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Das Recht Der Dschagga
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Historical SummaryThe history of Kilimanjaro reveals how chiefs stimulated plundering and also to some extent encroached on the rights of individuals and sibs with respect to the distribution of the booty from plundering expeditions but at the same time regulated and legalized its distribution. Originally the share of the chief was a voluntary contribution. A warrior might drive home a captured ox and the following day present its head to the chief as a gift. If he captured four or five cattle he gave one to the chief. If he captured a single cow he felt bound to give the chief the first calf, but if the first was a heifer calf he might reserve this and substitute a bull calf. In connection, however, with the development of war tactics the chiefs introduced also different tactics in plundering. Chief Rindi of the Moschi division of the Chagga, for example, divided his men into spearmen and plunderers (literally, "shield testers" and "halter looseners"). The first were the real fighters; they noticed no cow or hut but sought out the enemy and forced them from all sides out into the open spaces and held them there. In the meantime the plunderers sought out every cow and every goat from the huts and hiding places, assembled them and drove them home, protected on the front, rear and flanks by the spearmen:
This division of function on the war pattern made plundering expeditions much more profitable than formerly, but the division of the booty had to be committed to someone who was able to estimate the contribution of each individual to the success of the whole enterprise. The division must not only recognize the daring of the warriors but satisfy the plunderers, on whose efforts the volume of booty to a great extent depended. This function was naturally assured to the chief both because of the increased success produced by his planning and because he was in general a referee in disputed matters.
Now the whole plunder was assembled in the courtyard of the chief. No one dared take a single piece of it to his own home. Half of it went to the chief—out of twenty cattle, ten, out of sixty, thirty. The chief’s portion was first set aside. The other half was divided among the members of the expedition according to fixed rules. The first rule was, every spearman received an ox or cow, as far as possible. If there were enough cattle every plunderer received one, and in that case the spearmen received twice the numbers. But the leader of each local division always received one cow or ox more than the spearmen. . . . Whoever had killed one of the enemy and brought his spear and sword to the chief as proof received one head of cattle more than the others of his class. If he had killed a number the spear of each was sufficient proof. If he killed a leader he received two additional head.
The warriors did not begrudge a proper chief his share of half the booty because they knew that they were placing him in a position to entertain his men, release debtors, nourish childbearing women, etc. The chief also voluntarily transferred some selected cattle from his share to favorite leaders, distinguished fighters, and wise old advisers.
It might happen that the booty was not enough to give each spearman a cow or ox. In that case the warriors presented the whole amount to the chief as a gift. "We come to your court every day and you slaughter for us. Accept this return and continue to entertain us. We only ask that you arrange another expedition soon so that we can get together enough to divide." Custom then required that the chief should hand over the total result of the next expedition to his men as a gift. In that case he took only one head of cattle or a calf from each local division.1
1Gutmann, B.n/an/an/an/an/a, , 538–539 (C. H. Beck’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung. By permission).
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Chicago:
"Das Recht Der Dschagga," Das Recht Der Dschagga in Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, ed. Thomas, William I. (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937), Original Sources, accessed July 1, 2025, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=TE1BVPDDNGZG6MQ.
MLA:
. "Das Recht Der Dschagga." Das Recht Der Dschagga, in Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, edited by Thomas, William I., New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937, Original Sources. 1 Jul. 2025. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=TE1BVPDDNGZG6MQ.
Harvard:
, 'Das Recht Der Dschagga' in Das Recht Der Dschagga. cited in 1937, Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, ed. , McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York. Original Sources, retrieved 1 July 2025, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=TE1BVPDDNGZG6MQ.
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