"Tuesday, October 10, 1905 [underlined] Two ethnographic objects were [...] [?], which Max received as a gift: A carved wooden spoon from the Silva company in the village of Amani [drawing] [Inv.no. KB 32] / A bow with three arrows (purchased from a boy) (1 Rupie). / A milk vessel = Kibuju from Uganda, gift from Privy Councillor Stuhlmann, who brought it back from his [...] [?] travels. It is made of wood and rubbed with a fine [...] [?]. The lid is [...] [?] woven. The whole hangs in a finely woven net. [drawing of vessel, with labels] Milk vessel made of wood of the Watussi. Baumann, O. Through Maasailand to the Nile source, Berlin 1894, p. 207. [Inv.no. KB 33, 33a] – In the evening, walk to the Kwozalalla. – [...]" [translation]

source: Museum der Kulturen Basel, VI 56197, 46 (3)
author: Karl Braun

"33. Milk vessel = Kibuyu from Uganda. Bottle gourd / gift: Geh. Rat / Dr. F. Stuhlmann (probably came from the journey with Emin Pasha) / Amani 10 Oct. 1905 / [drawing] / [added in red letters] 1 Rp." [translation]

source: Museen Stade, 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: This photo has been registered with the registration number 2018_18329_1, look and tell us what is that? R: The way it looks, I can say it is Buyu or a thin board but I think it is a thin board which resembles Buyu, because we used to keep some water and we called it Buyu, of which they have also been used by the Maasai, or maybe those thin boards called Plaudi, they have been researched and made like glass, and this one here it is a gourd for storing some water, that is how I think or I think this is a buyu because it could have been a clay soil or a board couldn’t look like this eeeh! I think this creativity was right here in Zigi. I: It was the people of which communities who used to make this? R: It was a mixture of people and different communities back then, there were the Sambaa, Nyamwezi, and commonly these kinds of traditional objects were being used by the Gogo. I: The Zigua, Sambaa, Gogo and Nyamwezi? R: It was them who were using these things, and even here in our environment there were a mixture of the communities, so I am not surprised with them, but nowadays they have been improved a bit and are commonly found among the Maasai and the Gogo eeeh! I: Yes, hahahahh! R: Eeeeh! We left them and started using the modern things made of plastic and glass. I: How was it being called in Sambaa community? R: We Sambaa call it Boma. I: Boma? R: Eeeeh! It is not even a cow cage (boma), it is a traditional plant which was being planted and we used to call them gourds eeeh! I: Okay. R: Because there are gourds and the plant, and this gourd of one species like a pumpkin. I: Are there pumpkins? R: Eeeeh! You grow things which when they mature you remove the waste inside, it is a container either for drinking water or storing water or milk. That is why we call these things used for water or food; you could put milk to ferment it into yogurt, or if you go far to the farm, you put pure. I: Pure? R: Eeeeh! The food was pure, you put it in here, you go cultivate and when you are tired you eat with these things or water and this is its glass/cup, when you cultivate and get thirsty you take your gourd, pour some water into the glass/cup and drink. I: You drink? R: Eeeeh! It is the system of life which even the men nowadays there in the Maasai use them, because of their tradition but for us the coastal people we no longer use them because we are civilized eeeh! I: We got some changes. R: Eeeeh! Some changes. I: Hahahahah! R: We are using the modern objects. I: In the use, who were the common users of those buyu? R: These things included both genders, male and female, but these things specifically were mostly made by women who kept and prepared things like water, milk or togwa and put it in it. I: Mhhhh! R: Eeeeh! They prepared it and gave it to their husbands so they wouldn’t have trouble when going to the farm, like “bring me some water there.” I: It was the women who were commonly preparing them. R: Eeeeeh! The women were the ones who were preparing it for keeping things which suited them in their activities eeeh! I: So, who were making it between the males and the females? R: The ones who made them are the males. I: Males? R: Eeeh! Women were given those to keep water or milk or something we call togwa, because togwa I think you youth only hear about it. I: We only hear it. R: Eeeh! You only hear it, but it was a tea, but we didn’t use it, we were using porridge or Togwa as our breakfast. I: Togwa? R: Eeeeh! It used to work this way, when you got tired after work you poured your ‘Togwa’ in it and drank. I: Mhhh! R: Eeeeh! I: It was the males of which age who used to make these kinds of objects? R: Age, because in the past if you were told that this person is young, he/she already had twenty years and above. I: