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| This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(June 2022) |
The Kunda or Akunda people are an ethnic group that hails from Mambwe District of Eastern Province, Zambia of Zambia. They number approximately at 250,000 people. They speak Chikunda, a Bantu language closely related to Bisa and Nsenga.
Most Kunda live on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River near South Luangwa National Park. Every August, they celebrate an annual festival called the Malaila Traditional Ceremony.
Origins of the Kunda People
Dr. Francisco José de Lacerda e Almeida (1753 – 18 October 1798) the Portuguese explorer who led a Portuguese expedition to the Kazembe region of Zambia, does not mention the Kunda people.[1]
Silva Porto on his 1852 expedition mentions the Kunda people, “Where the Luangwa is crossed begins the territory of the Cunda.”[2]
David Livingstone during his 1868 visit to the Awemba country makes a sketch drawing of an “Akunda” person with facial tribal markings.[3]
Daniel Zulu during his tenure as the Director of media for the KUNDA Royal Establishment KRE which commenced in 2021.[4]
The Kunda people were part of the later migrations from the Congo basin after the collapse of the Luba and Lunda kingdoms.
According to Marten and Kula (2007:298)[4] the majority of the languages in Zambia are Bantu languages and most of them are as a result of the slow processes of migration, language contact, and language shift which begun in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon around 300 BC going eastwards to East Africa and southwards to the Congo basin and Southern Africa by the Eighteenth Century. As they migrated south, they split even further into smaller groups.
[1] de Lacerda e Almeida, Francisco José (1798). Instructions and Travel Diary that Governor Francisco Joze de Lacerda e Almeida Wrote about His Travel to the Center of Africa, Going to the River of Sena, in the Year of 1798. Retrieved 2022-09-18
[2] https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/second-bantu-invasion/luba/kunda-2/. Retrieved 2022-09-18
[3] David Livingstone Field Diary VI, 24 October-23 December 1866. Digital Catalogue Record | Livingstone Online. Retrieved 2022-09-18
[4] Marten L. and Kula N.C. Zambia: One Zambia, One Nation, Many Languages
Kunda tales and legends
The Kunda people, like many other Africa tribes, have folktales that talk about their origins. There are a number of hallmarks in these tales about the origins of the Kunda people that the Kunda do not miss. Whenever Kunda people tell legends about their origins, they never miss to say three things: that they came from ‘ku Uluba’ (Luba Kingdom), ‘kwa ChaŵalaMakumba’ (from Chaŵala Makumba's Kingdom) under the leadership of Mambwe, their revered great leader during the migration, who led them from the Congo basin to their present settlement in the mid Luangwa valley (which they fondly call Malambo).
One such story is narrated by Kunda elders at their annual traditional ceremony, the Malaila - Malaila Traditional Ceremony Of The Kunda People is the commemoration of the celebration for the brave achievement of the Kunda People that occurred when Mambwee sent his hunters to kill a man eating lion that had been terrorizing his people. When Mambwee with his subjects settled in what is today known as Mambwe District in the Eastern Province of Zambia after their migration from Caŵala Makumba Leader of the Bisa People of the Luba Kingdom in Congo. The Malaila traditional ceremony is a ‘victory festival where the Kunda people celebrate the legend of the killing of a marauding lion and other beasts which wreaked havoc in Malambo (wilderness) killing men and women who dared to go and tend their gardens or do their daily chores. This brought widespread famine because people stopped cultivating their fields living in terror for fear of being mauled.
This ceremony is commemorated annually on the third Saturday of the month of August at a traditional historical site called Luŵaneni. It begins with the ceremony of Moving Mambwee Che Nsefu from his palace to his home at Luŵaneni through an exhibition exercise of going round his entire Kunda Kingdom, followed by paying homage to the departed Chiefs and is characterized by much dancing, feasting, and showcasing of Kunda culture and tradition.
Lately it has presented a business opportunity for many enterprising Kundas and people from as far as Malawi and Lusaka. It is also a reminiscence of the arrival of the Kunda people in Mambwe District, it brings together all six Kunda Chiefs under the leadership of HRH Senior Chief Mambwee Che Nsefu and HRH Chief Mambwee Che Jumbe, HRH Chief Mambwee Kakumbi, HRH Chief Mambwee Malama, HRH Chieftainess Mambwee Msoro and HRH Chief Mambwee Mnkhanya.
It is also attended by other Chiefs from surrounding tribes of Lusangazi District, HRH Chief Sandwe whose Chieftaincy originated from the Kunda People when Kanyozo their leader was given the kingdom, and many others from across the country.
Mambwee and his people also celebrated Malaila Traditional Ceremony after defeating other tribes at wars. Although at present day the Kunda People are no longer preoccupied with fighting enemies at war nor demonstrating their bravery over wildlife which dominated the Malambo valley, the people still perform Malaila Traditional Ceremony as a symbol of preservation of the Kunda traditions, heritage and respect to "Mambwee” the Senior Chief and his Chiefs.
