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The Senga are an ethnic tribe of Zambia that is distinct from the Nsenga.
The Senga are a tribe who migrated from the southern part of present-day Congo DRC. They re-settled in the Luangwa valley amongst the Tumbuka speaking people. They speak a dialect of Chitumbuka language called Tumbuka-Senga. [1]
The origin of Senga begins with migration to their present home perhaps three centuries ago. There is unanimous agreement that their former home was a place called Uluwa which all evidence suggests was in what now is known as Katanga. There is evidence to suggest that prior to this time the Senga had no separate identity but were part of a larger group.
Donald Fraser who visited part of Senga land in 1897 takes the view that the Senga are mainly Tumbuka and with a small number of partly of Bisa origin. The Senga relate passing through Bisa country – led by Chibeza Kambombo, the leader of the main group in the migration who was given a young girl for a wife by one of the Bisa Chiefs. Because the woman he was with as his wife was not yet of child-bearing age. To safeguard his lineage, he was given a woman to start having children with.
Among the Senga political hierarchy is senior chief, chief, group headman (headman over more than one village) and the village headman.
Like all Senga chiefs the senior chief inherits his position. Unlike some of them he inherits from his maternal uncle (a matrilineal system). The principal clans are Goma, Ng’uni, Kumwenda, Nyirenda, Lungu, Zimba and Miti.
Headmen like the chiefs are said to be selected from members of the chief's clan (Goma Clan for the senior chief's area). Senior chiefs usually are headmen before being senior chiefs.
While these clans in Zambia are matrilineal in nature, the same tribes which are based in Malawi have a patrilineal lineage. [2] The Nyirendas, Kumwendas, Lungus, Zimbas who migrated to Malawi have had a partrineal system of chieftainship. The person who becomes a chief of the village is the first-born son or eldest son where a girl is the first born in the royal family. In Malawi, these tribes are found predominantly in the northern districts of Malawi. However, some clans have moved to various other districts in recent years because of work.
Today, the Senga reside in Chama district of Muchinga province under the leadership of Senior Chief Kambombo. Other Chiefs that are under Senior Chief Kambombo includes Chief Chifunda, [3] Chief Chikwa and Chief Tembwe. These together with Senior Chief Kambombo makes what we call Chama District in the current Zambia.
All Sengas speak a dialect of Chitumbuka language called Tumbuka-Senga which is Tumbuka in whole, [4] Tumbuka being a language and Senga being the group itself. [1]
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.
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.
Chitumbuka is a Bantu language which is spoken in Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania. It is also known as Tumbuka or Citumbuka — the chi- prefix in front of Tumbuka means "in the manner of" and is understood in this case to mean "the language of the Tumbuka people". Chitumbuka belongs to the same language group as other Bantu languages. In Northern Malawi, it is spoken in the districts of Rumphi, Mzuzu, Mzimba, Chitipa, Nkhata-Bay, Monkey Bay and Karonga, as well as in Central Malawi in the districts of Kasungu and Nkhotakota. In Eastern Zambia, Chitumbuka is spoken in the districts of Lumezi, Chasefu, Lundazi and Chama. In Southern Tanzania, it is spoken in Mbeya and Njombe districts that share boundary with Northern Malawi.
Northern Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces. It covers approximately one-sixth of Zambia in land area. The provincial capital is Kasama. The province is made up of 12 districts, namely Kasama District, Chilubi District, Kaputa District, Luwingu District, Mbala District, Mporokoso District, Mpulungu District, Mungwi District, Nsama District, Lupososhi District, Lunte District and Senga Hill District. Currently, only Kasama and Mbala have attained municipal council status, while the rest are still district councils. It is widely considered to be the heartland of the Bemba, one of the largest tribes in Zambia.
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).
Karonga is a district in the Northern Region of Malawi. The district covers an area of 3,355 km.² and has a population of 365,028. It is a border district between Malawi and Tanzania's Mbeya Region's Kyela District and is mainly occupied by the Tumbuka and Nkhonde tribes.
Mzimba is a district in the Northern Region of Malawi. The capital is Mzimba and the biggest town is Mzuzu, which is also the administrative headquarters of the Northern Region. The district covers an area of 10,473 km2 and has a population of 1,017,701 (2023). It is the largest district in Malawi. The district is inhabited by descendants of Tumbuka and few Ngoni people who also speak Tumbuka as the Ngoni language is extinct. Tumbuka is the predominant language spoken in the district.
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.
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.
The Mambwe are an ethnic group from Mbala and Senga Hill district of Northeastern Zambia and Kalambo District of Rukwa Region, Tanzania. In 1987 the Mambwe population in Tanzania was estimated to number 63,000. The number of Mambwe in Zambia has not been independently estimated, though the combined number of Mambwe and Lungu people in Zambia was estimated to be 262,800 in 1993.
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 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.
Chama District with the headquarters at Chama is the largest district of the Eastern Province in Zambia and includes a large wilderness in the Upper Luangwa valley just north-east of the North Luangwa National Park. It is made up of two constituencies, namely Chama North and Chama South.
Lundazi District is a district in Zambia, located in Eastern Province. The capital is Lundazi. The district shares borders with Chasefu District to the north, Lumezi District to the south-west, and the Republic of Malawi to the east and south.
The Chikulamayembe are a dynasty of kings established among the Tumbuka people in the Nkhamanga-Henga area of Northern Malawi. The Chikulamayembe originally ruled from around 1805, becoming weaker from the 1830s and losing power by the 1870s and their dynasty was re-established in 1907.
The Lala people are a Bantu ethnic group found in the Serenje District of the Central Province of Zambia.
The Ngoni Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Ngoni Empire or the Kingdom of Ngoni, is a monarchy in Southern Africa that started in 1815 when some of the Nguni of South Africa broke away from the Zulu Kingdom and escaped to Malawi.
The Nkhamanga Kingdom was a pre-colonial kingdom located in the region of Malawi, specifically in the northern and central areas. The kingdom was established in the 18th century by the Chitumbuka people, a Bantu-speaking group.