Twenty years and above? R: Eheee! Those were the ones with these iron smithing works; they were the ones who made these to help their mothers and fathers for keeping things like these. I: Mhhh! R: Eeeeh! I: Do you think what caused the coastal communities to stop using those kinds of objects? R: You as people keep visiting some places and learning things like these. First, they break when they fall, as you can see they made some clay cups and nowadays they changed into plastics which even if you drop them, they don’t get destroyed. They just leave these which are gourds, which when they fall, it’s already dead. That is why they disappeared. I: Hahahah! R: They entered modernity taking clay or plastic cups. That is why here, for the coastal people, we were the first to be civilized because guests started arriving here by ships and aeroplanes. I: Hahahah! R: So, if you welcome these kinds of things, they will be surprised because it might be new to them. That is why they decided to come and evaluate these things. There are civilized people who if they are given these things, they will disappear. Though some people are still using gourds, particularly during some rituals aaah! People use these in their rituals together with deeper (Kata), but nowadays we have plastic deeper, but here in my home I have a coconut shell deeper. I: The coconut is being made and insert a handle, back then we used it in taking udhu at the mosque, but now here in my home we do depend on that deeper, even if you want to see it, I will show you. R: No, I don’t have it. I: Mhhhh! R: Eeeeeh! I: But are the things which goes together? R: Very good particularly during some rituals among the Bondei, Zigua it is a must for this to be used as KATA (deeper), because they are being used in our tradition. I: Yes. R: Eeeeeh! That is why I do have that deeper and that board with three legs (-a rock ‘kigoda’) here with me specific to be used in some rituals. I: Kigoda? R: Eeeeh! I do have it here in my home. I: It should be available? R: I will not miss it, hahahaha. I: Hahahahah! R: Because it is a tradition eeeh! I: So, to use a gourd like that someone must have something else or it can be used alone? R: You can use this if you are alone without having any glass, you put your mouth on it and drink eeeh! But because nowadays people are civilized you can ask for a cup and fill some milk or togwa, because that togwa to some of us it is still be used. I: Can you tell us how this gourd is being used in some traditions? R: This gourd is being used because it harbors our faith, when you took and put in it because in the past we did have religion and we were being civilized, but following our tradition which was within our heart that even when we do this God also hears us, that is why that faith is still with us even today, that let us do this thing and it has this advantage until today we still feel it that way eeeh! I: So, during some tradition what was being put inside that gourd and how was it being used? R: In here it was either water and in some other communities it was milk or togwa we were talking about, there are some certain tree grasses such as banana tree you put them there and do your ritual, for those things which you think that the tradition will be guiding this way, you go there mourning for him, “maybe someone do you see this is the problem which doesn’t end, we beg for your blessings so that this problem go away”, so it is true after sometime God bless us that problem goes away, that is why you are being told that the tradition is the final, because it has been helping the community to get rid of some problems and get better eeeh! I as an elder I do understand that way. I: I just wanted to know, we have already filled some water or milk or togwa in it for some of the communities as you said, and you have already put some banana tree grass down there what is it being done then? R: In there it depends whether you filled it with some water or togwa or ugali which has been mixed up with some honey, there you pour it down there while speaking those words. I: Which you kept them? R: Eeeeh! The one which you kept them inside eeeh! You pour on it very slowly while making some whispering words (nuia). I: While you're whispering some words? R: Eeeeh! While you’re whispering that “maybe some we beg for you that this problem which troubles us, we are begging you so that it can end”. I: So, will be having mentioned your great great grandfathers? R: The great great grandfathers. I: The origin of the clans? R: The origin of the clans maybe you someone who used to do this way when you had a problem, in here we send you some greetings, please bless our requests and end what we are begging you ”it is true after doing that tradition the problems we have get ending, that is the meaning of using these kinds of objects, and we do remember them