"Sunday, August 30, 1908 In the morning, finished making cartridges with Schraduo whisky. – Wrote letters. – A kikoi came into my possession, i.e., a Swahili loincloth made of white cotton fabric with a colorfully woven border. The colors of the border are: yellow, red, and black. Carmine red, green, and others also appear. See Stuhlmann, Plandei [?] on East African cotton [p. 60] Der Pflanzer III, p. 225. I bought the piece in the Indian duka (shop). Two kikois are always hung together; one piece costs 1½ rupees. I also found at Almeida & Mineza's a skirt like the one formerly worn by jumbe and akida, but now completely out of fashion and resembling a hussar's uniform. It is of Arab origin and quite poorly made. The piece costs 1 rupee 50. It is made by Swahili tailors from European fabrics. [Drawing with label] Kisibao = Swahili vest, is produced in various colors. / – Today a large caravan arrived here, including Dr. Junghaus with his wife and Paul Rohrbach, a private lecturer in colonial affairs." [translation]

1,5 Rupien

source: Museum der Kulturen Basel, VI 56197, 52 (60)
author: Karl Braun

"98. Kisibau [?], boy's waistcoat without shirt, of Arabic origin, in various colours. / Amani 30 August 1908 = 1.50 / T.B. 52,60 / bought in the Indian shop. / Stuhlmann, F. Handicraft & Industry in East Arica. 1910. p.116. / [drawing]" [translation]

source: Museen Satde, r 2018 / 18566
author: Karl Braun

In 1934, the former director of the Biological Imperial Institute for Agriculture and Forestry (Biologische Reichsanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft) Karl Braun (1870–1935) gave the so-called “Kolonialsammlung Braun” (Colonial Collection Braun) to the Hanseatic City of Stade, or rather its representative, the then mayor Hans Arthur Meyer (1884–1961). See the file „Transfer of a colonial collection from the senior government councillor Professor Dr. Karl Braun in Stade to the City of Stade” („Überlassung einer Kolonialsammlung vom Oberregierungsrat Professor Dr. Karl Braun in Stade an die Stadt Stade") at the Lower Saxony State Archives Stade (Niedersächsischen Landesarchiv Standort Stade).

source: Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv Standort Stade, Dep. 10 Nr. 03025

In 1997, the then city archivist Jürgen Bohmbach concludes a permanent loan agreement with the Museum Society Stade (Museumsverein Stade e.V.), for which the then director Gerd Mettjes signs. Thereafter, the collection from Karl Braun is transferred to the care of the Museum Society Stade (Museumsverein Stade e.V.).

source: Museen Stade, Vereinbarung Leihgabe "Brauns'sche Kolonialsammlung"

