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The
Nyiramba Tribe Origins:
Traced
from African Tribal Migrations from the time of Bahima
Empire
in Central Africa
Dr. Jeremiah Kitundu
April 25, 2005
A group of Bantu
speaking family of Clans called the Anilyamba migrated from what is
now Rwanda/Uganda
borders (area called Bahima west of Lake Victoria) along the
southern shores of
Lake Victoria (which they called Nanza) until they came to settle in
the eastern coast of
Lake Victoria which is now Mara Region near Musoma. This
happened 100-200
years ago. The exact localities where they inhabited have villages
and areas which are
called: Iramba, isanzu, Ruruma, Kirumi, Shemschem, Makalama,
etc, which are still
used in the areas in which they stopped. These names are also the
same names which are
used in the Iramba district in Central Tanzania....quite far from the
Mara region.
The reason the
Nyiramba migrated out of the ancestral lake zone area is because they
were a peaceful
people and not a warlike people. They were driven out by the warlike
Kurias who migrated
from the the North of Lake Victoria to the Eastern part of the Lake
due to their wars
with the Maasai. Until today the Kuria tribe and the Nyiramba's call
one another
"Jokey" , i.e. Watani because they fought a war between them long
ago.
The Nyiramba
migration was not smooth. On moving east and southward across the
Serengeti, they
encountered the warlike Maasai herdsmen. In the fight, the Nyiramba
broke into two
groups, one moved north-easterly while another moved south-westerly to
cross the Sibiti
river basin at two different points: one to the south at Kitangiri Lake and
the other though what
is now Karatu district. Some of the old stories contain references
about coming from a
place where "the water moved back and forth." This does not refer
to a tidal area, but
it refers to the large marshi area on the Sibiti River. If it rains a lot in
the Lake Eyasi area,
the water flows west in the Sibiti River, If it rains a lot in the
Kitangiri Lake area,
the water flows east in the Sibiti River. The basin is very flat and no
bridge has yet been
built to cross this difficult area.
The north easterly
group went on moving until the Usambara and Pare mountains where
they were forced to
move south westerly towards the central plateau through what is now
Kondoa, then further
south to Iringa, There they were forced to moved northward by
the war strong Hehe
tribe until today they are also jokes (watain) about the Nyiramba.
Here the Muhwa forced
them out and they walked up from the Rugwas Reserve into the
central plateau.
Part of the jouney
was also to avoid being captures for slavery as well as to avoid war.
Also sometimes they
stopped for long periods of time and intermarried.
They entered the
Central plateau from the south through Ukimbu land now called Ushora
and Usure where
evidence of the first settlements is found.
On migration further
north they met the groups which had crossed at the Kitangiri lake.
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This group had
migrated only a short distance compared to the Karatu crossing group.
Both came to the
Irama plateau which they have so named Lyamba. Some continued to
the low areas around
the plateau which is called Mbuga.
Among the group which
crossed near Kitungiri Lake was a clan elder called Kitundu who
supervised the
Anakumi clan assisted by his famous sister called Musua. The Anakumi,
clan of Kitundu and
his sister Musua, came to settle at a place called Kisana, just east of
what is now New
Kiomboi. Some of the same clan settled at Ruruma, Kirumi, Kinakumi
and at a further
northern part Isanzu.
Of interest to us is
where the clan elder Mzee Kitundu and his sister Musua settled until
they died. This is
Kisana village which is just north of rumuma in the present Iramba
District.
The Anakumi clan has
multiplied a lot, but they still trace their origins at Kinakumi and
Kisana villages.
They Nyiramba tribe
has several clans, the major ones being:
1. Anakumi- Kitundu +
his sister Musua
2. Anikyeli - Msengi
+ his sister Kyeli
3. Anambua - Makala
+Jymuuya (also spelled Kyunyu)
4. Anamgele- Shilla +
Mwile
5. Anaushora
(mixtures of anakumi with the Nyamwezi/wakimbu tribe) due to the
migration through the
two tribes.
6. Anankale- Gyunda +
Mwani (clan of "leopards" live a long time)
7. Anambala-
8. Anishungu - Mkumbo
+ Kelie
9. Amishanzu - mixed
up with the Nyatwu through intermarrages until their language
incorporated most of
the Naturu pronounciations in the altered Nyiramba vocabulary
One's first name is
given to a child, the second name is the father, the third name is the
grandfather and so
forth. Many of the first names were changed to biblical names when
they were baptized.
The grave of the
"Great Kitundu" is at Kisana, 1 kilometer from the Kisana Primary
School. This is in
the area of Kinakumi. They planted the Muntamba tree all around the
stony grave to mark
it. It is suppose to be a very long living tree, (this tree also exudes a
sticky glue which is
used for trapping birds.)
There were also
periods of backward migration... .into Sukuma to find jobs harvesting
cotton and into
Arusha to harvest sugar can. The decendants in Arusha usually live in
Arusha Chini by the
Usa River
The last Iramba chief
was Chief Gelege. The Kitundu clan always provided the chiefs for
the Nyriamba.
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They entered the
Central plateau from the south through Ukimbu land now called Ushora
and Usure where
evidence of the first settlements is found.
On migration further
north they met the groups which had crossed at the Kitangiri lake.
This group had
migrated only a short distance compared to the Karatu crossing group.
Both came to the
irama plateau which they have so named Lyamba. Some continued to
the low areas around
the plateau which is called Mbuga.
Among the group which
crossed near Kitungiri Lake was a clan elder called Kitundu who
supervised the
Anakumi clan assisted by his famous sister called Musua. The Anakumi,
clan of Kitundu and
his sister Musua, came to settle at a place called Kisana, just east of
what is now New
Kiomboi. Some of the same clan settled at Ruruma, Kirumi, Kinakumi
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and at a further
northern part Isanzu.
Of interest to us is
where the clan elder Mzee Kitundu and his sister Musua settled until
they died. This is Kisana
village which is just north of rumuma in the present Iramba
District.
The Anakumi clan has
multiplied a lot, but they still trace their origins at Kinakumi and
Kisana villages.
They Nyiramba tribe
has several clans, the major ones being:
1. Anakumi - Kitundu
+ his sister Musua
2. Anikyeli - Msengi
+ his sister Kyeli
3. Anambua - Makala
+Jymuuya (also spelled Kyunyu)
4. Anamgele - Shilla
+ Mwile
5. Anaushora
(mixtures of anakumi with the Nyamwezi/wakimbu tribe) due to the
migration through the
two tribes.
6. Anankale - Gyunda
+ Mwani (clan of "leopards" live a long time)
7. Anambala -
8. Anishungu - Mkumbo
+ Kelie
9. Amishanzu - mixed
up with the Nyatwu through intermarrages until their language
incorporated most of
the Naturu pronounciations in the altered Nyiramba vocabulary
One's first name is
given to a child, the second name is the father, the third name is the
grandfather and so
forth. Many of the first names were changed to biblical names when
they were baptized.
The grave of the
"Great Kitundu" is at Kisana, 1 kilometer from the Kisana Primary
School. This is in
the area of Kinakumi. They planted the Muntamba tree all around the
stony grave to mark
it. It is suppose to be a very long living tree, (this tree also exudes a
sticky glue which is used
for trapping birds.)
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