■ :■ viJ.; ;■ Microfilmed by'Unjv;-. of Wis, Dep^tment of Photofiraphy ' 74-18,963,i ■ f. WAIJI, Shirjn Remtulia, 1942- ;' . ■ ■ i A HISTORY OP THE ISMAILI COMMUNITY IN TANZANIA y i i ■ ■; ■ s; ■ f*. The-UniversityXof Wisconsin, Ph.D., 197^ ■ ■ Historyi general . ' ■1 1 f.' If: !. If-: . '•'i li. ' f- University Microfilms,• Anil Arbor, Michigan- a,. i r. (c) • Shirin. Remtulla Halji, 1974 \ I: All Rights Reserved; (This title card prepared by The University of Wisconsin) , it' PLEASE NOTE: - The negative microfilm copy of this dissertation was prepared and ihspected by the -. * school granting the degree, ^es-are using this 1... > ■ film without further inspection or change. If there are any questions about the'film eontent,- I please write directly to. the school. } ■ . <- UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS • ■A ^1- I ' 4 v-v j . • ■ t V- V .?• 1w '' > V •5. ■?■ A HISTORY OF. THfi ISMAlSl COMMUNITY IN TANZANIA •; - \ . - A thesis submitted to the Graduate .School of the \ • University of Wisconsin in partial fulfillment.of *C. i ■the requirements.for the degree Doctor of Philosophy/ i' “S'. BY >•; I r >s Shirin ’Rp.mtnlla . ■ f ■■ 'May r Degree to be awafSed:. Janua^of 19 ■ 74 August 19;^ c .'.V 0 :APPROVED by Thesis. Reading, Committee: « ?■ ' } ___March 20^ 1Q74 -p o Date of Examination Major Professor • - /■. r. ■■ i /■ i lz‘. h . <s»- . 4. Dean, Graduate; School'^ ■> ii'- ♦s A' i e t 1 i c A HISTORY OFS THE ISMAILI. COMMUNITY IN TANZANIA BY< SHIRIN REMTUlIlA. WALJI V- i 1 i. 'i A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of-the' . >r requirements for the degree of ' DOCTOR OE PHILOSOPHY (History)' at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, M^ISON i 1974 r .V <0 r i A HISTORY Ot the' ISMAILI. COMMUNITY IN TANZANIA BY< SHIRIN REMTULEa WALJI > I 1. J, ••r. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of ' ' DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (History) at theo. 5 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON 'K ■* 1974 ■o >• • ■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ' ' ■ ■ . ■ , ' - -O' A study of this kind could never have been undertaken, .and completed^Without the cooperation of the'members of the Ismaili hbiiimunity in Tanzania.- To those members who shared not., only their personal experiences, but contributed family, documents^ I owe particular-gratitude. Among the many indi- , viduals in.this group are the' following: Messrs. Allibhai . Bhatia -of .Dar es. Salaam, Mirza Bandali Merali of Morogoro, ■ Yusuf Alli'dina of Kimamba, .and, A. M. Sadruddin of-Nairobi, .. Kenya ■ Professor Isaria Kimambo, in his capacity as chairman of the 'Department of History'at the University^.of bar es Salaamj encouraged my early research by graciously granting time off from my normal teaching dutieT.Professor John ; .liiffe,'of the same university, helped me to clarify and verbalize several of'the ideas during the early stages of ■ my research.' o- The Tanzanian National Archives at Dar es Salaam was a rich source of information, to which the acting director • and his staff gave me. access• .. Mr, Amirali Rashid-of Nairobi, Kenya, put at my service his wide and-knowledgeable experience- of East African Ismaili history.in- his critical assessment of-the first draft of this ■: •ii' 1 dissertation., I appreciate greatly both the time he expended- ’* arid the interest .he showed. ‘ nc-. Much of the wor*k I have been'able. to .do, tlj,us'far has.'- been through the gerierous financial -assistance .offered me .by. ' . ' . • ' -•—- • ‘ . • -the Rockefeller Foundation. .Their appreciation'of th’e".;valua.., •. of research on the Ismaili cpmmuni.ty of, Tanzania has made.-;-' this w-ork possible. I. am especially grateful to' Professor Steven. Fe'ierman . 4 . - of the History'Department 5 University of Wi,sconsin/^^ super­ vised, the preparation of .-this dissertation . He added’" to'His . role'as adviser the special qualities, of patience, and enco'iir- agement-which greatly ,eas'ed' many difficult'moments, during.-the-' final stages of this work.. ' " . - ■ ■ I should, also like to, thank Professors Bert Adams of X, '. ; "th'e ";_Departmerit- -of-.Sociology ,-and. Robert .-Frykenberg of ’. the ’’Pe- partraejjt of History at'the Uniyersity of Wisconsin, Madison; ' for. their eritical appraisal of the final draft. ■ • . To mariy friends, wha-'.contributed yery gerierously their' * ■time and ideas .in the preparation of this workj^^’I extend,my ' sinceS^ ti^nks. - Iri particular, mention must be .made of Barbara Lijitner and Carolyn Baylies, who encouraged me, ' , listened, to, or read the-various chapters as they Were ip ^ all stages of development... Professor Jajii.,V‘ansina, my' mentor, constant guide', patieri’t arid sympathetic teacher; inspired me from-my-undef- graduate days a-l: the University of WisGonsin,' Madisdri, by his;>■ • V •- iii ' . f •- t ■* i own enthusiastic exploration and research.