I: Okay, I do have another photo with registration number 2018_18384, look and tell us what is it? R: This is just like a certain plant I: Look at it closely R: This is a cloth which has been tailored in a design of cholonile, but it has some decorative flowers I: Can you tell us how it being called? R: This is just a King clothes, this is a type of ‘Kizibao’ I: A type of Kizibao? R: Eeeeh! I: Okay, could you be able to tell us this kind o Kizibao was being worn by the people of which tradition? R: This are the Chiefs clothes I: Eeeeh! R: These are the clothes of people in power like Chief I: The chief? R: Eeeeh! I: It was them who used these clothes? R: Eeeeh! I: The Chief of which communities? R: The Waumbe of the Kilindi and the White Kings have been using these kinds of clothes in the recent years, these dresses were being used by big people in the families, not a small one I: To put on that kind of clothes. R: Eeeeh! I: When you talk about the Kilindi to who are you refering to? R: If that system could have been existed, I could have a luck of being a Zumbe now, because it is my orinig hahahah! I: Hahahah! The ruler? R: Eeeeh! I: So, it was the kind of clothes which was being worn by people who had power? R: Eeeeh! The people of high class I: High class? R: In the community eeeh I: Where do these kinds of clothes from? R: These kinds of clothes were brought from Europen countries I: Like which countries, can you mentione them? R: For us they were being brought by the Germans, and the british eeeh! The Holand, the German and the British, were the ones who occupied those positions in Africa I: How wasit being used, can you tell us? R: This was being worn in a special day when they meet with other to show the difference between him na others, even when he appears you could know he is here eeh I: Was there any difference in age between those who used this kind of clothes, or maybe gender, if it was a male of females? R: Good enough in Africa at that time most of the chiefs were males, so those kinds of clothes were being worn by the males, who were older a little bit, and it was used a symbol of their position in their administration I: From which age? R: It was fifty to sixty years and above I: Okay, do you think this kind of Kizibao will still being used in our current environment, it is totally lost it position in our communities? R: In this design it is no longer there but is still as respected dress eeh! Nowday it is no longer there but there are clothes which resembles to it I: Okay, do you think why it is no longer there? R: I can say it is just a matter of time or maybe I can that we have a tendency of ignoring things of the past, so there is no one who can put on this kind of cloth nowdays and seen in the community that he put on good cloth I: Mmmh! R: Yes, so the modernity has caused much loss of things like these I: For those who used to put on Kizibao like that, was there any other cloth or dress which was worn together with it? R: It was must to pun on a Kanzu and one nice Joho (cloak) and kilemba which was put on the head, it was nice I: On the shoulder? R: On the shoulder I: Was there a cap or something which was used togther with those dresses? R: There were caps, they were red in colour and a rope hanging eeeh! It was round we called it ‘Kitunga’ I: Kitunga? R: Eeeh! Hahahahah! I: Hahahah! So that kind of dress went together with Kitunga? R: It was Kitunga, one nice Kanzu and Kikoi (shawl) I: And Kikoi? R: Eeeeh! It was on here yeah I: Okay, as you said that modernity has caused people being reluctant to have the past lives, and don’t value it? R: It is globalization I: Mhh! R: Eeeeh! It is globalization and this thing you call new generation; it has caused some changes and leave it thinking that it is not suitable eeeh! I: Do these kinds of Kizibao still made today? R: No, they are being made in a different design but not in the style of Kings like this one I: This is a King style? R: Yean because they call it Choniline and it was being used with the other cloth, and there were some shirts with different colours, so this man here like that eeeh! You know this man hahahah I: So, many things were being brought from outside? R: Yes I: They were not being produced in some regions. R: No, because we even didn’t have some factories at that time, and even the kind of factories we had were still little to produce I: There were no factories? R: Although some materials were being produced here and taken there, then returned back I: Can you tell us the matrials which was used in making that dress? R: This one here? I: Eeeeh! R: I think it is some string but when I look at it closely, I can see something like ‘mgono’ eeh! It is mgono but is one of the hard cloths which was made by hard string eeeh! I: Okay R: I am not sure it of which tree or which crop but it something hard like a bark of tree I: Mhh! R: Yeah I: Were there any changes in some of the meterials which was used in making Kizibao and those which are being made nowdays? R: Eeeh! It is different I: What is the difference between that Kizibao and the current ones? R: The current Vizibao have no decorations like this one, as you can see this from here to here are cotton, it looks nice, it has been decorated like a shap of vector or an animal do you see this? I: Eeeeh! I: Maybe, Kizibao like that when brought in the current environment hwo much would it being sold? R: This one in the current environment it might have a very low price, because it has no name it might be sold at a very low price I: A very low price like how much? R: I most of cases it can be sold for thirthy thousand, or twenty-five thousand for now I: It has no name. R: But if it was in the past, it used to have high price I: How much would it have been sold in the past? R: In the past currency, I don’t remember in those years whe it was being produced, but they were using five cents, two cents and that was a lot of money at that time

source: Amani-Stade Project / Amani Field Research 2023, Interview No. 5
author: I: Mohamed Seif, R: Anonymous

