ABSTRACT
In the period of Iloo's reign Tio society altered visibly only in its political and economic dimensions. Political and economic institutions provided the 'superstructures' of the whole social fabric and linked the Tio neighbourhoods together while relating them to areas around the kingdom. The Ngeiliino, Ngaalio, Ngampo, Ngandzio, Ngobila, ngantsu, and Ngaliema of Ntamo lived during the whole period. This gave a certain stability to politics since the factor of differing personalities was practically kept constant. Malamine seems to have understood the mechanisms of Tio politics quite quickly, learned to speak the language and begun to dress like the Tio. Data on Tio politics became very much scarcer after 1885. One cannot conclude with Coquery that the involvement of Tio politics in the scramble for Africa aggravated the crisis of the Tio state, a crisis in the weakening of political cohesion and the weakening of the ruler's authority.
