In the last chapter a summary account was given of the history of Unyamwezi up to and including the period of German administration. I want now to give an outline of the wider setting within which the Nyamwezi chiefdoms function as political units. I first consider the position of the chiefdoms under British rule and I then discuss those relationships between chiefdoms which are not a direct result of Government policy.

THE CHIEFDOMS AND BRITISH RULE

The British officially took over the administration of Unyamwezi in 1919, three years after the expulsion of the Germans from Tabora in the First World War. The war had been fought on Nyamwezi soil, causing great disruption in the area, and the situation had been further aggravated by the influenza epidemic of 1918. An ad hoc system of administration was established, but, as in the rest of Tanganyika, it was soon found that considerable reorganization was necessary.

Shortage of funds and manpower made it impossible to administer Tanganyika directly. In 1923 a Native Authorities Ordinance was passed giving limited recognition to local chiefs and allowing them to settle petty cases in their courts. In 1926, under the governorship of Cameron, a new and more extensive ordinance was passed which formally introduced the famous policy of ‘Indirect Rule’ to the Territory. This ordinance embodied three main measures. First, local chiefs were recognized throughout the Territory and they were given the power to enact local by-laws.