I: Okay, now we move to another picture, I have a picture registered with the number 2018_18384, look at it, can you recognize what is that? R: These are clothings of the headmen, it is like the headmen we currently call them councilors or the ministers, but nowadays if you see these clothing’s they are for the honoured people… I: What was the name of such clothes at that time? R: At that time, they used to call it ‘vikoi’, I mean after wearing the kanzu you put on the ‘kikoi’, the kikoi was not worn by just a simple person, those who wore it were people who were famous like 'Jumbe Salimu, Jumbe Kika, Jumbe Joho. I: What community were the ‘Jumbe’? R: Mostly were the Kilindi, others were just ‘wadoe’, but the Kilindi were the ones finishing cases, if he tells you that you are going to be imprisoned, you will be imprisoned, hence they were the ones wearing those clothes, and if you saw Jumbe Joho visiting in your village, you prepare a goat and slaughter it meaning that there are things you are keeping them right. I: Where were they getting these clothes? R: Actually about these clothes there were the DC or PC, I mean there were people who were in the government sector, they knew if they come they will meet Joho and they will give them the cloth, though I don’t know where they got them, but it was either they bought it there and came with it, they brought it to a famous person in the village, you can see upto this moment there are headmen like ‘Jumbe Salimu’ and others like ‘Jumbe Mdoe’, the white people pushed us and that is why we don't have lands, so after he wore it they will say we are planting tea and we accepted, then we were paid some amount and left the farms... . I: Did they have the authority to their local people? R: Yes, especially if he is a kilindi, if he puts on this dress, it is not a secret if he tells you this woman is a ‘mamurugu’, he takes her, you can even ask Mr. Chei, he tells you she is a ‘mamurugu’ which means your wife is no longer yours, he takes her after he wore that dress, I: [Laughing] R: It is not a secret, that after he wore that dress know that he is honourable, and when he enters your house, you won’t direct look at him, and if he tells you that your wife is a ‘mamurugu’, for sure he will take her, that is why you'll find many communities this moment we have... I don't know what, even Mr. Chei knows about this dress and he knows what their fathers did, that is why at Mr. Chei’s home you will be surprised to see many women who were brought there but they were peoples wives, that's why you find there are many different communities, some are white and some are black, hence they were the Jumbe who wore these clothes. I: What period were they wearing those clothes? R: It was especially in the days when there were cases, celebrating days or a day when they go to perform a ritual or in a certain meeting but not for the village, in a meeting probably children wants to be circumcised or undergo initiation, so they put on this dress and they were seated on the royal chairs and made decisions and something like that, so I remember these clothes very well of Mr. Jumbe Joho, or if one of them was dead when inheriting he was putting on his kanzu and holding his walking stick, he was having his walking stick, a kanzu and the scarf, so when he came there he was carrying his gun… but not these modern guns, there were these muzzle loading guns, the home made guns, when he shot it automatically make you know he is inheriting the wife, he was ready to inherit even six wives when there fellows died, but nowadays people don’t like inheriting due to diseases, for sure it is not a secret, these clothes reminds me further that they were worn by the headsmen. I: At what age did the Jumbe start ruling, and was it a female or a male? R: He was mainly a male. I: From what age? R: When a person reaches 40 or 30 years, when he gets married it’s over, and marriage was not done like today, if you wanted to marry you were directed to go and marry Mohamedi’s daughter, it is not like this current time you meet in streets, you were directed at that home the father and mother are good mannered and it is the better group. I: Okay fine, are those such vikoi currently in use R: Oh! This time they will laugh at you. All: [Laughing] I: Why do you think they will laugh at you at this time when you put on the kikoi. R: Those are ancient things, you can even see our trousers now, even we old people are also trying to wear modern clothes, I don't know why it is like that but we go with time, in fact they were respectable clothes but people don't like them, they tell you that you are out of date, during that time when you wear that cloth, uh! even the women knew Jumbe is on his way and probably he can fall in love with me, and past people use to love white women, I don't know why, but when you married a white woman, mind you that she will be taken by Jumbe. All: [Laughing] R: This is not a secret, and that is why many kilindi people…. you should not marry a white wife the kilindi will obviously take her, the Jumbe who wear this cloth will take her, and I don't