EFFECTS OF NGONI INVASIONS IN E. AFRICA

EFFECTS OF NGONI INVASIONS IN E. AFRICA

Positive effects

• The Ngoni invasion led to the rise of outstanding leaders to prominence. These included Mirambo, Nyungu ya Mawe and Mkwawa, who used the Ngoni military tactics to build their states.
• Many small Ntemi chiefdoms came together (united) and formed larger political units under strong leaders to fight the Ngoni e.g. Sangu and Hehe. (re-organization)
• There was formation of new societies (tribes) like the Mbunga.
• The Hehe under Mkwawa were able to resist the Germans.
• There was spread of Ngoni customs and culture. e.g Initiation ceremonies where girls were taught sex education and circumcision.
• It led to formation of a larger Ngoni society in E.Africa as they absorbed many people.
• It led to formation of some societies by those who used Ngoni tactics e.g. Nyamwezi under Mirambo.
• It led to introduction of new weapons e.g. Assegai, cowhides and shields.
• From the Ngoni invasion, people learnt how to get organized from smaller disorganized societies, to well organized bigger political systems. These were to be under the control and leadership of organized, strong and efficient rulers such as the Sangu chief, the Hehe, e.t.c.
• There were intermarriages between the Ngoni and Nyamwezi,which subsequently led to improved relationships between the invaders and indigenous peoples, and an increase in population.

Negative effects

• They caused wide spread loss of lives leading to depopulation in some areas where they got warriors this was especially in southern Tanzania. This was due to the killing of people in the expansionist wars, e.g., the Mariti remnants of Rugarugas killed so many people.
• They introduced military organization and tactics to such an extent that the Ngoni lost their superiority e.g. Holoholo were able to defeat the Tuta Ngoni when they re- attacked them.
• Their movement led to widespread devastation, depopulation and displacement of people.
• They destroyed the economy of the people of southern Tanzania when they grabbed their cattle. (The Ngoni were cattle plunderers). The Ngoni invasion led to poverty, i.e., it led to the creation of a class of poor people as their property continued to be destroyed and persistently looted during the wars.
• The Ngoni led to formation of refugees who lived by plundering and killing i.e. the Mariti and Rugaruga who were later used by ambitious men like Mirambo, Nyunguyamawe to make their empires.
• The Tuta Ngoni, on their movement northwards, disrupted the trade particularly between Tabora and Ujiji.
• There was loss of peoples’ language, culture and customs (Detribalisation of people). i.e., The raids caused many people to become homeless and tribe less. This led to people losing their identity. In addition, such groups became terrorists who lived by war, plunder, and hunting for ivory. They included the “ Ruga-ruga” who began hiring their services as mercenaries to any chief willing to pay them.
• Ngoni disturbance disrupted normal cultivation leading to famine. There was widespread famine due to the scotched-earth policy of fighting. This included destroying crops and houses by burning. Under such circumstances, crops could neither be planted nor harvested, and people were forced to abandon farming.
• They led to insecurity since the new weapons and military tactics increased warfare and aggression in East Africa.
• The Ngoni intensified slave trade in East Africa, this was because they displaced people from their homes and so making it easy for slave raiders to get them and sell them.
• It led to increased war-fare among the African societies, including those areas that had been peaceful before.

Conclusion:

At the end of the 19th century, Germany colonised Tanganyika. The Ngoni were one of the groups that fought hard against the Germans. But in 1907 all the Ngoni chiefs were hanged for fighting. Today the Ngoni have married into the tribes they conquered. It is now difficult to know who is Ngoni and who is not. But their traditions and way of life continue.

Sample Questions

1.a) Who are the Ngoni?

   b) Why did they leave their cradle land?

2 a) Describe the Ngoni movement and settlement in East Africa

b) Why were the Ngoni able to defeat the inhabitants of East Africa 

3. What were the effects of the Ngoni settlement on the people of East Africa

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MAP SHOWING NGONI MOVEMENTS

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WHY WERE THE NGONI SUCCESSFUL IN DEFEATING THE PEOPLE OF EAST AFRICA. ???????

WHY WERE THE NGONI SUCCESSFUL IN DEFEATING THE PEOPLE OF EAST AFRICA. ???????

BECAUSE.............

• The Ngoni came in big numbers and were strong. On their way they absorbed or fought off the people they encountered, capturing young men for warriors and young women for wives.
  
  
  
• They had good military organization with age-regiments called “impis”. (strong army)
  
  
  
• The Ngoni had a large, well-trained and disciplined army. They were grouped in age-regiments which were maintained for long periods. The Ngoni did not cultivate but rather lived by plundering from others. This enabled them to have a standing army always ready for battle.
  They had superior weapons such as the short stabbing spear (Assegai) and big cowhide shields, which only left a soldier’s face exposed to the enemy, protected the warriors. Instead of the long-throwing spears which had to be thrown one by one, the Ngoni adopted short-stabbing spears and clubs known as Assegai, copied from Shaka the Zulu. 
  
  
                             
  On the other hand their enemies used long –throwing spear. They used these for close hand to hand combat, and the warriors could be protected by large cow-hide shields which left only a warrior’s face exposed to the enemy.
• They had superior military tactics such as the cow horn method (semi-circle), which was unfamiliar in E. Africa. They fought in organized age-regiments and could attack their enemies using the cow-horn formation. They also chose clear open spaces for fighting and liked attacking their enemies by night.
  