because they helped us in our problems, this kind of object if your thirst your store in it some togwa, and some honey for the others eeeh! I: In which places of Amani can these kinds of gourds be being found? R: I can tell you that in some places of Amani, there is this place of Shebo. I: Shebo? R: You can find it in middle Meseya. I: Yes. R: It is being called Bomubomu you can find it, then in Makanya. I: Makanya? R: Of which it has been mixing up with Kwamdimu, you will never miss these kinds of things, if you visit there and ask for some gourds you will never miss them, they are available. I: In here which communities have been using these objects? R: It was the Sambaa, Zigua, it was a mixture but currently even the Bena commonly use these eeeh! I: How did the Bena use this? R: Commonly it was being used in beer. I: In beer? R: There is certain beer called Ulanzi, they prefer much storing in it. I: Ulanzi R: Eeeeh! I: Do they keep in it or drink from it? R: They have been keeping in it and this kind of glass was being used in drinking because these kinds of things have been made by people, they copy them and make some traditional objects by using plastic and nylon materials, they are very clever they carve things for the tourists to see them how we were in the past. I: Mhhh R: Eeeeh! I: Back then what kind of tools were being used in making those objects? R: This was being made by using a knife and there were a certain type of soft iron which was being called ‘kombeo’ which was used to fetch some waste from the gourd after scratching inside it, because there is cave, you scratch kru…kruu and you remove the trashes, and the outside cover is bigger, because if you leave with some trashes it destructs easily, but after cleaning it this way, it doesn’t destruct its taste. I: Okay, this glass was being made from which materials specifically? R: I think this should be bamboo and if not bamboo there is another type of tree which can carve these, and they use Kombeo eeeh! To make it thin eeeh! I: Which kind of tree was used in making these kinds of glass? R: There is tree called Mkuzu. I: Mkuzu? R: Because it is soft and there is tree call Mfufu. I: Mfufu? R: Eeeh! There is tree called Mfufu, and Mkuzu were the trees which were soft, also there was this tree which was used in making some traditional rope beds, it was being called Muheti. I: Muheti? R: Eeeeh! Muheti is also a soft tree. I: Maybe in actual situation because they have been used in some traditions, if you find that kind of object being sold in the market, how much will you be ready to pay? R: They used to call it Nkhasi. I: Nkhasi R: Eeeeh! nkhasi I: It means glass? R: Eeeeh! I: It that a Sambaa? R:’Ninke iyo nkhasi yangu aho eeeh!’ I: Give me my glass over there eeeh! Hahahah! R: Eeeeeh! These things have been used in the past and are still being used by some people eeeh! I: And these kinds of Nkhasi were being made by males or the females and of which ages? R: It was the age of the youth of that time starting twenty, you know that is why currently they start by the age of eighteen, thirteen but in the past, it was from the age of twenty-nine to thirty, it was when they started using it, these objects it was those with some ages of thirty and above eeeh! I: It was those who already have some homes. R: Eeeeh those with some homes and they have been teaching their children on how to use some gourds, by filling some water in it or maybe if he misses it, he could take that deeper (kata) eeeh! You know I have it in here? It is being made of coconut shell, you will see it, when I do my traditions, it is it which is being used eeeh! I: Okay, let value that gourd and nkhasi. R: Currently. I: Yes, currently. R: Current people are calling them things for traditions and tourism. I: Tourism and tradition? R: Eeeeh meaning is someone is taking it for some traditions it can be four thousand or five thousand, you will not miss eeeh! Because nowadays the current has no value, but in the past being told that shillings. I: It was a lot of money? R: It was a lot of money, so, current it should be five thousand or four thousand, you will not miss. I: Okay, we will be ending here for today, you have been able to recognize two photos and we will visit you next time. R: I am ready and you’re so welcome if God wishes because we are talking but we don’t know if we will be alive in the future, if you find us alive you’re welcome. I: Okay, thank you so much for your time. R: I thank you and God bless you. I: InshaAllah. R: He can give us some ages until you return and find me Alhamdullillah, but if you don’t find me you will find some of them and interview continue with some interview, you’re so welcome. I: Thank you very much. R: Okay, thank you.

source: Amani-Stade Project / Amani Field Research 2023 / Interview No. 27
author: I: Mohamed Seif, R: Anonymous