know why it was like that. I: How important was that dress to them? R: It was not that important but it was something to make you know this is a certain person, it is like the football players introducing he is from which team, if he visited in a village you must welcome him and well direct him, probably he is going to jumbe Salim or jumbe Kika or whoever, he would ask of a certain Jumbe and we directed him, and his walking was very slowly because of the clothing… All: [Laughing] I: Let me ask, the Jumbe is married at the age of 40 years old, but in that community, there are people with ages of 60s, 70s and 80s, if he wore that dress, does it mean even the older people were respecting him? R: They stood up, they must stand up, if you were not a Kilindi by nature or the nature of putting on this dressing, you would be beaten to death and people will never see your grave, you must respect him even if you were 50, 60 or 70 years old, it was like a royal thing, I still remember these clothes very much, others inherited them but later I don't know where they took them, I remember here at our home there was a man, the father of Mkande, he will tell you about this dress, when it was IDD celebration after the 30 days of fasting, he was wearing on this cloth with a scarf and holding his walking stick and then dancing, that was like laziness... I: You said there was a kanzu, the walking stick, scarf and a kikoi, what else were they wearing with this clothing? R: A turban. I: Of what colour? R: It was of any color, but mostly they were red turbans, there were kind of dressing I don’t know the Germans brought for them, they looked like the bishops, in fact it was a dress that you could not touch it and nobody washed it... I: [Laughing] R: Maybe his first wife was the only one allowed to touch it. It was kept in wooden boxes. When taken out, it had a certain nice fragrance. What I’m telling you are things I saw with my own eyes when I was in about class 5 or 6. I saw them and thought, “These people…” My father was Muslim, but after studying in a mission school, he converted to Christianity. I used to wonder where those clothes came from. I myself only wore shorts with no underwear, but the shorts and the bedsheet… I: Can you tell us, since you saw those clothes, what were they made of? R: Hmm, I don’t know, maybe from Germany, but mostly it was cotton that we grew ourselves — the same cotton we exported. Sisal and many other things too. We didn’t know their value; we just grew them and others came to take them. Nowadays, if a Jumbe (leader) wore those clothes, people would say, “What’s wrong with this old man? Where is he going?” Nowadays, where can you find such old men? Maybe only Mr. Chei has survived. Many old men have died, including many who wore those clothes and were leaders (Jumbe). Others like us were called ‘Wadoe’ — people who only listened to cases. But the one who wore that cloth sat on the chair like in Chemka. There was Jumbe Joho or Jumbe Mkande at Chemka, they had their levels. At Kazita, there was a Jumbe, but they had a senior Jumbe, like the one here at Derema in Kwekuyu. Jumbe Joho was a famous person, even the whites at Amani knew him. His walk was slow and dignified. Those clothes really had a prestigious reputation in the past, but now they do not. I: If we brought that cloth to today’s market, how much do you think someone who knows its value would pay for it? R: Oh, they might say 10,000, 20,000, or even 50,000 shillings. But it is very valuable clothing. Nowadays, people might not even ask for its price because they don’t understand its importance. When you buy something, you usually have a purpose for it, but if you have no use, you might pay only 5,000 shillings and send it to your grandfather, even though it used to be very valuable. I: Based on what you told us, it would sell for a high price now due to the status that cloth carried. R: It could be as high as 300,000 or 400,000 shillings. Also, those decorations on the collar were very valuable. Even approaching a Jumbe dressed like that was not easy. It’s no secret that our elders greatly benefited and earned respect. I don’t know if such respect will come back. Today a chairman might be told his whole cabinet is useless, but back then, if you said that…[Everyone laughs] R: It’s not a secret. Nowadays you sit as a chairman and are told, “This whole cabinet is rotten…” I: That means you will be beaten. R: Indeed, you wouldn’t even dare to raise a finger. You’d just look down like this. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be buried. That’s why in some places you find caves with skulls. People would say, “Go and hit him with a club.” Even if you gave birth to twins, one would be killed, or sometimes both were killed. I: Why? R: They said twins were bad — that they were “bad seeds” or would behave badly. But nowadays, twins are actually very intelligent. But in the past, if you gave birth to twins or an child of a person with albinism, they would be killed.

source: Amani-Stade Project / Amani Field Research 2023, Interview No. 21
author: I: Mohamed Seif, R: Anonymous