Bajuni Islands
Encyclopedia
The Bajuni Islands, Bajun Islands, or Baajun Islands are an archipelago
in the Indian Ocean
, on the southern coast of Somalia
, from Kismayu
to Ras Kiyamboni (not to be confused with Ras Kamboni
). They lie at the northern end of a string of reef
s that continues south to Zanzibar
and Pemba.
Administratively, the islands are within the Jubbada Hoose
region of Somalia.
There are six main islands: Chandra, Chovaye (also spelled Tovai; 0.8720°N 42.1593°W), Chula (also spelled Tula; 1.0052°N 42.0364°W), Koyama (also spelled Kwayama; 0.6441°N 42.3331°W), Darakasi and Ngumi. Chula with the village of Ndowa is the only island with a significant population.
The biggest island of the archipelago is Coiama or Koyama with two separate villages mainly Koyama and Koyamani. Koyama is rich in historic ruins and monuments like pillar tomb
s.
All Bajuni inhabitants of Koyama island belong to Nowfali (bajuni subclan).
Other islands of minor importance are: Kandha Iwu, Fuma, Ilisi and the island of Kisimayu (actual Kisimayu harbor) attached to the coast in 1961 during the construction of Kismayu Port.
The islands, as well as all of the extreme southern part of today's Somalia were, part of British East Africa prior to World War I, and were transferred to Italy after the war. According to C. Wightwick Haywood, then a British official in Kismayu
, who visited the islands in 1913, the only inhabited islands in the chain were Tovai (i.e., Chovaye - the biggest island in the chain) and the nearby Tula (i.e. Chula). Each of these two islands were no more than 3 miles long and a mile across. Maize, millet, sweet potatoes and coconuts were grown.
The residents of the islands, whom Haywood thought to be of Arab and/or Persian descent, built dhow
s, which the British official considered "excellent sea boats".
On his 1913 trip, Haywood saw ruins of what he described as a "fair-sized town" on the Tovai (Chovaye) Island. He was impressed by stone carvings, and thought that the ruins had been left by people "of a superior culture" to the residents of his day. He mentioned that somewhat similar stone scrollwork could also be seen on houses in the Lamu Islands
, in what's today Kenya.
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, on the southern coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, from Kismayu
Kismayu
Kismayo or Kismayu is a port city in the Jubbada Hoose province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region....
to Ras Kiyamboni (not to be confused with Ras Kamboni
Ras Kamboni
Ras Kamboni is a town in the Badhaadhe district of Lower Juba region, Somalia, which lies on a peninsula near the border with Kenya. American officials have said that it has served as a training camp for extremists with connections to Al-Qaeda; al-Sharq al-Awsat reported in May 1999 that al-Qaeda...
). They lie at the northern end of a string of reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s that continues south to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
and Pemba.
Administratively, the islands are within the Jubbada Hoose
Jubbada Hoose
Lower Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the Jubaland autonomous region.Lower Juba is bordered by Kenya, the Somalian regions of Gedo, Middle Juba, and the Indian Ocean...
region of Somalia.
There are six main islands: Chandra, Chovaye (also spelled Tovai; 0.8720°N 42.1593°W), Chula (also spelled Tula; 1.0052°N 42.0364°W), Koyama (also spelled Kwayama; 0.6441°N 42.3331°W), Darakasi and Ngumi. Chula with the village of Ndowa is the only island with a significant population.
The biggest island of the archipelago is Coiama or Koyama with two separate villages mainly Koyama and Koyamani. Koyama is rich in historic ruins and monuments like pillar tomb
Pillar tomb
A pillar tomb is a monumental grave the central feature of which is a single, prominent pillar or column, often made of stone.A number of world cultures incorporated pillars into tomb structures, notably the ancient Greek colony of Lycia in Anatolia and the medieval Muslim Swahili culture of the...
s.
All Bajuni inhabitants of Koyama island belong to Nowfali (bajuni subclan).
Other islands of minor importance are: Kandha Iwu, Fuma, Ilisi and the island of Kisimayu (actual Kisimayu harbor) attached to the coast in 1961 during the construction of Kismayu Port.
The islands, as well as all of the extreme southern part of today's Somalia were, part of British East Africa prior to World War I, and were transferred to Italy after the war. According to C. Wightwick Haywood, then a British official in Kismayu
Kismayu
Kismayo or Kismayu is a port city in the Jubbada Hoose province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region....
, who visited the islands in 1913, the only inhabited islands in the chain were Tovai (i.e., Chovaye - the biggest island in the chain) and the nearby Tula (i.e. Chula). Each of these two islands were no more than 3 miles long and a mile across. Maize, millet, sweet potatoes and coconuts were grown.
The residents of the islands, whom Haywood thought to be of Arab and/or Persian descent, built dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
s, which the British official considered "excellent sea boats".
On his 1913 trip, Haywood saw ruins of what he described as a "fair-sized town" on the Tovai (Chovaye) Island. He was impressed by stone carvings, and thought that the ruins had been left by people "of a superior culture" to the residents of his day. He mentioned that somewhat similar stone scrollwork could also be seen on houses in the Lamu Islands
Lamu Islands
The Lamu Archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya, to which it belongs. The islands lie between the towns of Lame and Kiunga, close to the border with Somalia, and is a part of Lamu District....
, in what's today Kenya.