Wednesday, November 30, 2011

How Tanganyika got its name.

Conventional wisdom says Tanganyika is derived from Swahili for 'sail'. I have another theory. Tanganyika has a very Tamil sound. And it feels like it must have been formed from 'Thanga Neekka' or 'Where gold is removed'. It's highly possible that Tamil explorers discovered gold deposits near the lake and concentrated their energies on neekifying thangam or mining out gold. So the waterway to the gold deposits became Thanga-neeka and over a period of time it morphed into the Swahili Tanganyika.

And why do I feel this is credible? Ancient Tamils did a lot of trading with East Africa. And evidence is fast emerging that much of South India's gold came from Africa. Also, Tanzania is the third big gold producer of Africa.

18 comments:

  1. Are you suggesting that the people indigenous to that place have no understanding of naming? Why would the name of a place in the heart of the motherland have Tamil origin?

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    1. ...because Mount Meru is in Tanzania!! http://karma-dharma-bhutadaya.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-seven-continents-of-vishnupuranam.html

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    2. I think your theory holds water

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    3. Tanzania is known by the Rozvi people in Zimbabwe as Tanganyika translated as the first motherland (Tanga means the first, nyika is land

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  2. No, not at all. I am just suggesting that there is an Ancient Tamil - African connect that needs to be explored. Hard evidence seems to point to that.

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    1. There is evidence that the Tamil people and Africans have similar origins. In this part of Africa there is worship of murungu and in Tamil murugan who resides at top of mountain and this God has similar characteristics. There just isn't time to add similarities of Tamil language and African languages.

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    2. http://karma-dharma-bhutadaya.blogspot.com/2017/03/ganesha-and-kartikeyas-big-race-initial.html

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  3. I understand. The region seems to have been a very active trading area in the times of old. I also understand the system of trade was going to as far as Asia. So this makes sense to me. I think that Africa is a place where cultures meet, and so the influences are from different places. regards

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  4. Yes, Africa was the first melting pot. And probably the mothership of modern civilization.

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  5. Toda kuziva kuti shona inotaurwa hre kutanzania

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  6. Toda kuziva kuti shona inotaurwa hre kutanzania

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  7. Tanga in Shona means beginning and nyika means country or earth. Joined together it would be be beginning of the earth or life. It curious that some of the oldest human fossils were discovered in Kenya which is just next country to Tanzania. If you get rid of the current border this might be a single country and they both speak Swahili which is exactly like Shona language of Zimbabwe. Just a thought.

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    1. the oldest human fossil known up to now was found in olduvpi gorge in northern Tanzania(then Tanganyika) https://www.britannica.com/place/Olduvai-Gorge

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    2. All the comments alluding to a singularity.There is also a multiplicity of confluences.
      I met a man today in Harare Zimbabwe and his actual name is Tanganyika, his description of the name has both Shona and Tanzanian etymological roots.
      But he did not dispute that there are other intepretations. Names are created everyday amd each generation carries forward the baton of knowledge or ignorance

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  8. The name of the lake is tachyonic energy is the center of the hole world

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  9. The name of the lake is tachyonic energy is the center of the hole world

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  10. Mount Meru described in the Vishnu Puranam is in Tanzania!! http://karma-dharma-bhutadaya.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-seven-continents-of-vishnupuranam.html

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