essay

The establishment of the administration in Tongaland

Historians in Tropical Africa; proceedingsSalisbury • Published In 1962 • Pages: 177-195

By: Van Velsen, J..

Abstract
This is a history of the development of British administration in Nyasaland from indirect rule to a district administrative system. Van Velsen shows how this was a two-way process. Indirect rule failed because the Tonga were never a chiefdom that the British could influence from the top down. Rather Tonga chiefs or leaders were ‘primus inter pares,’ with limited powers. Tonga chiefs challenged the original system of paramount chiefs and the British acquiesced by forming a chief council. The council grew in size and power, gaining control of the courts. The Tonga believed the new system very effective, however, the British thought otherwise and disbanded it in 1948, replacing it with a district administration system of appointed chiefs.
Subjects
Ethos
Ingroup antagonisms
Form and rules of government
External relations
Pressure politics
Political movements
culture
Lakeshore Tonga
HRAF PubDate
2001
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Southern Africa
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 1999
Field Date
1951-1956
Coverage Date
1881-1955
Coverage Place
Nkhata Bay district, Northern Province, Malawi
Notes
by J. van Velsen
Includes bibliographical references (p. 195)
LCCN
73156884
LCSH
Ethnology--Malawi