  
  
• They met small and fragmented societies, which were unable to challenge their military organization. Slave trade had undermined most of the communities of Southern Tanzania.
  
  
  
• The Ngoni were successful due to their determination. They were determined to conquer and obtain places for settlement. This was due to the fact that they were already being chased away from their homeland, and their only alternative was to get determined and fight any people they came across.
• The East African people were caught unaware and therefore did not offer much résistance. The Ngoni were successful because the local people whom they were fighting with were so weak and lived in small groups, which could not resist/challenge the sudden and unexpected Ngoni invasions.
  
  
  
  
• Disunity among the East African people living in isolated societies, made it easy for the Ngoni to defeat them. The inhabitants were living in isolated societies which made it easy for the Ngoni to defeat them.
  
  
  
• The Ngoni were fully united under their commanders. They were 
  
  successful because of their unity and solidarity. They mixed freely with the non-Ngoni speaking people.
  
  
  
• They had strong military leaders e.g. Zwangendaba, Induna and Maputo who were able to unite and command the Ngoni.
  
  
  
• Applied the scorched earth policy hence taking people unaware. They burnt and destroyed crops.
  
  
  
• They used assimilation policy, i.e. they absorbed the people they defeated. They would force the captured men from other tribes to join them and become Ngoni warriors.
  
  
  
  
• They also made themselves fearful to their enemies by wearing the skeletons of their victims.

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HE NGONI MIGRATIONS AND SETTLEMENT IN EAST AFRICA

Who were the Ngoni?

The Ngoni were Bantu-Nguni speaking people of Northern Zululand in South East Africa. They were originally Ndwandwe people under Zwides leadership. But when Shaka defeated Zwide, one part of his group, the Ngoni moved to East Africa under Zwangendaba.

In origin, the Ngoni, were close relatives of the Zulu. They were full- time warriors and cattle plunderers hence disliked by other tribes, so they forced them away. They were pushed further north and eventually reached southern Tanzania.

They were forced out of South Africa by the“Mfecane” wars led by Shaka the Zulu. They came to be known as the Ngoni having absorbed the Thonga, Shona and Cewa on their way to East Africa.

The Ngoni migration began among the Bantu peoples of South Africa, who entered into E. Africa in the 1840’s. They were the last Bantu migrants to come to East Africa. They migrated into two largest groups of the Maseko and Tuta Ngoni.

The Ngoni broke the Monomotapa Kingdom, settling respectively on the eastern side of Lake Nyasa  (Malawi) at Songea, and on Ufipa plateau.

They moved to Tanzania from Natal and Swaziland between 1820 and 1840 due to the Mfecane (time of trouble).  They are direct descendants of the Zulu.  They are currently settled in South West Tanzania around Songea town.   

The Ngoni invasion illustrates the influence of external forces on the lives of the indigenous people.   The Ngoni brought innovation and changes such as military techniques, skill and weapons.  A study of the Ngoni would enable students appreciate the current settlement patterns and way of the life of the people of Southern Tanzania.

Objectives

The end of the topic students should be able to:

1. Describe who the Ngoni were and identify the area where they came from
2. Explain the reasons why they migrated
3. Describe the course of their movement and settlement
4. State why they were able to defeat the inhabitant of Southern Tanzania
5. Explain the effects of their migration on the people of East Africa.

Reasons for the Ngoni migration

1. It was due to fear of being absorbed into the empire of tyrant Shaka.
   The Ngoni migrated due to the tyrannical and dictatorial rule of Shaka, the Zulu ruler who was everything in his kingdom. His cruelty was shown when he lost his mother, and put people under severe signs of mourning. Those who refused to cry for his mother’s death were killed,so they decided to seek refuge by migrating to other areas.

2. They moved because of external pressure from the British and the Boers in the South who were moving northwards occupying their land.

3. It was due to over population, which was caused by the fertility of soils and reliability of rainfall between Drakensberg Mountains and the Indian Ocean.

4. Due to overpopulation there was land shortage hence land disputes, which led to forcing them to migrate to other areas.

5. Some owned large herds of cattle hence moved northwards looking for pasture and water for their animals. So, they wanted to look for more fertile land for grazing their cattle.

6. It was also due to epidemic diseases such as smallpox and sleeping sickness that affected them.

7. They could have moved because of famine and drought that led to lack of food and water.

8. It was because of influence of men like Zwangendaba, Maputo and Zulugama who provided good leadership. This encouraged them to move on wards.

9. They migrated because of the spirit for Adventure.(Need to see what was beyond them).

10. The leaders wanted to take over power in the areas they defeated, which was not acceptable to Shaka forcing some groups to migrate to other areas.

11. They were fed up with the old traditional political system, which encouraged dictatorship and therefore wanted change, which could be achieved through migration.

12. It could also have been due to overstocking of their animals. They migrated due to their spirit of cattle rustling, i.e they had great desire to steal other people’s cattle. For example, they went on driving away and confiscating other people’s cattle during their conquest and expansionist wars.

13. They migrated due to the increased knowledge of military tactics by the age regiments. These were powerful military forces and dedicated to professional war, which was their livelihood.  They believed that they could other territories through migration.

 

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