The Sangage Sheikhdom was a coastal African

sheikhdom A sheikhdom or sheikdom ( ar, مشيخة 'Mashyakhah'' is a geographical area or a society ruled by a tribal leader called sheikh (Arabic: ). Sheikhdoms exist exclusively within Arab countries, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula ( Arab Sta ...

( pt, xeicado) in modern-day

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, established in the mid-1600s and lasting until 1913. The people of Sangage retained a distinct culture but are related to the

Swahili people The Swahili people ( sw, WaSwahili) comprise mainly Bantu, Afro-Arab and Comorian ethnic groups inhabiting the Swahili coast, an area encompassing the Zanzibar archipelago and mainland Tanzania's seaboard, littoral Kenya, northern Mozambique, ...

; their language, Esangaji, is also similar to the Swahili language.

History

Background

Sangage was one of three main Muslim settlements between

Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when ...

and

Mozambique Island The Island of Mozambique ( pt, Ilha de Moçambique) lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its ric ...

, the others being the

Angoche Sultanate The Angoche Sultanate was established in 1485 along an archipelago off the Northern Mozambique coastline. Centered on the cities of Angoche and Moma, the sultanate also had a number of vassal territories surrounding them. They were finally removed ...

and Sancul Shiekhdom. Sangage, like Sancul, was founded by Shirazi clans originating from Mozambique Island after the Portuguese seized it in the 17th century. It was located between the Metomode and Mogincual Rivers, bordering Sancul to the north. These clans first migrated to Sancul and then to Sangage, purchasing the coastal land from the pre-established Angoche. They held a considerable number of vassals, including the chiefs of Mogincual, Mpamella, and bands of Mogovolla, among others.

Arrival of the Portuguese and demise

By the time of Portuguese arrival in the early 19th century, Sangage began thriving on the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, becoming an economic rival to the Angoche to the south. Since the Portuguese lacked a military foothold in northern Mozambique, they exerted influence by widening cleavages in native politics. In the 1880s, Sangage welcomed a community of

Vanya Ваня (''Vanya''), a male diminutive of the Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and other Slavic given names Ivan. It is the Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian and other Slavic form of John itself derived from a Hebrew name, meaning "God is gracious" ...

Indian slave traders, causing Angoche sultan

Musa Muhammad Sahib Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia *Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon *Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province *Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran *Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaijan Pro ...

to attack Sangage in 1885. Sangage was besieged again by Sahib's son, Sultan Usseni Ibrahimo. The Portuguese intervened, forcing the sheikh to open a garrison for the Portuguese in return for the title of ''

regidor A regidor (plural: ''regidores'') is a member of a council of municipalities in Spain and Latin America. Portugal also used to have the same office of ''regedor''. Mexico In Mexico, an ayuntamiento (municipal council) is composed of a municipal ...

''. Sangage was also forbidden from slave trading. However, the sheikh's successor, Musa Ibrahimo Phiri (1904–1912) continued to quietly resist the Portuguese and traded slaves. Ultimately, the Portuguese defeated Phiri in a decisive campaign in 1913. They were the last vestige of Swahili colonial resistance in Mozambique, subsumed into the Portuguese colonial administration.

References

{{Reflist 1910s in Portuguese Mozambique History of Mozambique

History

Background

Arrival of the Portuguese and demise

See also

References