Lenje language

Last updated
Lenje
Chilenje
Native to Zambia
Native speakers
130,000 (2010 census) [1]
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3 leh
Glottolog lenj1248
M.61,611 [2]

Lenje is a Bantu language of central Zambia. The Lukanga dialect is spoken by the Lukanga Twa Pygmies, fishermen of the Lukanga Swamp. Alternate names for the language are Chilenje, Chinamukuni, Ciina, Ciina Mukuni, Lengi, Lenji, and Mukuni. [1]

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Lenje people is an ethnic group in Zambia. They are loosely bound with its spatial and cultural boundaries shifting, depending on whom you talk to. They live mainly in the Central province but also in Lusaka and Copperbelt province. It is not clear when they arrived to the area where they live today but they are believed to be among the first people to come to Zambia from the Cameroon region. It has been claimed that they have been in the area at least since the 17th century. The Lenje chiefdom comprises one senior chief and seven subordinate chiefs and chiefdoms. They are about 240 000 - 310 000 and are considered to be part of the Bantu, Central-South people cluster within the Sub-Saharan African affinity bloc. They are related to the neighboring Tonga people and have also been said to be related to the Twa of the Lukanga Swamps.

References

  1. 1 2 Lenje at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online