THE EARNEST, BRAVE and VALIANT MANGI MELI KIUSA RINDI MANDARA .
(1872 -1900).
Part 1
In order to write about Mangi Meli and his ascension into power it’s unavoidably necessary to write about his father Mangi Rindi Mandara.
There would not have been Mangi Meli without his father, Mangi Rindi. With a clear understanding of the events that saw Mangi Meli taking over the leadership of Moshi, we will be able to understand his times, triumphs, and tragedies.
THE PROLOGUE
The father of Mangi Meli was Mangi Rindi Mandara. He was the most Illustrious ruler of Kilimanjaro, a warrior and a willy politician who mastered the art of playing one outside power against another, and the ablest diplomatist known to the outside world (Germany, England, Arabia, Greece, China, Inner Centre Africa, and Zanzibar) from Central East Africa region of Kilimanjaro both in his lifetime and through writers after his death.
He was the creator of Moshi/Oldmoshi. Before him, Moshi was an obscure collection of individual clans without strong leadership and no central governance. He did all this in a space of 30 years with some brief interruptions in the early 1870s.
Why is he remembered?
- Mangi Rindi is remembered as a mild ruler by his own people who gave special treatment to captives, provided homes to orphans, and made Moshi a place of asylum or sanctuary for those who were fleeing persecution from other states.
- Secondly as a forbearing ruler who was always magnanimous towards those whom he subdued. He never appointed his own nominees in areas he conquered but instead started a system of ambassadors residing in his court (Boma.) He attempted to unite the whole of Kilimanjaro subgroups/tribes to consolidate a Kingdom against the incoming threats from Arabs and Europeans from the coast.
- Thirdly He was the one who made Moshi an all-out stopping center for caravans and traders from the coast. This elevated the status of Moshi and Kilimanjaro as early as 1864. Traders from around the world frequented Moshi regularly as well as explorers and missionaries.
- Fourthly, He was a Warrior who possessed so much courage and indomitable spirit that he imbued also his people with the same qualities. He scorned safeguard measures of building tunnels or stone walls but encouraged his people to face their enemies in the open.
- He wrote letters to Kaiser Willhem and Queen Victoria in his quest for diplomacy, friendship, and cooperation as early as 1880. The two European monarchs sent him gifts and letters which were some of his cherished possessions.
- In his majestic and prideful existence, he was the only Mangi who extracted 21 gun salutes from any visitor approaching Moshi which he would respond with one cannon fire.
- He was a poet, a singer, and a dancer who embraced knowledge. He was the only Mangi able to read and write using European letters. Fluent in Swahili, Maasai, Chagga, and some English and Arabic.
In early 1888 he heard of the advent and predicament of the Germans on the coast and seemed to have no liking for the prospect of coming under German rule. In order to avoid this, he superficially flew the flag of the Sultan of Zanzibar who claimed to be a sovereign of all East Africa.
Meanwhile, Dr. Karl Peters and Dr Karl Juhnkle(two German Fakers) have been going on all over the mainland of Tanganyika falsifying treaties despite the fact that General Matthew, the Commander of the Sultan’s force visited Kilimanjaro and met Rindi in 1888 to confirm the alliance between Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro. The Germans then established a protectorate over Tanganyika including Kilimanjaro the same year using false treaties.
The 1st few years were a little peaceful because the Germans were not in a position to enforce order, being mainly occupied with suppression of rebellion along the coast. Once the job on the coast was done , they turned their guns into the hinterland.
In Kilimanjaro, it was Kibosho which was taken first on the autumn of 1890, Moshi avoided the guns due to Rindi’s diplomacy and also because he was ill and could hardly move.
The end of an era was coming . Mangi Rindi after seeing his rival,Mangi Sina being humbled by the Germans and the Moshi soldiers , he spent his time advising his successor and talking to the Elders (Wachili/ Morenja) .
He carefully selected Kiusa who would later be known as Mangi Meli upon his ascension. Rindi was a man with the capacity to foresee upcoming events so he carefully argued the Elders(Wachili) of Moshi to guide Kiusa and he should align himself with the missionaries in a bid to study the ways of the foreigners. Wars and confrontation should be avoided at all costs and if necessary fought once there is a united front in all Kilimanjaro.
By the Autumn of 1891, Rindi’s illness escalated. He spent the last few weeks of his life reciting poetry to the warriors and Elders(Wachili). Here is one of his PROPHETIC poems, he recited it every day during the last 10 days of his life.
