'Sir Charles Cecil Farquharson Dundas' (1884 – 1956) was a district commmissioner of the
Moshi area in
Tanzania during the
1920s. He popularised the area's
coffee production, and was given the title 'Wasaoye-o-Wachagga' (Elder of the
Chagga).
He noticed that in Chagga Society Care of the
furrows was a prime social duty. If a furrow was damaged, even accidentally, one of the elders would sound a horn in the evening (which was known as the call to the furrows). The next morning, townspeople would leave their normal work and set about the business of repairing the damaged furrow.
Dundas became very popular and respected during his stay at Moshi. When he left Moshi for the last time by train to
Tanga and ship to
Dar es Salaam, the Chagga reputedly hired a band to accompany him on board the ship and serenade him on his journey. As the boat sailed into Dar es Salaam harbor, the band apparently struck up ''
God Save the King''. Allegedly, the Governor, who was
Scottish, was angered.
Bibliography
★ Sir Charles Dundas, ''Kilimanjaro and Its Peoples'',
1924