Phoka people

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This article is part of a series on the
History of the
Tumbuka people
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Timeline and periods
Early settlements and regional states before c.1400
Nkhamanga era (Kamanga polities) c.1400–1700
    Consolidation in Northern Malawi (Henga/Phoka areas) c.1500–1700
Trade, migrations & neighboring influences 1700–1830
    Coastal–hinterland trade links via Lake Malawi corridor 1700s
Disruption & reconfiguration (Ngoni incursions) 1835–1900
    Refuge, alliances, and re-settlement across present Malawi/Zambia/Tanzania mid-1800s
Colonial era (Nyasaland & North-Eastern Rhodesia/Northern Rhodesia) 1891–1964
    Mission education & literacy in Chitumbuka 1890s–1950s
     Central African Federation period 1953–1963
Independence & nation-building 1964–1994
    Cultural safeguarding (e.g., Vimbuza recognition/growth) 1960s–1990s
Multiparty era & cultural revival 1994–present
    Cross-border identity in Malawi–Zambia–Tanzania–Zimbabwe 1990s–present
Topics
Groups & sub-groups
Places
Territorial evolution & movements
  • Early Nkhamanga/Henga/Phoka heartlands (plateau & valleys)
  • Lake Malawi corridor exchanges
  • Colonial boundaries shaping cross-border Tumbuka identity
Core regions
Notable localities
Ceremonies & heritage sites
Further reading & resources
  • History of the Tumbuka people from 1400 (book)
  • Archives: missions, colonial records, oral histories

The Phoka people are Chitumbuka-speaking Bantu ethnic group who are related to and are part of the Tumbuka people, primarily found in Northern Malawi in districts of Rumphi and Karonga. [1] [2]

History and origin

The phoka date back in 1500, when they decided to leave Nyasaland under the leadership of Mnyanjaba. They decided to cross the river in search of fertile land for farming. The Phoka originally came from around the Nyika Plateau of the northern Malawi. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Brian (2006). "The Ivory Trade and Chiefdoms in Pre-Colonial Malawi". The Society of Malawi Journal. 59 (2): 6–23. ISSN   0037-993X.
  2. ↑ Msiska, Augustine W. C. (1981). "A Note on Iron Working and Early Trade Among the Phoka of Rumphi, Mala?i". The Society of Malawi Journal. 34 (1): 36–44. ISSN   0037-993X.
  3. ↑ Heckroodt, R. O. (1985). "Phoka Pottery from Northern Mala?i". The Society of Malawi Journal. 38 (2): 20–28. ISSN   0037-993X.
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