“”” “Woe Me, Woe me,This is my fate,You men.!
I see the bull slaughtered,You heroes.
I see his skin holds only sorrows.
The skin will be stretched with pegs.
The skin will be stretched out like a lizard.”
“Once I fled to Mangi Ndetea,
Then I was told he was dead.
I fled to my mother, the dear one, who tended me, the loving one.
Then I was told Mamchaki too is dead.
Now I have none to whom I can weep in my sorrow.
Now I know none to whom I can lament my misery. “
“Now I lament to you, You old ones.
To you I lament sorrow and pain.
Now help me to bewail sorrow.
Now the distress is mine, Woe clings to me.
But I foresee It will be yours.”
“I leave my home, the Pain will remain with you.
I’m weary, the bull is ready to be slaughtered!
But you will be tied down with pegs so that you cannot move as you wish.
I’m going home to meet my ancestors.” “”””””
Then One of the Elders, a Morenja asked him “Why are you saying these things?”. Mangi Rindi replied, “the Cloud that has covered the whole land is ready to go home, You will be exposed, Woe unto you my people , I am leaving you, I am going home”, He then added ” You must guide KIUSA as I have told you before”.
The Great Mangi died 6 days later succumbing to the illness at the end of the Autumn of 1891. Moshi/Old Moshi suffered physically and psychologically from his absence. Old Moshi would not recover from this loss to this very day. Everything about his death and burial were a tight kept secret. Nobody knows his resting place.
Mangi Rindi’s final days saw him preoccupied with his state of Moshi more than the rest of Wachagga at large. He wished for the sovereignty of his people to be respected. The dark long night of long knives started in Moshi for the power struggle despite the fact that Mangi Rindi made it clear that it will be KIUSA who would take over the seat of leadership.
Mangi Rindi life and times present to us a good example of the etiquette and daily life of an African ruler who was ahead of his times. In the whole of Central East Africa there’s none to rival his diplomatic skills and bravery.
His son , Kiusa who would later be known as Mangi Meli upon his ascension rose up at the back of the shadows of his father, the Great King. The terrain of political powers in Kilimanjaro had already changed and the long knives of treason were out to get him from within Moshi/Oldmoshi and from the next neighbouring states of Marangu and Kibosho and from the Germans.
Information courtesy of Reverend Bruno Gutmann’s book “HAUPTLING RINDI “, Reverend Johannes Raum, Ms Kathleen Mary Stahl, Mzee Abisai Temba and Oral traditions as received from My grandfather Mzee Anasa Sharra Olotu and my Grandmother Bibi Aisiana Mackei Salema Rindi Mandara .
MOSHI / OLDMOSHI-THE DAYS OF GRACE AND TIMES OF TROUBLES
Part 2
THE PRELUDE
In order to explain this 2nd part, it’s important to mention the factors which influenced politics of those days in Kilimanjaro .
The slave trade which had already begun in the coast and in eastern parts of north east Tanganyika started to induce the Chagga Kings to wage wars on one another. The Arabs from the coast together with their Waswahili allies who for a very long time had been leading caravans into the hinterland for ivory and slaves in Upare land came to Kilimanjaro primarily to trade in ivory due to large numbers of elephants .
These factors brought the competition for the control of the trade routes and the traders amongst the Chagga Kings. Moshi which was a very small state at the time (early 1860)risked being over run therefore the need for a strong leader was inevitable. So it’s rapid rise to be one of the dominant state during that time was due to the daring valiant spirit and the need to control all trades and foreigners who visited Kilimanjaro.
THE INDOMITABLE LION
The story of the state of Moshi is the story of Mangi Rindi Mandara.
Between 1848 and 1858, Rindi was still too young to rule, he spent his childhood time in Kirua in exile escaping his uncle Mangi Salia who wanted to harm him. While in Kirua he used to go to Kilema and learned Kiswahili from the Swahili ivory and slave traders who used to flock there. On the sudden death of Salia, he was brought back, but being too young to reign, His mother,Mamchaki and his uncle Tukia ruled Moshi as Queen and Regent on his behalf. Baron Vo Decken, who saw Rindi about 1861,described him as a handsome young man about 25 years of age. It must be just about then he took over the Government of his country.
