ABSTRACT
WHO are the Swahili? Are they a race, a tribe, a mixture, or what?
A black" boy" with negroid features, slightly flattened nose and black, African curly hair in patches on his head, comes up to ask for employment. " What is your tribe? " you ask. He answers. "Swahili." "What was your mother?" "A Makoa " (a tribe in Portuguese East Africa). "And your father?" "Oh, he was killed long ago in a war at home, and then my mother was brought to Mombasa while I was still a child." He does not mention that she was a slave. "Well then, if both your father and mother were Makoa, you are a Makoa." "Yes, that was my origin. We Swahilis are all like that; each one is a Swahili, but he has his own tribe as well. I have been a Swahili as long as I can remember." "What is your name?" " J amezi (James). I was educated in the mission."
