Chewa Totally Explained

Everything about Chewa totally explained

ť This article is about the African ethnic group, for the language see Chichewa language

The Chewa are a people of Central/Southern Africa. They are closely related to people who surround them, especially the Tumbuka and Nsenga. They are historically also related to the Bemba, with whom they share a similar origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like the Nsenga and Tumbuka, a considerable part of Chewa territory came under the influence of the Ngoni, who were various people 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. They are also famous for their agricultural prowess.
The Chewa (like the Nyanja, Tumbuka, Senga, Nsenga, Mang'anja) are a remnant of the Maravi (Malawi) people or empire.
There are two large Chewa clans, the Phiri and the Banda. The Phiri are associated with the kings and aristocracy, the Banda with healers and mystics.

Traditional rural society

Women have a special place in Chewa society and belief. They are recognized as reproducers of the lineage (Mbele), which is an extended family of people related to the same ancestor. As a matrilineal society, property and land rights are inherited through the mother. Mbele means "descended from the same breast". Children of the same mother or female make up a family of dependents or Mbumba. Elder brothers of the mothers are called Nkhoswe, are the guardians of the lineage, and are mentors to their sisters' sons.
The village was led by a headman (Mfumu), a position to which every villager of good character could aspire. Village headmen (and headwomen) were subordinate to regional chiefs (Mwini Dziko), who were themselves subordinate to Paramount Chiefs. Subordination meant the regular payment of tribute, as well as readiness to supply men in time of war.

Chewa history

The Chewa originated in Malambo, a place in the Luba area of Zaire, from where they emigrated into northern Zambia, and then south and east into the highlands of Malawi. This settlement occurred sometime before the end of the first millennium. After conquering land from other Bantu peoples, they regrouped at Choma, a place associated with a mountain in northern Malawi, and the plateau of northeastern Zambia. This is one of a number of different interpretations of the early history of the Chewa. The first Chewa kingdom was established some time before or after 1480, and by the 16th century there were two systems of authority, one maintained by the Banda clan at Mankhamba (near Nthakataka), and the other by the Phiri clan at Manthimba. The Phiri are associated with the Malawian mountain Kaphirintiwa. By the 17th century, when the 'Malawi' state had been unified, the Portuguese had made some contact with the Chewa. Although the Portuguese didn't reach the heartland of the chiefdom, there are well documented records of contacts that occurred between 1608 and 1667. By 1750, several 'Malawi' dynasties had consolidated their positions in different parts of central Malawi, however the Chewa had managed to distinguish themselves from their neighbours through language, by having special tattoo marks (mphini), and by the possession of a religious system based on the nyau secret societies. The Phiri's (aristrocrats) later owned most of Malawi's Tea estates which were later repossed by the Malawian government in the early 1980's. ChiChewa can also be classed as a Shona dialect as some scholars in the region point out. As a strong historic link of the Nyanja, Bemba and Yao people, to the ancient Shona empire, who can point their earlier origins to Mashonaland. The ancient Shonas who temporarily dwelt in Malambo, a place in the DRC, eventually shifted into northern Zambia, and then into Malawi. The Chinyanja language, ChiChewa or Chewa, emerged as a distinct tongue in the sixteenth century, according to scholars. In the twentieth century, the Chewa vocabulary and grammar is similar with Shona dialects, which are spoken in Zimbabwe, especially ChiZezuru and ChiManyika.

Politics

The paramount chief of the Chewas in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique is Chief Undi. In Malawi, the first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, was a Chewa of Phiri and Banda origin. Under his rule, Chichewa became the national language in Malawi.

Further Information

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