À partir de Xᵉ siècle
East African coast north of the Lamu archipelago
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Bajuni were a maritime people living on the mainland opposite the Lamu archipelago and extending northward toward Somali-inhabited regions. They maintained allegiance to their own chiefs and pursued an economy based on fishing, mangrove-pole cutting, shell and ambergris collection, and cattle trade. They later participated in the coastal slave trade by shipping enslaved people to Benadir ports.
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Le récit
The Bajuni inhabited the mainland opposite the Lamu archipelago, extending northward toward regions settled by Somali communities. Their political allegiance remained attached to their own chiefs, and Zanzibari control was never strongly felt in the area described. This local autonomy distinguished the Bajuni coast from zones where Omani authority became more directly established.
The Bajuni economy was predominantly maritime. Fishing, cutting mangrove poles, collecting and selling cowrie shells, tortoise shells, and ambergris, and trading cattle with neighboring Somali and Oromo communities all contributed to their livelihood. These activities connected the Bajuni to both coastal commerce and inland exchange networks.
As the slave trade later expanded along the coast, the Bajuni participated by transporting enslaved people to neighboring Benadir ports. Their involvement therefore combined local maritime economic practices with participation in a wider commercial system. The passage presents this trade as a later development rather than the sole basis of Bajuni society.
À partir de Xᵉ siècle
East African coast north of the Lamu archipelago
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Bajuni were a maritime people living on the mainland opposite the Lamu archipelago and extending northward toward Somali-inhabited regions. They maintained allegiance to their own chiefs and pursued an economy based on fishing, mangrove-pole cutting, shell and ambergris collection, and cattle trade. They later participated in the coastal slave trade by shipping enslaved people to Benadir ports.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Bajuni inhabited the mainland opposite the Lamu archipelago, extending northward toward regions settled by Somali communities. Their political allegiance remained attached to their own chiefs, and Zanzibari control was never strongly felt in the area described. This local autonomy distinguished the Bajuni coast from zones where Omani authority became more directly established.
The Bajuni economy was predominantly maritime. Fishing, cutting mangrove poles, collecting and selling cowrie shells, tortoise shells, and ambergris, and trading cattle with neighboring Somali and Oromo communities all contributed to their livelihood. These activities connected the Bajuni to both coastal commerce and inland exchange networks.
As the slave trade later expanded along the coast, the Bajuni participated by transporting enslaved people to neighboring Benadir ports. Their involvement therefore combined local maritime economic practices with participation in a wider commercial system. The passage presents this trade as a later development rather than the sole basis of Bajuni society.