VISIT THE VILLAGE MUSEUM AND MEET THE FAMOUS IRON SMELTER'S HOUSE; THE FIPA.

THE VILLAGE MUSEUM.
The  museum  is  located  8 km  from  the  city  center,  along  Ali  Hassan  Mwinyi/ the  new  Bagamoyo  Road,  adjacent  to  Lapf  Millenium  Tower.  The  village  museum  was  set  up  in  1966   to  demonstrate  and  preserve  cultures  of   Tanzania’s  ethic  groups.  The  museum  currently  displays  22  homesteads  of different  groups  across  the  country. All are authentic homes, built and maintained using local  skills  from  indigenous  groups.  The  village  museum  provides  an  important  historical  record  of  how  different groups  of people  lived  in Tanzania  rural  setting  until  the  recent  past.

Village mission,

It intends to build a peaceful society with strong sense  of  value  and  pride  to  its  heritage  and  which  is  dynamic  and  traditional  in  its  use,  access,  and  conservation

Mission statement

The  village  museum  is a  center  open  to  all  which  enables  communities  to  express, appreciate,  enjoy  and  promote  our  heritage and social  development  through  interactive  educational  and  recreational  programmes  by  involving  the  community.

What to SEE

Ø Come  and  experience the  unique  culture  and  traditions  of  Tanzania’s  many and  varied  ethic  groups.

Ø The  village museum  is situated  in  a  large  open-air  site  with  wide  variety  of  trees  giving  a  natural  shade  as  you  wonder  around  the  numerous  authentic  dwellings,  which  give  the  visitors  a  taste  of  how  different  ethnic  groups  lived  generations  ago.

Ø The  museum  had  plenty  of  species  of plant  such  as  sleeping grasses  [kifauongo]  which  tend to  fold  up  its  leaves  when  touched  by  anything.

 

Fipa  people are  ethinic  and  linguistic  group  based  in  the  Sumbawanga  rural  and  Nkasi  districts  of  Rukwa  region  in  southwestern  Tanzania  speaking  the  fipa  and  Mambwe  languages. These  bantu speaking  people  inhabit  the  Ufipa  plateau  between  lake  Tanganyika  and  Rukwa.  The  milanzi  [central chiefdom] was  headed  by  a  dynasty  of  ironsmiths. But  the Twa   [immigrants]  possibly  Tutsi  from  north  dominated  the  Ufipa  plateau  by force  and  cunning.

The  house  of  fipa  is  made  up  of  clay  soil with  standing  stick  attached  to the soil. From  the  bottom  of  the  house  there  is  a  simple  foundation  which  gives  the  strength  of the  house. Its  roof  is covered  by  dry  grasses which  are  attached  by  the long sticks, the  roof  of  the  fipa’s  house  is  holded  by  one  strong  stick  at  the  center and  a  rope  hold them  tightly.

Within  fipa’s  house  there are two  beds where by one  bed is made up of  short  and long  sticks at the  top  it  is covered  by  a  mat  and  parents use to sleep on it   while the  other  bed  is found  on the  floor  where  by  children sleep there.   Various objects are  inside  the house  of  fipa  such  as  grindstone,  horn  and  container  used  to  store  medicine.

Outside  the  fipa’s  house there  is  a  stone  used  to  wash  legs  in  front  of  the  bathroom  and  their  bathroom  is  made  up  of  dry  grasses. Also fathers and  their  sons have  the  resting  place.

People  of  fipa  engaged  themselves  in  making  iron also  they  used  fish  traps  to  catch  fishes.  They  constructed  long  furnaces  on  the  ground  and  built  it,  using  the  clay  soil  which  retain  temperature  for  long  time.

Opening time

Every day  from  9.30 to 18.00 HRS.

Entrance fees

Tanzanians  adult                          Tsh 1500

Students                                          Tsh   500

Foreigner adult                              US$  5

Foreigner  student                         US$  2

Foreigner  children                        US$ 1

Watching traditional dances

Adults                                               US$  2

Students                                           US$  1

 

THE MUSEUM IS OPEN FOR ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!