Misplaced Pages

#47952

51-574: Engaruka is an abandoned system of ruins located in northwest Monduli District in central Arusha Region . The site is in geographical range of the Great Rift Valley of northern Tanzania . Situated in the Monduli District , it is famed for its irrigation and cultivation structures. It is considered one of the most important Iron Age archaeological sites in Tanzania. The site is located in

102-472: A bird and flew away. This upset Ghambageu so much that he decided to leave Samunge and move to Kisangiro. When Ghambageu died, he insisted on being laid out on a flat stone to dry in the sun rather than buried. The Kisangiro people, on the other hand, buried him. When the Samunge villagers learnt of Ghambageu's death, they hurried to Kisangiro and demanded that the burial be opened. Except for Ghambageu's footwear,

153-461: A great sense of belonging together. A major feature of this connection and their identity as "the Sonjo" is in their religious tradition. The group of traditional leaders (singular mwenamijie, plural wenamijie) who govern the usage of irrigation water, arable land, and trees is the most visible political organization in each community. Water control is the most valuable political power one can have because

204-576: A mild and sub-humid climate. The average temperature is 20 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall is 1000 millimeters. Temperatures in the semi-arid zone range from 20°C to 30°C, with annual rainfall ranging from 400mm to 600mm. The desert zone of the Monduli Rift Valley has a warm climate. Temperatures range from 23°C to 35°C, and annual rainfall is less than 500mm. Monduli District's main economic activities are livestock husbandry, agriculture production, and wildlife conservation. More than 90% of

255-639: A population of 30,000, but this figure is now considered exaggerated. John Sutton of the British Institute in Eastern Africa later conducted excavations at Engaruka, and in 2002–2005 Ari Siiriainen led a research team from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Helsinki . In 2001–2004, studies were conducted by Daryl Stump of University College London as part of his PhD thesis work. In 2006,

306-407: A small basis, coffee and sunflowers are grown. The annual per capita income in the district was estimated to be TZS 199,630/=. (2002). The regional per capita income was predicted to be TZS. 350,952 per year (2004). The national per capita income in 2004 was predicted to be Tshs. 320,044 and TZS 399,594 in 2006. In 2008, the district per capita income was estimated to be TZS 500,010. Monduli

357-412: A variety of changes over time. In recent decades, there has been a significant exodus from the main Sonjo villages to what appear to be permanent communities some distance distant. There has been changes in Sonjo livestock management, and hence ties between the Sonjo and nearby Maasai pastoralists, have also occurred in the recent three decades. The Sonjo had many goats but no cattle until the 1960s, with

408-619: A warm climate at low elevations and a chilly climate at high elevations. Temperatures range from 20°C to 35°C, while rainfall ranges from less than 500mm in the lowlands to 900mm in the highlands. The district is divided into three climate zones: the Highlands, the Flat and Rolling Plains, and the Rift Valley. Because of the mountains, which absorb more rain at higher altitudes, the Monduli highlands zone has

459-688: Is an educational center for surrounding regions. Irkisongo, Moringe Sokoine, Engutoto and Orkeeswa. Secondary Schools are located there, as is the Monduli Teachers' College and the MaaSae Girls' Lutheran Secondary School . Land has been set aside for a proposed branch of the Lutheran founded Tumaini University at Makumira near Arusha . Also in the district is the Tanzania People's Defence Force Tanzania Military Academy .There are also primary schools in

510-467: Is around 35 kilometers from Monduli Town, while Kilimanjaro International Airport is about 90 kilometers away. Makuyuni Airstrip, located inside the District, permits light aircraft. The district is serviced by telephone lines and radio calls, and it has subpost offices and telephone offices at Monduli Headquarters, Mto wa Mbu, and Makuyuni. The district is also served by cellular phones that cover practically

561-466: Is harvested in theory in February. Ratooning can yield a second sorghum harvest two months later. In actuality, however, some hura land is cultivated more or less consistently. The old grains sorghum was produced more extensively than finger millet (which is less susceptible of water-logging), serving as the principal staple, as it still does in many Sonjo homes today, despite the introduction of maize and

