1902 Encyclopedia > Africa > African Tribes of Central Africa. Negroid Tribes.

Africa
(Part 25)



(G) AFRICA - ETHNOLOGY (cont.)


(l) African Tribes of Central Africa. Negroid Tribes.

In the central regions of the continent the Negroid tribes, which are classed under the general name of Wanyanwezi, occupying the plateau south of the Victoria and east of the Tanganyika Lakes, have been made known by Burton and subsequent travellers; round the west and north of the Victoria are several distinct kingdoms, the chief being those of Karague and Uganda, traversed by Speke and Grant; in the region west of the Upper Nile the countries of the Jur, Dor, and Bongo tribes have been explored by Dr Schweinfurth, and he has passed beyond the watershed of the Nile into a new basin, where he found the Niamnian and Monbuttu tribes. Dr Livingstone, in his latest journey, has entered the country of the Mabyuema tribes, west of Tanganyika, in the heart of the continent; these he describeds as a fine, tall, handsome race, superior alike to the slaves seen at Zanzibar and the typical Negro of the west coast; exceedingly numerous, and living in a primitive condition, utterly ignorant of the outer world. The Balunda race of Negroes occupy a great area of South Central Africa, and have two ancient and powerful kingdoms of Muropua and Lunda, the former ruled over by the hereditary "Muta" or chief Hianvo, who has his capital near the Cassabi tributary of the Congo, and the latter by the Hianvo's vassal, the Cazembe, whose palace is near the Luapula river, south-west of Lake Tanganyika. Kibakoe or Quiboque and Lobal, south-west of the kingdom of Hianvo, are the chief states on the borders of Angolo and Benguela; towards the Nyassa lake, south-east from the Cazembe's dominions, the Maravi tribe is perhaps the most powerful, and beyond the Nyassa that of the Wahiao is chief. The Makololo tribe, occupying the central portion of the Zambeze basin, is of southern origin, and forms an intermediate stage between the Negro and Kaffre.






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