The majority of the Negroes have high and narrow skulls, a prominence of the upper jaw, prominent lips, and an oblique position of the teeth. But the variations are very great. The colour of the skin ranges from ebony black, as in the Joloffer, to the light tint of the 1Va-kilema ; and Dr. Barth even mentions a copper colour of Negroes in Marghi. 1Vinwood Reade says the typical Negro is rare even among Negroes. In many tribes the jaws are not prominent, the lips are not swollen, and the nose is pointed straight or hooked.
The Bantu Negro family occupy Central Africa, from lat. 5° N. Its eastern tribes are the people of Zanzibar, the Suaheli, the Mozambique nations from the coast to Lake Nyassa, the Betshuan inland, and the Kafir, with other little known tribes farther to the west.
The Soudan Negro family occupy from the Niger to the White Nile. The tribes are numer ous,—Ibo, Nuffi, Ewhe, Otshi, Joloffer, Sererer, Fulke, Sourhay, Hausa, Kanuri, Bagrimma. In the towns of Darfur and Kordofan, both Arabic and Barabric are spoken. The lowest of all Negro tribes inhabit the district of the White Nile.
From lat. 11° southwards, we find the Shelluk, the Nuehr, the Dinka ; and west of the last are the Luoh (Djur), the Bongo (Dohr), and the Sandeh (Niam Niam). The Luoh and Bellanda are offshoots from the Shelluk. The Dinka and Shelluk Negroes closely resemble the Fundi Negroes on the Blue Nile, the founders of the kingdom of Senuaar in the 16th century, which they maintained for three centuries. The Fundi and the Bertha Negroes are directly allied in physical characters, language, and manners.
The Zanzibar dominions comprise that portion of the coast included between Magdashoa, in lat. 2° N., and Cape Delgado in long. 10° 42' S. Be yond them, to the N., are the independent Somali tribes, which extend almost to the Red Sea, where they meet the Dankali race ; and on the S. they are bounded by Mozambique. The extent of coast under the dominion of the Sultan of Zanzibar is about 1100 miles, but the most valuable parts of his sultanate are the islands of Zanzibar (con taining the capital of the same name), also called Ungujo, Pemba, and Monfia. The first is situated at a distance of from 20 to 30 miles from the mainland, and is in size about equal to the Isle of Wight. It contains none but small streams.
Tho coasts of the mainland are called Us-Suahil, and its inhabitants, without distinction, Suahili.
The population of Zanzibar island is about 250,000 souls, comprising (1) the Arab landed proprie tors, the ruling race, who are enterprising and intelligent, but dirty, ignorant, and bigoted, dishonest and unprincipled ; (2) a race of mixed descent ; (3) natives of the Comoro islands, bravo and industrious ; (4) natives of the W. coast of Madagascar ; (5) Arabs from the coast of Hadra maut, patient and industrious ; and (6) Arabs from Oman, a troublesome, turbulent, and plun dering race. Southwards from this, Indians.—About 4000 Muhrunmadans and Hin dus from British India have settled at Zanzibar, Baamoyo, Pemba, Quiloa, Dar-u-Salam, on the E. coast of Africa, also in Madagascar, at Nossi Bei, and Marotta. The Muhammadans are of the Khoja, Bohra, and Mehman sects, thrifty and industrious races, who have their families with them. The Khojas settled in Zanzibar about the middle of the 17th century, and are chiefly from Cutch, Jamnaggur, Surat, and Bombay. They number 535 families, governed by a council of five elders, and they annually remit about £6000 for religious purposes to the head of their sect in India. There are 2000 in Zanzibar, 137 in Baamoyo, and a few in Pemba, Quiloa, and Dar-u-Salam.
There are 250 families of the Bohra sect of Muhammadans in Zanzibar, 142 at Mombas, 51 at Pemba, 42 at Lainu, and 21 at Malinda. Their ancestors emigrated from Surat in the 17th cen tury, and settled on the N.W. coast of Madagascar for trading purposes. They are guided by a maula in spiritual affairs.
The Hindu merchants there are of the Bhatti and Banya castes, from Cutch and Jamnaggur. They are engaged in business in all the towns and villages in the mainland, also at Mozambique, Eboo, and other Portuguese settlements ; they never bring their families with them. Their number in 1872-73, in Zanzibar was about 474.
Lieutenant-Colonel C. P. Rigby, writing in 1860, mentioned that 19,000 slaves had been brought to Zanzibar from the adjoining coast of Africa ; the adults were sold at from £2 to £7, and boys or girls from £1, 5s. to £2,10s., the majority being from the great tribes of M'Nyassa, Miyan, and Magindo. The tribes to the N. of Mombassa were too fierce and warlike, and the Somali and Galla are never made slaves. In Zanzibar, in 1872-73, African slaves formed the greater part of the population. Slavery since abolished.