Vinza people
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The Vinza (''Wavinza'' 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 and linguistic group based in
Kigoma Region Kigoma Region (''Mkoa wa Kigoma'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the city of Kigoma. Kigoma Region borders Kagera Region, Geita Region, Katavi Region, Tabora Region, DRC and Burundi According ...
,
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 ...
. In 1987 the Vinza population was estimated to be 10,000. The Vinza people speak the
Vinza language Vinza is a Bantu language spoken by the Vinza people of Tanzania, approximately in the area of the town of Uvinza. Margaret Arminel Bryan, ''The Bantu Languages of Africa'', Oxford University Press 1959. At that time there were about 5,000 speake ...
, also known as Kivinza, which belongs to the Central Bantu language family. Many Vinza people also speak the Swahili language. The Vinza are also sometimes called Binza and Mabinza.


History


Early History

The Vinza people are thought to have migrated from
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, but this is not certain. However, they definitely migrated from
Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...
approximately 2,000 BCE. As the Vinza journeyed to modern-day Tanzania, they picked up aspects of different
cultures Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
and societies they encountered. Eventually, the Vinza settled in the northwestern area of the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
in Tanzania as a mixed people group.


Establishment of Uvinza

After settling in Tanzania, the Vinza founded
Uvinza Uvinza is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. Uvinza is bordered to the northwest by Kigoma District and Kigoma-Ujiji District. North of the district is bordered by Kasulu District . Lake Tanganyika borders ...
as a small
salt mining Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. The mined salt is usually in the form of halite (commonly known as rock salt), and extracted from evaporite formations. History Before the advent of the modern internal combustio ...
village and the main home for the Vinza. Nearby Uvinza, there were multiple brine springs, which made the location strategic for salt mining. The Vinza expertly used these springs to their advantage in the salt trade, but salt mining remained as a small scale operation. In the 1800s, the Vinza had adopted a chief as their ruler, which strengthened the salt mining operation in the Uvinza. Soon after,
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
traveling east across Tanzania spread
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
to the Vinza.


Arrival of the Germans and German Conquest of Uvinza

In the late 1800s, spreading hostilities with the
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
began to adversely impact the salt trade. These hostilities were caused by the Nyamwezi, Hehe, among other ethnicities who had rebellious battles with
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
at the time. Eventually, the Germans and Vinza started having a hostile relationship with each other too. As a result, Germany defeated the chief of Uvinza, chief Rulenege. Due to his defeat, chief Rulenenge fled Uvinza, so his death circumstances remain unknown. In 1885, Germany successfully conquered Uvinza along with its brine springs. Under German control, Uvinza was known as Neu Gottorp.


Twentieth Century

After German conquest, Uvinza and
Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...
(
German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...
) remained under German rule until 1918. Vinza communities were
massacred A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
under German colonial rule. Additionally, Germany actively exploited the numerous
natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
of Uvinza, especially
salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
. As a result, the Vinza people were forced to in salt operations for long periods of the day with little revenue. However, German colonialism of Uvinza left behind important
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
such as a
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
, which is still used to this day. German occupation also left behind the Nyanza salt mine L.T.D Industry. After 1918, Germany was punished for their role in World War I, so their colony of German East Africa was given to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. This meant that Uvinza was now controlled by Britain. Later on, The Mandate Territory of Tanganyika gained its
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from Britain in 1961.


Society and Culture


Religion

Due to the historical, Islamic influence of Arab immigrants, most Vinza are
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
. There is also a significant number Vinza
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
as a result of Tanzania being influenced by
Christian missionaries A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
.


References

Ethnic groups in Tanzania {{Tanzania-ethno-group-stub