SECTION 10

#1732852594048

612-512: Is known to be home to the national historic site of Engaruka and also being the gateway to national parks like Tarangire and Serengeti . The district has a total road network of 617kms. Tarmac road been 8.1 km, 138 km gravel and 470.9 km is earth surfaced road. Trunk roads (96 km) and Regional roads (156 km). District roads, feeder roads and village access roads are mostly earth surfaced - they are passable with difficult during rainy seasons. Arusha Airport (Kisongo)

663-551: Is no single version of his life, but there are multiple, depending on the narrator and the moment of telling. Simeon Ndula narrated Ghambageu's life before 1955, which is the oldest reported full version. Ndula was the main messenger for the British authority in Loliondo and was most likely the first Sonjo to be baptized. The following is a description of the Ndula version: Ghambageu appeared in

714-522: Is the name given to the people by the Maasai . Group members prefer to call themselves the Batemi people. The Sonjo people speak Sonjo , a Bantu language. They refer to it as Kitemi or Gitemi . The language, whose closest living cousins are those found around Mount Kenya ( Meru , Kikuyu etc.). They dwell in six communities in northern Tanzania, on the hills between the upper and lower western escarpments of

765-710: The Barbaig sub-group of the Datoga , herders who are known to have occupied the Crater Highlands above Engaruka prior to the arrival of the Maasai . This population movement is reportedly consistent with the date of the Engaruka site's desertion, which is estimated at somewhere between 1700 and 1750. It also roughly coincides with the start of the diminishment of the Engaruka River's flow as well as those of other streams descending from

816-454: The Engaruka complex, situated some 60 miles to the southeast. The Sonjo also maintain terraced village sites, albeit of considerably more rudimentary form than what is found at Engaruka. Gravity irrigation is used at Sonjo, with simple unlined canals. There are two main sources of irrigation water used. The first is made up of springs that are utilised either directly as they rise at the base of

867-478: The Mbulu Highlands of northern Tanzania. The modern Iraqw practice an intensive form of self-contained agriculture that bears a remarkable similarity to the ruins of stone-walled canals , dams and furrows that are found at Engaruka. Iraqw historical traditions likewise relate that their last significant migration to their present area of inhabitation occurred about two or three centuries ago after conflicts with

918-595: The Ngorongoro highlands ; water sources around which Engaruka's irrigation practices were centered. According to the Maasai, who are the present-day occupants of Engaruka, the Iraqw also already inhabited the site when their own ancestors first entered the region during the 18th century. Engaruka has also been linked to the Sonjo , a numerically small Bantu -speaking living some 60 miles to

969-550: The Rift Valley , above Lake Natron. The climate is semi-arid, with an annual rainfall of 400–600 mm. This is focused in two wet seasons, March–April and November/December. There were records of a maximum of 752 milimetres and a minimum of 508 milimetres throughout an eight-year period in the 1950s, when rainfall was above average. Sonjoland is administratively part of Arusha Region's Ngorongoro District. The District Headquarters are currently located at Loliondo , 20 kilometers to

1020-496: The fertility of the plots was increased by using the manure of stall fed cattle. For an unknown reason Engaruka was abandoned at latest in the mid-18th century. The site still poses many questions, including the identity of the founders, how they developed their farming system, and why they left. Construction of Engaruka has traditionally been credited to the ancestors of the Iraqw , a Cushitic -speaking group of cultivators residing in

1071-430: The Maasai. Especially, the age- group of the warriors tended to play a large political role in the past. Today, as ethnic tensions between the Sonjo and the Maasai have subsided, the political relevance of the warriors has waned. The most important figure in Sonjo mythology is Ghambageu , an apotheosized cultural hero. If one relies on the Sonjo age-grade lists, one can estimate that he lived around 400 years ago. There

