Mbunda Kingdom

Last updated
Mbunda Kingdom
Reino Mbunda (Portuguese)
Chiundi ca Mbunda (Mbunda)
c. 1500–1917
Flag of the Mbunda Kingdom.svg
Flag
Symbol of the Mbunda Kingdom.svg
Symbol
Mbunda Kingdom Map.png
Mbunda Kingdom 1700.png
Status Sovereign kingdom (1500–1917)
Capital Lumbala N'guimbo
Common languages Mbunda language
Portuguese
Ethnic groups
Mbunda people
Religion
Christianity with some traditional practices
Government Absolute monarchy with autonomous regions
King  
 c.1870–1914
Mwene Mbandu Lyonthzi Kapova
 1914–1917
Mwene Mbandu II Kathzungo Shanda
History 
 Established
c. 1500
 Mwene Mbandu Lyonthzi Kapova captured by the Portuguese
1914
1914
 Annexed by the Portuguese
1917
CurrencyTraded in bee wax, ivory and rubber, in exchange with guns and cloth material
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Kingdom of Ndongo
Portuguese Angola Flag of Portugal.svg

The Mbunda Kingdom (Mbunda: Chiundi ca Mbunda or Vumwene vwa Chiundi or Portuguese : Reino dos Bundas), sometimes called the Kingdom of Angola or Mbundaland, was an African kingdom located in western central Africa, in what is now southeast Angola. At its greatest extent, it reached from Mithimoyi in central Moxico to the Cuando Cubango Province in the southeast, bordering Namibia. [1]

Contents

Politics and government

The Mbunda Kingdom used a traditional rule system similar to other nations of its era. The entire kingdom was ruled by one king who has come from a royal family. The king exercised absolute authority so their decision was carried out without question. The king's role was to legislate the laws and govern the communities. The king ruled the whole kingdom, however, the small chiefdoms and localities within the kingdom were also able to legislate their own laws. [2]

History

Establishment

The Mbunda tribe left what is now South Sudan around the year 1400 due to a poor climate. They began to move through many areas looking for red sand due to it being similar to their original home in South Sudan. They reached what is now present-day Zambia and Angola, when they established a kingdom. [3]

Expansion

The Mbunda expansion into Barotseland The Mbunda people migration areas in the now Zambia.jpg
The Mbunda expansion into Barotseland

The kingdom began to expand southward around the time of their twelfth and thirteenth monarchs (Kathangila ka Mukenge and Yambayamba Kapanda). As they continued to expand southward, they arrived at the Lungwebungu River, and soon after they set Lumbala N'guimbo as their capital city. They also expanded into what is now Zambia, which was later taken away when the colonial borders were drawn. [2]

Conflict with the Chokwe

The Mbunda and the Chokwe began fighting because it was believed the Chokwe assassinated King Mwene Katavola I Mwechela. His successor, Mwene Katavola II Musangu, was suspected of plotting his assassination. Mwene Katavola II Musangu later tried to marry a Chokwe slave named Nyakoma who was owned by the Chokwe Chief Mwa Mushilinjinji, who denied Mwene Katavola II Musangu to marry Nyakoma at Luwe. Because of this, the kingdom declared war on the Chokwe Chiefdom to rid them of the Mbunda's land. The war went in favour of the Mbunda and the Chokwe were conquered. [2]

Early nineteenth century

In 1830, the Mbunda began to fight alongside the Aluyi in a war between the Aluyi and the Makololo. With the help of the Mbunda Kingdom, the Aluyi won the war and the Mbunda began to occupy Barotseland. [2]

War with the Luvale

Mwene Mbandu I Lyondthzi Kapova led the Mbunda in a war against the Luvale around 1890 because the Luvale were against a powerful, independent Mbunda and they wanted Mbunda slaves. The Luvale lost the war when their leader, Masambo, was killed and were soon driven out of Mbunda. [2]

Late nineteenth century

The Mbunda also fought alongside the Aluyi in 1880 in the Aluyi war against the Tonga. The Tonga were not able to defend against the Mbunda's bow and arrows and were unable to win the war. In 1893 a treaty was signed between the Mbunda and the Aluyi which stated that they would be allies. After this treaty, things became more peaceful and the Mbunda began to focus on harvesting cassava, maize and rice. Soon after the arrival of the IECA in 1880, a large majority of the Mbunda population was converted to Christianity. [2]

