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Note on Daibal or Debal or Daibul or Daybul which maybe the archeological site of Banbhore.
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Taken from: India in Africa: Trade goods and connections of the late first millennium by Jason D. Hawkes and Stephanie Wynne-Jones.

 

Swahili oral histories mention the waDebuli, or waDiba, ethnonyms associated with a range of historical events and periods in different parts of the Swahili coast. These traditions are most persistent on Pemba (the waDiba) and Unguja (waDebuli) in the Zanzibar archipelago, as well as on the coast of Kenya and on Mafia Island. They are also mentioned at Kilwa/Songo Mnara. Both Chittick and Horton associate the waDebuli stories with the port of Daybul at the mouth of the Indus, based on similarities in the name and the prominence of that site from the 8th right into the 13th century. Unfortunately, it seems that connections with one particular place are difficult to sustain, due to the range of cultural practices and associations attributed to the waDebuli in different accounts. A general link with South Asia does seem to be indicated, although there is also the possibility that some Debuli may have originated from Indonesia or the Laccadive Islands. Walsh notes that the term Debuli entered the Swahili language at some point immediately after initial dispersal from a NE Bantu dialect, placing it in the last quarter of the first millennium AD.

 

The port of Daybul is known mainly through the accounts of Arab and Persian writers, such as the 9th century Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi and the 13th century Persian traveller Ibn Al Mujawir. The site has yet to be identified conclusively on the ground, but a growing number of scholars argue for its identification with the site of Banbhore. Textual accounts of Daybul and excavations at Banbhore both testify to the site having been a major coastal emporium for the city of Mansura, one of two major towns of the Amirate of Sindh, the eastern extent of the ‘Abbasid empire.

 

Taken from: Deep memories or symbolic statements? The Diba, Debuli, and related traditions of the East African coast by Martin WALSH

 

Survey of the traditions:

Lamu archipelago.

LYDEKKER C.J.W. 1919 The ‘mtepe’ dhau of the Bajun islands.

The origin of the mtepe is of interest. Before the Portuguese came to this coast (that is over 400 years ago) a number of people called Wadiba by the local inhabitants settled along the Bajun coast. These people are supposed to have come from the Laccadive Islands, off the south-west coast of India. It appears that while on a voyage to some destination unknown, the Wadiba vessels were blown out of their course to the East African coast, and finally were broken up on the rocks near the island of Kiwayu, about 35 miles north of Lamu. The Bajun tended these Wadiba, and eventually inter-married with them, and their descendants may still be recognised among the Bajun. After the Wadiba had settled down, they rebuilt their vessels, and in the course of time the Bajun learnt to copy them, and the modern mtepe is practically the same as the Wadiba vessels, which, however, were built of coconut timbers. Previous to this the Bajun had no vessels except dug-out canoes.

 

Mrima coast

HOLLIS A.C. 1900 Notes on the history of Vumba, East Africa.

For many years past there had been great friction between the people of Vumba Kuu and the inhabitants of the towns Mbayayi, Muso, Kirui, Mkumbi, Manjauli, Mwiyuni, Mdragoni and Kifundi, who, descended as they were from the early Shirazi or Wadaburi settlers from Persia, refused to

acknowledge the Sultans of Vumba Kuu as their over-lords.

 

SACLEUX C. 1939 Dictionnaire Swahili-Français, Paris, Institut d’Ethnologie.

The waMrima know them as waDebure: they claim that they were the oldest settlers on their Coast, and they make them white […]. The time of the appearance of the waDebure is roughly indicated by tradition, which places their arrival before the establishment in the island of Zanzibar of the Sheikh-sultans, vassals of the Sultan of Kilwa. It is also related that they lent a hand to the maSomvi, recently emigrated from Benadir, to help them establish themselves on the Coast of Bagamoyo and by expelling the waKamba who had come from the South, forcing them to continue their exodus towards the North [… ]. The fact of this alliance suggests that the waDebure had racial affinities with the maSomvi: there is every reason to believe that they were of Semitic origin.

 

Tanzanian coast south of Tanga.

