Living Lineages:
Bajuni lives in the Powell-Cotton photographic archive
Chula Island: Chula Island is one of the main Bajuni Islands that hosts two villages, Chula on the northern end and Mdowa on the southern end of the island. This photo shows an inland beach known as ‘Pwani a’ Fulini’ (Pwani means beach) and the first houses one would meet right off the shore are N’dhee Jilo’s household and N’sikichi wa Hadhija Usmani (Hadija Osman Mosque). There would always be a mosque close to the beach so fishermen could come to pray and then go back to work. PHOTO.2.22.77.12
Chula Island: Chula Island is one of the main Bajuni Islands that hosts two villages, Chula on the northern end and Mdowa on the southern end of the island. This photo shows an inland beach known as ‘Pwani a’ Fulini’ (Pwani means beach) and the first houses one would meet right off the shore are N’dhee Jilo’s household and N’sikichi wa Hadhija Usmani (Hadija Osman Mosque). There would always be a mosque close to the beach so fishermen could come to pray and then go back to work. PHOTO.2.22.77.12
Mwanapembe: This is a photo of Mwanapembe who was the wife of N'dhee Jilo. Their house is shown as one of the first houses from the beach in Chula island (PHOTO.2.22.77.12). Diana Powell-Cotton’s caption for this photograph in the album she compiled from her trip was simply ‘Bagiun’ (the Italian name for Bajuni). PHOTO.2.22.77.9
Mwanapembe: This is a photo of Mwanapembe who was the wife of N'dhee Jilo. Their house is shown as one of the first houses from the beach in Chula island (PHOTO.2.22.77.12). Diana Powell-Cotton’s caption for this photograph in the album she compiled from her trip was simply ‘Bagiun’ (the Italian name for Bajuni). PHOTO.2.22.77.9
Asha Bakari: This is a photo of Asha Bakari wearing a face mask known as 'Liwa' (Sandalwood). Asha Bakari, like others in this collection, has living relatives that have readily identified her due to her close resemblance to her daughter. PHOTO.2.22.77.10
Asha Bakari: This is a photo of Asha Bakari wearing a face mask known as 'Liwa' (Sandalwood). Asha Bakari, like others in this collection, has living relatives that have readily identified her due to her close resemblance to her daughter. PHOTO.2.22.77.10
N’dhee Avisa, Koyama Island: N’dhee Avisa and another old man, possibly a friend or family. N’dhee Avisa was from Koyama Island and would most likely have been the village elder who showed Diana around the old ruins.(Diana recorded in her diary for 18th October 1934: ‘Up at break of dawn and out to see village escorted by chief and other old men…People most friendly and respectful and one might think white women usually came prodding round the houses and buying things.’) PHOTO.2.22.75.11
N’dhee Avisa, Koyama Island: N’dhee Avisa and another old man, possibly a friend or family. N’dhee Avisa was from Koyama Island and would most likely have been the village elder who showed Diana around the old ruins.(Diana recorded in her diary for 18th October 1934: ‘Up at break of dawn and out to see village escorted by chief and other old men…People most friendly and respectful and one might think white women usually came prodding round the houses and buying things.’) PHOTO.2.22.75.11
N’chuke Mweusi (1/2 in series): These photographs are of N'chuke Mweusi also known as N'chuke Habeshi. N'chuke in Kibajuni could mean a grandmother or old woman, and Mweusi means black. She was nicknamed so because of her dark complexion. PHOTO.2.22.76.6.
N’chuke Mweusi (1/2 in series): These photographs are of N'chuke Mweusi also known as N'chuke Habeshi. N'chuke in Kibajuni could mean a grandmother or old woman, and Mweusi means black. She was nicknamed so because of her dark complexion. PHOTO.2.22.76.6.