SECTION 20

#1732852594048

1122-450: The Sonjo as "an island of agricultural Bantu in a sea of nomadic Masai". Although the Maasai currently irrigate in Pagasi (where some Sonjo also live) and Peninyi, the irrigation of the Sonjo is a notable aspect of an otherwise pastoral area. In 1963, Robert Gray published the only comprehensive study of the Sonjo as "an irrigation-based society". Sonjo have moved in and out of Peninyi during

1173-482: The Sonjo began in 1947 with the use of African resources, and an American-led Roman Catholic mission arrived in 1952. The wenamijie viewed Christian mission as a threat to the Sonjo culture and society's unity and continuance. For six decades, Christian missions have labored among the Sonjo in northern Tanzania. Despite this, there are extremely few Christian converts. However, Christian doctrines have been completely integrated into Sonjo traditional religion. Ghambageu,

1224-452: The University of Helsinki resumed Siiriainen's work, concentrating on the connections between Engaruka and the Sonjo area. Engaruka is also the name of a modern village not far from the archaeological site. The Maasai conduct tourist tours of the site. Monduli District The oldest site in Monduli district is the Engaruka historical site located in northwest of the district and

1275-580: The apotheosized Sonjo cultural hero , has grown in importance in Sonjo religion to the point where it appears to be on the verge of a unique monotheistic. Ghambegeu's personality has become more like that of Jesus. Eventually, these two holy figures will be merged together. Sonjo traditional leaders have taken an active role in this process. Their actions can be considered sensible in terms of sustaining Sonjo social and cultural stability. The Sonjo are known for their use of irrigation systems in agriculture. They have consequently been linked by some historians with

1326-458: The area in 1987 after deadly clashes with Maasai over pasture. Old Sonjo communities were compact and fortified , standing on strong defensive locations on hillsides above the neighboring plains, surrounded by impenetrable thorn thickets, and secured by many wooden stake entrances. Nyerere's ujamaa program (rural'socialism' and villagization) in the 1970s had a considerable impact on Sonjo settlement patterns. Ironically, given that one purpose of

1377-463: The burial was discovered to be empty. As a result, they assumed he had risen from the grave. Ghambageu is expected to return at the end of time to save all Sonjo. Ghambageu, according to the wenamijie, created their leadership. For those who seek to call the wenamijie's religious, political, and economic leadership into doubt, there are two options: either cut the link between the wenamijie and Ghambageu or discredit Ghambageu. The churches have opted for

1428-481: The district. The district's population was 158,929 in 2012 (males 75,615 and females 83,314), with an annual growth rate of 2.77. The population is predicted to be 177,346 in 2016. For parliamentary elections, Arusha Region is divided into constituencies. As of the 2010 elections Monduli District had one constituency, Monduli Constituency. As of 2012, Monduli District is administratively divided into 15 wards: Monduli town, located in Monduli district,

1479-445: The economy is reliant on irrigated agriculture. One of the community leaders stated that whomever controls the water controls the entire town. The wenamijie make choices collaboratively, and the post is hereditary in the sense that a dead mwenamijie's disciple is chosen from his tribe. Each village also has a priest, who works closely with the wenamijie and plays no significant political role. The Sonjo use an age-grade system similar to

1530-402: The entire area.Forest Reserves cover 23,022 of the district's 641,900 Hectares. The Wa maasai are the most populous ethnic group, accounting for over 40% of the total population. Their main source of income is livestock raising. The Waarusha are the second largest ethnic group, accounting for around 20% of the total population. Also the first communities were the Iraqw and Sonjo people in

1581-502: The escarpment or after they have been consolidated into little streams. The second water source is the much larger Lelessuta River and its tributaries in the main valley (the Juhe). The task of maintaining canals and dams is organized and managed by an institutionalized group of elders (wenamiji) in each community, with the labor mostly the responsibility of young men (batana). Sonjo economy and society (as well as Sonjo irrigation) have undergone

Engaruka - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-531: The higher altitude of the area, mosquitoes are not as common. Monduli has one hospital, one health centre, and 22 dispensaries. Sonjo people Arusha Region The Sonjo or Batemi ( Wasonjo , in Swahili ) are a Bantu ethnic group from northern Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania . In 2002, the Sonjo population was estimated to number around 30,000 individuals ( Ethnologue ). The term Sonjo

