LSC S1: MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT INTO EAST AFRICA SINCE 1000 AD

LSC S1: MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT INTO EAST AFRICA SINCE 1000 AD

Introduction
In the previous chapter, you studied about the origin of a man and theories about
the origin of man. You noted that man did not stay in ono but kept moving
from one place to another because or the environment, After studying this
chapter, you will be able to understand the origins or your own families as a
result of migration and settlement of people in East Africa today. You Will
able to understand changes in our society as you discover that duo to
humans adapt to new circumstances, You will appreciate and understand how
the different ethnicities and our families came to inhabit the areas in which they
are settled today.
East Africa was a destination of several migrations 0f people between a 1000 and
j 1880AD but the most prominent ones were the Bantu. the Luo. Nilotics and he
Ngoni. These ethnic groups migrated from their homelands. and settled in Easter
Africa, There were various reasons for their migrations and some of those reasons
are still responsible for migrations today,

THE EASTAFRICAN INHABITANTS BEFORE THE 19TH CEN11Jt
The earliest inhabitants of the East Africa region were hunter-gatherer convnuniti
and small populations of the pygmies,

They had the resemblance of modern
humans. Their origin and movements
are traced from archaeological
information, the skulls and footprints
over three million years old that were
found in various sites in East Africa,
They lived and later spread beyond
East Africa.
The earliest evidence of the modern
day East Africans dates from around
10,000 years ago, when much of the
region was home to Khoisan-speaking
hunter-gatherer communities. On
the western fringes of East Africa,
including parts of the area that is now
Rwanda and Burundi, there were also
small populations of various so-called
Pygmy groups as shown in Figure
31.

In groups
a) Using ICT or library, research, make notes on the inhabitants of East Africa before the 19th Century.
b) How was their way of life different from the life of modern people today?
c) Give highlights on their economic activities.
e) Write your findings in your notebook, and present them to the rest of your i classmates.

MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT OF PEOPLE IN EAST AFRICA
The migration and settlement of people in East Africa is got from archaeological information and the skulls and footprints that were discovered in various sites in East Africa. Migrations in East Africa began as early as 1000 AD, and they shaped what is East Africa today. The migrations included the original African people like the Bantu from West Africa, the Ngoni from South Africa, the Luo from the north in the present day South Sudan, and the traders from the Mediterranean, Arabia and Persia. There are four major migrations that explain the current settlement patterns in East Africa. These migrations include the Bantu, Luo and Ngoni migrations. In Uganda, three main ethnic groups dominate the area namely; the Bantu, the Nilotics and Hamites.

Bantu Migration into East Africa
The Bantu are the speakers of related languages with a common suffix “ntu”/”Ndu” in their words, meaning a person. They include the Interlacustrine Bantu and Highland Bantu, and they speak various dialects of the Bantu language. They are believed to have migrated about 2000 years ago and proceeded in two directions. The first one went across the northern border of Congo forest region, ! towards East Africa. The second went south along the African coast into Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola. They reached South Africa as early as A.D 300.
The Bantu form the largest group in East Africa, and these settled mainly as agriculturalists. Their origin is from the West-Central Africa, particularly the Niger- Benue confluence. They entered East Africa in four major groups, including the following. The Interlacustrine or Western Bantu. These are found in the lakes regions of East Africa, which include Lakes Victoria ,Albert, Edward and Kyoga. They were

the first group of Bantu group to migrate to East Africa. They are have migrated between 1000AD and 1300AD.This gave rise to tribes such Baganda, Banyoro, Batoro and Bakiga. Other Bantu moved to eastern K to form tribes such as Bagisu and in western Kenya to form Luyia and Abasuba

The Central and Western Tanganyika Bantu were a second group of the Ban: to enter East Africa. They entered East Africa through the west from theCongo basin. These moved between Lake Edward and Lake Tanganyika formed tribes like the Nyamwezi, Sukuma, Kimbu, Hehe, Zinza, Gogo and Sara By 1500AD,they had settled in Tanganyika in large numbers. They do not to have been greatly influenced by other people.