N’chuke Mweusi and two unidentified women: (2/2 in series) These photographs are of N'chuke Mweusi also known as N'chuke Habeshi. N'chuke in Kibajuni could mean a grandmother or old woman, and Mweusi means black. She was nicknamed so because of her dark complexion. PHOTO.2.22.76.7
N’chuke Mweusi and two unidentified women: (2/2 in series) These photographs are of N'chuke Mweusi also known as N'chuke Habeshi. N'chuke in Kibajuni could mean a grandmother or old woman, and Mweusi means black. She was nicknamed so because of her dark complexion. PHOTO.2.22.76.7
N’dhee Avisa Playing ‘Bao’: N'dhee Avisa and a second older man playing 'Bao'. 'Bao' or also known as 'Bao la kete' in other Swahili speaking areas is a piece of wood with holes in it and seeds or small marble-like balls made from clay are used to play. PHOTO.2.22.75.10
N’dhee Avisa Playing ‘Bao’: N'dhee Avisa and a second older man playing 'Bao'. 'Bao' or also known as 'Bao la kete' in other Swahili speaking areas is a piece of wood with holes in it and seeds or small marble-like balls made from clay are used to play. PHOTO.2.22.75.10
Abdullah: Abdullah is one of the young men who helped Diana in her travels. His duties were to translate between English, Italian, Somali and Bajuni languages. Abdullah was probably a Bajuni boy from Kismayo. Diana explained in her diaries that when Abdullah was relieved of his duties he went back to Kismayo. PHOTO.2.22.41.10
Abdullah: Abdullah is one of the young men who helped Diana in her travels. His duties were to translate between English, Italian, Somali and Bajuni languages. Abdullah was probably a Bajuni boy from Kismayo. Diana explained in her diaries that when Abdullah was relieved of his duties he went back to Kismayo. PHOTO.2.22.41.10
Ibrahim Asmani: Ibrahim Asmani, also known as Usmani, was at this time a young seafarer. He later became a skilled captain travelling between Kismayo and Zanzibar through Lamu and Mombasa islands. Diana only recorded his first name, captioning the photograph ‘Ibrahim’. PHOTO.2.22.41.11
Ibrahim Asmani: Ibrahim Asmani, also known as Usmani, was at this time a young seafarer. He later became a skilled captain travelling between Kismayo and Zanzibar through Lamu and Mombasa islands. Diana only recorded his first name, captioning the photograph ‘Ibrahim’. PHOTO.2.22.41.11
Madi Herow: This gentleman’s name was Madi Herow, from Chovaye island. His main economic activity was cutting mangrove logs for sale. Madi Herow was known to his peers as a jolly and sometimes comical man, he had a large gap in between his front teeth . His siblings were Simai Herow, Fatima Herow and Mwapembe Herow. PHOTO.2.22.41.7
Madi Herow: This gentleman’s name was Madi Herow, from Chovaye island. His main economic activity was cutting mangrove logs for sale. Madi Herow was known to his peers as a jolly and sometimes comical man, he had a large gap in between his front teeth . His siblings were Simai Herow, Fatima Herow and Mwapembe Herow. PHOTO.2.22.41.7
Dhakiya wa Shali: Dhakiya wa Shali was a poet and a singer very famous around the island for her provocative lyrics. In this photo she is holding a kayamba which is a percussion instrument used even today in many African cultures. Dhakiya had given her kayamba instrument a nickname ‘wa mbinguni’ in swahili meaning something from the skies or clouds or from the heavens. She held her instruments in high regard. She had written a short verse that she would sing when she'd walk through the village: Wa mbinguni n’lio wake ni mbali; Mbajuni hatangani na n’somali; Ukiushika mara mia utawadhi’ which translates to ‘The tune of ‘wa mbinguni’ [her kayamba] is very unique. The Bajuni tune doesn’t mix/go together with the Somali tune; If you touch it [the instrument/the tune] you’ll have to take wudhu [ritual ablution] 100 times for you to be pure/clean’]. PHOTO.2.22.41.5
