The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration, Vol. 2

The Lake Regions of Central Africa: A Picture of Exploration, Vol. 2

The fourth division is a hilly table-land, extending from the western skirts of the desert Mgunda Mkhali, in E. long. 33 57, to the eastern banks of the Malagarazi River, in E. long. 31 10: it thus stretches [2] diagonally over 155 rectilinear geographical miles. Bounded on the north by Usui and the Nyanza Lake, to the south-eastwards by Ugala, southwards by Ukimbu, and south-westwards by Uwende, it has a depth of from twenty-five to thirty marches. Native caravans, if lightly laden, can accomplish it in twenty-five days, including four halts. The maximum altitude observed by B. P. therm. was 4050 feet, the minimum 2850. This region contains the two great divisions of Unyamwezi and Uvinza. The name of Unyamwezi was first heard by the Portuguese, according to Giovanni Botero, towards the end of the sixteenth century, or about 1589. Pigafetta, who, in 1591, systematised the discoveries of the earlier Portuguese, placed the empire of Monemugi or Munimigi in a vast triangular area, whose limits were Monomotapa, Congo, and Abyssinia: from his pages it appears that the people of this central kingdom were closely connected by commerce with the towns on the eastern coast of Africa. According to Dapper, the Dutch historian, (1671,) whose work has been the great mine of information to subsequent writers upon Africa south of the equator, about sixty days journey from the Atlantic is the kingdom of Monemugi, which others call Nimeamaye, a name still retained under the corrupted form Nimeaye in our atlases. M. Malte-Brun, senior, mentioning Mounemugi, adds, ou, selon une autographe plus authentique, Mou-nimougi. All the Portuguese authors call the people Monemugi or Mono-emugi; Mr. Cooley prefers Monomoezi, which he derives from Munha Munge, or lord of the world, the title of a great African king in the interior, commemorated by the historian De Barros. Mr. Macqueen (Geography of Central Africa), who also gives Manmoise, declares that Mueno-muge, Mueno-muize, Monomoise, [3] and Uniamese, relate to the same place and people, comprehending a large extent of country in the interior of Africa: he explains the word erroneously to mean the great Moises or Movisas. The Rev. Mr. Erhardt asserts that for facility of pronunciation the coast merchants have turned the name Wanamesi into Waniamesi, which also leads his readers into error. The Rev. Mr. Livingstone thus endorses the mistake of Messrs. Macqueen and Erhardt: The names Monomoizes, spelt also Monemuigis and Monomuizes, and Monomotapistas, when applied to the tribes, are exactly the same as if we should call the Scotch the Lord Douglases.... Monomoizes was formed from Moiza or Muiza, the singular of the word Babisa or Aiza, the proper name of a large tribe to the north. In these sentences there is a confusion between the lands of the Wanyamwezi, lying under the parallel of the Tanganyika Lake, and the Wabisa (in the singular Mbs, the Wavisa of the Rev. Mr. Rebmann), a well-known commercial tribe dwelling about the Maravi or Nyassa Lake, S.W. of Kilwa, whose name in times of old was corrupted by the Portuguese to Movizas or Movisas. Finally M. Guillain, in a work already alluded to, states correctly the name of the people to be Oua-nyamouczi, but in designating the country pays de Nyamouezi, he shows little knowledge of the Zangian dialects. M. V. A. Malte-Brun, junior (Bulletin de Gographie, Paris, 1856, Part II. p. 295) correctly writes Wanyamwezi. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 66813
Author: Burton, Richard Francis
Release Date: Nov 24, 2021
Format: eBook
Language: English