History revisited: HOW KILIMANJARO AS IT WAS KNOWN

Clouds FM presenter Gerald Hando (left) and

Madaraka Nyerere at the rooftop of Africa

Camping near the Uhuru Peak

By Dr. Hildebrand Shayo

Dear all Tanzanians esp. ze wadauzzz wa Blogu ya Jamiizzz..

I am not going to dispute ongoing rumours that Mt Kilimanjaro was in Kenya, but my concern is HOW KILIMANJARO AS IT WAS KNOWN.

Our primary school history teacher at “Kisuluni shule ya Msingi na Ufundi” as it was known used to tell us this story: talking of Kilimanjaro …..through the 19th century the veil was gradually lifting and the life on Kilimanjaro was little by little becoming known outside the mountain.

The limits of the known world inhabited by the Chagga at first ran only from the river Lumi to the river Weri Weri (commonly known as Weru weru these days), the greater Kikafu river lying to the west. The outlaying regions on the west, between the river Kakafu and the river Sanya, and on the east, between the river Lumi and the river Tarakea, were not filled in until the chiefdoms of Rombo were forcibly brought under the control by the Germany authority during the 1890’s and indeed right down to the present day less has been known about these two outlaying portions than about the central zone between them.

Our teacher, if I remember told us that the map made by Rebmann and his colleagues Erhardt was published in 1856 and was used by Von der Decken (we never saw the map). He in turn made his own more detailed map practically unaltered until a man known as Hans Meyer supplied more details in 1891.

As a matter of fact it is all known and our teacher made it clear that Mt Kilimanjaro belongs to Tanzania and not Kenya and was not the source of river Nile as it was thought. If I recall the enlighten of this history teacher, he went on telling us that in the early 19th century the mountain was already known at the cost as “Kilima Ndscharo (or Dscharo)” that is the country of Dschagga. Rebmann in 1884-9 ascribed the name of the mountain to two Swahili words meaning “Great Mountain” or “the mountain of the Caravans”, that is to say the mountain which could be seen from as long way off and served travellers as a landmark.

Our teacher told us that Rebmann and Kraft

found that neighbouring people had different name for it:
* The Kamba called it Kima ja Jeu i.e. mountain of Whiteness
*The Masai and Wakuavi called it Ol Donyo Eibor i.e. White mountain

*The Taita simply abbreviated the coastal Swahili name to Ndscharo
*The inhabitants i.e. from Kilema i.e. kirua, mwika, marangu and Machame called it Kibo

As the mountain was in Tanzania, Kenya did not have a name for it or if it was there can anyone from “wadauzzz tell us how was it known in Kenya?

But Rebmann’s Germany spelling of Kilimandscharo in 1884-9 had by 1980 been given the anglicised version “KILIMANJARO”

Our teacher history went on to tell us that the word Dschagga seem first to have been used to ascribe a place rather than a people. Why, on his first visit to the mountain Rebmann spoke of the Wateita, Wakamba, Wanika, but of the inhabitants of Dschagga. It seems as though, “Dschagg” was a name given to the whole region of the mountain in general by those living for off who had occasion to describe it and that when the European travellers arrived there, Dschagga” was used by the then Swahili guide to describe other portions in general instead of giving specific manes. For example out history teach was keen when he said “in his second and third journey going from Kilema to Machame, Rebmann talk of “going to Dschagga.

By 1960 the word had become anglicised as “jagga” and by 1871 as Chagga. We were also told that Charles New used the latter spelling and described Mt. Kilimanjaro as a Swahili name meaning “ to stray” or “ to get lost” Our teacher concluded that it was formally regarded by the Swahilis as a dangerous place to visit.

If New’s explanation is correct, then two possibilities lie open as to how the Chagga and Kilimanjaro got their name. Chagga meaning simply the place through where caravan could get lost without knowledge of the way through the dense forest, mayhave been used for as long as there had been connection between the mountain and the cost and its beginnings would be hidden in time. Of late, it is more likely , the use of the word many have started and gained currency with one particular incident, namely the ill-fated silver expedition undertaken in the time of Mangi Rungua, King of Machame, the father of Mamkinga of Machameonce sent a large expedition to investigate the nature of the snow (ze-wadauzzz from Machame kazi kwenu).

Many of you who read history will also recall that Bwana Kheri of his attempt to climb the mountain to get the “silver” which was snow and that himself saw the one frost bitten survival and carried the news back to the cost; there one can but think, it spread like wildfire. The story went on and on…….

We need to tell our “kids” “bed time” stories among others: for example why was name of Lake Uniamesi changed to Lake Tanganyika? ze-wadauzzz from Kigoma kazi kwenu

Why Lake Ukerewe changed to Lake Victoria? ze-wadauzzz from Mwanza kazi kwenu

Comments: email:

shayohill@yahoo.co.uk