Disestablishment

King Mwene Mbandu Lyonthzi Kapova I King Mwene Mbandu Lyondthzi Kapova I.jpg
King Mwene Mbandu Lyonthzi Kapova I

Portugal declared war on the kingdom in 1914 in the Kolongongo War, where the Portuguese captured their king, Mwene Mbandu Lyonthzi Kapova. Portugal ultimately conquered the kingdom in 1917, [4] [5] [6] although the monarchy still lives on within Angola today.

Economy

The Mbunda were skilled iron and copper workers, as well as hunters and fishermen. They used bows and arrows to hunt medium-sized animals. To fish it was common to use nets or baskets. The nets were most commonly used by men and the baskets were used by women. The Mbunda farmed sugar and other crops along with cattle. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Zambia</span>

The history of Zambia experienced many stages from colonisation to independence from Britain on 24 October 1964. Northern Rhodesia became a British sphere of influence in the present-day region of Zambia in 1888, and was officially proclaimed a British protectorate in 1924. After many years of suggested mergers, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland were merged into the British Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Angola</span>

The culture of Angola is influenced by the Portuguese. Portugal occupied the coastal enclave Luanda, and later also Benguela, since the 16th/17th centuries, and expanded into the territory of what is now Angola in the 19th/20th centuries, ruling it until 1975. Both countries share prevailing cultural aspects: the Portuguese language and Roman Catholicism. However, present-day Angolan culture is mostly native Bantu, which was mixed with Portuguese culture. The diverse ethnic communities with their own cultural traits, traditions and native languages or dialects include the Ovimbundu, Ambundu, Bakongo, Chokwe, Avambo and other peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moxico Province</span> Province of Angola

Moxico or Moshiko is the largest province of Angola. It has an area of 223,023 square kilometres (86,110 sq mi), and covers 18% of the landmass of Angola. The province has a population of 758,568 and a population density of approximately 3.4 residents per km2, making it one of the most sparsely populated areas of Angola. The population of the province is in flux; displaced residents have slowly returned to Moxico since the end of the Angolan Civil War in 2002. The war left Moxico as one of the most landmine-contaminated places in the world. The governor of the province is Gonçalves Manuel Muandumba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manikongo</span> Title of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo

Manikongo was the title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo, a kingdom that existed from the 14th to the 19th centuries and consisted of land in present-day Angola, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The manikongo's seat of power was Mbanza Kongo, now the capital of Zaire Province in Angola. The manikongo appointed governors for the provinces of the Kingdom and received tribute from neighbouring subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovimbundu</span> Ethnic group in central-southern Angola

The Ovimbundu, also known as the Southern Mbundu, are a Bantu ethnic group who live on the Bié Plateau of central Angola and in the coastal strip west of these highlands. As the largest ethnic group in Angola, they make up 38 percent of the country's population. Overwhelmingly the Ovimbundu follow Christianity, mainly the Igreja Evangélica Congregacional de Angola (IECA), founded by American missionaries, and the Catholic Church. However, some still retain beliefs and practices from African traditional religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chokwe people</span> Ethnic group of Central and Southern Africa

The Chokwe people, known by many other names, are a Bantu ethnic group of Central and Southern Africa. They are found primarily in Angola, southwestern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern parts of Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Kongo</span> 1390–1914 state in Central Africa; Portuguese vassal from 1857

The Kingdom of Kongo was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Southern of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its greatest extent it reached from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. The kingdom consisted of several core provinces ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title Mwene Kongo, meaning "lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom", but its sphere of influence extended to neighbouring kingdoms, such as Ngoyo, Kakongo, Loango, Ndongo, and Matamba, the latter two located in what is Angola today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Angola</span>

Portuguese is the only official language of Angola, but 46 other languages are spoken in the country, mostly Bantu languages.