■ Without his con­ cern and'firm insistence, upon diligent^ careful study, my courage would have flagged, and this dissertatioij would as yet be unfinished. To ray parents must go that special'gratituSe' reserved -4 for thos,e who have encouraged, prodded, and loved me through every venture, and, upon whose interest I can ever depend. •—::--i_,_AhQy„e__all.,..-my greatest debt of gratitude is to His ’ Highness Shah Karim al-Husseini Aga'Khan IV, not only for ”, , Cgrantipig permission to write on the history of the. Ismaili ;■ community in Tanzania, but also for his pepspnal guidance and continued interest in my education over the years. Words of acknowledgment, however sincere, cannot adequately express • the'depth of my gratitude. V'- > 5. f. iv /.■.. / I 4^ . /• . > Ji "> \ f TABLE-OF CONTENTS;■ r i J. ' Page \ ■ ACKNOWLEDGMENT'S ' ii V / Chapter I, INTRODUCTION . ... ■ 1 ; / ; •;Appendix I '. “. ..' •• 15 '16 , Appendix II. ■. ■ . f. -' II. conditions' of migration. V 19 ■III. EARLY SETTLEMENT'ON TfiE-COAST . 41 'IV. CONSTITUTIONS, HIERARCHifes, AND FORCES OF - . ■ SOCIAL COHESION- IN ISMAILI SO.dETY, . 1900 THROUGH THE 19 5.0s ... ,. 86 I • '■ ’ Appendix I 121 •i. •V. 'a PERIOD' OF TRANSITION: THf ISMAILIS' - T3ERMN “ESST.-:A7RICA:•v. • ."-122 VI.. ' ECONOMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT •'A, - . DURING THE INTERWAR PERIOD . '. 146^" Vil.' 'CHANGE AND CONTINUITY .IN ISMAILI SO.CIETY . : , UP TO .19,60 208 VIIICONCLl/SION 237 BIBLIOGRAPHY’. 243 ! ■> ..5/-., •V. j’ Jf. •• •■: V V . • •« V . r •, i i - /• 1 . tv- - ■J •• CHAP'TER I INTRODUCTION ' ' - - The following is a study of the. _^argest'single ' Indian . group in-Tanzania,^" the Khoja Ismailis-.-- it■Covers roughly. the period of the Imamat. of the late Aga Khan III (lass-igs?), beginning with Ismaili migration from India in' the nineteenth •: ^'century, and ending with the close of the Colpnial Period in 1960 . The purpose of the .study is to set down in a syste- " ■ . matic manner the hitherto unrecorded history.of the establish­ ment and development of the Ismaili community in Tanzania'. , -' - ■ The study, examines the community as part of two • societies: _ a national one of political and geographical limits ; and a religious one which is not .limited by g'eography and''politics. Giver^ these two frames of reference, the study will deal with the ismaili community as it develops internally ® within the' geographically defined area of Tanzania. It will ' V looR at,the contours of the community--at the innet structure which,'emerges , grows.,, 'and.'changes ..over ■ time ; at the stratifi­ cation which .exists- within the society as well as the bases of such, s-tratificatipn; at' the patterns of cleavage and the conflict underlying, them; and at the mechanisms which the . - ^ ........ ■ 1- ■ ..community has’devised to hold itself together apd perpetuate itself. 2; .At the same time, 'the.',Ismaili community has been de- ■ ' '’'fined-by" Its economic position within'colonial and inter- . national economies. ' 'Further, it has been raodifiecJ and/pr ■ supported by .a religious... ideolbgy^ which has given the com­ munity a loyalty.and a perspective transcending any national context...The. stud.y. will also' consider these formative influ- ences on the community.However,' Ismaili. socie.'ty cannot: be understood, as,merely, adapting to existing -constraints, and' conditioning factors,.It must also be seen as reacting t.o the environment which helped to Create it initially. Thus, we will, also look.at the way in which the position of the Ismailis in th-e overall national economy be^mes part of a new economic reality against which'others’ react, particularly .when 'they perceive the Ismaili community as closed and, .in some: sense, self-contained.- With the exception of Chapter IV, which deals with ’ some of the basic institutions■of Ismaili society as envisioned in the cbnstitutio'n §nd-its several revisions, the material is arranged ’chronologically’. Chapter II outlines the various factors which, as the Ismaili community understands them, pro- h.. V' vided impetus for migration to East Africa.in the'nineteenth ■. ’ , and.early twentieth centuries.. -Chapter,ill'discusses the is- , mail! community .in its first phase of settlement,- that is, to • the creation of the .Constitution' in 19'05'. It Considers the . development- of the typical economic -pattern in which the ■ Ismaili trader became middleman,between the African producer' 3 and the world market 5,the interaction between temporal affairs and religious pririeiple which brought the'first great conflict; and the formation of the .first-.'Ismaili constitutibn.- Chapters V, VI, and VII cover the periods of■colonial government,‘first under Germany and, then British,'rule.