Isaac Samuel
@rhaplord.bsky.social
Finance | History | Trance
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
ICYMI
My latest Patreon article explores the parliamentary democracies of pre-colonial Tswana kingdoms in southern Africa, which are among the most enduring forms of indigenous African democratic institutions.
www.patreon.com/posts/141004...
My latest Patreon article explores the parliamentary democracies of pre-colonial Tswana kingdoms in southern Africa, which are among the most enduring forms of indigenous African democratic institutions.
www.patreon.com/posts/141004...
Parliamentary democracies in pre-colonial southern Africa: the Kgotla of the Tswana (ca. 1800-1966) | Isaac Samuel
Get more from Isaac Samuel on Patreon
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November 12, 2025 at 12:17 PM
ICYMI
My latest Patreon article explores the parliamentary democracies of pre-colonial Tswana kingdoms in southern Africa, which are among the most enduring forms of indigenous African democratic institutions.
www.patreon.com/posts/141004...
My latest Patreon article explores the parliamentary democracies of pre-colonial Tswana kingdoms in southern Africa, which are among the most enduring forms of indigenous African democratic institutions.
www.patreon.com/posts/141004...
The historical evidence also reveals the contradictions between social-religious ideals/laws and cultural practices, which ultimately influenced the dynamics of gender relations in pre-colonial African societies in ways similar to other parts of the world.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The historical evidence also reveals the contradictions between social-religious ideals/laws and cultural practices, which ultimately influenced the dynamics of gender relations in pre-colonial African societies in ways similar to other parts of the world.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
The above analysis shows that the position of women in the social hierarchy of the Swahili world changed over the centuries, highlighting how their status varied considerably between different classes and social groups.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:14 PM
The above analysis shows that the position of women in the social hierarchy of the Swahili world changed over the centuries, highlighting how their status varied considerably between different classes and social groups.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Accounts by colonial officials about the relative freedom of Swahili women in domestic contexts suggest that the more rigidly dictated gender roles and wifely obedience were more apparent than real
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Accounts by colonial officials about the relative freedom of Swahili women in domestic contexts suggest that the more rigidly dictated gender roles and wifely obedience were more apparent than real
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Her portrait of an ideal home contrasts sharply with the reality of family life at the coast that’s described in other sources, which suggests that women were less constrained by such orthodoxies, especially the non-elites
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Her portrait of an ideal home contrasts sharply with the reality of family life at the coast that’s described in other sources, which suggests that women were less constrained by such orthodoxies, especially the non-elites
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Mwana Kupona's poem has inspired widely divergent interpretations, but it mostly reflects the prevailing values among upper-class coastal Muslims in the 19th century that placed women in a subordinate position to men
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Mwana Kupona's poem has inspired widely divergent interpretations, but it mostly reflects the prevailing values among upper-class coastal Muslims in the 19th century that placed women in a subordinate position to men
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Representations of women in Swahili literature, especially in classical poetry, are complex and multidimensional.
A particularly exceptional work was the “Utendi wa Mwana Kupona,” which offered advice on relationships between wives and husbands
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
A particularly exceptional work was the “Utendi wa Mwana Kupona,” which offered advice on relationships between wives and husbands
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Representations of women in Swahili literature, especially in classical poetry, are complex and multidimensional.
A particularly exceptional work was the “Utendi wa Mwana Kupona,” which offered advice on relationships between wives and husbands
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
A particularly exceptional work was the “Utendi wa Mwana Kupona,” which offered advice on relationships between wives and husbands
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
The autobiography of a Zanzibari-Arab princess in 1888 indicates that Women and Men enjoyed the same rights, but notes that religious rules on female seclusion applied more strictly to upper-class women than their lower-class peers
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:05 PM
The autobiography of a Zanzibari-Arab princess in 1888 indicates that Women and Men enjoyed the same rights, but notes that religious rules on female seclusion applied more strictly to upper-class women than their lower-class peers
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
The ukaya was later adopted by formerly enslaved women to increase their respectability.
Among the upper classes, it was replaced by the buibui, brought by immigrants from Hadramawt, which covered the entire body,
However, its adoption was slow.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Among the upper classes, it was replaced by the buibui, brought by immigrants from Hadramawt, which covered the entire body,
However, its adoption was slow.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM
The ukaya was later adopted by formerly enslaved women to increase their respectability.
