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Saigilo (
fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1890) was a Datooga King and medicine man reputed for his purported skill in
thaumaturgy Thaumaturgy () is the practical application of magic to effect change in the physical world. Historically, thaumaturgy has been associated with the manipulation of natural forces, the creation of wonders, and the performance of magical feats t ...
and
divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
, which has led to his establishment as a folk figure within Iraqw and Datooga society in present-day
Karatu District Karatu District (''Wilaya ya Karatu'', in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of seven Districts of Tanzania, districts of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the north by the Ngorongoro District and to the west by the Meatu ...
in
Arusha Region Arusha Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions and is located in the northeast of the country. The region's capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok C ...
, northern
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 ...
.


Early life


Exodus of the Bajuta

In a decisive battle that took place between 1836 and 1851 located in the vicinity of
Ngorongoro crater Ngorongoro Conservation Area (, ) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northeastern Tanzania. The area is name ...
, the Datooga were defeated and expelled from the area by the
Maasai Maasai may refer to: *Maasai people *Maasai language *Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) Masai may refer to: *Masai, Johor, a town in Malaysia * Masai Plateau, a plateau in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India *Maasai peopl ...
. This led the father of Saigilo, named Magena, and his tribal group, termed Bajuta, to withdraw to Sukumaland.Wada, S. (1975). Political history of Mbulu district: Power struggles and territorial grouping of medicine men. ''Kyoto University African Studies, 9'', p. 59. However, they were once again attacked by Maasai raiders, and resettled in Mashonghoda, near
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 Nyamwezi land. It was there that Magena died.Tomikawa, M. (1979). The migrations and inter-tribal relations of the pastoral Datoga. ''Senri Ethnological Studies'', 3, p. 21. Following the death of Magena, the Bajuta chose Saigilo to succeed him as the leader of the tribe.


Leader of the Bajuta


Migrations

Fearing continued attacks from the Masai, Saigilo migrated with the rest of the Bajuta northwards to Raho, in the Gummenti basin. It is believed that Saigilo and his followers stayed there for some time before migrating southeast, finally settling in Maiba near Mbulu, around 1890 or later.Thornton, R. J. (1980). ''Space, time, and culture among the Iraqw of Tanzania.'' New York, NY: Academic Press, Inc., p. 78 The area surrounding Mbulu was already populated with members of the Iraqw tribe.


Datooga-Iraqw interactions

Relations between the Iraqw and the Datooga were amicable and marked by cooperation, due to the
pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...
nature of both tribes. The Iraqw would participate in the cattle-breeding ceremonies of the Datooga, and Saigilo, as chief medicine man of the Bajuta, was thought to have the ability to produce medications that would increase the fertility of the cattle, which were traded extensively among the Iraqw. In addition, intermarriage between the Datoga and Iraqw was commonplace, as a result of similar cultural and economic orders and Iraqw exogamic traditions. The close relations of the Iraqw and the Datoga are demonstrated by the Iraqw concept of ''homoo'', a negative term used to generally describe members of another ethnic group; however, the Datooga were never referred to by this term, potentially indicating a significant bond between the two groups.


