O dembo caculo cacahenda: a história de uma região e de uma chefatura (1780-1860)

Abstract

The term dembo is used to refer to a territory in Angola and an African political title (Dembo) that is given to the head and / or leader dembo (Northwest). Angola was in the region of dembos. Among these dembos chose one called Dembo Caculo Cacahenda for our research. The Dembo Caculo Cacahenda, as discussed in the first chapter of this dissertation, has left us a file consisting of letters, petitions, lawsuits and other written documents. The Dembo Caculo Cacahenda seized to use writing and used it to maintain frequent communication with the Portuguese authorities in Angola. The first chapter is a brief discussion on the importance of studying the history of Africa, the problem what is available for the study of African history sources present and how we deal with these problems. Also talk about the methodology to be adopted in this study. Then we start the study of the history of the area where today is located Angola. Trying to show how states, the strains and the African kingdoms of that region arise. Insert the player in the history of Angola after the arrival of the Portuguese and situate the Dembo Caculo Cacahenda in the region. In the second chapter we discuss the contents of the letters or documents, file Caculo Cacahenda. We talked a bit about how was this written appropriation by the dembos. Analyze some letters and see that by reading this arise the various pieces of this puzzle. These letters also reveal that consumer goods circulated in the region and how was the relationship between African leaders and representatives of the Portuguese Crown. In the last chapter we mentioned the contract of vassalage, as this was used in Angola and how were the relations between the vassal Caculo Cacahenda and Portuguese representatives. For this analysis of vassalage contract also use some letters to exemplify what we are discussing. For the reader to understand how this political title Dembo Caculo Cacahenda ended, after at least four hundred years of existence, the more simply we can, as the relations of vassalage were weakening. And how did the Portuguese to enter this region before impenetrable, and end the Dembo Caculo Cacahenda. We will see that the lands were Caculo Cacahenda almejadas by the Portuguese due to its geographical position and by not sending yields to the Portuguese. The purpose of this study, we hope to have achieved is to show the simplest possible way that the history of Africa goes beyond slavery. She has other facets we still little discussed by historians interested in the history of Africa, we are still taking our first steps.