Mirambo
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Mtyela Kasanda (c. 1840–1884), better known as King Mirambo, was a Nyamwezi king, from 1860 to 1884. He created the largest state by area in 19th-century East Africa in present-day Urambo district in
Tabora Region Tabora Region (''Mkoa wa Tabora'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions located in mid-western part of Tanzania. The regional capital is the municipality of Tabora. Tabora is bordered ...
of
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
. Urambo district is named after him. He also built a capital for his territory at Iselemagazi. Mirambo started out as a trader and the son of a minor chief. He owned trade caravans traveling from the
Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...
in western
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
to the coast, mostly dealing in
ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...
and slaves. Through trade with Europeans he acquired
firearms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originated ...
and money, and organised armies consisting mostly of teenage orphans.The Cambridge History of Africa, vol. 6 With his newly gained power, he toppled the traditional monarchy of the kingdom of Urambo, and installed himself as ntemi (king). The Nyamwezi aristocracy was appalled when someone who was not royalty took over the religiously ceremonial office of ntemi.The Cambridge History of Africa, vol. 5 Other sources assert that Mirambo was the son of the ruler of Uyowa. His coming to power there was a contravention of the succession being matrilineal. Mirambo was based in an area with
tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Gloss ...
infestations, which meant that transport of goods was almost completely by people rather than with the aid of animals. Mirambo used both warfare and diplomacy to expand his territory and followers. He began building connections through the caravan business, working as an agent for his father. Mirambo's success can be traced in part to his associations with the Watuta, a group of
Ngoni people The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in the present-day Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni people, Nguni and Zulu people, Zulu people of KwaZulu-Na ...
who were connected with Zwangendaba. With ongoing wars in southern Africa as
Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reform ...
had expanded Zulu power many people had fled north, this particular group settling near Bukune. Mirambo was closely associated with the Watuta's leader Mpangalala. It seems that it was from Mpangalala that Mirambo learned about the age-grade military system of organization found in southern Africa, and this led Mirambo to implement a similar system called the ''rugaruga.'' By the early 1880s this military organization had about 10,000 members. The 1860s saw Mirambo extend his domains westward and conquer several of the Nyamwezi chiefdoms located to the west of his original domains with his growing rugaruga force. At times chiefdoms voluntarily joined his growing domain, being allowed to stay in power as long as they paid tribute and contributed forces to Mirambo's growing power. Apart from the Nyamwezi aristocracy, Mirambo also was an enemy of the trading community of
Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...
in the kingdom of
Unyanyembe Unyanyembe is a town in Tanzania (formerly German East Africa) near Mwadui Airport in Shinyanga Region. It was one of the locations visited by Henry Morton Stanley during his search for Dr Livingstone. In the 19th-century it was the headquarters ...
. Many of the inhabitants of Tabora were Arab traders, and rivals of Mirambo for the control of the trade across
Unyamwezi Unyamwezi or Unyamwezi states and kingdoms (''Falme za Unyamwezi'' in Swahili) is a historical region and former Pre-colonial states in what is now modern central Tanzania, around the modern city of Tabora in Tabora Region to the south of La ...
. These Arabs had powerful allies in Zanzibar on the coast. For most of his time as mtemi, Mirambo fought wars against his enemies. By the time of his death, he had united most of northern Unyamwezi in an alliance under his leadership, but he never managed to conquer
Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...
. In the 1870s, he allied himself closely with Philippe Broyon, a Swiss merchant operating in the region. He also welcomed missionaries such as John Morton of the Church Missionary Society and Ebenezer Southon of the London Missionary Society to his kingdom. These missionaries viewed Mirambo as building a stable state in interior east Africa and convinced John Kirk, the British consul at Zanzibar, to shift his support in the interior wars from the Kingdom of Unyanyembe to Mirambo. He was notable for opposing the Arab allies of
Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa and search for missi ...
. Stanley described Mirambo "the African as Bonaparte" for his military talents. Near the end of his life he grew ill, and died at the age 44. It has been suggested that he was strangled to death, since an old Nyamwezi custom was to strangle their mtemi when they became unfit to rule.


References


External links

*Burnett, Lucy
Mirambo (ca.1840—1884)
at
blackpast.org BlackPast.org is a web-based reference center that is dedicated primarily to the understanding of African-American history and Afro-Caribbean history and the history of people of Sub-Saharan African ancestry. In 2011, the American Library Associ ...
{{Authority control 1884 deaths Tanzanian chiefs 1840s births People from Tabora Region Nyamwezi