1. THE NAMBYA PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE ๐ฟ๐ผ AND BOTSWANA ๐ง๐ผ
The oral history of BaNambya now centred in Whange dates back to the early 18th century when Dende; one of the three sons of a Lozwi/ Rozwi king ruling at Danangombe broke away from his father to establish his own kingdom.
2. Dende and his followers fled and trekked towards the Zambezi Valley. On his way he conqured and incorporated many clans. He changed his names three times to conceal his identity from his enemies. He changed from Dende to Sawanga and finally Whange. Whange means to make peace.
3. Dende and his followers entered the Leya territory through Lower Gwayi, settling in the Bhale area between the Gwayi, Nyatuwe and Lukosi rivers. Here they assimilated some of the Leya into the Nambya state. Dende assumed the title Whange which became synonymous with king.
4. On top of a hill named Shangano a Nambya word meaning to meet, they built a stone walled enclosure which became the first capital city of the BaNambya people who now incorporated the Kalanga, Shangwe,Leya and Tonga-Dombe. Nambya main dialects became the baNizi and the baNyayi.
5. The BaNambya people built other towns like Dete. From Shangano city they later moved to Bumbusi area in the upper Deka valley during the reign of the fifth Whange, Shana between 1834 and 1860. There they built another massive stone palace.
6. The Nambya kingdom was a barrier between the Ndebele and the Lozi kingdom in present day Zambia. Mzilikazi thus needed pliable Nambya leaders who would advance Ndebele interests by protecting trade routes and also becoming military allies to fight the Lozi of Sebetwane.
7. When the Nambya resisted having an alliance wth the Ndebele; the Ndebele fought with and defeated Whange Lusumbami Debwelezilawa and replaced him with a friendly Whange. The Ndebele-Nambya battle resulted in the dispersal of some of the Nambya into Zambia and most in Botswana.
8. The Botswana group settled in Deka near Pandamatenga, in two migration waves. Thereafter, one group hived off, heading towards the North West region, passing through Kachikau and Mababe and eventually settling in Maun and surrounding areas.
9. Others pushed farther on, settling in Khumaga, Makalamabedi and Mopipi in the Boteti area.The second group settled in Gweta for a period of time before heading for Xhumo in the Boteti where it settled with a Kalanga community.
10. An offshoot of this group went to Khama IIIโs Shoshong capital of Bangwato. This group joined Bangwato as they moved first to Palapye and later Serowe. Descendants of the this group now live in Senapa Ward in Serowe.
11. The Nambya kingdom became a tributary kingdom of the Ndebele. As the Ndebele state expanded, many BaNambya were assimilated. They were called abaNanzwa because of the preferential treatment, ukunanzwa, by King Mzilikazi. AbaNanzwa means those taken care or given attention.
12. Assimilated Nambya and Leya men were later incorporated into the Amabhukudwane regiment during the reign of Lobhengula.The Ndebele kings played a major role in the succession politics of baNambya; often giving military support to a preferred ally.
13. The BaNambya traditional leadership houses in Zimbabwe are Shana,Whange, Nekatambe and Nelukoba. In Botswana the traditional leadership houses are Shashe Shakwa,Manchebu, Makonyela, Nakwela, Montsho, Masusu, Shambi, Sumbami, Manchebu Phaphadza, Bahalole and Mazwimbo.
King Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa kingdom was the son of King Jobe. The lineage of the Mthethwa kingdom up to King Dingiswayo is as follows:
Mthethwa - the ancestor.
Nyambose
Khubazi
Ndlovu
Simamane-wengwe born 1600s
Madangu
Xaba
Khayi 1710-1788
Khayi was the father of Jobe. Jobe had four sons - Tana , Godongwana (Dingiswayo) , Mawewe, Mondise and Myaka.
2. It is said that Tana and Godongwana, had a discussion as they were bathing in the cool waters of the uMfolozi River one afternoon. As they were talking excitedly Godongwana was heard saying:
" It will be for our people's good, Tana, to have you for their king instead of our father. Soon he will be full of foolishness and lacking in wisdom, so for our people's good we must help our father out of this world!"
3. When this political crime was reported to the king; he ordered men from eNhlambeni, one of Khayi's (Jobe's father) imizi, to execute the two princes without fail.
It would seem that these soldiers , reached an agreement that Godongwana should be saved and not killed. Therefore, Tana faced his death by the spear and Godongwana escaped with a barbed spear wound.
Zwide kaLanga was the king of the Ndwandwe (Nxumalo) nation from about 1802 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba, a Nxumalo king.
2. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries three great leaders emerged in present day South Africa and Eswatini who brought large numbers of clans under their control. These leaders were King Sobhuza of AmaNgwane , King Zwide of the AmaNxumalo and King Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa. As these kings rose to prominence, wars became frequent.
3. Due to his military strength King Zwide eventuallyย rose to prominence and became a defacto ruler of all the Nguni nations in that region.If any king resisted his control, he would launch an attack and bring that kingโs clan under his control using brutal force and times he used deception and witchcraft. King Zwide's methods of witchcraft are fascinating.
Princess Mkabayi was the daughter of the Zulu inkosi uJama. She was a twin by conception. Her twin sister was known as Mmama. Inkosi uJama decreed that the twin girls were not to be killed at their infancy. This decision was not well received by the royalty and Zulu society.
2. The twin girls were not loved by the community as there was great fear that they would bring curses and attract ancestral wrath on the Zulu community. This fear was confirmed when the queen mother died before she could bear the king a male heir. Mkabayi and her twin sister bore the brunt of the people's hate and rejection.
3. Mkabayi became the focus of public attention because of her strong willed character and stubbornness. Her sister on the other hand was calm and mellow. As years progressed, inkosi uJama failed to produce a male heir. This was worrisome to the Zulu royals and the nation.
1. WHEN ALLIES FALL OUT : THE TRAGEDY OF KING LOBHENGULA AND CHAMINUKA PASIPAMIRE (Part 1) ๐ฟ๐ผ
Two political dynasties in the present day Harare province and surrounding areas aligned themselves with the Ndebele in the mid to late 1800s. These were the Rwizi and Hwata dynasties. The relationship was one based on mutual benefits. These two dynasties were however, not the only allies of the Ndebele in present day Zimbabwe outside the borders of the erstwhile Ndebele kingdom. The focus of this thread is on the Rwizi Dynasty-Ndebele relations.
2. After clashes with the Ndebele between 1860-1864 over gold and trade routes , Hwata Nherera Gwindi, travelled to meet King Mzilikazi at his capital where they agreed to have a mutually beneficial alliance . It was agreed that the Ndebele would have partial access to the lucrative Shawasha gold mines and Portuguese trade routes controlled by the Hwata. The Hwata dynasty stretched from present day Harare, past the Mazoe Dam (then commonly known as pagomba) to modern day Glendale and to the heads of the Mazoe, Tateguru and Murowodzi valleys. In return the Ndebele had to assign personal and family bodyguards for Hwata Gwindi and dispatch regiments to protect him from his family contenders and external enemies. With Ndebele backing Hwata Nherera Gwindi and his son Mazarura maintained their territory and retained power for their house up to the late 1880s.
3. At the beginning of the 1880s the emerging Rwizi dynasty of Chitungwiza was ruled by Madzora, but his brother Pasipamire was much more famous. Pasipamire was the medium of the Chaminuka spirit. The Rwizi Dynasty was centred in present day Chitungwiza - Dungwiza โ territory of long grass, where Chaminuka Pasipamire's shrine was located. The territory covered the area between the Mupfure and Manyame (Hunyani) rivers, extending as far as Mhondoro in the north-west and Hwedza Hills in the south east.
1. THE CORONATION OF KING LOBHENGULA ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐
The contested coronation of King Lobhengula around 1870 was done in three phases over a period of about three months. This was in line with Nguni customs . The first stage was the welcoming of the new king at his fatherโs old capital, eMhlahlandlela where his ordination would commence.
2. On his arrival at the eMhlahlandlela town gate, he was welcomed with a black ox and invited to enter through the north gate.ย There were around 15 000 soldiers to welcome him at eMhlahlandlela, singing, dancing and parading.
3. From the gate he was ushered to the goat kraal, where he was welcomed by a senior inyanga yomuzi who,cleansed and purified him as part of an elaborate purification ritual for kings. The vessels to be used in the festivities for his coronation were also purified.
1. THE PRE-COLONIAL UKUCHINSA - FIRST FRUITS CEREMONY OF THE NDEBELE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE ๐ฟ๐ผ
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After the conclusion of the Inxwala national ceremony , people went back to their respective villages. After a week or two, the king performed the ukuchinsa /dolo qina ceremony.
2. Citizens of the Ndebele state were prohibited from harvesting their crops until the ukuchinsa ceremony was conducted. This was usually around January or February, when the first crops started to appear.
3. The king was the first to partake of the first crops in the kingdom. Anyone who broke this rule was punished by death.Izinyanga -traditional doctors gathered the first crops like amakhomane, marrows and mixed them with medicines. After that the king would eat the first fruits.