Ngalami

Ngalami or Ngalami Mmari (c. 1865 – 2 March 1900), also known as Mangi Ngalami of Siha, (Mangi Ngalami in Kichagga), (Mfalme Ngalami, in Swahili) of the House of Mmari was one of many kings of the Chagga. He was the king of one of the Chagga states, namely; the Siha Kingdom in what is now modern Siha District of Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Region from the 1880s to 1900. Mangi means king in Kichagga. Ngalami ruled from the Siha seat of Komboko (Kibong'oto) in the 1880s to 1900 when he was executed in Moshi by the Germans alongside 19 other Chagga, Meru and Arusha leaders. The execution of 19 noblemen and leaders on Friday 2 March 1900, included noblemen Thomas Kitimbo Kirenga, Sindato Kiutesha Kiwelu, King Meli of Moshi, King Lolbulu of Meru, King Rawaito of Arusha, King Marai of Arusha, and King Molelia of Kibosho.

Origins According to oral history, The Mmari clan say that Lakanna Mmari, their earliest paternal ancestor in recollection, travelled down to Siha in the 18th century (six generations ago from the 1960s when the clan was interviewed by author Kathleen Stahl) from the Ushira plateau on Mount Kilimanjaro. He was a farmer, a warrior, and a honey hunter. On his patch of land in Siha, he produced millet, beans, and bananas. As a warrior, his kin from the Mmari clan was tasked with leading cattle raids against their adversaries. The Nkini clan created the Siha people's sacred fire, the Kileos were furrow surveyors, the Masake (Masaki) were the first to plant the seeds in the long rains, and the Munoo (Munuo) were the first to plant the seeds during the short rains. Wasuru, the blacksmiths, were barred from marrying anyone from another clan and from having anything in common with anyone from another tribe.

Saiye was the first Mmari king, and he lived in Siha's Komboko Village (currently Nasai ward). The kingdom also goes by the current as of 1961's name Kibongoto, which the first European immigrants who arrived there mispronounced Komboko. Although Kibongoto is the name used now in administrative records and maps, Siha is still the only name ever used on the mountain.

Saiye was abducted as a little boy by the Arusha during one of their raids in Komboko. He was reared by them, who taught him military tactics and helped him become a good fighter. He persuaded the elders that he could teach the Siha how to repel the Arusha. He showed them how to construct defence trenches around the area to deflect any attackers.

The Arusha, as was customary during war, sent news that they were going to raid Siha. Saiye told the warriors to paint their shields and dress like Maasai, much like the Arusha. He urged them to let the Arusha advance all the way into the trenches and not to assault until he gave the signal by killing an Arusha himself. As a result, the Arusha were enticed inside the circular entrenchment that had been built around each settlement. They were perplexed when Siaye gave the order to attack because they couldn't distinguish who was who. In the trenches, they were pursued and slain. At the time, the spears in use in Siha were short, with the spearhead no wider than one hand's span.

He then led them on their first raid, as Sihans had never gone on a raid before, and they successfully raided the nearby Masama kingdom. Mang'aro, Mangi Ndesserua of Machame's brother, persuaded Saiye to usurp his brother and assume authority. Saiye provided him with a home in Mrau village. Saiye launched two eastward incursions. On the first, he crossed the Lawate (Liwate) River and proceeded as far as the Namwi River (the centre of the kingdom of Masama), returning with a large number of animals. He moved deeper on the second raid, accompanied by Mang'aro, crossing the enormous riverine of Kikafu River into the Machame kingdom. Ndesserua had told his soldiers to wait until Saiye and all the men were across before attacking. They were encircled, with no way out, and were all slaughtered save for a handful who managed to rush down to the plain, turn west, and climb the mountainside to Siha. This battle is named after Siaye, who was killed. Ngalami will be his successor.

Rise to power Because only old men remained after Siaye's death, the kingdom was thrown into anarchy. Clan elders dominated parts of the country for a time before electing Mangi Ngalami of the Mmari clan. He was Saiye's cousin, the same age, and also lived in Komboko. At first, he dominated the entire country except for Samake village, which included Komboko, Mrau, Wanri, and Mae, as well as probably the two upper villages adjacent to Samake, namely Maene and Kichicha (Kishisha), the remaining region of Sumu being sparsely populated. Ngalami was to govern for a long period of time.

