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Herero and Tonga people, famous
for their metalworking skills.
Before the European conquest of
Africa, Bantu tribes tended to be
either pastoral and warlike or
agricultural and peaceful, and there
were some highly developed Bantu
states, including Buganda in
present-day Uganda. Possibly
through fear of European
encroachment, several additional
Bantu states developed in the 19th
century, notably among the Zulu
and the Sotho.
The Bantu-speakers of modern
Kenya are the agriculturalist
Kikuyu, the largest group in the
country, while possibly the best
known are the Nilotic pastoral and
nomadic Masai, the tall, scarlet-clad
warriors and tenders of cattle. The
Masai have always been jealous of
their particular way of life: they
never condoned slavery, and their
dislike of eating game and birds
meant that fewer species
disappeared from Masai territories
than elsewhere, and are often where
game reserves are now sited.
Early archeologists found it
hard to believe that such complex
sites and organizations could be
indigenous to Africa, particularly
that of Great Zimbabwe. Subsequent
work was intended to validate
A Concise History of Africa
OPPOSITE:
Ugandan farmland. The
Bantu state of Buganda is in present-day
Uganda.
ABOVE:
Two Masai warriors clad in
traditional scarlet clothing. Today this
tribe mainly inhabits southern Kenya and
northern Tanzania.
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