1683-430: The initiative was to concentrate scattered populations, such 'villagization' pushed Sonjo, in 1975, to migrate out of their tight sites into the flatter lands below. To promote this migration, the old settlements were set on fire. In the case of Digodigo Jigo, the residents relocated 500 meters east of the creek from which their irrigation water was drawn, and named the area Moholo. There were approximately 18,000 Sonjo in

1734-417: The land landscape. The heights range from 600m in the low elevations to 2900m in the high elevations. The District's vegetation includes a combination of forest, bushland , woodland grassland, and meadows. The District has both perennial and seasonal rivers. Simba, Kirurumo, Mto wa Mbu, Selela (Kabambe), and Engaruka are the primary perennial streams. Monduli is one of Tanzania's driest districts. It features

1785-444: The last few decades. Sonjo are claimed to have arrived in the 1950s by current (Maasai) locals. Glynn Isaac and Richard Leakey 's 'Sonjo Expedition' in 1963-64 (to examine Pleistocene fossiliferous strata) discovered Sonjo living and cultivating at Peninyi. In the 1970s and 1980s, a Sonjo settlement coexisted with the Maasai, and a school was established in 1978; by 1984, the Sonjo at Peninyi numbered over 1500 people). However, they left

1836-406: The latter option. However, the wenamijie have not been passive in the face of their challenge. On the outskirts of Samunge, adjacent to the road leading to the neighboring village of Digodigo, there lies a stone under a thatched roof. Passers-by left grass as a sacrifice on the stone. This stone, according to one belief, is one of the children who were turned into stones. A Lutheran mission among

1887-580: The leadership of Prime Minister Julius Nyerere . In April 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar , a former British protectorate, united to form Tanzania under President Nyerere. The District has a total area of 6,419 square kilometers, of which 6290.62 square kilometers are land and 128.38 square kilometers are water. Grazing land covers 3,983.855 square kilometers, arable land covers 1,055.475 square kilometers, and woodland covers 374.965 square kilometers. A number of isolated mountains (Monduli, Lepurko, Loosimingori, and Lengai) and broad rolling plains characterize

1938-517: The mid-1980s. In the 1960s and 1970s, the population seemed to have expanded relatively quickly. The 1928 census counted 2,300 Sonjo and the 1957 census counted 4,400, but both may have been undercounted. Incomplete data collected in 1991 indicate that population expansion has continued, with the current amount estimated to be around 25,000. Each Sonjo village is a separate entity, and there are no governmental mechanisms that connect Sonjo from different villages. Nonetheless, they had and continue to share

1989-443: The north-west across the hills from the main Sonjo villages (as the crow flies). The area was historically part of the ancestral land of the Sonjo. Sonjo left Hajaro in 1987 owing to pressure from the Maasai . The Maasai renamed it Pinyinyi. Wards in Monduli district like Orokhata were renamed Sale. The Sonjo names are only used when speaking in ki-Sonjo or referring to the former village site. Fosbrooke in 1938 defined

2040-477: The northwest. Like the Iraqw, they are known for their use of irrigation systems in agriculture. The Sonjo also maintain terraced village sites, albeit of considerably more rudimentary form than what is found at Engaruka. New studies have also revealed new information about the Middle Stone Age and Pastoral Neolithic occupational histories of the area. The first European to record the existence of these ruins

2091-540: The other hand, is more central, conceptually if not geographically, and more heavily utilised. The soil is a thicker, darker (occasionally black) alluvial loam with a high silt/clay concentration. It is low-lying, frequently occurring in river and stream floodplains. It is relatively fruitful, and tends to be farmed every year. It is always watered. It is produced communally by women during the Mbaribari ceremony in September, and

