Zambia's Traditional History

The following information comes from Marvin Miracle’s article on ‘Migration of the Northern Rhodesian Senga’, published in 1963.

It would seem that the Senga, Bisa and Bemba all left the Lunda empire during the reign of a particularly bad king, Mwata Yamvo. The Lunda king had his palace at a place called Uluwa.

Family clans under Lunda government were given one particular task to carry out. The Bemba were part of the Nandu or crocodile clan whose duty was to sweep the royal village. The Bisa (Ngona or mushroom) clan were tasked with preparing millet for the royal brew. It is not known what duties were allocated to the Senga clan. According to the opinion of Marvin Miracle the Senga left the Lunda Empire first. Their planning to leave took several years but eventually, one night, the men fled and travelled east. During their migration they stopped for a long time and it was during this time that the Bemba and Bisa clans also fled the Lunda Empire. When the Senga continued their migration east, they came to meet up with the Bisa who had settled there.

To read more, go to https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/senga/

The first ethnic group which have handed down their history is that of the Chewa people of the east. Their kingdom originated from Makewana, southwest of Lake Malawi. The people were called the Maravi, and it is thought that they were some of the earliest Bantu to reach South-Central Africa. While there, two brothers fell out in a succession dispute, and one of them, Undi, left the area and moved west in, possibly, the 1500s. He moved his palace to an area in present-day Mozambique at a place called Mano when they became known as the Chewa. Through trade and the clever use of family members, the successive Undi rulers enlarged the kingdom to cover land in present-day Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. After 200 years the empire covered a vast area right up to the confluence of the Luangwa and Zambezi Rivers.

The administrative system was one commonly used by kings in Africa. The king appointed chiefs in the outlying villages; the chiefs ruled over several headmen. The chiefs would generally be family members or would be married to one of the king’s relatives. Through this arrangement loyalty was preserved. Tribute was collected from all the people via the chiefs; it could be cattle, grain, tools, salt, elephant tusks. In exchange for tribute the king distributed items including cloth and other imports. The king was also in charge of spiritual matters including the ancestral shrine and ensured the good will of the gods. In the case of Undi his spiritual centre remained in Makewana.

To read more, go to https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/chewa/