Taylor’s diary and Swahili proverbs. Muyaka poems
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Material Information

Title:
Taylor’s diary and Swahili proverbs. Muyaka poems MS 47757a
Series Title:
Taylor Papers :
Creator:
Taylor, W. E. (William Ernest), 1856-1927 ( Author, Primary )
Ghassaniy, Muyaka bin Haji, approximately 1776-1840 ( contributor )
Publication Date:
Language:
Dawida
Swahili
Materials:
Paper ( medium )
Technique:
Handwritten manuscript : One bound volume with red cover; handwritten with black, red and blue ink, with a few words written in Arabic script

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Swahili poetry ( LCSH )
Swahili songs
Proverbs ( LCSH )
Travel diary
Notebooks ( LCSH )
Word list
Giryama (African people) ( LCSH )
Kiswahili mashairi
Glossaries, vocabularies, etc. ( LCSH )
Travelers -- Diaries ( LCSH )
Hichens, William, -1944 ( LCNA )
Spatial Coverage:
Africa -- Kenya -- Mombasa County -- Eastern Africa -- Mombasa
Coordinates:
-4.05466 x 39.66359

Notes

Abstract:
This volume (volume VII of Taylor papers) seems to be Taylor’s notebook and travel diary with a miscellaneous of various materials. It is possible that as for MS 54341, the material was edited by Hichens in the 1930s. The material of the MS was first collected and written by Taylor in September 1880 in Zanzibar. In fact, after the first three pages where we find two short poems and one utendi, there are six pages of travel diary, with historical information, from when Taylor was residing in Zanzibar. This section also includes historical information about Mombasa. Afterwards, we find a study of Kitaita dialect with word list, followed by the prose version of the famous Swahili proverb ‘Kikulacho ni nguoni kwako’, and by the hadithi (story) ‘Kisa cha kijana na babaye’. After the hadithi, there are notes for the study of the Giryama language that became part of a publication by Taylor (see Mss 198870 and 20264-Taylor papers). The second part of the manuscript, referred as Section B, contains extracts of poems and songs with a large section dedicated to the poetry of Muyaka bin Haji. Most of the poems by Muyaka contained here are short poems simply entitled ‘Kala Muyaka’ meaning ‘Muyaka said’, however this is the material that was edited by Hichens for the publication of the book ‘Diwani ya Muyaka bin Haji al-Ghassaniy’ (See Ms 263325-Hichens collection). ( en )
General Note:
Biographical information: Muyaka bin Haji lived in Mombasa between AD 1776-1840, and was one of the most outstanding poets of the mashairi genre. According to Abdulaziz (1979) Muyaka wrote some 150 poems of popular Swahili poetry, and the themes of his poetry touch on the cultural and political life of his community of that time.
General Note:
Date of Composition: circa 1880 AD (circa 1297 A.H.)
General Note:
Languages: Swahili (Roman script) and Dawida (Roman script)
General Note:
Dialects: KiMvita
General Note:
Extent: 1 Volume with<PARAGRAPH><PARAGRAPH><PARAGRAPH><PARAGRAPH> 212 leaves some unwritten
General Note:
Incipit: Karafuu yali kale, ilipo ikipendeza, leo imengia maji, imefanya na kuoza
General Note:
See SOAS University of London manuscripts Mss 263325, 373394
General Note:
Dawida is also known as Taita and KiTaita
General Note:
Archival history: The material was collated by W Hichens in 1930s
General Note:
VIAF (name authority) : Taylor, W. E. (William Ernest), 1856-1927 : URI http://viaf.org/viaf/68615291
General Note:
VIAF (name authority) : Ghassaniy, Muyaka bin Haji, approximately 1776-1840 : URI http://viaf.org/viaf/287869854
General Note:
Africa -- Eastern Africa -- Kenya -- Mombasa County -- Mombasa
General Note:
Africa -- Eastern Africa -- Tanzania -- Zanzibar
General Note:
Donated by Mrs E. Hichens, 12 June 1945
General Note:
Publication information: Frankl, PJ & Yahya Ali Omar. 1993. Five Swahili Women: Weighed in the Balance (A further Leaf from the Taylor Papers). Afrika und Ubersee, Band 76, Germany.
General Note:
Publication information: Frankl, PJ & Yahya Ali Omar. 1991. Mombasa under the Busa’idi. A Leaf from the Taylor Papers. Afrika und Ubersee, Band 141, Germany.
General Note:
Publication information: Hichens, W. 1940. Diwani ya Muyaka bin Haji al-Ghassaniy. University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
General Note:
Publication information: Abdulaziz, M.H. 1979 (repr. 1994). Muyaka 19th century Swahili Popular Poetry. Kenya Literature Bureau, Nairobi.
General Note:
Publication information: Knappert, J. 1979. Four Centuries of Swahili Verse. Heinemann, London.
General Note:
Publication information: Yahya A Omar & Frankl P. 1990. The Mombasa Chronicle. Afrika und Ubersee, Band 73, AAP, Germany.
General Note:
Publication information: Mbarak A Hinawy. 1950. Al-Akida and Fort Jesus, Mombasa. Macmillan and Co, London
General Note:
Publication information: Knappert, J. 1964. Asili ya Mvita. Swahili, 34-2.
General Note:
Publication information: Harries, Lyndon. 1959. Swahili Traditions of Mombasa. Afrika und Ubersee, Band 73, Berlin, pp. 81-105.
General Note:
Publication information: Harries, Lyndon. 1962. Swahili Poetry. Oxford University Press, London

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS University of London
Holding Location:
Archives and Special Collections
Rights Management:
This item is believed to be in the public domain
Resource Identifier:
MS 47757 ( SOAS manuscript number )
MS 47757a ( SOAS manuscript number )