The ceremony had gone into oblivion with the arrival of the Missionaries who had come with the colonial masters. The Missionaries insisted that the ceremony included paganism which conflicted with the basic Christian teachings and therefore had to be abolished.
However, it was in 1977 that the Chiefs decided to revive the observance of the Malaila Traditional Ceremony and thus the first performance was held at Masumba Village in Chief Mnkhanya’s area while in the following year (1978) it was shifted to Shalilenipo Village where the palace for Senior Chief Mambwee Che Nsefu is.
Since 2008 the ceremony is now being held at Luŵaneni, an appropriate historical and traditional site where most remarkable and memorable Kunda history was and is still being recorded.
Stay tuned for More insightful information about the KUNDA People, bringing much more historical adventures from the Kunda land extending into the Wildlife infested deep forests of the South Luangwa National Park.
According to Kunda oral history, a Luba king by the name of Chaŵala Makumba ordered that all boys were to be killed as soon as they are born. So, because of his oppressive rule, people began to flee from the Luba Kingdom heading south into what is now called Zambia
According to Chaplin (1957:15), [2] a Luba king by the name of Chaŵala Makumba ordered that all boys were to be killed as soon as they were born. Because of his oppressive rule, people began to flee from the Luba Kingdom heading south into what is now called Zambia:
"A chief named Chabala-Makumbaa Mnengulube by clan ruled the Bisa under the “Luba empire” of “Mwata Yamvo”. Being afraid of losing his throne, he ordered that all his baby boys should be killed at birth; one of his wives by the name of Chiluya Manda of the Chulu Clan defied the law by keeping her son whom she called Mambwe. She hid the boy in a tree trunk and would send her slave girl to go and feed the baby, she lied to Chabala Makumba that she lost the baby and asked to go and visit family. She took the baby to Chief Mwane who took up the responsibility of raising Mambwe, When the boy grew to manhood, Chief Mwane told Mambwe about his parentage and he became the leader of people who escaped from the harsh chief, Chawala Makumba. As they travelled, they came to the Luangwa River which they crossed easily because Mambwe took his magic tail and struck the water to make a dry path, and the name of that place was called Pakaimba. After this he committed adultery with his sister and all the other leaders told him that for that he must be called Mukunda, and the people who followed him were called Akunda. Shortly afterwards Mambwe left the main tribe and went north-eastwards to found his own small tribe of the Akunda."
Ohannessian and Kashoki (1978)[3], cited by Marten and Kula (2007:293),[4] in the survey of Zambian languages says that the Kunda people belong to the language and dialect cluster with the Aushi, Chishinga, Kabende, Mukulu, Ngumbo, Twa, Unga, Bemba, Bwile, Luunda, Shila, Tabwa (Northern province) Bisa, Kunda (border of Northern and Eastern provinces) Lala, Ambo, Luano, Swaka (Eastern and Central provinces) Lamba, Lima (Copperbelt and Central provinces).
[1] Field A. Visiilano (Translation from Kunda to English is mine).
[2] Chaplin, J. H. A note on the brother-sister relationship in northern Rhodesia.
[3] Ohannessian S. and Kashoki M. E. Language in Zambia
[4] Ibid
There are seven Kunda chiefs under the Kunda Royal Establishment namely: HRH Senior Chief Mambwe Che Nsefu/ SEFU , HRH Chief Mambwe Malama, HRH Chieftainess Mambwe Msoro, HRH Chief Mambwe Mnkhanya, HRH Chief Mambwe Kakumbi, HRH Chief Mambwe Che Jumbe all in Mambwe District and HRH Chief Mambwe Sandwe whose in Lusangazi District.
“All the three chiefs were on the roof top of the house. One said, 'Bring me an axe (nkwangwa).' But some people doubted, saying, 'Maybe he wants izembe (an axe), some said, 'Does he need katemo (an axe)?' Again another chief said, 'Bring me matika (mud); ' and people murmured amongst themselves, saying, ' He needs matipa (mud), some said, 'No, he needs matope (mud).' Thirdly they heard the words of one of the chiefs saying, 'I want lusisi (fibre);' again people did not know, some said, 'He wants nzizi (fibre);' some said, 'He wants maluzi (fibre).' Now all the chiefs came down from the roof top, they said, ‘All of you who say, 'Nkwangwa, Matope and Maluzi follow Undi, because you are Chewas. And you who say, Katemo, Matika and Nzizi,' follow Kalindawalo; You are Nsengas. And you who say, 'Izembe, Matipa and Lusisi,' follow Mambwe, you are Kundas."
Table 1.
| Comparison of Kunda with four other languages | ||
| Nsenga | 72.60 % | |
| Chewa | 50.00 % | |
| Bisa | 47.80 % | |
| Chikunda | 43.20 % | |
[1] Ibid
[2] PIBT, Kunda Linguistic Survey Report.
[Glottocode: kund1254]
Niger-Congo (1553) Atlantic-Congo (1454) Volta-Congo (1382) Benue-Congo (989) Bantoid (702) Southern (680) Narrow Bantu (548) Central (354) M (28) Lala-Bisa- Lamba (M.55) (1) Kunda tribe of Mambwe District, Eastern Zambia (M.51/52).