Prophecies

Saigilo was renowned for his purported abilities in
divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
, with his alleged skills manifesting themselves well before his ascension to tribal chief.Jellicoe, M., Sima, V., & Sombi, J. (1967)
"The shrine in the desert."
''Transition'', (34), p. 43.
It is said that prior to the exodus from Ngorongoro crater to Nyamwezi land, Saigilo had warned the tribe thrice to flee until the encroachment of the Maasai,
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...
, and disease finally forced them to withdraw and begin their aforementioned exodus. The Arimi, a neighboring tribe, frequently consulted Saigilo. According to oral tradition, in a dream Saigilo allegedly destroyed a barrier he had erected between the people of his tribe and the coast, hoping that assistance in repelling the Maasai would come from the east in the form of the ‘red men.’ The ‘red men’ were said to be among the first settlers of Tanganyika, appeared to be of European descent, and whose disappearance would bring about famine and destruction. The disappearance of the ‘red men’ are said to be compelled by Murungu, 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 National ...
creator deity, whenever the universe becomes unbalanced. Saigilo said that ‘red men without toes’ should be welcomed as they would bring great prosperity. The arrival of German colonial forces was heralded as the return of the ‘red men,’ due to their European features and their boots, which made it appear as if they lacked toes.Jellicoe, M., Sima, V., & Sombi, J. (1967)
"The shrine in the desert."
''Transition'', (34), p. 44.
However, the Germans would eventually defile Tita (the shrine to Murungu) and persecute the tribes in the surrounding area. Saigilo's prophecies still remain culturally relevant in Tanzanian society today. At the end of the 19th century, Saigilo allegedly predicted extensive ecological change in Iraqw land, claiming that bushland and trees of non-local origin would dominate the landscape and that one would no longer have to travel far for firewood.Manger, L. (2000)
"East African pastoralism and underdevelopment: An introduction."
In L. Manger, J. Helland, B. Tache, A. Tolera, A. Ghaffar, M. Ahmed, and S. Shalazi (Eds.), ''Pastoralists and Environment: Experiences from the Greater Horn of Africa'' (pp. 2-10).
Curiously, this is exactly the case today, with Iraqw land being populated with eucalyptus and black wattle, flora typically native to Australia. This was the result of reforestation campaigns undertaken by the British colonial regime in the mid-20th century. Recent efforts to introduce sex education and safe sex practices to the Datooga have been meet with disapproval, partly due to one of Saigilo's prophecies. Attempts to promote
monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...
and the use of
condoms A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condoms, also called male condoms, and internal (female) ...
are seen as violations of traditional Datooga sexual and marriage practices, with the violation of the latter believed to lead to sexual degeneracy. Saigilo allegedly claimed that once the Datooga start to ignore “respectful coupling,” or in other words, traditional sexual behavior, this would thereby lead to sexual promiscuity and would be “the end f the Datooga people” The credence the Datoga give to this apocalyptic prophecy continues to shape current sexual practice and perceptions.


Later life and death

At some point during his establishment near Mbulu, Saigilo's homestead was subject to a raid by the
Maasai Maasai may refer to: *Maasai people *Maasai language *Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) Masai may refer to: *Masai, Johor, a town in Malaysia * Masai Plateau, a plateau in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India *Maasai peopl ...
, and Saigilo was injured as a result. This attack was believed to have been perpetrated by Be’a, a Manda medicine man who allegedly used magic to compel the raid. Saigilo later died in Maiba.Tomikawa, M. (1979). The migrations and inter-tribal relations of the pastoral Datoga. ''Senri Ethnological Studies'', 3, p. 24.


Succession of leadership and future of the Datoga

Saigilo's son by his senior wife, Gidamowsa, succeeded Saigilo as leader of the Bajuta and migrated with the members of his tribe to Dongobesh, the ancestral home of the Gisamijanga. In 1910, Gidamowsa, along with eleven medicine men, including elders of the Daremngajega clan and an elder of the Mbulu Iraqw, were accused of vandalizing weapons belonging to German colonial forces.Wada, S. (1975). Political history of Mbulu district: Power struggles and territorial grouping of medicine men. ''Kyoto University African Studies, 9'', p. 62.Thornton, R. J. (1980). ''Space, time, and culture among the Iraqw of Tanzania.'' New York, NY: Academic Press, Inc., p. 79 They were captured and executed by hanging. It is believed that the executions were the result of the German colonial authority's fears regarding the group's influence on the Datooga and neighboring tribes. The executions led to waning Datooga influence in the region as a result of the reluctance of Datooga medicine men to continue to perform magical acts and religious ceremonies, which thereby led to an increase in Iraqw influence. Later interactions between the Datoga and colonists were punctuated by similar instances of persecution, including execution, arbitrary imprisonment, and property confiscation and taxation.Rekdal, O. B. & Blystad, A. (1999). ‘We are as sheep & goats: Iraqw & Datooga discourses on fortune, failure, & the future. In D.M. Anderson & V. Broch-Due (Eds.), ''The poor are not us: Poverty & pastoralism in Eastern Africa'' (pp. 125-146). Athens, OH: Ohio University Press., p. 128


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saigilo Tanzanian chiefs Year of birth missing Year of death missing People from Arusha Region