Dhakiya wa Shali: Dhakiya wa Shali was a poet and a singer very famous around the island for her provocative lyrics. In this photo she is holding a kayamba which is a percussion instrument used even today in many African cultures. Dhakiya had given her kayamba instrument a nickname ‘wa mbinguni’ in swahili meaning something from the skies or clouds or from the heavens. She held her instruments in high regard. She had written a short verse that she would sing when she'd walk through the village: Wa mbinguni n’lio wake ni mbali; Mbajuni hatangani na n’somali; Ukiushika mara mia utawadhi’ which translates to ‘The tune of ‘wa mbinguni’ [her kayamba] is very unique. The Bajuni tune doesn’t mix/go together with the Somali tune; If you touch it [the instrument/the tune] you’ll have to take wudhu [ritual ablution] 100 times for you to be pure/clean’]. PHOTO.2.22.41.5
Madi Ali Mahadhi: These are two men hoisting a turtle onto a canoe. Now banned, turtle fishing used to be very popular, and the turtle was highly valued for meat, oil and medicinal value. The gentleman hoisting the turtle from a smaller boat was called Madi Ali Mahadhi. He was readily recognised by his long pointed ears. Adult green turtles would weigh over 100kg showing how strong these fisher folk were to be able to carry them on and off the boats. PHOTO.2.22.40.10
Madi Ali Mahadhi: These are two men hoisting a turtle onto a canoe. Now banned, turtle fishing used to be very popular, and the turtle was highly valued for meat, oil and medicinal value. The gentleman hoisting the turtle from a smaller boat was called Madi Ali Mahadhi. He was readily recognised by his long pointed ears. Adult green turtles would weigh over 100kg showing how strong these fisher folk were to be able to carry them on and off the boats. PHOTO.2.22.40.10
Sada wa Ali, Fatuma wa Ali (Dodi) and Salma wa Ali: These three sisters are part of a family of five siblings. Their mother was called Lela Adi Isufu and their father’s name was Ali Nassir. Their siblings Maryam Ali and Nassir Ali are not featured in this photo. Two of the Elders who helped in this project to identify people (Said Omar Maalim and Yusuf Omar Maalim) are grandsons of Maryam Ali Nassir. PHOTO.2.22.40.5
Sada wa Ali, Fatuma wa Ali (Dodi) and Salma wa Ali: These three sisters are part of a family of five siblings. Their mother was called Lela Adi Isufu and their father’s name was Ali Nassir. Their siblings Maryam Ali and Nassir Ali are not featured in this photo. Two of the Elders who helped in this project to identify people (Said Omar Maalim and Yusuf Omar Maalim) are grandsons of Maryam Ali Nassir. PHOTO.2.22.40.5
Adio wa Aweso as a Boy: This is a photo of Adio wa Aweso as a boy, he later grew up to become a fisherman. He was married to Mwanahalima and had two sons, Hussein wa Adio and Shenyalo wa Adio.Diana captioned the photograph: ‘Fish trap, Bagiun. At Fuma, village on mainland, 0.40 S; 42.30 E.’ PHOTO.2.22.37.4
Adio wa Aweso as a Boy: This is a photo of Adio wa Aweso as a boy, he later grew up to become a fisherman. He was married to Mwanahalima and had two sons, Hussein wa Adio and Shenyalo wa Adio.Diana captioned the photograph: ‘Fish trap, Bagiun. At Fuma, village on mainland, 0.40 S; 42.30 E.’ PHOTO.2.22.37.4
Chovaye: (1/2 in series) This is a photo showing an overview of Chovaye Island. The large building is a mosque known as N’sikichi wa I’yu. ‘N’sikichi’ is a mosque and ‘I’yu’ is up so this is a mosque that was elevated on a rock with stairs which climbed down to the beach known as Pwani ya Ngadhi. There weren’t many coconut palm trees on the island and so the two palm trees in this photo easily identify the exact location. PHOTO.2.22.36.5
Chovaye: (1/2 in series) This is a photo showing an overview of Chovaye Island. The large building is a mosque known as N’sikichi wa I’yu. ‘N’sikichi’ is a mosque and ‘I’yu’ is up so this is a mosque that was elevated on a rock with stairs which climbed down to the beach known as Pwani ya Ngadhi. There weren’t many coconut palm trees on the island and so the two palm trees in this photo easily identify the exact location. PHOTO.2.22.36.5
Chovaye: (2/2 in series) This is a photo showing an overview of Chovaye Island. The large building is a mosque known as N’sikichi wa I’yu. ‘N’sikichi’ is a mosque and ‘I’yu’ is up so this is a mosque that was elevated on a rock with stairs which climbed down to the beach known as Pwani ya Ngadhi. There weren’t many coconut palm trees on the island and so the two palm trees in this photo easily identify the exact location. PHOTO.2.22.36.2