There now followed a long period in Kilimanjaro in which the dominant figure will be Rindi. His expeditions and wars for the control of the trades were so numerous that it’s not always easy to know in what sequence they occured. His 1st effort is known to be the annexation of Mbokomu , then Vunjo, followed by Kirua,Kilema, Marangu ,Ngasseni and Useri/Rombo. In all these expeditions he collected booties (ivories) and took stock/cattle back to Moshi. It seems also he matured quickly into politics and right from the start he learned how to make alliances with both those he conquered and even from outside the Wachagga, the Maasai.
In his early time he had to contend with powerful rulers of Kibosho, the likes of Mangi Ngaluma and Lokila. The situation in the eastern part of Kilimanjaro was unstable with leaders being appointed and overthrown depending upon whom they were allied with. Most of Eastern states of Kilimanjaro were ruled by his vassals or proteges which Rindi himself appointed. However Mangi Ngaluma of Kibosho who had seized power from his father Mangi Tatuo while he was alive proved himself to be a ruthless and cruel sovereign. He continued to harrass the eastern states taking booties, deposing leaders and seeking to kill his own young brother Lokila who had taken refuge in Taveta. On the sudden death of Ngaluma (possibly by poisoning), 1869,Rindi escorted Lokila back to Kibosho ostensibly to support him,but probably in reality to loot and plunder Kibosho.
By mid 1870s, Rindi was at the height of his power for he ruled as undisputed sovereign from Tella to Useri/Rombo, while the Mangis of Mbokomu,Uru and Kibosho were his creatures. Rindi found a firm friend in Mangi Ndeserua of Machame. In conjunction with Mangi Ndeserua, and his vassals, Rindi made expeditions to the Loita Maasai of Arusha chini, Upare and Usambara subduing, looting and capturing great booties of cattle, iron ores ,ivory and women. In Usambara he made an exceptional friendship with the powerful King of Mazinde, Semboja who would later direct all traders and visitors from the coast to Moshi/Oldmoshi.
By the end of 1878, Rindi assembled a large force of his allies ( from Mbokomu to Mwika)to make a last and sweeping conquest of Usseri. The army assembled must have been the largest ever commanded by a Chagga King,but of the whole, only a remnant returned, Rindi himself didn’t accompany the army and neither did his Army Chief of Staff Merinyo Maro . This is the famous battle spoken in Moshi as “NGATARA “(the battle of sorrow). It’s said that Rindi had a reason for this, the warriors of his own age (of merisho rika),were intriguing against him,wherefore he sent them to war and cursed them as they departed. This account favours of an ingenious explanation for the defeat of the great Mangi, but it is not impossible that if there was any sedition in Rindi’s army, it may have contributed to their defeat especially that Rindi and Merinyo didn’t accompany them.
Following this,in 1876, Mangi Lokila of Kibosho smelled weaknesses in Moshi for Rindi now didn’t have an army of any consequences and his allies the Maasai of Arusha were distant away to come into his aid. Lokila attacked Moshi and forced Rindi to flee. Lokila captured immense wealth of stock in Moshi. Rindi fled 1st to Kahe but soon his mother (Queen Mother Mamchaki) died there due to malaria so he moved to Machame where Ndeserua still ruled. His cause might have seemed hopeless, but Rindi was not the man to submit without effort, and while in Machame his allies the Maasai of Arusha came and together they raided Kibosho taking back great part of the stock Mangi Lokila took from Moshi. Soon afterwards Lokila died. Kibosho was again without a strong ruler. Ndeserua would soon die but not before he appointed Sina as a ruler of Kibosho since Kibosho was a vassal state of Machame.
By the year 1878, Rind with only 10 warriors and some of his Maasai allies retook Moshi from Mangi Kitori ,He quickly initiated a new generation of warriors and acquired many muzzle-loaders guns from Waswahili traders in exchange for ivory. It must be noted that one of the main reasons Moshi was able to be very powerful was the acquisition of guns from the early days of Mangi Rindi’s rule which enabled him to control trade in Kilimanjaro.
Also Moshi became a beloved place for the Arusha Maasai because of artful craftsmanship of the MALISA clan who were known for their exceptional iron smelting skills and made exceptional weapons (spears, swords and shields).
With the death of Ndeserua in 1878, Sina of Kibosho usurped power against Machame by constantly harassing the young Mangi Shangali .
