Political history of Pare. (HI 368)

 A political history of pare of Tanzania c1500-1900 was written by professor Isaria .N. Kimambo who was a senior professor in history department at the University of Dar es Salaam. The book was published in 1969 by East African Publishing House.

The book was well organized in a series of eleven chapters which are highly coordinated to each other. These chapters are as follows:

(i) Chapter One: Political Evolution.

(ii) Chapter Two: Pare Environment

(iii) Chapter Three: Peopling of Pare Mountains.

(iv) Chapter Four: Founding of Ugwenostates

(iv) Chapter Five: Founding of the Southern states.

(v) Chapter Six: Segmentation and Expansion in the South.

(vi) Chapter Seven: political Bridge between North and South.

(vii) Chapter Eight: Fall of Ugweno state.

(ix)Chapter Nine: Fragmentation of the South.

(x)Chapter Ten: The Sambaa invasion of the Pare Mountains.

(xi)Chapter Eleven: The German invasions.

At the end of the book there is a conclusion, bibliography and index.

The main theme of this discussion is to cover the following main topics; namely:

1. The main point or argument of the book and a summary of key issues or themes covered in the book.

2. Description of the research process/methodology the author has used. (How the Researcher conducted a research or what kind kind of methodology did he use.

By starting with the topic one of the discussion.

The main argument of the book is the political development of the Pare communities. The aims of Professor Kimambo’s book was to respond on European view that Africa had no development as it has been declared by scholars like Charles Seligman and Richard Oliver who were the pioneers of the “diffusion theory”

In their theory, Charles Seligman and Richard Oliver, they explained that every kind of development and civilization in Africa was the result of Hamites who migrated from outside

Africa. Also by making connections to the so called political development in Africa, the diffusionist scholars had the idea of Generalization as explained in the chapter one, pg1..That:

“…..All kingdoms were essentially similar and that they could be referred to under the common label of Sudanic state-this Sudanic state was linked together by similar institutions connected with Devine kingship which developed first in Egypt and then diffused to the rest of Africa”

Also the diffusionist scholars, had the idea of “Nile Civilization” basing on such idea, the diffusionist scholars seen the civilization of Africa as the civilization of the Hamites.

It was because of the above argument forwarded by the diffusionist scholars, that force or motivate professor Kimambo to study the individual African political group (the history of Pare) to test the validity of generalization made by the diffusionist scholars.

By defending the main argument professor Kimambo provide four main stages towards the existence of states (the stage for evolution on the Pare communities) such as:

(i) Each clan established itself in its territory and accepted one ritual Leaders whose position would be succeeded by his descendants (pg4).

(ii) This stage reached when a ritual leader of one clan was accepted as a leader of several other clans (pg5).

(iii) In this stage the political evolution depended on the skill in which ritual and political powers were combined to keep a state united (pg7).

(iv) The stage of expansion beyond the original nuclear state (pg9).

The above process of political evolution of Pare community was much influenced by number of factors and developmental process, as follows:

Conquest, the conquest was employed in the formation and strengthening of the Pare communities. For example the northern Pare there were a formation of state of Ugweno as the result of the conquest of Wasuya and Washana (chapter 8).

The presence of iron and salt deposits in the area stimulated the state formation as well as expanding states through the conquest of the neighbor communities. The iron skills owned by the Pare attributed to the manufacturing of the agricultural tools, military as well as exchange with their fellow neighbours. The famous iron smith were the Washana and Wafinangawhose later influences the political evolution of Pare.

Also because of the varying nature of the environment as well as unevenly distribution of the natural resources Pare communities have never left behind on the system of exchange as trade concerned. This trade was based on the batter system through the exchange of commodities like

animal products, foodstuffs, iron and salt. The trading system involved the Pare themselves and the Pare with their neighbor communities like Sambaa, Chagga, Maasai and the Zigua.

In regard to the chapter eleven (German invasion) as well as the external attack of the nearby societies especially Sambaa, all these weakened the Pare into disintegration of the traditional chiefdom (pg193). Because of such circumstances provide the evidence that the communities in Africa as Pare concerned had the relation with other people in which skills were acquired to strengthen the state, at the same time it was because of this relation the state weakened or fall down.

THE RESEARCH PROCESSES ANDMETHODOLOGY USED BY THE AUTHOR.

In the process of reconstructing the Pare history, professor Kimambo used oral sources and written sources to gather and collect information such as; Eyewitness, Oral tradition like narratives, formulae, epic poems and genealogies. This discussion intends to look on the methodology used to collect oral information and these techniques are analyzed as follows:

ANTHROPOLOGICAL METHOD

This method involve the way that Researcher go to the field, stay there for a long period of time trying to learn the culture of the particular societies. For instance professor Kimambo visited and stayed in a Pare region for a long period of time since July 1965 to June 1966. He used to know the culture of Pare region (language) in which he became familiar with his informants and be able to collect information from different age group of people.

The main gain of this method to the Researcher or historians is that; Researcher will be considered by the societies as the true member, also it allows the historian to know the socio-economic and political aspects of the society, and hence it become easy for him to identify the potential informants.

INTERVIEW METHOD

This method involves the interaction between the interviewer and interviewee as historians and informants respectively. In the process of collecting oral information professor Kimambo used both single and several informant interviews. For example he interviewed an oldest Mmbugu aged 80 years old who was able to remember when the Wambugu were not growing some crops as well as herding. (pg63).

By referring to the several interview professor Kimambo arranged what is so called Seminar ofclan’shistorians. Through which additional evidence for each gaps were provided, also the interpretation of the oral information were made by relating clan, lineage and district history with one another to get the real history of the pare

FIELD OBSERVATION METHOD

Observation can be defined as the systematic descriptions of events, behaviors and artifacts in social setting chosen for study. The observations enable the Researcher or historians to describe existing situation using five senses, by such meaning observation can involve the way Researcher or Historians participate or observe the event.

For instance professor Kimambo prefers this method to collect real evidence of the Pare community as individual society to challenge the diffusionist historians. By doing so, professor Kimambo visited the Pare archaeological sites and viewed various Pare artifacts practiced within the region. Also visited the early Washana residence at Ngalanga with archaeologist R.C.Soper who showed clear site of hut which were now under the dense forest…….. (pg49)

Also the professor Kimambo did not stay away from the certain events that happened in the Pare region, therefore he actively participated in some events like initiation ceremonies which were conducted in Upare communities.

PICTORIOGRAPHY AND MAPS METHOD

Pictoriography comes from the word Pictogramwhich means the picture to represent the word or phrase and this pictoriography enabled professor Kimambo to understand the truth of the Pare communities. Also Map can be simply defined as the scaled representation of the earth surface that can provide the real pictures of the boundary of the area.

Professor Kimambo by knowing the importance of these methods to get the real picture of the Pare communities as analyzed below:

(i) A cross section of the Mruma bolt-hole drawn by Mr; Fosbrooke in 1951.(pg127).

(ii) A view of the barren nature of the slopes of Pare hills (pg126).

(iii) A view of pare mountains from the Pare districts Council building in same (pg126).

(iv) Also in pg42 he provides the map showing the Bantu movement in East Africa.

TO SUM UP

By referring to the Generalization made by diffusionist scholars on the idea that Africans had no development by putting the aspects of Sudanic states as well as Nile Civilization. ProffesorKimambo provide clear and concise evidences to challenge the diffusionist historians by looking detailed studies of the individual political as Pare society concerned in which show the internal circumstances that helped society to transform from one stage of development to another.