Chovaye: (2/2 in series) This is a photo showing an overview of Chovaye Island. The large building is a mosque known as N’sikichi wa I’yu. ‘N’sikichi’ is a mosque and ‘I’yu’ is up so this is a mosque that was elevated on a rock with stairs which climbed down to the beach known as Pwani ya Ngadhi. There weren’t many coconut palm trees on the island and so the two palm trees in this photo easily identify the exact location. PHOTO.2.22.36.2
Two women using pestle and mortar to make flour: The mortar is called 'Kinu' in Kibajuni and the act of pounding the grains to make flour is called 'Kusoa', the root of the word is 'soa'. This was done exclusively by women and there would be songs to accompany the melodious pounding of the grains. PHOTO.2.22.75.5
Two women using pestle and mortar to make flour: The mortar is called 'Kinu' in Kibajuni and the act of pounding the grains to make flour is called 'Kusoa', the root of the word is 'soa'. This was done exclusively by women and there would be songs to accompany the melodious pounding of the grains. PHOTO.2.22.75.5
Koyama Ruins: (1/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.78.1
Koyama Ruins: (1/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.78.1
Koyama Ruins: (2/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.78.2
Koyama Ruins: (2/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.78.2
Koyama Ruins: (3/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.79.8
Koyama Ruins: (3/3 in series) These ruins are found on Koyama Island and form part of a local folklore about a very old civilization that used to inhabit the buildings. After Diana’s visit, an article in an English newspaper reported on the ruins as if they were her discovery. It speculated that they belonged to a ‘lost white race’ that fell upon the island after being lost at sea. The ruins were in fact understood by the Bajuni people to resemble the archictecture of Arab traders that had also inhabited similar ruins along the East coast of Africa that date back to the years of the Indian Ocean slave trade. PHOTO.2.22.79.8
As part of our The Edge of the Centre series, which invites local practitioners to curate exhibitions and events with us, Camden-based archivist and doctoral researcher Abira Hussein presents an archive of photographs taken in the Bajuni Islands, Somalia and considers the ability these images have to travel across networks, reaching communities in London, Somalia and Kenya.
Abira Hussein (AH), first encountered these photographs as part of British Museum’s Object Journeys project, which was seeking to work directly with communities to co-curate a display in response to their collections. A member of the Somali diaspora, Hussein’s work focuses on tracing archives to discover what histories can be drawn and what lives can be known from the faces of those captured in the photographs.
In 2021, Kathleen Lawther (KL), a freelance collections researcher, approached the Powell-Cotton Museum with an idea for a project looking at what information the museum records about its collections and who these records serve. The museum suggested these photographs, taken by Diana Powell-Cotton in the 1930s, as a case study.
Here, Hussein and Lawther discuss the photographs with Faiz Mohammad Shee (FMS), a member of the Somali Bajuni diaspora in Kenya who has helped the museum to identify individuals in the images. Shee first saw the photographs after they were included in the Object Journeys project website and then shared on WhatsApp.
FMS: I think it was someone in London or somewhere in Europe, who saw a photo and sent it to my uncle. And I thought, if there is one of these photos there definitely has to be others…It was an extremely unique experience, I had written the names of those people as my great grandmothers, because I've written [a genealogy] and we're going to print it and give it to people so that they can show their grandchildren. So I know them by name. I know who their mothers and their fathers are. But now putting the faces to it, I was happy to see those faces.