Sina built a formidable standing army and soon he started to take interest in control of trade and European visitors to Kilimanjaro. The only way to do this was to shake off Rindi’s firm hold to the East of Kilimanjaro. Rindi and Sina attacked each other from 1880 in a macabre dance fashion , each one taking turns to raid and take booties from each other. It seems that Sina concentrated so much in attacking Moshi’s vassal states including Marangu which was being ruled by his (Sina) protege,Marealle.
Nevertheless Marealle took part in Rindi’s expedition against Kibosho in 1885. The enterprise was a partial success. Rindi occupied Kibosho for 4 days, taking much stock and captured soldiers whom he would later sell them to the Waswahili slave traders and the Arab known as Al Lila who had built a slaves holding dungeon in Moshi. Sina himself was unassailable in his magnificent stone fort, so Rindi retired back in Moshi without subduing his rival Sina.The following year (1886) Sina retaliated and succeeded in forcing his way as far as Tsuduni to Rindi’s residence and burned it down. But Rindi rallied his force under Merinyo Maro and drove Sina out with considerable slaughter. This failure on Sina’s part only increased Rindi’s reputation, and Kisarika of Uru threw his lot with him. Once again now Rindi dominated all the country from Uru to Rombo/Useri.
Meanwhile Marealle was making an entry into the art of manipulating foreigners who have been almost exclusively visiting Moshi only.
Some Germans had visited Marangu and presented Marealle with a flag and gifts which Rindi demanded Marealle to hand over to him immediately. Marealle agreed but Rindi looking for a pretext to punish him demanded Marealle surrender his favourite concubine. In retaliation Marealle sent back Ndasho, Rindi’s daughter who he had married, this deterred Rindi from making war with him.
At the same time Sina made an incursion to Uru and was driven out but it was reported to Rindi by Merinyo that a Marangu dialect was heard spoken on Kibosho/Sina’s side therefore Sina must have obtained levies from Marangu. Reluctantly Rindi consented to allow Merinyo to make a sudden attack on Marangu. Marealle barely escaped with his life, his people fled to the Forrest and his fort was captured.
After this in 1888, Rindi again assembled his allies and made a last expedition to humble Sina but the stone fortress that Sina built proved again to be unassailable .
THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL MEANING OF THIS STORY .
The race for the control of Kilimanjaro was the race for the control of trades, goods,European visitors and political consolidation.
Trade
Traders from the coast brought in many industrial manufactured goods like clothes,guns,medicine,agricultural products, tools and foreign seeds. The Chagga Mangis competed for the influence on trade and Moshi for a large part of the period from 1858 to 1892 dominated ,controlled and influenced the events. From Kilimanjaro the Arabs and Swahili traders obtained Ivory, animal skins , rhinoceros horns and slaves. Hunting for games was the business and permits were necessary especially in areas under tight control of powerful Mangi. In response to a question asked by Sir Harry Hamilton Johnson on why Moshi hosted the slave trader Al Lila, Rindi said he only sold those whom he captured for their crimes of invading Moshi. He said “These people come to our land,wage wars, destroy our crops and animals instead of us punishing them with death it’s better to let them being taken to the coast and work for the sultan “.He went further and remarked that he had a pact with the Maasai to rescue every child that has been taken by slave traders and bring them back to Moshi in exchange for stock/cattle or iron tools. In this way most slave traders caravans were raided once they pass through Kahe and women and children were freed and brought back to Moshi.
It’s also important to note that Moshi was a centre of iron tools trade.The Maasai flocked there with large stocks to exchange for excellent iron spears and swords made by the specialists of that day ,the Malisa clan who were exempted from participating in warfares and had a special position in the society. Also Wapare came in abundance to obtain food in exchange for bringing iron ores because Chagga land didn’t have it’s own iron ores.
Europeans Visitors
Their comings brought so many conflicts. European visitors brought goods which were not present in Kilimanjaro.They brought better guns,cannons and started diplomatic ties. Prior to Western Europeans, the Greeks and Chinese traders were in Moshi too buying ivory and rhinoceros horns. The Greeks actually made it a home and some of them never left and their descendants are buried there too.
Explorers, Scientists and missionaries all came to Kilimanjaro especially in Moshi on the account of the influence of Mangi Rindi who had even the Wataveta under his domain of influence. Rindi made contacts with them as early as 1860 and established friendship and used them as a go between him and their Kings and Queens in Europe. He quickly saw the importance of education in the changing world and requested permanent teachers and permanent settlers in his land to introduce new skills to his people. One of the 1st schools to be built in Tanganyika was built at Kitimbirihu in Oldmoshi as early as 1880. Missionaries too settled there on and off since late 1872 after the 1st visit of Reverend Charles New.