BAXTER H.C. 1944 “Pangani : the trade centre of ancient history”,

It is further established that the local inhabitants of Sadani (Bagamoyo District), Uzimia (the then site of Mkwaja, Pangani), Mitoondoni (the seventh century Kipumbwi of Pangani District) and of Ushongo, close to the mouth of the Pangani River, were driven inland by the invaders. Graves of the Wadebule are scattered all over the Pangani District, but at Ushongo there is a substantial graveyard giving evidence that these Indians stayed in the neighbourhood for at least a couple of centuries. The Shajaare concerned (of Mkwaja) says: “This man was born during the Wadebule wars”, and, after war, it would appear there came a period of passive resistance if not of active settlement on the part of the invaders.”

 

Bagamoyo

VELTEN C. 1907 Prosa und Poësie der Suaheli.

Formerly in the country of Bagamoyo there lived Kaid al-Harthi, and he was an Arab. Then there came a Dabri, and he ruled the country of Bagamoyo. Then there came a Kamba and fought the Dabri. The Dabri went away and the Kamba remained.

 

Pemba island

INGRAMS W.H. 1931 Zanzibar, its History and its People, London, H.F. & G. Witherby,

The first is an extract from the story of a middle-aged Arab who has travelled a good deal and is interested in such matters. […] He says: 'At the very beginning, the Wasakalava of Madagascar came to Pemba. They were beaten by the Portuguese. They went to Diba, a country of Persia, where the

inhabitants chew tobacco and betel as here, and brought the Washirazi, who were really the first inhabitants, but were beaten by the Wasakalava.' The next is a single sentence from the story of an old man, an Arab, but born in Pemba, 'The Madubwana came from the mainland and lived in

Pemba before the Washirazi.' The next is from an old Sheha, an Mpemba, and proud of it. 'The first inhabitants of Pemba were the Madiba; they were the owners of the country, the Washirazi were their Khadim (dependants), they came from the north. The Wadiba are the origin of the Wapemba.'

My next historian is probably the oldest Arab in the Protectorate, Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed El Rubhki. He says: 'In India are Diba and Jawa. From thence came men and opened up the country of the Sawahil. They made a town at Mkumbuu. In India, as here, are coco-nuts, mangoes, pine-apples, durians. They lived here, and they owned Pate and Mombasa, but their Sultan lived at Mkumbuu, his liwali lived at Pujini. The Portuguese came and turned them out, and stayed here. Then came Seif bin Sultan.' Sheikh Ali Mohammed is looked on as a great authority on this history, and I took the opportunity to endeavour to gain confirmation or otherwise of other stories from him. He told me that the people of Diba and Jawa met no one here, except natives. The men of the mainland, of the tribes Digo and Segeju, crossed over. He claims that the ruins of Pemba were built by Indians. 'You have only got to look at the customs of the natives', he said, 'to see that what I say is true. Kiumbizi (a dance or rather fight with sticks), and Ugoe (a kind of wrestling including a clever throw) are Indian in origin. The Kipemba for Viazi (sweet potatoes) is Madiba. When I was young the Wapemba wore hats like Europeans made from grass, and, as you know, they are much addicted to whistling and bull-fights. These customs they got from the Portuguese.' The Wasakalava, he said, never came to Pemba or Zanzibar, though they came to Mafia.

 

Unguja island

DALE G. 1920 The Peoples of Zanzibar. Their Customs and Religious Beliefs.

There is a curious legend rife among them [the Wahadimu] by which they account for their subjection to the Arabs. There arrived off the coast of the Island a people whom they called Wadebuli. No one has ever been able to discover exactly who they were. I have heard them spoken about constantly. By some they are thought to have been British or Spanish buccaneers. I do not believe this, though no doubt Europeans sailed these waters. They are said to have come in sailing vessels and to have possessed cannon. I have also heard it said that their sails were not made of canvas or cloth but of some kind of palm leaf. Were they from the Malay Peninsula? They had towns on the coast, planted cocoanuts, and sank wells. They also built places of worship. The ruins of these places of worship are found all over the Island of Zanzibar and of Pemba. These ruins seem to me to have been of Persian origin and to be Mohammedan mosques of a kind. […] I am inclined to think these Wadebuli were either Persian buccaneers; or that the word may be a corruption of Mabedui, just wild Arabs. But so far no one can be certain. Anyhow they have never been forgotten. They treated the Wahadimu most cruelly, using men as beasts of burden. At last the Wahadimu could bear it no longer. The Mwenyi Mkuu appealed to the Arabs of Maskat. They arrived, drove out these oppressors and themselves elected to stay as rulers. I have been told this again and again, and am convinced that it rests on a foundation of fact. The Wahadimu have never forgotten these Madebuli.

