Showing posts with label mtuta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mtuta. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

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Angoni - Quotable Quotes

  • Tuesday, March 15, 2011
  • Samuel Albert

  • HM STANLEY WHO CAME TO LOOK FOR DAVID LIVINGSTONE IN 1871
    
    
    
    Henry Morton Stanley was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David 
    Livingstone. Stanley is often remembered for the words uttered to Livingstone upon finding him: "Dr. Livingstone, 
    I presume?" He said the following about the warlike Angoni.
     
    These so maintained the war-like reputation of their breed, that even Stanley could not cross the continent, as far away 
    as the equator, without becoming nervously cognisant of the fact. 'No traveller,' he says, 'has yet become acquainted with a wilder race in Equatorial Africa than are the Mafitte or Watuta (as he calls the abaNgoni wanderers). They are the only true African Bedawi; and surely some African Ishmael must have fathered them, for their hands are against every man, and every man's hand appears to be raised against them. To slay a solitary Mtuta is considered by an Arab as meritorious, and far more necessary than killing a snake. To guard against these sable freebooters, the traveller, while passing near their haunts,has need of all his skill, coolness and prudence. The settler in their neighbourhood has need to defend his village with impregnable fences, and to have look-outs night and day; his women and children require to be guarded, and fuel can only be procured by strong parties, while the ground has to be cultivated spear in hand, so constant is the fear of the restless and daring tribe of bandits.'2
     
    Sir Harrry Johnstone 


    Harry Johnston was instrumental in having Nyasaland (today's Malawi) declared the British Central Africa Protectorate after negotiations with the Portuguese in Mozambique who were also interested in having this land as theirs, and he was made its first commissioner in 1891.
    -
    The following quotation is taken from his article entitled, 'Livingstone as an Explorer.'

    Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 41, No. 5 (May, 1913), pp. 423-446
    Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
     
     
     
    "The evidence of Livingstone and other travellers of the fifties, sixties, and seventies, brings home to us the widespread devastation caused by bands of Angoni-Zulus. These Zulu raids over East-Central Africa during the nineteenth century were one of the greatest disasters of its history. They had their origin in the convulsions caused in Natal and Zululand by the conquests of Chaka the Destroyer, and their effects long remained written on the surface of Nyasaland, Northeast Rhodesia and German East Africa. 'It was wearisome to see the skulls and bones scattered about everywhere; one would fain not notice, but they are so striking that they cannot be avoided," is an extract from Livingstone's journal as he comes in contact with the Angoni raids in South-west Nyasaland."
     
    Inkosi M'mbelwa II
     
    Inkosi Mmbelwa II
     
     
    In his memorandum to the Royal Commission on closer union headed by Lord Bledisloe in 1938, Inkosi Mbelwa II made, inter alia, the following submission:

    'Before the European advent in this country my grandfather Inkosi Mbelwa's kingdom extended as far as Lwangwa Valley, covering the following districts: Karonga, Kasungu, Chintechi and Lundazi or Sengaland, Mzimba being its centre. His mode of rule was not to root off people from their countries, but left them to rule over their people under him according to their custom and creed. He only collected young men who were trained as warriors, who after they were trained made some revolts and in most cases they were got back and to be got back; but the missionary intervened by preaching the Gospel which made peace for all'.

    'Long ago in the time of my father before the Government took over my district there came a European from Northern Rhodesia who had to shoot, and rob people their property, and did all sorts of evil and damages to man and property, we were protected by the Nyasaland Government; this is one of the reasons that my father willingly placed himself under the Imperial Government Rule because the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Pearce, had displayed justice and shewed great protection by fining that European and making him to pay all damages made to people. The second reason was that on occasions the Commissioners visited his country, they promised him that his kingdom will be as that of Khama and the Prince of Zanzibar, and that no European will have power over his country and over him, also that Her Majesty Queen Victoria will send a Consul to help him and to strengthen his power and that his people will pay taxes to him and not to Her Majesty the Queen. In course of time after Her Majesty the Queen died, Sir Alfred Sharpe came with the question of collecting taxes, this was refused at many times until 1904 when a treaty was made, and it was more favourable to us than it appears on the attached extract printed by missionaries at Livingstonia Mission.


    CHIDYAONGA - MASEKO NGONI REGENT AFTER DEATH OF INKOSI YAMAKHOSI MPUTA

    Chidiaonga allegedly pronounced the Maseko Ngoni chieftainship  shortly before his death around 1876.



    "Now I leave this country in the hands of the owner, because I was only appointed to keep it for him. This is your leader". He sent for Cikusi and gave him his father's spear, saying to him. "This country is yours". He said to Cifisi his own son, "You, my son, do not struggle with Cikusi. He is the only paramount here".'

    Ng'onomo Makamo, General of Northern Jele Ngoni Armies (impi)


    Ng'onomo is reported to have said the following in 1901 about the influence of the white colonisers and missionaries
    'You have just come from Marambo. The people there were once mine. There at Kasungu you see the people running to "the Consol" with tusks which should have been brought to me as of old. You have caused me and my country to die.'

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