Shimunenga is a ceremony of the Ba-Ila people of Maala in Namwala District, Zambia. It is celebrated on the weekend of the full moon in September or October. It is named after the legendary warrior Shimunenga, who won a battle for the people's territory against his brother. [1]
Early in the morning of the first day, people gather at the shrine of Shimunenga, to chant traditional songs. There is also a cultural march of women and girls in traditional attire, followed by performances by traditional dancers.
On the following morning, a drum sounds and animals are taken to the river, where cattle are displayed in the traditional manner. [2] The first cattle to cross the river will be those of the custodian of the shrine. This is followed by a demonstration of a mock lion hunt and pelican fishing. The occasion is marked with traditional songs in honour and praise of the Shimunenga ancestral spirits. Celebrations continue in the village with pit-stops for traditional beer at different places.
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The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in the present-day Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni and Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The displacement of the Nguni people in the great scattering following the Zulu wars had repercussions in social reorganization as far north as Malawi and Zambia.
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Namwanga or Nyamwanga are a Bantu ethnic group native to Momba District in Songwe Region of Tanzania, northeastern Zambia,and Northern Malawi. They speak Nyamwanga or Chinamwanga. In 1993 the Mwanga population was estimated to number 256,000, with 169,000 living in Zambia and 87,000 in Tanzania. At this point, the number of Namwanga people in Malawi is not yet known.
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