 

INGRAMS W.H. 1931 Zanzibar, its History and its People, London, H.F. & G. Witherby,

The principal ruins credited to the Wadebuli are a well at Chwaka, an inscribed well at Paje, a mosque at Makunduchi, and a well and some mounds at Unguja Kuu.

 

PAKENHAM R.H.W. 1947 Land Tenure among the Wahadimu at Chwaka, Zanzibar Island.

(About the ruins by a graveyard in the north-east of Chwaka:)

The well and the ruins of a stone mosque beside it are attributed to the Wadeburi, although no date can be hazarded. […] Legend has it that they never remained long in any one place, and they have left nothing but a few wells and mosques in Zanzibar Island.

 

Mafia archipelago

BAUMANN O. 1896-99 Der Sansibar-Archipel: ….. Der Insel Mafia und ihre kleineren Nachbarinseln.

(About Kua and other ruins on Juani island:)

When asked who built these ancient buildings, the natives name the Wadebuli, whose origin they are unable to trace. In Zanzibar, and other coast places, I was told these mythical people are called Wadeburi or Wadebri. To them is ascribed not only the building of these old Shirazi buildings and wells, but also of buildings known to be of much later date. Hitherto I have been unable to trace the origin of this tribe. They are said to have been of some Islamic faith. A well informed Mwalimu of Chole states these buildings are the work of Indian architects from Diu and Damen.

 

REVINGTON T.M. 1936 Some notes on the Mafia island group (Mafia, Chole, Juani, Chibondo)

The town of Ras Kisimani was built by the Wadibri who came from the south and are the same people as the Wasakalava of Madagascar; they were at enmity with the people of Kua on Juani Island. The origin of the quarrel was as follows: the people of Ras Kisimani constructed a ship, and when it was finished and still on the stocks, they made a feast to which they invited the people of Kua. From amongst the guests they took by force several children, laid them on the sand and launched the ship over their bodies. When the Kua people heard what had been done at Ras Kisimani, they were infuriated and thought out a scheme of revenge. Seven or eight years later, when they thought that the incident had been forgotten, an invitation was sent to the inhabitants of Ras Kisimani to attend a wedding at Kua. When the guests arrived in the evening they were ushered into a room which had been especially prepared beneath a house; the hosts one by one left their guests on the excuse of inquiring into the food, until only an old man remained to entertain them. This he did so well, that the doors were bricked up without the guests perceiving it. The bodies are there to this day. A message was then sent to Ras Kisimani, informing the headmen that the outstanding account against them was now squared. Less than a month later the town of Ras Kisimani was inundated by the sea.

 

Songo Mnara

BURTON R.F. 1872 Zanzibar: City, Island, and Coast.

In view of the ruins (Kliwa) they recounted to us their garbled legendary history. The Island was originally inhabited by the Wahiao savages, from whom the present race partly descends, and Songo Mnara was occupied by the Wadubuki, a Moslem clan. These were succeeded by the Nabhani or Ghafiri Arabs.

 

Kilwa Kivinje

VELTEN C. 1907 Prosa und Poësie der Suaheli.

There were two tribes living here at Kilwa [Kivinje] in the very old days. One tribe was the Wangarwe and the other the Wabuhura. They lived here at the very beginning […]. Then there was nobody who knew the origin of these tribes or whence they came, but we have heard that the Wangarwe and

Wabuhura were the children of the Waduburi or else their slaves. There is nobody who knows whether it is true that they were their children or their slaves.

 

Mgao coast

BAKER E.C. 1952 A history of Africa. Recorded by Sheikh Hemedi bin Abdullah of Dargube, Tangata.

As regards the Wadibana, they arrived when Mwishamisi Shani was in power. They came from Bukini where they were defeated in battle by Sultan Mbalambo and they fled and came to Africa where they built houses at Mgau and even reached Winde. And after a long time they sought peace with their Sultan Mbalambo and were granted peace so they returned to their homes at Bukini.