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This statement is erroneous:
"The Arabs came to the East-African coast in the 1st century A.D. and after mixing with the Bantu people they together formed the Coast or Swahili people."
The Arabs coming to East Africa in the 1st century A.D & the Bantu migration from Shungwaya to the East Africa coast only about 300 to 400 years ago.
Both the Arabs and the Bantu found the indigenous Swahili at the coast. The Swahili language adapted/morphed with Arabic & Bantu vocabulary, similar to all languages. That does not erase the fact that the Swahili have their own identity. Denying that is a disingenuous narrative. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Medi maawy (talk • contribs) 10:34, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
- Indeed there were people at the coast in antiquity as proven by archaeology. Who these people were and what language family they belonged to is still undecided. Southern Cushitic or Khoisan are possibilities. However these indigenous people encountered the Bantu-speakers from the land whose language(s) came to dominate the coast. The Arabic component of language vocabulary and later religion (Islam) became entrenched in the local culture that initially identified by place (WaSiyu, WaAmu, WaMvita, etc.) Only later did the Arabic appellation for the coast (Al-Sahil/الساحل)become adopted by Europeans and Academia (as "the Swahili") to cover people of the East African coast who spoke mutually understood languages and were at least nominally Muslim and shared other common cultural features and a joint history. CliffordPereira (talk) 09:22, 22 May 2023 (UTC)
Origins. edit
"The Vumba are of Arabic origin, may be a little bit mixed with the Chinese". Where is the evidence for this? There is no such evidence from Arabia, China or Kenya. CliffordPereira (talk) 09:11, 22 May 2023 (UTC)