Any Zanzibar Experts In The House?

[OB]

The photo shows a selection of figures from the range.  From memory each code has three variants.

[Cacique Caribe]

My only quibble would be the face-veils, which are much more of a North African than East African thing. Can't recall ever seeing a depiction of a Zanzibari or Swahili "Arab" wearing one.* You just have to decide if that bothers you or not.
*Though of course someone is going to post just such a picture now, and make me look like an idiot. 

Just found this of Zanzibar slavers wearing face veils:

https://media.sciencephoto.com/image/c0176830/800wm

And this photo from 1910 with veiled women:



The garments worn by many of these slavers seem to reach almost to the ankles, though clearly not always so:







https://collections.rmg.co.uk/mediaLib/395/938/e9946_1.jpg

https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/254999.html

https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/254678.html

In any case, extending the length of garments on already robed figures seems like a fairly easy conversion project:

https://balagan.info/how-to-convert-ansar-figures-to-riffi

Dan

[Plynkes]

That last pic isn't really of what gamers classify as "Zanzibaris."  Ujiji is on Lake Tanganyika. Those guys are probably better characterized as "Ruga Ruga."

Well done on finding veil pics. I knew somebody would! Never seen anything like that before. Shows that it isn't always wise to speak in absolutes.


That first pic is quite interesting. I wonder if it is based on anything real, or done from the artist's imagination? I only ask because I don't fancy a horse's chance of living very long in Tanganyika. It's nearly impossible to keep horses alive in that region, or so I've read, due to the tsetse fly. The East African Mounted Rifles in the Great War became infantry in quite a short time. Whether we can trust it or not, I'm not sure, but it is a very cool pic, anyway.

[destofante]

I used a few of these:

FZ 133 -- Bornu African Musketman in long robe

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/images6/15mmbornu.jpg

at http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

[Cacique Caribe]

I’ve even spotted some Baluchi tribesmen, to spice things up:

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=2&CategoryID=13&SubCategoryID=88

I hope the end up looking something like these fellas here:











Also:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=172354&stc=1

Dan

[FifteensAway]

for Plynkes: I seem to recall that in the interior highlands the problem of the tsetse fly was not encountered, or to a greatly lesser degree.  Worthy of some additional research.  That may explain the photo - certainly looks like hilly country.

[destofante]

I’ve even spotted some Baluchi tribesmen, to spice things up:

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=2&CategoryID=13&SubCategoryID=88

I have some of these Baluchi in my collection -- they are not "tribesmen", rather regular Indian troops wearing uniform. I guess you could do some creative painting on a 15mm miniature, but they would not "look right" to me for what you have in mind, IMHO.

DF

[Cacique Caribe]

I have some of these Baluchi in my collection -- they are not "tribesmen", rather regular Indian troops wearing uniform. I guess you could do some creative painting on a 15mm miniature, but they would not "look right" to me for what you have in mind, IMHO.
DF

If this is the case then it’s most unfortunate.  I was hoping that they would be wearing robes instead of uniforms.

Dan

[italwars]

those ones were labelled by the author, James Thiriar a good and reliable Belgian artist, "Zanzibarites"..see also the picts from same artist i posted on this same section ...some arabised type figures are, in my opinion, a good reference:

[marco55]

Tippu Tip.

[marco55]

Tippu Tip like a lot of Zanzibari born Arabs was a mixture of Arab/Negro blood.
Mark

[Cacique Caribe]

I imagine that, for posing in those pictures, Tippu and his peers were wearing their finest equivalent of a Western business suit.

Dan

[marco55]

  .
Mark

[Cacique Caribe]

Marco55

I guess what I’m trying to say is that he might not have worn such silken and stylized garments when trekking about with his warriors.

I could well be wrong, however.

Dan

[marco55]

I agree. I don't think he was wearing his Sunday's best out there.
Mark