By allowing for events in his reign that occurred prior to the arrival of the first German commanders, who arrived after the reported defeat of Kibosho by German troops in 1891, the beginning of his reign can be dated to some time during the 1880s (perhaps, but less likely, as early as the 1870s). He ruled until he was hanged together with the other kings of Kilimanjaro and Meru by German authorities in 1900, giving him an unbroken reign of at least ten years. At times, his power was unquestioned.

The white man's askaris blew trumpets. The people were scared, so they changed the planks so that they could enter. The white man inquired about the mangi. Lilio had gone into hiding. In his place, his kinsman, the former mangi Kirema, appeared. The white man persisted, and Lilio ultimately emerged. Gifts were exchanged, but the white man did not reveal the reason for his visit.

Lilio's reign came to an end with his murder. In Wanri, he assassinated a nobleman (Njama in Kichagga) of the Mwandri Clan. To avenge his father's death, this man's son Nkunde took the high trail around the back of the mountain to seek help from his blood brother Kinabo in Mkuu in present-day Rombo. When he returned, he enlisted the assistance of Kyuu in Masama and murdered Lilio. Lilio belonged to the same clan as Kibosho's royal family, the Orio Clan. Mangi Sina, one of Kilimanjaro's titans, was there at the height of his extremely lengthy reign. People from Kibosho arrived on the day of Lilio's death, taking Lilio's son Maimbe back to Kibosho with his leading men.

Arrest and execution

In the first stage, it is unclear if Sinare's ascension to power in old Samake was the result of entirely internal conspiracies or of outside influence in the form of support from Machame, with whose royal house Sinare was married. The situation was evident in terms of the higher price that followed, the kingship of all Siha. Siha, a distant mountain region far from the big political centers of power, was sucked into the central whirlpool, a pawn in a large political game.

There were plausible reasons given for Ngalami's downfall: he was on bad terms with an Arab named Mohammed, who lived in Komboko and informed the German authorities against him; he rejected to allocate rice supplied during a famine, saying (as any Chagga then would) that his people would not eat worms; he had been lashed by a German officer for needing a clash with Nkunde of Wanri; it was reported to the Germans that he was conspiring with the Maasai to overthrown the Germans; a well-known charge that was lightly employed across Kilimanjaro as one of the most convenient and simple ways to get rid of a rival.

There, he and his accomplice, young Mangi Shangali of Machame, befriended Sinare and arranged for him to be Mangi of Siha. Sinare was a minor player in the broader scheme, and it's possible that he owed this sympathetic attention to the objectives of his friendship with Shangali.

Siha fell into disarray after Sinare's passing, and all unresolved succession disputes erupted once more. A faction in old Samake favoured the success of Jacobus, a young uncircumcised lad who was Sinare's son. A party sought Maanya's brother Tarawia, arguing that the Mmari clan had the right to rule as they had done before Sinare's ascension. Mangi Sianga of Kibosho backed Tarawia, while Mangi Ngulelo of Machame backed Jacobus.

Any Mmari clan candidate never had the opportunity to receive a fair hearing from the local official of the European administrative power, whether German or British, who made the final choice, whether in 1905 or later. This was the case when the mangi of Siha's succession was chosen in 1900, 1905, 1919, 1920, and 1927. He was chosen in the following way. The two candidates for the throne, Jacobus and Tarawia, were called to the boma, the German administrative centre in Moshi, together with their followers. There, a German commander overheard their disagreements and made a decision for them. Some of Mangi Ngulelo's warriors from Machame had been sent to speak up for Jacobus. The German officer had to rely on Hamisi Muro, a Machame man, in addition to the official interpreter in the Boma to translate the arguments of both sides from Kichagga into Swahili that he could understand.

Simeon, son of Nkunde of the Mwandri clan in Wanri was appointed as Mangi of Siha soon after, but British administrative officer F.C. Hallier compelled him to retire after a few months. Mangi Abdiel, the son of Shangali of Machame, desired exclusive access to Siha. As a result, Hallier accepted the case after hearing from his father and ex-mangi Jacob that they both backed the boy. Siha and Machame were both under Abdiel's control. through a family member of the Machame clan named Gideon son of Nassua, indirectly governing Siha. Gideon's leadership over Siha was ruthless, productive, and continuous from 1927 until 1945. His son John ruled as mangi from 1945 onwards.

At the newly established divisional council of Hai, the Siha people elected Simeon Kitika of the Mmari clan to represent them; Mangi Abdiel rejected their selection as inappropriate and chose Jacob in its place. Until his death in 1962, he was in power.