Kavango CulturesLittle written records of history, life, customs and rituals is available on the kavango cultures. It is alarming to think that, if we do not keep record now, our rich history will one day disappear and be forever unknown to generations to come. As with many African cultures, very few people know the history of Kwangali and Mbunza kavango cultures, the two sister royal kingdoms from 1500 to 1900. The Kwangali and the Mbunza tribes are matriarchal and are sister kingdoms of the Kapango and Mate who originated in East and Central Africa and settled at Makuzu ga Muntenda. Today these two sister kingdoms speak one common language, Rukwangali. Many tales and proverbs of the Kwangali expressed that the Kwangali people came from Handa or Masi. That place is described as having large water or sea. It is where they made contact with Arab trades who gave them a ‘pearl’, symbolosing fortune and power. This period dates back to 1300 – 1400 when the Kwangali people split from the Ndebeles, the Sothos, the Masai and the Hereros. However, the reason for the split was not given. The historical information of the Moslem invasion in northern Africa for example Nubian (Ethiopia) and Egypt is one of the primary reasons in the search for pasture and grazing areas. The Kwangali have been described as people who possessed large herds of cattle therefore, they where looking for a suitable place where they could settle without disturbance. Another reason for the immigration from Eastern to Southern Africa was ethnic wars. According to oral history these people travelled as five groups along the Zambezi river up to the Kavango river. They called themselves the Kavango,. The name means, “a small, beautiful living place” and it is the name which they gave to the river which flows from Angola to Botwana. At Kavango river the five groups split. These are: Vakwangali, Vambunza, Vasambyu, Vagciriku and Vambukushu. Although each tribe has its own history about how they arrived in the Kavango, their source might be the same from the Kwangali proceeded west from the Kavango river towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The historical information and dates from Kwangali ancestral graves is dated from 1500 – 1600 at Makuzu ga Muntenda. The Kwangali songs of praise recite that the Kwangali were ruled by the monarch of Kapango and Muntenda the great. Their royal court or kingdom was at Makuzu.The Kwangali were very dependent upon their cattle for daily survival. They were agriculturalists and traditional blacksmiths. The kavango cultures are fascinating and interesting, read about the other Namibia cultures.
of the kavango cultures, the Kwangali tribe is matrilineal. A chief must come from the family line of a female (a sister). That person is then regarded as descending from royalty. There are very few cases in which a male (brother) is chosen to ascend to the royal throne.
The Kwangali tribe was always ruled by a hompa. In the Kwangali stories, the tittle hompa designates a person who has the power and authority to rule a vast land or country (Sirongo). This power originates from the supreme deity who is “Karunga of Nyambi-Nyambi” the one who created the universe. It is interesting to know that the Kwangali were religious people even before the missionary came to Namibia. They used to sacrifice cows to Karunga (God) to bring rain. The Kwangali respect their hompa as they would a god. If the hompa speaks, everyone listens. It was important to the Kwangali people to worship at the grave of the hompa in order to chase away personal misfortune, hunger and natural disasters. They believed that their hompa had reached another world where she/he could talk directly to God for misfortunes and illness to be alleviated. Another role of the hompa was to protect the land. The land belongs to the community. There was no concept of private ownership of the land. Even if people went to another place and remained there for 2-3 years, when they returned they were allowed to live anywhere, including their former homes (Marunda). The chief or Hompa was the judge. He/she had the respomsibility of settling disputes. The hompa also had a senior headman (vaforomani) and chief council (Masimbi whom he/she could consult and hompa could give authority to settle minor problems of the people). The chief also had an army or police whose task was to maintain law and order within the community. They had authority to arrest offenders and attack invading enemies. Come back later, I promise to add more juicy info about Kavango hompas or chiefs and culture, in the near future Right? Right!
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Makuzu is situated in the northwestern part of Nkurenkuru in southern Angola. According to the traditional stories, the Kwangali kingdoms was near the Kwanyama kingdom at Manyandi and was under the leadership of Nguranene. The name Nguranene has roots in the Kwanyama and Ondonga tribes. As do the names Angula, Nangula and Hangula. The Kwangali people retain these names such as Haingura and Nangura within the tribe as evidence of the close relationship between the Kwangali and Ovambo kingdoms.