Rindi also had maintained close diplomatic ties with Sir John Kirk and the sultan of Zanzibar and had the sultan’s representative at his court to advise him and he also had one of his ambassadors in Zanzibar.
It’s not possible to count how many Europeans visited him but most notable ones are Baron Von Decken, Rev Charles New, Sir Harry Hamilton Johnson, General Matthew, Bishop James Hannington ,Dr Hans Meyer and Dr Karl Juhkle just a few to mention. To win their influence was very important.
Political Consolidation
By 1884 Rindi sent 4 Chagga warriors Ambassadors to Kaiser Wilhelm 2nd to present him with gift as gratitude for prior gifts the Kaiser sent him. These are the 1st Ambassadors from Tanganyika to anywhere in Europe. On their return they didn’t comeback with all the requests which Rindi sent them for, but they informed him of the real intentions of the Europeans which was to colonise the land. It was at this moment Rindi reached out to Mangi Sina on a letter requesting for a United front to prepare for the danger coming from the coast. In this famous letter he finished with a metaphor ” Once the lips are gone, the teeth will be exposed” , meaning that if Moshi is taken , Kibosho will also be the next. Those were the 2 most powerful States in Kilimanjaro at that time.
Mangi Rindi was the architect of Moshi’s powerful position in Kilimanjaro, He secretly hoped to bring all Chagga states under his command in order to set up a United front against colonial powers. He didn’t however believed that it was possible for Sina of Kibosho to be persuaded to submit to his leadership. While taking time to solve this problem, Rindi took initiative in 1885 to invite both contending colonial powers to draw up agreement and treaties with him if they wished to stay at Moshi. By doing so he took time to study their actual mentality. Britain acting through the Sultan of Zanzibar sent General Matthew and German sent Dr Karl Juhkle.
Rindi hoped to manipulate and monopolise their contacts in Kilimanjaro to control them for some time until the task of consolidating all of Kilimanjaro could be accomplished. His plan to bring Sina to the table didn’t materialise and his alternative plan to use the Europeans to bring Sina to submission didn’t materialise until 1891 and by then his plan to organize a United Chagga stand against the colonialist invaders were no longer feasible because the Germans had already built up too much military powers inland.
He also fell ill, but before he died in late 1891, he warned his son and successor (Mangi Meli) not to indulge in useless military adventures against the Germans. Nevertheless the impetuous, inexperienced Mangi Meli allowed Marealle to provoke him into challenging the German military administration in 1892.
EPILOGUE
Mangi Rindi is the most prominent and engaging figure Chagga history presents to us.He is remembered as a mild ruler to his own people, he loved children, gave refuge and shelter to those who seeked his protection, he was always forbearing and even magnanimous towards those whom he subdued. Possessed of much courage and indomitable spirit, he imbued also his people with the same qualities.
He was one of the few East African Kings whose name was known in Europe, Asia and even in the New world. Few of his cherished possessions are the ring sent to him by Queen Victoria of England and special guns and swords from Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany plus many other small gifts from the king of Norway. All visitors to his small state of Moshi had to give 21 guns salutes to announce their arrival and he would respond with one cannon fire. Under him, Moshi grew prosperous in trade, agriculture, animal husbandry, iron smelting and forging of tools, culture and education. He also reached out for true friendship and cooperation with the international community. His passing was great sadness to the people of Moshi.
I have endeavoured to write the long summary, there was no way of shortening it without telling the story in its entirety. Now we have closed the chapter of early settlement and the rise of Moshi. We shall look at Mangi Meli separately when we come to discuss individual outstanding characters in each kingdoms.
Next stop will be the State of Marangu.
Information courtesy of, Rev Charles New diary (1870), Bishop James Hannington 1880(Invitation by An African King), Reverend Bruno Gutmann (HAUPTLING Rindi von Moshi), Sir Harry Hamilton Johnson ( The Kilimanjaro Expedition, 1888),Sir JC Winters, Sir Charles Dundas, General Matthew diary, Dr Karl Juhkle, and Sameni Ole Kivasis (Life of) also narratives from my Grandfather Mzee Anasa Sharra Olotu and my grandmother Bibi Princess Aisiana Mackey (granddaughter of Mangi Rindi)
Click here to add your own text
Click here to add your own text