Engaruka - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-532: The people of Samunge to support him by shooting burning bird feathers towards Tinagans. That had a terrible effect, and Tinagans fled, while the people of his new village saw him as a God as a result. Ghambageu settled in Samunge as the hero and the leader, married, and got so many children that he no longer could endure with them. He transformed his children into stones, except two of his sons, of whom he later exiled one. Only his favorite son Aka remained. Aka decided to flee his father one night, so he transformed into

2193-433: The population works in livestock and agriculture. The District is expected to contain 105,547.5 hectares of potential arable land, but only 87,632.5 hectares, or 13.65%, are under cultivation. Although large-scale farming is performed in the District's southern region (Lolkisale), subsistence farming is the predominant mode of production. Maize , beans , and rice are major food and cash crops that are staple food crops. On

2244-584: The root carbohydrates cassava and sweet potato. Other bean cultivars, banana, maize, cucurbits, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, tobacco, papaya, and in a few areas mango, lime, and lemon are also produced presently, having been introduced since the 1960s. Many of these crops, however, are farmed by a small group of individuals, primarily younger farmers, those who have worked extensively outside Sonjo, and strangers such as church employees. Calabashes are another important crop that appears to be well-established, and its sale to Maasai (as receptacles, particularly for milk)

2295-580: The soil. Men irrigate, and women harvest and transport the crop. Irrigated land is classified into two types. Magare is a light sandy terrain that is well-drained and often sloping, and it is planted primarily in March, as the rains begin, and harvested in June, when they cease. During this time, most magare receives supplemental irrigation as needed. Gray believes that magare land is cultivated on alternating years, and our observations likely to back this up. ″Hura" land, on

2346-405: The town of Monduli such as Mazoezi, Mlimani, Sinoni and Ngarash primary schools. Nearly every village has a primary school and nearly each ward has a secondary school for ordinary level except for the newly established in 2015. Disease in this area is a problem. People suffer from various diseases, such as malaria . The majority of diseases are mosquito-borne and difficult to avoid. However, due to

2397-465: The typical rationale being that having cattle would provide Maasai with an excuse to raid Sonjo territory and seize the stock. But, since then, the Sonjo have started rearing cattle in large numbers without suffering too much from Maasai attacks (save in the outlying districts of Peninyi and Masusu during the late-1980s assaults). When it comes to farming, there is a definite gender division of labor. Men clear and burn fields, while women cultivate and sow

2448-645: The ward of Engaruka . The site is registered as one of the National Historic Sites of Tanzania . Sometime in the 15th century, an Iron Age farming community built a large continuous village area on the footslopes of the Rift Valley escarpment, housing several thousand people. They developed an intricate irrigation and cultivation system, involving a stone-block canal channeling water from the Crater Highlands rift escarpment to stone-lined cultivation terraces. Measures were taken to prevent soil erosion and

2499-499: The world without a mother or father. He was a poor man from Tinaga who worked as a babysitter. He refused to help with the collective labor of repairing the irrigation channels and played tricks on the Tinaga residents. The Tinagans became enraged with him and intended to murder him. Ghambageu learned of the plot and treated a blind old lady before transporting her to the village of Samunge. Tinagans followed Ghambageu into Samunge. He persuaded

2550-432: Was Gustav Fischer , who passed them on 5 July 1883, and compared them to the tumbled-down walls of ancient castles. Scoeller and Kaiser mentioned the ruins of "Ngaruku" including great stone circles and dams in 1896–97. The first detailed and archaeological investigation was by Hans Reck , in 1913. Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey investigated the site in 1935, but were disappointed by the lack of burial sites. They estimated

2601-577: Was originally inhabited by the Iraqw peoples before they migrated south towards Karatu. The word Monduli was originated in the ward Monduli Juu . There was a wealthy Maasai ancestor with the name of Monduli, who lived in the area during the times of German colonization. The Germans colonized the area (later Tanganyika , Rwanda and Burundi ) in the 1880s. They brought forced labour and land alienation but also Christianity and European education, teaching science, math, engineering, and even German. Tanganyika gained its independence on December 9, 1961, under

SECTION 50

#1732852594048
#47952