Haya (ethnic group)
Encyclopedia
The Haya are an ethnic and linguistic group based in the Bukoba
, Muleba
and Karagwe
Districts of Kagera Region
in northwestern Tanzania
. In 1991 the Haya population was estimated to number 1,200,000.http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=hay They speak the Haya language
.
of north western Tanzania during the time of the Bantu expansion
. They are believed to be some of the earliest inhabitants in the area to practice metal work which allowed them to create various new forms of pottery.
They were organized into small groups which were loosely affiliated with one another and organized in a system similar to feudalism
with commoners and nobles as the main participants Haya (ethnic group)#References . With the arrival of the European
s and christianity
the region became famous for yielding the first African Roman Catholic Cardinal the late Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa also they valued formal education early compared to other tribes Haya (ethnic group)#References.
In 1978, the ancestral region to which the Haya belong was subject to an attempted annexation by the former Ugandan president Idi Amin Dada whose invasion of the Kagera region eventually lead to the toppling of his government by the Army of Tanzania.
This discovery was made accidentally while Schmidt was learning about the history of the Haya via their oral tradition. He was led to a tree which was said to rest on the spot of an ancestral furnace used to forge steel
. A group of elders were later tasked with the challenge of recreating the forges.
At this time they were the only ones to remember the practice, which had fallen into disuse due in part to the abundance of steel flowing into the country from foreign sources. In spite of the lack of practice the elders were able to create a furnace
using mud and grass which when burnt provided the carbon needed to transform the iron into steel. Later investigation of the land yielded 13 other furnaces similar in design to the recreation set up by the elders. This process is very similar to open hearth furnace
steelmaking.
These furnaces were carbon dated and were found to be as old as 2000 years, whereas steel of this caliber did not appear in Europe
until several centuries later.
Bukoba
Bukoba is a town in northwest Tanzania on the western shore of Lake Victoria. It is the capital of the Kagera region. Population estimate: 100,000...
, Muleba
Muleba
Muleba is one of the six districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Bukoba Urban and Bukoba Rural Districts, to the south by the Biharamulo District, to the east by Lake Victoria and to the west by the Ngara and Karagwe Districts.According to the 2002 Tanzania...
and Karagwe
Karagwe
Karagwe is one of the 6 districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by Uganda, to the East by the Bukoba Rural District, to the Southeast by the Muleba District, to the South by the Ngara District and to the West by Rwanda, which is divided by the River Kagera.According...
Districts of Kagera Region
Kagera Region
Kagera Region is located in the northwestern corner of Tanzania. Bukoba, Kagera Region's capital, is a fast growing town situated on the shore of Lake Victoria. Bukoba lies only 1 degree south of the Equator and is Tanzania's second largest port on the lake. The region neighbors Uganda, Rwanda and...
in northwestern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. In 1991 the Haya population was estimated to number 1,200,000.http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=hay They speak the Haya language
Haya language
Haya is a Niger–Congo language spoken by the Haya people of Tanzania, in the south and southwest coast of Lake Victoria. In 1991, the population of Haya speakers was estimated at 1,200,000 people .-References:...
.
Haya History
The Haya are said to have settled in the Kagera RegionKagera Region
Kagera Region is located in the northwestern corner of Tanzania. Bukoba, Kagera Region's capital, is a fast growing town situated on the shore of Lake Victoria. Bukoba lies only 1 degree south of the Equator and is Tanzania's second largest port on the lake. The region neighbors Uganda, Rwanda and...
of north western Tanzania during the time of the Bantu expansion
Bantu expansion
The Bantu expansion or the Bantu Migration was a millennia-long series of migrations of speakers of the original proto-Bantu language group...
. They are believed to be some of the earliest inhabitants in the area to practice metal work which allowed them to create various new forms of pottery.
They were organized into small groups which were loosely affiliated with one another and organized in a system similar to feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
with commoners and nobles as the main participants Haya (ethnic group)#References . With the arrival of the European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s and christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
the region became famous for yielding the first African Roman Catholic Cardinal the late Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa also they valued formal education early compared to other tribes Haya (ethnic group)#References.
In 1978, the ancestral region to which the Haya belong was subject to an attempted annexation by the former Ugandan president Idi Amin Dada whose invasion of the Kagera region eventually lead to the toppling of his government by the Army of Tanzania.
Archeological discoveries
The Haya people of Tanzania have been linked to one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time: the advent of steel. Anthropologist Peter Schmidt discovered through the communication of oral tradition that the Haya had been forging steel for around 2000 years.This discovery was made accidentally while Schmidt was learning about the history of the Haya via their oral tradition. He was led to a tree which was said to rest on the spot of an ancestral furnace used to forge steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
. A group of elders were later tasked with the challenge of recreating the forges.
At this time they were the only ones to remember the practice, which had fallen into disuse due in part to the abundance of steel flowing into the country from foreign sources. In spite of the lack of practice the elders were able to create a furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
using mud and grass which when burnt provided the carbon needed to transform the iron into steel. Later investigation of the land yielded 13 other furnaces similar in design to the recreation set up by the elders. This process is very similar to open hearth furnace
Open hearth furnace
Open hearth furnaces are one of a number of kinds of furnace where excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of the pig iron to produce steel. Since steel is difficult to manufacture due to its high melting point, normal fuels and furnaces were insufficient and the open hearth furnace was...
steelmaking.
These furnaces were carbon dated and were found to be as old as 2000 years, whereas steel of this caliber did not appear in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
until several centuries later.