African History
Organized Week 9 Presentation Notes
Lumumba Shabaka
Perception of origin
Swahili emphasized distinctivesness
Swahili means “coasters” in Arabic
Claiming Persian & Arab descent
Uungwana (civilized) ways
Swahili architecture emerged suddenly along with Muslim religion in 11 & 12 cent, supposedly no local archetypes
Ustaaarabu (Arabness): used Arab script, Arab names, etc.
1980s: Neville Chittick & Mark Horton challenge this sudden rise;
World System Linkage
Egyptian, Arab, Chinese & Portuguese documents
Periplus Maris Erythraei: Egyptian Greek merchant (40AD-55) related to coastal trading sites
Ptolemy’s ( 87-150 AD) Geography: described metropolis & cave dwellers near a large river
Prof. Felix Chami’s discovery of cave dwellers with pottery & human bones in Juani Island near Rufiji River corroborates Ptolemy
Dr. Chami’s findings were dated to 600 BC. “They included Greco-Roman pottery, Syrian glass vessels, Sassanian pottery from Persia & glass beads.” (BBC, Wed 17 April, 2002)
Kmt dominated the Red Sea trade from 2500 BC to 200 BC
Aksum linking East Africa with Greco-Roman from 2 Cent BC to 200 AD
Persia (570-616 AD conquered Egypt & Yemen)
Bantu
From 9th century: expansion of local communities of farmers, fishers and traders
Kiswahili is a Bantu language
Closely Related to Sabaki languages on Kenyan coast
Early Origin from Northeast Coast languages of Tanzania
Borrowed from Arabic words mostly in: jurisprudence, trade, religion, non-indigenous flora & maritime affair
This influence was recent in 17th-19 centuries
Over 1000 years few influence of Arabic in Kiswahili morphology & phonology
Was not a pidgin or creole as argued by Alamin Mazrui and Ibrahim Noor Sheriff
Established in 9th cent area of Lamu Archipelago
Shiraz origin tradition cannot be proven with archaeology & linguistic influence
Shiraz (Persia) declined in importance much earlier before Shirazi migration
Shirazi tradition
Lumumba Shabaka
Perception of origin
Swahili emphasized distinctivesness
Swahili means “coasters” in Arabic
Claiming Persian & Arab descent
Uungwana (civilized) ways
Swahili architecture emerged suddenly along with Muslim religion in 11 & 12 cent, supposedly no local archetypes
Ustaaarabu (Arabness): used Arab script, Arab names, etc.
1980s: Neville Chittick & Mark Horton challenge this sudden rise;
World System Linkage
Egyptian, Arab, Chinese & Portuguese documents
Periplus Maris Erythraei: Egyptian Greek merchant (40AD-55) related to coastal trading sites
Ptolemy’s ( 87-150 AD) Geography: described metropolis & cave dwellers near a large river
Prof. Felix Chami’s discovery of cave dwellers with pottery & human bones in Juani Island near Rufiji River corroborates Ptolemy
Dr. Chami’s findings were dated to 600 BC. “They included Greco-Roman pottery, Syrian glass vessels, Sassanian pottery from Persia & glass beads.” (BBC, Wed 17 April, 2002)
Kmt dominated the Red Sea trade from 2500 BC to 200 BC
Aksum linking East Africa with Greco-Roman from 2 Cent BC to 200 AD
Persia (570-616 AD conquered Egypt & Yemen)
Bantu
From 9th century: expansion of local communities of farmers, fishers and traders
Kiswahili is a Bantu language
Closely Related to Sabaki languages on Kenyan coast
Early Origin from Northeast Coast languages of Tanzania
Borrowed from Arabic words mostly in: jurisprudence, trade, religion, non-indigenous flora & maritime affair
This influence was recent in 17th-19 centuries
Over 1000 years few influence of Arabic in Kiswahili morphology & phonology
Was not a pidgin or creole as argued by Alamin Mazrui and Ibrahim Noor Sheriff
Established in 9th cent area of Lamu Archipelago
Shiraz origin tradition cannot be proven with archaeology & linguistic influence
Shiraz (Persia) declined in importance much earlier before Shirazi migration
Shirazi tradition