Masudi’s Account - who travelled to East Africa in about 916 AD
Courtesy of Bryan Orford.

Masudi’s Account - who travelled to East Africa in about 916 AD

Masudi’s Account

Al-Masudi was an early Arab traveller born in Baghdad and he died in Cairo. He travelled to East Africa in about 916 AD and probably wrote an account of this about 943 AD. Masudi records, “the sailors of Oman of the tribe of Al-azd travel on the sea of Zang (Zanj/Zendj) as far as the island of Kanbalu (Cambalou possibly Madagascar or Kilwa) and the Sufalah (Sofala a region/or low country), of Demdema, of the Wak Wak, which is at the extremity of the land of Zendj which produces gold in abundance and other marvels. Its climate is warm and its soil fertile.... The merchants of Syraf are in the habit of navigating this sea. The inhabitants of the people of Zendj extend to Sofala, which is the termination of the voyages of Oman and Syraf... The land of Zanj produces wild leopard skins. The people wear them as clothes, or export them to Muslim countries. They are the largest leopard skins and the most beautiful for making saddles....

It is there that the Zanj built their capital: then they elected their king whom they called Waklimi. This name ... has always been that of their sovereigns. The Waklimi (Eklimn, Mfalimi, Mfaleme, Mfalme) has under him all the other Zanj kings, and marches at the head of 300 thousand cavaliers; they are all mounted on cows; they have neither horses or mules or camels, and they do not know these animals. Snow and hail are unknown to them as to all the Abyssinians. Some of their tribes have sharpened teeth and are cannibals. The territory of the Zanj begins at the canal which flows from the Upper Nile and goes down as far as the country of Sofala and the Waqwaq. Their settlements extend over an area of about 700 parasangs in length and in breadth. This country is divided by valleys, mountains and stony deserts; it abounds in wild elephants but there is not so much as a single tame elephant.... Although constantly employed in hunting elephants and gathering ivory, the Zanj make no use of ivory for their own domestic purposes. They use iron instead of gold and silver.... To come back to the Zanj and their kings, the name of the kings of the country is Waklimi which means supreme lord. They give this title to their sovereign because he has been chosen to govern them with equity. But once he becomes tyrannical and departs from the rules of justice, they cause him to die and exclude his posterity from succession to the throne, for they claim that in thus conducting himself he ceases to be the son of the Master, that is to say of the king of heaven and earth. They call God by the name of Maklandjalu, which means Supreme Master....

The Zanj speak elegantly, and they have orators in their own language. Often a devout man of the country, passing in the midst of a numerous crowd, addresses to his listeners an exhortation in which he invites them to serve God and submit to His orders. He points out the punishments which disobedience must entail, and recalls the example of their ancestors and their ancient kings. These peoples have no code of religion; their kings follow custom, and conform in their government to a few political rules. The Zanj (Zenj) eat bananas, which are as abundant with them as in India, but the basis of their food is dorrah, a plant called kalari which they take from the ground like a truffle, and the elecampane root.... They also have honey and meat. Each worships what he pleases, a plant, an animal, a mineral. They possess a great number of islands where the coconut grows, a fruit that is eaten by all the peoples of the Zanj.

One of these islands placed one or two days journey from the coast has a Muslim population who provide the royal family; it is the island of Kanbalu.... Tusks from the country of Zanj go generally to Oman, and from there are sent on to China and India. That is the route they follow and were it otherwise, ivory would be very abundant in Muslim countries. In China the kings and their military and civilian officers use carrying-chairs of ivory; no official or person of rank would dare to visit the king in an iron chair, and ivory alone is used for this purpose.... Ivory is much prized in India; there it is made into handles for the daggers known as harari ... as well as for the hilts of curved swords.... But the biggest use of ivory is in the manufacture of chessmen and other gaming pieces....” (43) (316) (485)

Explained

Masudi talks about the land of Sofala and the Waqwaq and the east coast people called the Zanj. He names these Zanj (or unbelievers) as being an Ethiopian people. He says these Zanj Ethiopians are the only people who appear to have moved down onto the east coast, and was referring to those who had migrated in mass from the North (he did not refer to the Waqwaq in this statement). Masudi describes the Zenj in his Golden Meadows as having crisp hair, thin eyebrows, dilated nostrils, thick lips, pointed teeth, talks of the odour of their skin and black colour. This is often taken as a reference to Bantu being present in Mozambique; however all the East African peoples were called Zenj and this included non Bantu people.

The two main groups described are Abyssinian who are most likely Semitic and the other group the WakWak. Wakwak is another name for Indonesian (Gova) and some of the Indonesians and Bushmen fit the description above as having dark skin, wider nostrils and thick lips. The use of oxen in warfare was a Hottentot/Gova characteristic as was the sharpening of teeth. It is likely then that we were dealing with an Abyssinian elite with a Gova/Waqwaq majority. Among the Sena/Nyungwe people on the Zambezi, the two centre incisors in the upper jaw were often filed into the shape of an inverted V. (262) (483)

Hottentots Riding Cattle

Masudi records the people on the East African coast riding oxen in warfare. The only people historically who did this appear to be Hottentots (Gova) or related groups. In about 1509 some Portuguese landed at Saldanah Bay and precipitated a fight with some Hottentots (Gova). After trying to rob the Hottentots a fight broke out and the Hottentots used fire hardened sticks and slings with stones. The Portuguese tried to rally, but were beaten by the Hottentots with the help of their cows, which had been trained to do battle. Even with the help of firearms the Portuguese were not able to successfully take on these people. The Hottentots ordered their cattle using whistles and they formed a barrier against the Portuguese, who then tried to retreat and were slaughtered towards the sea. In this fight the Portuguese lost about 65 men.

Bushmen were recorded riding oxen in the Eastern Cape and the Korannas used to ride on oxen even into European times. The South African Hottentots would pack everything onto oxen when they moved from place to place. The women and children also rode on the oxen. They had a great skill in training oxen to obey certain calls as well as to carry burdens. Bulls were taught not only how to guard herds from robbers and beasts of prey, but to aid in war by charging the enemy. These animals were almost like dogs, but not all Hottentots could do this. The ox was controlled with a reim attached to a piece of wood going through the cartilage of the nose and saddles were made from sheepskins. (12) (15) (221) (258) (272)

Khoikhoi (Gova) Appearance

A description of the South African Khoikhoi/Hottentot/Gova was that they wore animal skins, often of wild oxen, that usually only covered their private areas and tied around the waist. In order to show wealth, and the possession of many cattle, Khoikhoi men and women would grease their clothing with animal fat. The same animal fat was often applied to their bodies, giving them a distinct odour. Other ornamentations were worn in their hair, such as coral beads, small horns and copper plates. Their hair was often shaved in some places, leaving spots. Women often wore a quiatol, or sunshade of ostrich feathers in order to keep the sun out of their faces. Beads that they made themselves were often worn around the neck, and copper bracelets were adorned by the wealthy. Dried sheep's guts were also worn as anklets.

In appearance the Khoikhoi were described as medium in stature, slender, with brownish red to yellowish complexions. Their hair was curly, short, and black and they had clear, black eyes. Many had broad foreheads, flat noses, thick lips, and clean white teeth. Their bodies were slender except their buttocks, which protruded disproportionately. Women often had large bosoms, especially those who had borne children.

The 10th century report of Al-Masudi makes out that there were a ruling group of Abyssinians in South East Africa, but the population was mainly Wakwak/Waqwaq which would have included these Kho/Khoe/Hottentots/Gova and the Bushmen. (195) (270)

Al Masudi

Courtesy of Bryan Orford.



what is dorrah kahari elecampani

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