AH: There isn’t usually much concern about the people who appear in archives and their lives and how they connect to the wider story of either Somalia or the diaspora. I wasn't previously aware of the (Bajuni) islands and then suddenly there were these images. When I learnt that the individuals and the places could be identified I didn’t have to imagine anymore and that was really powerful. It's not typical of the kind of colonial archives that I interact with; it's always their perspective, their story.
Part of this work is exploring what impact can it have when you suddenly do have people that know who people are? What stories can we know, what does it mean for the people who are in it, and for others who are trying to better understand their identity.
FMS: One of the effects of colonisation is people who are living along the borders. It's very difficult for them to get national identification. Because the interview is gruelling…’we want to see your mother or go bring your grandfather's birth certificate’ or something like that. These photographs are definite evidence that this is where I belong, because my grandfather was here and they were photographed standing on this land.
AH: The instability of the civil war means that so many of these stories and individuals are scattered. And so it's thinking about how you can thread all those stories with the archives together.
KL: For me as a curator I see it as my job to manage information about collections. Often things were collected hundreds of years ago and they have been disconnected from people and places, first by colonial collecting and then by loss of information in the archive or museum. It's hard to re-make that connection and so it's been really interesting to think that digitisation of these records has led to meeting you Faiz, someone that has a direct connection.
FMS: For me it's motivating because we've been doing this genealogy thing for a long time. Having these photos now just rekindles the spark. My uncles were actually very appreciative. They are so disappointed that Diana didn't ask people's names. But after reading the diary, I'm not surprised.
KL: Diana’s diary is revealing about her privilege. She can be dismissive of the people she was working with and says they don't translate things properly and things like that. It’s a reminder that anthropologists and collectors bring their own biases to their work.
AH: Is there any resistance to the photographs being in the archive? Would you want to know or control how, and when the images are used and who gets to see them?
FMS: Some of them are people's mothers, someone who’s still alive. I would hope that what we can do is to notify these people that we have photos of your ancestors, and they've been sitting here [in the museum] and now we want to do something with your blessings and consent.
AH: The ethical element and taking care of the people that are in the archives, that's something that does concern me. There is a certain element of care that we have to take and a responsibility to the individuals, to their family members, even though I might be interested in sharing them when it's about us connecting with our history. I really think there is an added responsibility.
KL: It’s up to institutions to decide how they approach consent … legally the museum has the copyright and can reproduce the images without descendants’ consent, but we don't necessarily want to do that. In some cases we haven't got that explicit consent because we can't get in touch with them. We need to make it clear people can contact the museum if they do object. There are hundreds of people in those photos that remain anonymous. But if we don't share them, then we will never find out who they are.
AH: I think the right to refuse is important though. People have never had the option.
FMS: It was documented in Diana's diary, she was actually asking for consent to take photos…In one place most people refused. So if they accepted that their face was captured by a white woman, knowing that they won’t see these photos again, then it's really difficult to object. But you also have to look at the human perspective, not just the legal perspective.
KL: Because they could never have imagined… no one in the 1930s could have imagined this happening…
AH: 80 years later the images still exist and there are multiple copies that are being shared across the Internet, across the world. But also, the legacy of how knowledge and data about the image is being shared means that it isn't just a simple captured moment where a photograph is taken and there is a single physical copy.
Huge changes have occurred since these images were taken, in terms of information technology but also in society: decolonisation, civil war and the displacement of peoples. The photographs are a snapshot of a moment in time, but their preservation allows for the possibility of something more:
AH: I'm thinking a lot about tracing lineages through the archives. I'm always confronted with the limits of the archive, trying to fray its edges to create narratives where glimpses of people’s lives might be seen beyond their pixelated bodies.
All photos © The Powell-Cotton Trust
Work is ongoing to contact known descendants of the people in these images. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Research made possible through a Headley Fellowship with Art Fund.
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