Anziku Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Anziku Kingdom, also called the Teke Kingdom, the Tyo Kingdom or Tio Kingdom, was a pre-colonial West Central African state of modern Republic of Congo.
, which is why the state is sometimes called the kingdom of Teke or Tiyo. Other groups within the Anziku included the Bampunu and Banzabi.
In the early 17th century, the Anziku population controlled the copper mines around Kongo's
northeast border and may have been there specifically as a buffer. When the Anziku groups consolidated to form their own independent kingdom, Kongo proceeded to take over the mines personally. This process was complete by the 1620s. There was, however, fighting between the two states over the region throughout the 17th century.
around the Pool Malebo
. It also controlled land directly north of that placing closer to the interior of its better known contemporaries such as Kongo
and Loango
. The BaTeke people, who dominated the kingdom, lived on the plateaus of the region from early times. By 1600, Anziku controlled the lower Congo River
and extended northwest to the upper Kouilou-Niari
basin.
which they brought to the coast in return for cowries, salt
, silk
, linen
and glass
. The area was also rich in metals particularly copper
. This led to conflict between Anziku and its southern neighbor Kongo.
, from whom much of our informatin about Anziku derives, convinced the kingdom to become a vassal in return for protection. In 1875, the last independent Anziku king Iloo signed a treaty of vassalage with the French naval officer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
. The kingdom continued under French protection producing a line of kings that continues to this very day.
in the works of European authors. It was claimed that whole markets were dedicated to the sale of human flesh for consumption. A notable example is H. P. Lovecraft's
The Picture in the House
.
Origins
The word Anziku comes from the KiKongo phrase "Anziku Nziku" meaning "to run" referring to inhabitants who leave the interior to protect the border. The term was applied most famously to the BatekeBateke
The Bateke are a Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages. Its population is situated mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and with a minority in Gabon...
, which is why the state is sometimes called the kingdom of Teke or Tiyo. Other groups within the Anziku included the Bampunu and Banzabi.
In the early 17th century, the Anziku population controlled the copper mines around Kongo's
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
northeast border and may have been there specifically as a buffer. When the Anziku groups consolidated to form their own independent kingdom, Kongo proceeded to take over the mines personally. This process was complete by the 1620s. There was, however, fighting between the two states over the region throughout the 17th century.
Geography
The kingdom was centered on the Congo RiverCongo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
around the Pool Malebo
Pool Malebo
The Pool Malebo , is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River....
. It also controlled land directly north of that placing closer to the interior of its better known contemporaries such as Kongo
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Loango
Loango
Loango may refer to:* Loango National Park, a national park in Western Gabon* Petit Loango, a town in Gabon* Kingdom of Loango, a pre-colonial state in what is now the Republic of Congo* Loango, a schooner wrecked in 1909 at St Ives, Cornwall...
. The BaTeke people, who dominated the kingdom, lived on the plateaus of the region from early times. By 1600, Anziku controlled the lower Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
and extended northwest to the upper Kouilou-Niari
Kouilou-Niari River
The Kouilou-Niari River — also spelled Kwilu, Kwila, or Kwil — is the main drainage path for the coastal basin of the Republic of the Congo. The river is called the Kouilou River along most of its length, but its center section, in the Niari region of The Congo, is called the Niari River...
basin.
Government
Fairly little is known about the kingdom or how it operated. What is known is that it was ruled by a king called a makoko. This led to the state sometimes being labeled "Great Makoko" on European maps. The capital was called Monsol. According to the account of one of the few visitors, the makoko ruled over 13 vassal kings.Economy
The Anziku kingdom manufactured and sold fabrics made of leaves, which doubled as currency throughout the region. Their position closer to the interior also made ivory accessible. Along with these producs, the Anziku sold slavesAtlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
which they brought to the coast in return for cowries, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
, linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
and glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. The area was also rich in metals particularly copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. This led to conflict between Anziku and its southern neighbor Kongo.
Customs
The BaTeke and other Anziku groups practiced facial scarification. The people were also notable for elaborate dress and hairstyles including oranmented braids. Commoners of both sexes usually went bare chested, but those with money were covered "head to foot" according to European accounts. Nobles wore robes of silk imported from the coast.Warfare
The Anzikus may have begun as a military class protecting the BaKongo border. They were famed as excellent warriors and courageous. They specialized in archery with poison arrows. In close combat, they relied on battle axes. No mention of shields occurs as with most peoples in this region with the exception of Kongo.Colonization
The kingdom of Anziku survived well into the 19th century. This is likely in no little part due to its relative isolation from coastal powers. The FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, from whom much of our informatin about Anziku derives, convinced the kingdom to become a vassal in return for protection. In 1875, the last independent Anziku king Iloo signed a treaty of vassalage with the French naval officer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, best known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza , was a Franco-Italian explorer, born in Italy and later naturalized Frenchman...
. The kingdom continued under French protection producing a line of kings that continues to this very day.
Fiction
At times the Anzikus have been described, probably falsely, as cannibalsCannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
in the works of European authors. It was claimed that whole markets were dedicated to the sale of human flesh for consumption. A notable example is H. P. Lovecraft's
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
The Picture in the House
The Picture in the House
"The Picture in the House" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft. It was written on December 12, 1920, and first published in the July 1919 issue of The National Amateur-- which actually was published in the summer of 1921.-Lovecraft Country:...
.