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The Chwezi

Bantu people living around the east African lakes were joined

by a people called Chwezi in the 1300s. The Chwezi came from

North Africa and were cattle herders. Before their arrival, the

Bantu had lived in separate family groups, each with its own

ruler. The Chwezi introduced the idea of a single ruler, or king,

and encouraged the people to grow coffee. The Chwezi built

long ditches, called oriembo, which they used to protect their

cattle. They ruled over a large area, and their kingdom lasted

two hundred years.

E X P L O R I N G

W O R L D H I S T O R Y

GLOBAL STUDIES

HOW DID OUR WORLD GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY?

By following the course of history from the earliest days of civilization

to today, we can find the answers. In this series, each book covers a

major geographical or political region of the world and tells not only

its early history, but traces the intersecting ways that it has changed in

response to world events. Using maps, artwork, photography, timelines,

and artifacts, each book is a mini time-travel machine. History is what

made us what we are today; this series is the “how to” guide to how the

modern world came to be.

Set ISBN ..........978-1-4222-3529-4

Hardcover Set Price ...........$223.44

$167.60 (S&L)

Hardcover List Price ..............27.93

$20.95 (S&L)

Multi-User eBook List Price ...35.93

$26.95 (S&L)

Full color • Library bound

Trim Size: 8 ½ x 11 • 48 pages

Grade Reading Level: 5-7

Africa.........................................................-3530-0 -8350-9

Australia ...................................................-3531-7 -8351-6

China.........................................................-3532-4 -8352-3

India .........................................................-3533-1 -8353-0

Japan .......................................................-3534-8 -8354-7

Latin America............................................-3535-5 -8355-4

North America .......................................... -3536-2 -8356-1

The Polar Regions .................................... -3537-9 -8357-8

HBK ISBN E-ISBN

1500s-1800s

Inside East Africa

urthernorth, thekingdoms around the lakes ofEast

Africa escaped thedevastating effects of theMfecane.

But theywere involved inwars of their own, raiding

neighboringpeoples and taking away their cattle and

land.The twomostpowerfulkingdomswereBunyoro,

which lay on the edge ofLakeAlbert, andBuganda on the

edge ofLakeVictoria.

AnExpandingKingdom

Bunyorowas thefirstkingdom tobecome

important in this region.Themainoccupationof

thepeoplewas cattle rearing,but they also

produced saltwhich they sold to theirneighbors.

Bunyorowasdivided into several villages, and

each villageprovidedmen for theking’s army.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the

army conductedmany raids againstneighbors,

seizing their cattle and land andmaking thempay

taxes to theking.

ARivalNeighbor

Upuntil themiddle of the eighteenth century,

Bunyorowas themostpowerfulkingdom around

the lakes.Then, in thenineteenth century, a

kingdom that lay towards the east took over. Itwas

calledBuganda and overhalf amillionGanda

people lived there.

he kingdom of

Buganda lay on the

northwestern shores of

LakeVictoria.This view

of the lakewas taken

fromKisumu inKenya.

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Buganda lay on the shores of

LakeVictoriawhere the soil is very

fertile.People grew crops, such as

bananas andplantains.Bananaswere

very easy to grow, and any rotten

vegetableswereused as fertilizers.

Gandapeoplewere alsohunterswho

killedbuffalo, antelope andwildpigs.

They attended regularmarkets, selling

their crafts and crops in exchange for

other goods.

lantainsare tropical vegetableswhichare related

to thebanana.

Theking, orKabaka,divided

Buganda into sections and appointed

chiefs to rule over each area.The

chiefswere responsible for collecting

food,beer andfirewood from the

people,which they tookback to the

king’s court.Buganda alsohad trading

linkswithArabmerchants on the east

coast, andbought guns, ammunition,

cotton cloth,beads and glassware

from them.

GandaReligions

TheGandabelieved that certain

people in thekingdomhad

supernaturalpowerswhen theywere

alive.They called thesepeople

balubaale, and after theydied,people

prayed to them fordifferent things.

Onebalubaalewas in charge of

bringing rain and anotherhelped

huntersfind animals.Therewere also

manymedicinemenwho gaveherbs

andpotions topeoplewhen they

were ill.

woMaasaimen ofEastAfricawearing traditional clothing.Maasaimen often

undergomilitary trainingduring their teenageyears.

TheChampionNomads

TheMaasai are a groupofAfricanpeoplewhomove aroundwith

their cattle in searchof grazing land.Today they live inTanzania

andKenya.TheMaasaiwere a small groupofpeople in the1500s,

butby the1800s thepopulationhad expanded greatly.TheMaasai

menwere in chargeofmoving cattle fromplace toplace,while

thewomendid all themilking.Theybelieved in a supreme god

calledEnkai, andprayed tohim through their religious leader.The

leader alsoprayed for rain andmade charms toprotect soldiers

going intobattle.

TheChwezi

Bantupeople living around the eastAfrican lakeswere joined

by apeople calledChwezi in the1300s.TheChwezi came from

NorthAfrica andwere cattleherders.Before their arrival, the

Bantuhad lived in separate family groups, eachwith its own

ruler.TheChwezi introduced the idea of a single ruler, orking,

and encouraged thepeople to grow coffee.TheChwezibuilt

longditches, called oriembo,which theyused toprotect their

cattle.They ruled over a large area, and theirkingdom lasted

twohundred years.

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