The Coastal and Highland Bantu. These were also known as Eastern Bantu who moved into the region from the south of Lake Victoria. They crossed the dry Tanganyika plateau between 1000 and 1300AD.Some of them settled in the are; between the Taita Hills and Mout Kilimanjaro,which became their disparsal area From there,some moved north into the Kenya highlands, where they became the Kamba, ikuyu, Meru Chuka and Embu. Other Bantu moved east and by about 500AD, had reached the coast.They then travelled north to Shungwaya This became another dispersal area as groups such the Nyika, Segeju, Giryamu and Pokomo moved southwards to escape from the Galla and the Somali. These came to be known as the coastal Bantu.

The Southern Tanganyika Bantu. These formed the fourth group of the Bantu migration into East Africa. They too entered East Africa through the west from the Niger-Congo basin, but used the route between Lake Malawi and Lake Tangantika.They settled in southern Tanganyika in areas such as Mbeya, Songea
and Ruvuma. They formed groups such as the Yao, Pogoro, Sangu, Bena Zaramo, Makonde and Ngindo. All these societies were established by AD 1800 They brought new technologies and skills such as cultivating high-yield crops and iron-working, which produced more efficient tools and weapons.

Activity 3.2: Migration of peoples in East Africa
a) In groups, visit a local area around the school and make research on the
origins of at least three families, including yours. Inquire about the name,
the clan, the tribe, place of origin and a brief history.
b)Identify the things they have in common and those that are different.
c)Make notes on your inquiry and present them to the class in your groups.

MAP OF AFRICA SHOWING BANTU MIGRATION

Activity 3.3: Reasons for Bantu migrations
In groups
a) Use the library or ICT to find out the reasons why the Bantu migrated from their homeland.
b) How did their migration affect the people where they settled?
c) Discuss the origins, culture and history of the Bantu people.
d) Share your findings with the rest of the class and note down the agreed
views.
The Nilotic- Speaking People
The Nilotic people originally came from the southern border of the Ethiopian Highlands. They were divided into two groups, which included the River-Lake Nilotes, who moved eastwards into Sudan and the Highland and Plain Nilotes move southwards into Kenya

Luo Migration into East Africa
The Luo came from the Nile region of the Sudan, and they speak Luo language. They live in northern and northern-western Uganda, and parts of western Kenya. The Luo were pastoral nomads, who came from the eastern parts of Bahr Ghazel in South Sudan. They are called the River-lake Nilotics because of their
migration course along the rivers and later settling around the Great Lakes region in East Africa. They include the Acholi, Langi, Alur, Kumam, Jonam, the Jopadhola, Kenya Luo and others.

The Luo migration started from Bahr el Ghazel around the 15th Century and moved southwards following River Nile and settled in Juba South Sudan then Nimule and Pubungu in the present day Pakwach. From here, they split into two groups, each moving into different direction. One group led by Gipir moved
westwards,crossed the Nile and settled in the northern parts of Lake Albert. They mixed up and intermarried with the Okebu, Lendu and Sudanic Madi to give rise to the Alur community in the present day Nebbi district in West Nile region.

Some group under Labongo moved southwards and settled at Pawir (Chope) in northern Uganda. One group still under Labongo that remained at Chope moved southwards to come into contact with the Bachwezi.They founded the Luo-Babito dynasty. Labongo left Chope and moved eastwards from Pubungu
through Acholiland and Lango,Tesoland upto eastern Uganda in Budama areas. They gave birth to the present day Jopadhola found in Tororo district.

However, some of the Luo known as the Joka-Jok continued into western Kenya. These moved directly from Pubungu and settled in Ramogi hills of Nyanza province. The Jok-Omolo migrated through Busoga, Samia and Bunyala, finally settling in the Nyanza region to form the Samia of Kenya. The Jok-Owiny separated with the Jopadhola and settled temporarily in Budama, before finally settling in Singoma,
Alego and Kadimo in Nyanza province of western Kenya.

