The present day Karagwe district in
Tanzania, was part of a greater kingdom called the
Karagwe Kingdom. The Karagwe kingdom was part of the many
Great Lakes Kingdoms, in
East Africa. Like many other Great Lakes kingdoms, the Karagwe people, known as Abanyambo, claim inheritance from the ancient Kitara empire, ruled by a dynasty known as the Bachwezi. The first indigenous leader of Karagwe kingdom before the coming of Ruhinda's generation was '
Nono Marinja (Nono ya Marinja)
. This indigenous leader was from one of Nyambo clans "Abasiita'". His clan was therefore the ruling clan before Hamtik's arrival in this
centralized state in the interlacustrine region. Near the end of the 18th century, Karagwe's prosperity became well known and traders came to barter
salt,
pepper,
oranges,
copper, and
millet for local goods. Around 1800,
beans and cooking bananas were introduced from
Uganda. Early in the 1840s,
Arabs arrived and trade flourished, especially the
slave trade. The cowrie was introduced as hard currency and many new crops were introduced (e.g. sweet banana,
tomatoes,
maize,
cassava, pawpaw, vegetables and citrus fruits). Throughout the 1890s, Karagwe was ravaged by local wars, epidemics, and pests. The outbreak of rinderpest and
smallpox reduced human and livestock population. Tribal wars were eventually settled by the
German authorities in
Bukoba). Around 1900, commercial
coffee growing was introduced by the Germans, which was further developed under British rule. Coffee production was mainly sold in
Great Britain. In 1935, coffee processing industries in Bukoba were established by the
Indians. During and after the Second World War, the first farmer associations were established and many farmers migrated from Bukoba to Karagwe. During the late 1990s, 165,000 refugees from
Rwanda were divided over five camps in the Karagwe District. Other agricultural products that are at its peak are NANASI from Kagutu village, Chanika village, and other places though in a small scale. == Demographics ==