Msene

Msene lies in Unyamwezi, the country of the Nyamwezi on the plateau south of Lake Victoria. The settlements around Msene lay near rivers in a region of miombo woodland, where farmers cultivated the plains. Salt, iron, copper, cattle and crops circulated through exchange networks that connected Unyamwezi with its neighbours. Nyamwezi merchants extended their journeys to the Indian Ocean coast, where their presence was recorded by 1811. Ivory was among the goods they carried; cloth and beads could serve as stores of wealth. Chiefs appointed some traders to positions of authority, and these men could take part in choosing a new mtemi, or chief.