| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Eswatini, South Africa | |
| Languages | |
| Siswati | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional African religion |
Embo-Dlamini (also called Tekela-Nguni or Emalangeni and sometimes Thonga-Nguni [1] ) refers to a historic Nguni-speaking community in the Maputaland-Lubombo region of Southern Africa that formed the modern Swazi people. It is a branch of the Embo-Nguni ethnic group that falls within the broader Embo identity. [2]
According to Swazi oral tradition recorded by historians such as J.S.M. Matsebula and A.T. Bryant, Dlamini I was a son of Chief Langa, leader of an Embo-Nguni community that settled within the Tembe territories near Delagoa Bay. [2] Oral accounts state that Langa had two sons, Dlamini I and Hlubi, whose followers later separated and migrated in different directions. [2] Dlamini’s followers moved northward across the Lubombo Mountains and formed early Ngwane communities, while Hlubi’s followers migrated southward along the Pongola River and became the ancestors of the amaHlubi. [2]