The Sonjo (native name Batemi) (''Wasonjo'' in
Swahili) are a
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
ethnic group inhabiting some west of
Lake Natron
Lake Natron is a salt or alkaline lake located in north Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. It is in the Gregory Rift, which is the eastern branch of the East African Rift. The lake is within the Lake Natron Basin, a Ramsar Site ...
in
Ngorongoro District
Ngorongoro is one of the seven districts of the Arusha Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the north by Kenya, to the east by Monduli District, the northeast by Longido District, and to the south by the Karatu ...
of
Arusha Region
Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census).
Located below Mount Meru (Tanzania), Mount Meru on the eastern e ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.
Overview
In 2002, the Sonjo population was estimated to number around 30,000 individuals (
Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...
).
The term ''Sonjo'' is the name given to the people by the
Maasai Maasai may refer to:
* Maasai people
*Maasai language
* Maasai mythology
* MAASAI (band)
See also
* Masai (disambiguation)
* Massai
Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...
. Group members prefer to call themselves the ''Batemi'' people.
The Sonjo people speak
Sonjo, a
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
language. They refer to it as ''Kitemi'' or ''Gitemi''.
The Sonjo are known for their use of irrigation systems in agriculture. They have consequently been linked by some historians with the
Engaruka
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 irriga ...
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.
Notes
References
* Gray, Robert F. 1963. ''The Sonjo People of Tanganyika: An Anthropological Study of an Irrigation-based Society''. London: Oxford University Press.
* Nurse, Derek &
Franz Rottland
Franz Rottland (December 4, 1934 in Gelsenkirchen – August 4, 2014) was a German linguist and Africanist.
His interests included the historical linguistics of Nilotic languages and Cushitic languages.
Biography
After receiving his doctorate on ...
1991. ‘Sonjo: Description, Classification, History’, ''Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika'', 12/13: 171-289.
* Nurse, Derek & Franz Rottland 1993. ‘A Linguists' View of the History of Sonjo and Engaruka’, ''Azania,'' 28: 1-5.
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Tanzania
Indigenous peoples of East Africa
Indigenous peoples of Arusha Region