Slavery and Indo-Arab Relations
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THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL 'January, 1959 Slavery and Indo-Arab Relations In 19th Century Zanzibar David Pocock This is the second in a series, the first of which "Indians in East Africa".- up pea red in the Special Number of July, 1958. Early commercial links between Arabs and Indians, bused on their mutual interest in the slave trade, were severed when the British hampered this trade and encouraged Indians to invest elsewhere. Later, prosperous and successful in commerce, the Indians were hated not only by the Arabs, but also by the British. IN trying to note some of the his to the following six categories: The Indian traders who were al torical factors which continue to Hindu; Brahmin: Kshatrya; Vaish- ready established in the 'Persian play a role in modern East African ya; Sanatan Dharamist; Arya Gulf moved south with Seyyid Said. multi-racial society, I turn now to Samajist! Bartle Frere writing in 1875 of this the 19th century not merely because early period says: 'Trade was every material is available but also be Seyyid Said in Zanzibar where fostered, and wherever the cause it seems to me that the roots Seyyid's red Hag was hoisted the The modern period of East Afri of much modern suspicion, anta Indian traders of four or five prin ca's trade begins with the accession gonism, and ignorance lie there. cipal castes (who had been) driven of Seyyid Said to the Imamate of away by Portuguese exactions, would The material for a history of Muscat in 1806. Seyyid Said, in flock back.' The ships of the Imam Indian settlement in East Africa is order to establish himself in an (or Sultan) navigated the Red Sea, relatively rich for the 19th century otherwise insecure position, made the coasts of Sind. Gujerat, Malabar, when we compare it with that forth treaties with the British and sup and Bombay, Arab ships sailed coming for the 18th and 20th cen ported them in their expeditions annually to Malabar for rice and turies. The 19th century was cer against the pirates of the Persian timber and brought back annually tainly the period of expansion and Gulf in 1810 and again in 1819. The two or three hundred small girls consolidation of family links, but in effect of this, apart from securing from the Malabar toast, Cutch and addition British officers in the Per to himself a powerful ally, was to Bombay. From Africa they brought sian Gulf and on the East African render conditions in the Persian annually 1,500 to 2,500 African coast were much more acquainted Gulf more favourable for trade than slaves. We are told at this time of with Indians and with Indian they had been for a century. affairs than they were to be later. the Hindu merchants, of their thrift Zanzibar together with the other In 1826 Seyyid Said asserted his and influence. They were brokers territories lay under the jurisdiction overlordship of the Arabs on the to most of the Arab merchants and of the Bombay Government and, as coast of East Africa who had, fol Seyyid Said found it greatly to his I have shown in my previous article, lowing the lead of the Arabs of interest and the benefit of his reve the British Consuls in Zanzibar Mombassa, revolted from him. nues, to give them every encourage were drawn for the most part from After ten years of fighting he fin ment. Large quantities of ghee and the Indian Civil Service. As a ally subdued Mombassa but live cloth came in from Cutch, rice and, mark of this change the sociologist years earlier had felt himself suffi- in the words of another authority, concerned with Indian matters can ciently secure to remove the centre 'immense quantities of timber, pep not but note with a mixture of of his government from Oman to per, cardamoms, and Mysore coffee sorrow and amusement the differ Zanzibar where he continued to via the Malabar coast/ To give ence between the quality of census live for the rest of his life. some idea of the trade, he tells us that 'the Banian (Hindu trader) information as between the 19th and The movement to Zanzibar was who farmed the customs from the 20th centuries, as between India the move of a trader and Seyyid Sultan in 1827 paid 188,000 German and Africa. Whatever now may be Said put into immediate action his crowns for the privilege/ advanced against the old censuses plans for exploiting the fertility of in India, nobody who studies their an island which he had noted seve In Sheik Mansur's history of evolution can deny that finally they ral years before he felt in a posi Seyyid we are told that the Hindu became masterpieces of social docu tion to take advantage of it. A religion was tolerated by the Imam mentation. It might have been ex British naval captain writing in the who allowed the Hindus to have a pected that the accumulated experi year 1827 tells us that the Imam temple, to keep and protect a cer ence of census making would pro had built up 'a respectable naval tain number of cows, to burn their fitably have been applied to Africa force which is, with the island of dead and in general to enjoy the and thus facilitated the task of Zanzibar, his principal care and practice of their religion The government. But Indian readers study.' He had schemes for sugar, Hindus are described as monopo will share my possibly prejudiced coffee, and indigo plantations and lizing the pearl trade and as con surprise when they hear that the the big clove industry of modern stituting the body of the principal Hindu population of modern East Zanzibar owes its inception to his merchants of Muscat. We might Africa is requested to sort itself in foresight. emphasize that these Hindus were 165 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL January, 1959 166 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY ANNUAL January, 1959 unusually fortunate in finding so not only on the island of Zanzibar and transporting them in ves enlightened a protector as Seyyid but also along the coast wherever sels, is plunder and piracy, and Said. A naval officer, Alexander the Sultan's dominion extended. the friendly Arabs shall do nothing Burnes, has left a record of the A considerable sum of money was of this nature.' Later in 1839 difficulties and sufferings of Hindu paid in return for this 'gift' by the British vessels were given a right traders from Cutch trading on the Shivji family who inherited and to search suspected ships and it Somali coast. In 1834 he found maintained it until the I880's. The was well known that African slaves that they were not allowed by the transaction was usually a secret were finding a ready market in Somalis to wear a turban, they one and apparently made in the Diu, Mandvi and in various Sindhi were forced to pay protection mo form of a contract for a limited ports. The Majority of the slaves ney, they were not allowed to burn number of years. were African but to a certain ex their dead nor to bury them in the tent Indian boys and girls were Muslim manner but pay to have The Slave Trade exported to the Persian Gulf by them buried in an upright position. As we have seen large numbers way of part return, or slaves were imported into Zan They were forced to live on flesh No one, I suppose, expected that zibar both for work there and for like the Somalis and to drink these treaties with the friendly water brought in the skins of freshly transhipment to the Persian Gulf. Arabs would produce results over slaughtered goat a. The traveller Burton expressed his night. In 1841 the Government of shock much later in the century to Bombay, whose authority extended 'Banians' find that Indians were engaged in over the whole area, ordered strict It seems very likely that the this trade, but it would have been investigations into the charge that 'Banians' who enjoyed Seyyid Said's much more surprising if they had African slaves were being traded protection and confidence were not been. Their particular relation for Hindu women who were later predominantly members of the with the British authorities (who to be sold in Zanzibar. The British Bhattia caste, originally a fishing naturally had no powers over Resident replied that 'there was and maritime caste of Cutch. Their Arabs until 1800) was to be an too much reason to believe that descendants in Zanzibar today Important means of slowly bring the reports (were) not without preserve a story of their ancestors ing this trade to an end. foundation'. excellent relations with the Sultan We ought, initially, to distinguish and with his .successors. The lead between what we can call ancient In 1842 the British Consul in ing family of thus caste appear to and modern slavery. In the ancient Zanzibar. Atkins Hamerton, report be the descendants of a man called world slavery went on for centuries ed to the Bombay Government that Topan, who, although he never but it was for the most part sla 'the number of slaves imported sailed abroad, had a small fleet of very lor the domestic market and into Zanzibar.. .and for whom trading ships and was engaged in the slave, once he had entered a duty has regularly been paid ave petty coastal trade. His two sons, househo'd. had a definite position rages for the last four years about Shivji and Champsi, together with in that household and in the socie fifteen thousand yearly.