Among the upper classes, it was replaced by the buibui, brought by immigrants from Hadramawt, which covered the entire body,
However, its adoption was slow.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Among the upper classes, it was replaced by the buibui, brought by immigrants from Hadramawt, which covered the entire body,
However, its adoption was slow.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Mombasa women in the 1840s were reportedly more casual than Zanzibaris regarding the purdah. Even in Zanzibar during the 1850s, freeborn Swahili women “mostly [went] abroad unveiled,” but wore a long indigo covering called the ukaya.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Mombasa women in the 1840s were reportedly more casual than Zanzibaris regarding the purdah. Even in Zanzibar during the 1850s, freeborn Swahili women “mostly [went] abroad unveiled,” but wore a long indigo covering called the ukaya.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Historical evidence indicates a trend of lower-class women adopting the purdah (veil) to enhance their respectability, in imitation of upper-class women, who were increasingly secluded from public life.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Historical evidence indicates a trend of lower-class women adopting the purdah (veil) to enhance their respectability, in imitation of upper-class women, who were increasingly secluded from public life.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
The declining position of women in coastal politics and their seclusion from public life was the result of a growing restriction on female roles during the Omani period and the early colonial era from the 18th century to the early 20th century
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The declining position of women in coastal politics and their seclusion from public life was the result of a growing restriction on female roles during the Omani period and the early colonial era from the 18th century to the early 20th century
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Records of land office transactions from 1891 to 1919 and other historical data from Mombasa and Malindi show that women owned property.
In the early 20th century, women of all classes, both free and enslaved, owned stone houses, furniture, and estates
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
In the early 20th century, women of all classes, both free and enslaved, owned stone houses, furniture, and estates
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Records of land office transactions from 1891 to 1919 and other historical data from Mombasa and Malindi show that women owned property.
In the early 20th century, women of all classes, both free and enslaved, owned stone houses, furniture, and estates
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
In the early 20th century, women of all classes, both free and enslaved, owned stone houses, furniture, and estates
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
The less ‘gendered’ layout of medieval Swahili homes was likely altered after the 16th century, following the influx of the Sharifs and Omanis along the coast, although this process is more visible in some cities than others and may have been very gradual.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The less ‘gendered’ layout of medieval Swahili homes was likely altered after the 16th century, following the influx of the Sharifs and Omanis along the coast, although this process is more visible in some cities than others and may have been very gradual.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Excavations from late medieval sites like Songo Mnara display a different house plan with stepped courts surrounded by interior rooms, whose occupants weren’t secluded,
material remains suggest significant movement of women & men through all these spaces
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
material remains suggest significant movement of women & men through all these spaces
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Excavations from late medieval sites like Songo Mnara display a different house plan with stepped courts surrounded by interior rooms, whose occupants weren’t secluded,
material remains suggest significant movement of women & men through all these spaces
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
material remains suggest significant movement of women & men through all these spaces
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
In the 18th-20th century, the basic plan of East African coastal houses is made up of two gendered spaces, following an “intimacy gradient” that led from public male-centered spaces to more private female-centred spaces.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:50 AM
In the 18th-20th century, the basic plan of East African coastal houses is made up of two gendered spaces, following an “intimacy gradient” that led from public male-centered spaces to more private female-centred spaces.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
In Ngazidja, built plots and undivided agricultural land were called manyahuli and, like all property, were inherited by women.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:48 AM
In Ngazidja, built plots and undivided agricultural land were called manyahuli and, like all property, were inherited by women.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
kinship, succession, and inheritance exhibited aspects of patrilineal and bilateral systems.
Societies were characterized by the matrilocal/Uxorilocal rule of marital residence, where the husband comes to live in his wife’s house or near the wife’s family
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Societies were characterized by the matrilocal/Uxorilocal rule of marital residence, where the husband comes to live in his wife’s house or near the wife’s family
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Matriarchs of the East African coast: Power, Property and the changing status of Women in the Swahili world (1300-1900 CE)
Historical traditions of several pre-colonial African societies are awash with stories of titled women who played prominent roles in the continent’s political history, such as the Candaces of ancient ...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:47 AM
kinship, succession, and inheritance exhibited aspects of patrilineal and bilateral systems.
Societies were characterized by the matrilocal/Uxorilocal rule of marital residence, where the husband comes to live in his wife’s house or near the wife’s family
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...
Societies were characterized by the matrilocal/Uxorilocal rule of marital residence, where the husband comes to live in his wife’s house or near the wife’s family
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/matriarchs...