; Activity 3.4: The Luo migrations
In groups;
a) Use the library or ICT to explain why the Luo migrated from their homeland.
b) How did their migration affect the people of East Africa?
c) Discuss the origins, culture and history of the Luo people.
ld) Present your findings to the rest of the class members and write down the
agreed historical facts.
The Highland and Plain Nilotes
These share a common origin with the River-Lake Nilotes.The Highland and Plain Nilotes entered East Africa from an area to the north or north-west of Lake Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolf). These interacted with other groups, which influenced their culture. In East Africa, they divided into different communities,
including the Nandi, Maasai, Karimojong and Iteso. The Highland Nilotes first settled on Mount Kamalinga and later Mount Kilimanjaro in the 17th Century. They later dispersed from Mount Elgon in three groups, which included,Kalenjin, Kenya-Kadm and Tadija people, who moved into northern Tanzania and were eventually absorbed by Bantu speakers.

Ngoni Migration into East Africa
The Ngoni migrated from the Bantu people of South Africa to central and southern parts of Tanzania. They were the last Bantu migrants to come to Central and East Africa. The migration was primarily caused by Shaka’s expansionist wars. He had embarked on a vigorous policy of expanding his empire at the expense of his neighbours. He created a period of wars (Mfecane) that forced many people to migrate and find new areas for settlement. Their migration was due to fear of being absorbed into the empire of the tyrant Shaka of the Zulu.

There were 3 groups of the Ngoni in East Africa. They included the Ngoni Tuta, the Ngoni Gwangara and the Maseko Ngoni. They then crossed River Zambezi and River Limpopo and moved northwards in search of new areas. Later in 1835, they divided into two groups. One group under the leadership of Zwangendaba passed west of Lake Malawi and settled at Ufipa. They were attracted to this area
because of the many herds of cattle around.

Activity 3.5: The Ngoni Migrations
In groups;
a) Use the library or ICT to explain why the Ngoni migrated from their home
land
b)How did their migration affect the people where they settled?
c)Discuss the origins, culture and history of the Ngoni people.
d)Write your findings in your notebooks and present to the class.

0.0.- ofcourse OT migrations
In groups;
a) Draw the sketch map of East Africa below and locate the origins of Bantu, Luo and Ngoni migrations.
b) Indicate the course of Bantu, Luo and Ngoni migrations using different colours.
c) Write your findings in your notebooks.

MAJOR TRIBES OF EAST AFRICA
An ethnic group is a community or population made of people who share common background or descent. It is bound together by common ties of race, language, nationality or culture. In East Africa, there are a number of ethnic group% and among them are the Cushites, Nilotics and Bantu ethnic group. They are composed of a number of tribes. A tribe is a group of people who live and work together in a shared geographical area. The tribe is usually headed by a king or a chief. Table 1.1 below shows some of the tribes in East Africa.

There are several factors for people migrating from one place to another. The Luo, Ngoni and Bantu migrations were as a result of finding better places where they could settle in. The need for better areas to settle that was safe and free from conflicts. However, there were other circumstances that forced their migration like the harsh environment. The reasons for historical migrations of the Bantu and Luo are not clearly known but could have resulted from internal conflicts, external pressure, natural disasters, diseases, population pressure, drought or possible love for adventure. There is no single factor that can ably explain their migration but a combination of factors.

Reasons why people in East Africa migrate today.
Tablel .3 below shows some of the reasons for migration of people today.

Activity 3.7: Movement of people today
In groups
a) Using the photographs in table 1.3 above, identify why people migrate from one place to another.
b) Brainstorm on other reasons apart from those shown in the table above that have led to migration of people today.
c)’ Write your findings on a manilla and present them to the rest of the class.

Results of migrations into East Africa
When people move from one place to another, they carry with them their culture and traditions or they get absorbed into the cultures they settle in. The need to settle in new places requires newcomers to learn the language of the natives for easy communication, or the natives are assimilated into the languages of the new settlers. The natives and settlers either copy from each other the good practices for better survival in the society or bad practices. When there are intermarriages, new groups, tribes or societies are formed with new cultures and tradition. The Bantu, Luo and Ngoni migrations that took place several years ago had similar effects in the areas and settlements they went. The migrations led to
the formation and adoption of new cultures and disintegration of old cultures, introduction of new products like short stabbing spears, arrowheads, cowhide shields, iron implements and ways of living in terms of agriculture (new crops) and the environment.

Activity 3.8: Impact of migrations
In groups;
a) Identify the different groups of people that have migrated and stay in your
local area.
b) Discuss the behaviours of the groups you have identified.
c) How has their coming in your area affected you?
e) Share your views in class in the presence of your teacher.