The Bantu languages are a language family of about 600 languages that are spoken by the Bantu peoples of Central, Southern, Eastern and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages.
Demographic features of the population of Malawi include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bordered to the north by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country.
Demographic features of the population of Zambia include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and others aspects of the population.
Kaonde (kiiKaonde) is a Bantu language spoken primarily in Zambia but also in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kaonde and its dialects are spoken and understood by perhaps 350,000 people or more.
Chewa is a Bantu language spoken in Malawi and a recognised minority in Zambia and Mozambique. The noun class prefix chi- is used for languages, so the language is usually called Chichewa and Chinyanja. In Malawi, the name was officially changed from Chinyanja to Chichewa in 1968 at the insistence of President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and this is still the name most commonly used in Malawi today. In Zambia, the language is generally known as Nyanja or Cinyanja/Chinyanja '(language) of the lake'.
The Tumbuka are a Bantu ethnic group found in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Tumbuka is classified as a part of the Bantu language family, and with origins in a geographic region between the Dwangwa River to the south, the North Rukuru River to the north, Lake Malawi to the east, and the Luangwa River. They are found in the valleys near the rivers, lake as well as the highlands of Nyika Plateau, where they are frequently referred to as Henga although this is strictly speaking the name of a subdivision.
Maravi was a kingdom which straddled the current borders of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the 16th century. The present-day name "Maláŵi" is said to derive from the Chewa word malaŵí, which means "flames". "Maravi" is a general name of the peoples of Malawi, eastern Zambia, and northeastern Mozambique. The Chewa language, which is also referred to as Nyanja, Chinyanja or Chichewa, and is spoken in southern and central Malawi, in Zambia and to some extent in Mozambique, is the main language that emerged from this empire.
The Nsenga, not to be confused with the Senga, are a Bantu ethnic tribe of Zambia and Mozambique. In Zambia, they are found in two districts of Eastern province namely Nyimba and Petauke. They are also dialects with the Nsenga Luzi of the Luangwa valley in Chief Nyalugwe, Mboloma and Lwembe and the Chikunda of Luangwa Boma (Feira).
The Chewa are a Bantu ethnic group found in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and few in Mozambique. The Chewa are closely related to people in surrounding regions such as the Tumbuka, Shona and Nsenga. They are historically also related to the Bemba, with whom they share a similar origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They also share a history with the Munhumutapa. As with the Nsenga and Tumbuka, a small part of Chewa territory came under the influence of the Ngoni, who were of Zulu or Natal/Transvaal origin. An alternative name, often used interchangeably with Chewa, is Nyanja. Their language is called Chichewa. Internationally, the Chewa are mainly known for their masks and their secret societies, called Nyau, as well as their agricultural techniques.
Eastern Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces. The province lies between the Luangwa River and borders with Malawi to the east and Mozambique to the south, from Isoka in the northeast to the north of Luangwa in the south. The provincial capital is Chipata. Eastern province has an area of 51,476 km2 (19,875 sq mi), locally shares border with three other provinces of the country and is divided into fifteen districts.
Lusaka Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. It is the smallest in terms of land area, covering 21,896 km2. However, it is the most populated and densely populated province in Zambia, with a population of 3,079,964 as of 2022 and a population density of 140 persons per km2.
The Bemba belong to a large group of Bantu peoples, primarily in the Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and the northern Central Province of Zambia. The Bemba entered Zambia before 1740 by crossing the Luapula River from Kola. Several other ethnic groups in the northern and Luapula regions of Zambia speak languages which are similar to Bemba, but have different origins. The Bemba people are not indigenous to Copperbelt Province; they arrived there during the 1930s due to employment opportunities in copper mining.
Zambia has several major indigenous languages, all members of the Bantu family, as well as Khwedam, Zambian Sign Language, several immigrant languages and the pidgins Settla and Fanagalo. English is the official language and the major language of business and education.
The Lungu are a tribe of two Bantu ethnic groups i.e. the Lungu of Chief Tafuna (Mambwe-Lungu) and the Lungu of Chief Mukupa Kaoma (Malaila-Lungu). The Mambwe Lungu, who are the main focus of this article are located primarily on the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika in Rukwa Region's Kalambo District, Tanzania and northeastern Zambia mainly in Mpulungu and Mbala district. In 1987 the Lungu population in Tanzania was estimated to number 34,000. The number of Lungu in Zambia has not been independently estimated, though the combined number of Mambwe and Lungu in Zambia was estimated to be 262,800 in 1993.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Zambia:
Zambia, officially known as the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the southeast of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around the capital and the Copperbelt to the northwest.
Mambwe District is a district of Zambia, located in Eastern Province. Mambwe District inhabits the Luangwa Valley between the 13th and 14th parallel of south latitude. The Kunda name for this area is "Malambo".
The Senga are an ethnic tribe of Zambia that is distinct from the Nsenga.
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