The Municipality of Bundas lies at the south-eastern corner of Moxico Province of Angola near the border with Zambia. Its principal town is Lumbala. Due to the destruction of the Angolan Civil War, it is one of the most remote municipalities in Angola and access remains a large problem despite significant progress, as many roads are still not cleared of land mines and many bridges remain destroyed, but easily accessed by a tar road from Luena and a gravel road from the Zambian border to N'inda and a tar road to Lumbala N'guimbo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunda people</span> Ethnic group

The Lunda are a Bantu ethnic group that originated in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo along the Kalanyi River and formed the Kingdom of Lunda in the 17th century under their ruler, Mwata Yamvo or Mwaant Yav, with their capital at Musumba. From there they spread widely through Katanga and into Eastern Angola, north-western Zambia and the Luapula valley of Zambia.

The Luvale people, also spelled Lovale, Balovale, Lubale, as well as Lwena or Luena in Angola, are a Bantu ethnic group found in northwestern Zambia and southeastern Angola. They are closely related to the Lunda and Ndembu to the northeast, but they also share cultural similarities to the Kaonde to the east, and to the Chokwe and Luchazi, important groups of eastern Angola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganguela</span> Ethnic group in Angola

Ganguela or Nganguela is the name of a small ethnic group living in Angola, but since colonial times the term has been applied to a number of peoples East of the Bié Plateau. In addition to the Nganguela proper, this ethnographic category includes the Lwena (Luena), the Luvale, the Mbunda, the Lwimbi, the Camachi and others.

Mbunda is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. There are several dialects: Katavola, Yauma, Nkangala, Mbalango, Sango, Ciyengele ("Shamuka"), and Ndundu, all of which are closely related. Mbunda was one of six languages selected by the Instituto de Línguas Nacionais for an initial phase to establish spelling rules in 1980 to facilitate teaching in schools and promoting its use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuba masquerade</span>

The Bushong Kuba are responsible for some of the most beautiful and sophisticated masquerade or dance traditions in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mwene Mbandu Kapova I of Mbunda</span> 21st King of the Mbunda people

King Mwene Mbandu I Lyondthzi Kapova was the 21st monarch of the Mbunda people in the southeast of present-day Angola before the Portuguese colonization of the Mbunda territory at the beginning of the 20th century, specifically Moxico. The prince played a significant role in the war against the Chokwe. He took over the Mbunda Kingdom from his nephew King Mwene Katavola II Musangu.

The following is a complete list of rulers of the Mbunda Kingdom, established in the southeast of present-day Angola, covering Moxico and Cuando Cubango Provinces.

The Mbunda or Vambunda are a Bantu people who, during the Bantu migrations, came from the north to south-eastern Angola and finally Barotseland, now part of Zambia. Their core is at present found in the south-east of Angola from the Lunguevungu river in Moxico to the Cuando Cubango Province.

Mwene Chitengi Chiyengele was a Mbunda king who led his people from south-eastern Angola to Barotseland in western Zambia around 1824. The Mbunda were skilled game hunters and fighters using bow and arrow. They were welcomed by King Mulambwa of the Aluyi of Barotseland, now Western Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Pungo Andongo</span>

The Battle of Pungo Andongo, also known as the siege of Pungo Andongo was a military engagement in what is today Angola between Portugal and the Kingdom of Ndongo whose capital, Pungo Andongo, also known as Pedras Negras, was besieged. After a nine-month encirclement, the capital was taken by storm, plundered and occupied by the Portuguese.

References

  1. Luís Figueira, Princesa Negra: O preço da civilização em África, Coimbra: Edição do autor, 1932, pp. 35
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mbunda / Vambunda / Buna / Ambuun / Mbuun". Africa 101 Last Tribes. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  3. "The History". Ashley and Nancy. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  4. Luís Figueira, Princesa Negra: O preço da civilização em África, Coimbra: Edição do autor, 1932, pp. 77
  5. Commission and Conquest in Africa: An Autobiographical Account of Pioneer Mission Work in Africa. By: Rev. Albert W. Bailey (1872 - 1955, Published By: Metha D. Bailey (Mrs. A.W.), NEWARK, N.J. 1968, pp. 76
  6. Association, Cheke Cultural Writers (1994). "Chapter 14: The Kolongongo War Against the Portuguese". The history and cultural life of the Mbunda speaking peoples. The Association. ISBN   9789982030069.