CULWICK, Arthur Theodore, and Geraldine M. CULWICK. Ubena of the Rivers ... with a Chapter by Mtema Towegale Kiwanga and an Introduction by Dr. L.H. Dudley Buxton. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. 1935.
8vo. Original purple cloth, spine lettered in gilt, price-clipped dustwrapper with trace of price-label on upper flap; pp. 444, [4 (publisher's catalogue)]; half-tone frontispiece, five half-tone plates, two folding maps, one folding pedigree chart, illustrations and letterpress tables in the text; edges of dustwrapper slightly creased and rubbed, a few very light spots, otherwise fine.
First edition. The Ubena region lies in Tanzania just north-east of Lake Nyasa, and the present work offers a history of the Bena rulers and elders of the area, including a chapter by Chief Towegale Kiwanga. After Towegale Kiwanga had lost the Swahili-written history of his tribe through a hippo attack on his canoe, this book was prompted by the Chief, and many of the Bena royal clan and elders, to have a permanent record of tribal history and custom. The Culwick couple lived among them for some years, and had the complete trust of the tribe together with a thorough knowledge of the language and the same training in anthropologic investigation.
SKU: 2059207