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(Nyasaland Protectorate). Record of Principal Chiefs and Headmen, Nyasaland. Zomba, Nyasaland : Printed by the Government Printer, n.d. [1911]. Pp (80) interleaved with blank leaves on lighter paper for annotations. 8vo, maroon half cloth, black cloth boards, blindstamped lettering to front board. A list of Chiefs and Headmen, listed by district : Lower Shire District; Ruo District; West Shire District; Blantyre District; Mlanje District; Zomba District; Chikala District; South Nyasa District; Upper Shire District (Ncheu Division); Dedza District; Lilongwe District; Marimba District; West Nyasa District; Mombera District; North Nyasa District; Deep Bay. Sample entries : [Mlanje District] - "Mlasa. Chimwavi; Yao; Headman, old with a large following; In 1907 was in disgrace for resisting vaccination." [Ncheu Division] - "Njovualema. Tribe Ngoni. Father Makwea, a slave of Chikusi. He married Manga, a daughter of the Chieftainess Mlangeni. His territory comprises the district known as Kambironjo. He was responsible for an extensive mwabvi-drinking orgie in 1905, which resulted in a number of deaths. He was fined £5 by order of the Governor (Sir A. Sharpe). He indulges to excess in native beer and is consequently possessed of little intelligence. His behaviour during the past two years has been more satisfactory. The Marist Fathers Mission at Nzama is situated closed [sic] to this village." [Marimba District] - "Before the arrival of Arabs, Yaos, Angoni or other invaders, the indigenous population of Marimba district were the Achewa and Achipeta tribes. They recognized Karonga alias Kulimakwadzuz who then lived near the site of the present Fort Johnston as their paramount Chief and the owner of the soil. Karonga appointed various Chiefs to represent him, greatest of these was Ranyenda who now lives in the West Nyasa District,.". [West Nyasa District] "Mkumbira. Tribe Atonga; about 60 years; most important headsman at Nkata, succeeded his brother 10 years ago; is responsible for most of the steamer fuel cutting." AN EXTREMELY RARE BOOK : According to Tony Woods in "Capitaos and Chiefs : Oral Tradition and Colonial Society in Malawi", Int. Jour. Of African Hist. Studies, 23:2, 1990, pp 259-268 - "One of the results of this effort was the production of a list of "traditional" authorities by the colonial administration, Record of Principal Chiefs and Headmen, Nyasaland (Zomba, 1911). To the best of my knowledge, the only extant copy of this work is located in the Society of Malawi's Library in Limbe." (footnote, p. 266). Not in Brown, Fisher, and Webster, A Bibliography of Malawi (1965). Wear to spine and edges, black cloth to boards damaged (silverfish?), binding shaky, inner hinges cracked, spotting to fore-edge, penned note "Compiled in 1907" to title page and penned notes to obverse, a few penned notes or markings to blank annotation leaves, one blank page torn out and another loose, inkstamped "High Court, Blantyre." in rectangular border to front free endpaper, else a good copy of a rare book. As is. 2,800.00. Seller Inventory # 90591
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Bibliographic Details
Title: Record of Principal Chiefs and Headmen, ...
Publisher: Government Printer / Nyasaland Protectorate, Zomba, Nyasaland, 1911,
Binding: Hardcover
