Sangu
Encyclopedia
The Sangu, at times called Rori (People of the Steppes), are an ethnic and linguistic
group based in southwestern Tanzania
. By 1907 the Sangu numbers were thought to be about 30,000. In 1987 the Sangu population was estimated to number 75,000 .
Before the coming of the Ngoni, an African group along the coast, the southern highlands had no political unit larger than clan
chiefdom
. The clans who became known as the Sangu were probably organized into a military force in the 1830s after being attacked by outside forces. The Sangu sent slaves and ivory
to representatives of the coast and were the first to adopt the weapons, tactics, and organization of the Ngoni and began to dominate the highlands until a civil war broke out with the death of Merere I.
(the second to imitate the Ngoni) copied the Sangu, even taking the Sangu regimental names and language forms.
Munygumba of the Muyinga family of the Hehe people, Mkwawa's father, began to form a unified state to be called Uhehe. It is these Hehe who in 1857 attacked the Sangu and forced them to abandon their capital of Utengule at least three times. The Sangu people repeatedly attempted to return to Utengule but failed. They retreated westwards into Usafwa, finally forcing the Wasafwa to build a new Utengule near present day Mbeya
which was to become one of East Africa's most elaborate Boma
s (A massive stone fortress, supposedly the largest in East Africa, later deliberately destroyed by the Germans.) for Merere II and his dynasty
. The Hehe, recovering from their own civil war by 1879, continued their aggressive expansion and showed themselves to more than a match for Merere II, the Sangu leader, even though the Sangu had reportedly begun using guns as early as the 1893s and had great experience in war and were noted for 'throwing their dead away' mostly into ravines. All Sangu chiefs carried the title of Merere whose personal name was Mwahavange.
It still, however, took until the end of 1896 before Mkwawa was defeated in his capital, Iringa, was made an 'outlaw' and reduced to waging guerrilla war, and finally committed suicide. It took until the 10th of December 1896 to re-install Merere III of Usangu, back in his capital of Utengule, which his father had lost 22 years earlier to the Wahehe. Merere II had died in 1893, soon after the journal's completion, having been declared by his people as being mentally incompetent and been removed, with his son becoming successor but never, however, considered truly sovereign. By 1907 the Wasangu numbers were thought to be about 30,000.
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
group based in southwestern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. By 1907 the Sangu numbers were thought to be about 30,000. In 1987 the Sangu population was estimated to number 75,000 .
Before the coming of the Ngoni, an African group along the coast, the southern highlands had no political unit larger than clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
chiefdom
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
. The clans who became known as the Sangu were probably organized into a military force in the 1830s after being attacked by outside forces. The Sangu sent slaves and ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
to representatives of the coast and were the first to adopt the weapons, tactics, and organization of the Ngoni and began to dominate the highlands until a civil war broke out with the death of Merere I.
Hehe wars
Other groups, including the HeheHehe
The Hehe are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Iringa Region in south-central Tanzania, speaking the Bantu Hehe language. In 1994, the Hehe population was estimated to number 750,000.-History:...
(the second to imitate the Ngoni) copied the Sangu, even taking the Sangu regimental names and language forms.
Munygumba of the Muyinga family of the Hehe people, Mkwawa's father, began to form a unified state to be called Uhehe. It is these Hehe who in 1857 attacked the Sangu and forced them to abandon their capital of Utengule at least three times. The Sangu people repeatedly attempted to return to Utengule but failed. They retreated westwards into Usafwa, finally forcing the Wasafwa to build a new Utengule near present day Mbeya
Mbeya
Mbeya is a city located in southwest Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population was 280,000 in 2005. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region ....
which was to become one of East Africa's most elaborate Boma
Boma
The port town of Boma in Bas-Congo province was the capital city of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo from 1 May 1886 to 1926, when it was moved to Léopoldville . It exports tropical timber, bananas, cacao, and palm products...
s (A massive stone fortress, supposedly the largest in East Africa, later deliberately destroyed by the Germans.) for Merere II and his dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
. The Hehe, recovering from their own civil war by 1879, continued their aggressive expansion and showed themselves to more than a match for Merere II, the Sangu leader, even though the Sangu had reportedly begun using guns as early as the 1893s and had great experience in war and were noted for 'throwing their dead away' mostly into ravines. All Sangu chiefs carried the title of Merere whose personal name was Mwahavange.
German Involvement
Merere II, having lost his homeland to the Hehe, wrote to German Governor Soden in January 1892, "I ask you to come quickly. I will show you the way...and stand by you in the war....The Hehe are gathering their men to defeat me. I beg not to leave me alone this year." German officers were ordered to help enemies of the Wahehe and encircle Mkwawa (Qwawa, the M refers to a single person in Swahili). Lieutenant Tom von Prince, in early 1893, with Bauer and Wynecken, was able to offer the help requested by Merere II, promising to restore Merere to his homeland if he guarded Uhehe's western border against Mkwawa.It still, however, took until the end of 1896 before Mkwawa was defeated in his capital, Iringa, was made an 'outlaw' and reduced to waging guerrilla war, and finally committed suicide. It took until the 10th of December 1896 to re-install Merere III of Usangu, back in his capital of Utengule, which his father had lost 22 years earlier to the Wahehe. Merere II had died in 1893, soon after the journal's completion, having been declared by his people as being mentally incompetent and been removed, with his son becoming successor but never, however, considered truly sovereign. By 1907 the Wasangu numbers were thought to be about 30,000.