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THE MARTIAL SPIRIT: YAO SOLDIERS IN BRITISH SERVICE IN NYASALAND (MALAWI), 1895–1939

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2003

RISTO MARJOMAA
RISTO MARJOMAA
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
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Abstract

During the colonial period, the Yao formed the main source of recruits for the King's African Rifles Nyasaland (Malawi) battalions. Originally, the main reason for the large number of Yao volunteers was probably the simple fact that the recruitment office was near Yao areas. However, due to prevailing racial ideals the British colonial military interpreted this as a sign of a ‘martial spirit’. This led to active encouragement to enlist the Yao, which in turn made military service ever more attractive among this group. They became the ‘martial race’ of Nyasaland, a concept which continued to affect British recruitment policies until the Second World War.

Keywords

Central AfricaMalawicolonialmilitaryethnicity
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of African History , Volume 44 , Issue 3 , November 2003 , pp. 413 - 432
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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