l ...
,
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 ...
. In 1987 the Isanzu population was estimated to number 32,40
The Isanzu have matrilineal descent groups and are agriculturalists who subsist on sorghum, millet, and maize. Most Isanzu make a living as farmers and through migrant labour to other parts of the country, principally,
Arusha District, Arusha.
Isanzuland was colonized by Germany in the late 19th century, and during the First World War, occupied by British forces. Following the war Tanganyika became a British Trust Territory and a British administration governed this area, like the rest of the Territory, through a policy of Indirect Rule until independence in 1961.
[Illiffe, John 1979. ''The History of Tanganyika''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.]
Language
The Isanzu speak a
Bantu language
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages.
The t ...
called ''
kinyihanzu''. Nearly everyone also speaks
Swahili, Tanzania's ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
''. Because of interaction with Iraq Nyaturu, and Nyiramba people also speak Iraq, Nyaturu, and Nyiramba.
Big Clans and Families
# Kitunga
# Msindai
# Mpeku
# Manzawa
# Mpinga
# Mahumi
# Malalika
# Gang'ai
# Mpanda
# Mkilanya
# Mzengi
# Holela
# Mikael
# Mtiko
# Ibobo
# Saenda
# Giisi (Yagisi)
# Pyuza (Taken from Nyiramba)
Notes
References
Adam, Virginia 1963. Rainmaking rites in Ihanzu. Conference proceedings from the Makarere Institute of Social Research. Adam is a social anthropologist who worked with the Isanzu in 1961 and 1962.
* The book is a collection of Hadza myths about giants, also some myths about culture heroes, and anecdotical tales. Kohl-Larsen was an adventurer, amateur ethnographer and archaeologist. He travelled through (then) Tanganyika in the 1930s, and very much hoped that the former German colony would soon be returned, which never happened. His ethnographic accounts are deeply coloured by Nazi Germany's political ambitions and are not a reliable source of information.
Sanders, Todd 2008. ''Beyond Bodies: Rainmaking and Sense Making in Tanzania''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Sanders is a social anthropologist who worked in Isanzu in the 1990s.
Indigenous peoples of East Africa
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