CONTENTS
This book reunites in a German edition the author’s main contributions on the early history of Angola, which have been published in different languages and editions. The studies, which are presented in a very readable form, do not only address the expert but anyone interested in learning about the early history of this country. The centre of attention is the State Ndongo – the old “Kingdom Angola”, of Portuguese sources, which gave its name to today’s Republic of Angola. If one wants to understand today’s conditions, one has to know the situation at the outset as well.
The Portuguese settled permanently in Angola as early as 1575, and written sources exist since the 16th century. In this book the main emphasis is put on questions of the interaction between Africans and Europeans as well as on Angola’s political history in general and its economic history in particular (Angola was at times the most important export country of slaves). One contribution is devoted to the material culture, others discuss specific questions on the historiographic method of the language. There is no comparable book on the origins and sources of today’s Angola on the market.
CONTENTS [translation of the German text headlines]:
PART I – On historiography
Written source, oral tradition and oral tradition as written source. Problems in interpretation of written sources. Portuguese guidelines for the Angola politics in the 17th century. Translations as historical sources. António de Oliveira de Cadornegas’ historical work – an extraordinary source of the 17th century
PART II – On the history of the 16th century
Ndongo state in the 16th century. The Portuguese policy of settlement and economy in Angola 1570-1607
PART III – Historical aspects of the 17th century
The end of the independent State Ndongo (1617–1630). The Portuguese vassal treaty in Angola in the 17th century. Angolan vassal treaties of the 17th century. Trading with “pieces” in Angola. Slavery in the first hundred years of Portuguese occupation. Endangered refuge. Opportunities and consequences of the elopement of Angolan slaves in the 17th century
PART IV – A little cultural history
On the material culture of the Mbundu in the 16th and 17th century
PART V – Instead of a summary
Were the days of Ndongo kingdom counted after the arrival of the Portuguese? The scope of action of the “ngola” 1575-1671