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The Victoria Nyanza as a Trade route in the Nineteenth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2009

Gerald W. Hartwig
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Extract

Trading in ivory occurred early in the nineteenth century in the south-eastern region of the Victoria Nyanza. An examination of Kerebe oral tradition partially reveals the extent of African initiative in the early period of the trade. With the arrival of coastal traders, African initiative was diminished, except for outstanding leaders like Mirambo of Unyamwezi and Mutesa of Buganda. Their activities restricted the traders. Mirambo's control over the Unyanyembe–Karagwe route forced both Mutesa and the merchants to make full use of the lake for transporting goods from about 1878 to 1889. Before this time, the lake was only occasionally used for transporting ivory. Canoes provided the chief mode of transport during this period, though these were supplemented by two dhows. The lack of dhows does not reflect the lack of trade on the lake, but rather the extent of reliance upon Ganda assistance in carrying on the trade. With the Ganda in large numbers in the southern lake region for commercial reasons, the people there fell within Buganda's sphere of intervention. The Sukuma chiefdoms did not rely on Ganda military power to settle local quarrels, and thereby avoided the destruction that occurred in Buzinza. Internal factors in Buganda, however, weakened their control of the southern lake region even before the arrival of the Germans.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of African History , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , October 1970 , pp. 535 - 552
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1970

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References

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2 Collection of oral traditions among the Kerebe was made possible by a fellowship granted to the author by the Foreign Area Fellowship Program. The statements and conclusions contained in this paper are the sole responsibility of the author. The nomenclature used for the Kerebe (Abakerebe) is based upon Kikerebe. See Malcolm, Guthrie, The Classification of the Bantu Languages (London, 1948), 42–3. Ukerewe and Wakerewe are the standard Swahili forms.Google Scholar

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