![Barotseland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Barotseland.svg)
The Kololo or Makololo are a subgroup of the
Sotho-Tswana people native to
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
. In the early 19th century, they were displaced by the
Zulu, migrating north to
Barotseland
Barotseland ( Lozi: Mubuso Bulozi) is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of eastern and northern provinces of Zambia and the whole of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga Province. It is the homeland of the ...
,
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
. They conquered the territory of the Luyana people and imposed their own language. The combination of
Luyana
Luyana (Luyaana), also known as ''Luyi'' (Louyi, Lui, Rouyi), is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia and perhaps in small numbers in neighboring countries. It appears to be an divergent lineage of Bantu. It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgro ...
and Kololo languages gave rise to the current
Lozi language
Lozi, also known as siLozi and Rozi, is a Bantu language of the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho–Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30), that is spoken by the Lozi people, primarily in southwestern Zambia and in surrounding cou ...
spoken by the
Lozi people, descendants of the Luyana and nearby tribes. In 1864, the Kololo kingdom was overthrown and
some chiefs moved to
Chikwawa District
Chikwawa is a Districts of Malawi, district in the Southern Region, Malawi, Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Chikwawa. The district covers an area of 4,755 km² and has a population of 356,682.
The district lies in a malaria endemi ...
,
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, with
David Livingstone
David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...
.
Name
The Kololo are also known as Makololo. When referring to Kololo people in plural, their
endonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...
is Bakololo, which includes the
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
clitic
In morphology and syntax, a clitic (, backformed from Greek "leaning" or "enclitic"Crystal, David. ''A First Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics''. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1980. Print.) is a morpheme that has syntactic characteristics of a w ...
''ba-''. The Kololo appear to be named after Kololo, the wife of their first chief,
Sebitwane
Sebetwane (between about 1790 and 1800 – July 7, 1851) was chief of the Patsa branch of the Bafokeng clan. He established the large and powerful Makololo nation in what is now southwestern Zambia after an arduous migration of over 1200 kil ...
. Another theory is that it is a
Luyana
Luyana (Luyaana), also known as ''Luyi'' (Louyi, Lui, Rouyi), is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia and perhaps in small numbers in neighboring countries. It appears to be an divergent lineage of Bantu. It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgro ...
word meaning "bald" referring to their conqueror's hairstyles.
History
Origins
The Kololo are said to have originated in the North Orange Free State region (current Free State province of South Africa). The Kololo are said to have been displaced by the
Zulu expansion under
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...
in the early 19th century during a chain of events known as the
Mfecane
The Mfecane ( isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: ̩fɛˈkǀaːne, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict ...
. In 1823, the Kololo started a migration north through
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
to
Barotseland
Barotseland ( Lozi: Mubuso Bulozi) is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of eastern and northern provinces of Zambia and the whole of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga Province. It is the homeland of the ...
.
In what is now southern Botswana, they defeated a number of societies before suffering a catastrophic defeat to the Bangwaketse at Dithubaruba in 1826. After losing all their cattle they moved north east and raided again, but subsequent defeats led them north to Okavango Delta where they again suffered major losses but were able to defeat the Batawana people in 1835. This victory enabled them to replenish their population and cattle holdings, although they moved north after several years.
Sebetwane dynasty in Barotseland
At some point in the late 1820s or in the 1830s, a group of Makololo led
Sebetwane
Sebetwane (between about 1790 and 1800 – July 7, 1851) was chief of the Patsa branch of the Bafokeng clan. He established the large and powerful Makololo nation in what is now southwestern Zambia after an arduous migration of over 1200 kil ...
, which had migrated in a series of steps from their home area close to
Basutoland, crossed the
Zambezi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
at
Kazungula
Kazungula is a small border town in Zambia, lying on the north bank of the Zambezi River about west of Livingstone on the M10 Road.
At Kazungula, the territories of four countries (Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) come close to meeti ...
. After plundering the
Batoka plateau, Sebetwane's group was driven west by the
Matabele from the south and the Mashukulumbe or
Ila people
The Ila people are an ethnic group in The Republic of Zambia who make up 0.8 percent of the total population.
The Ila are closely related in language and culture to their more numerous Tonga neighbours in Southern Province. The Ila people mainly ...
from the north. In the Bulozi floodplain, they encountered
Lozi people from the Kingdom of
Barotseland
Barotseland ( Lozi: Mubuso Bulozi) is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of eastern and northern provinces of Zambia and the whole of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga Province. It is the homeland of the ...
, who at the time had been seriously weakened by a
war of succession
A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim the Order of succession, right of successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are typic ...
following the death of king
Mulambwa Santulu
Mulambwa Santulu (born Maimbolwa Santulu) was the 10th ''litunga'' (king) of Barotseland who ruled from 1780 to 1830. He is one of the most fondly remembered Luyana kings. He is famous for introducing a series of reforms such as a new constitution ...
between his sons
Silumelume
''Mulena Yomuhulu Mbumu wa Litunga'' Selumelume Muimui (or Silumelume) was a Chief of Barotseland in Africa. Family and life
Silumelume was a son of the King Mulambwa Santulu and thus grandson of King Mwanawina I.
Lozi people believed that he wa ...
and
Mubukwanu
''Mulena Yomuhulu Mbumu wa Litunga'' Mubukwanu (died c. 1840) was a High Chief of the Lozi people, King of Barotseland in Africa. He quarrelled with his brother Silumelume.
Biography
Family
Mubukwanu was a son of the Chief Mulambwa Santul ...
. By 1845, Sebetwane had conquered Barotseland and became king. He died in 1851 shortly after meeting
David Livingstone
David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...
, and was succeeded, first, by his daughter
Mamochisane
Mamochisane (fl. 1851) was a Makololo Queen who ruled over many people, but especially the Lozi in Barotseland, today's Western Zambia, in 1851. She was later a wife of King Sipopa Lutangu.
Biography
Mamochisane was a daughter of the King Sebet ...
, who soon abdicated in favour of her younger half-brother
Sekeletu
Sekeletu (c. 1835–1863) was the Makololo King of Barotseland in western Zambia from about 1851 to his death in 1863.
Biography
Sekeletu was a son of the King Sebetwane and Queen Setlutlu. He succeeded his half-sister Mamochisane, who h ...
.
After about 20 years, the Makololo dynasty of Sebetwane in Barotseland came to an end in 1864. This was the result of the Makololo war of succession (1863–1864), which broke out after the death of ''morêna''
Sekeletu
Sekeletu (c. 1835–1863) was the Makololo King of Barotseland in western Zambia from about 1851 to his death in 1863.
Biography
Sekeletu was a son of the King Sebetwane and Queen Setlutlu. He succeeded his half-sister Mamochisane, who h ...
of Barotseland, between Mamili/Mamile (Sekeletu's confidant and close associate) and
Mbololo/Mpololo (Sekeletu's uncle,
Sebetwane
Sebetwane (between about 1790 and 1800 – July 7, 1851) was chief of the Patsa branch of the Bafokeng clan. He established the large and powerful Makololo nation in what is now southwestern Zambia after an arduous migration of over 1200 kil ...
's brother). The war ended when the northern Lukwakwa faction led by Njekwa captured the Makololo faction's strongholds in the south, allegedly putting to death all potential 'pure Makololo' claimants to the throne, and inviting
Sipopa Lutangu
Sipopa Lutangu was the leader of the Lozi revolution and later a ''Litunga'' (king) of the Lozi people. He ruled from 1864 to 1876.
Biography
Sipopa (also known as Lutangu) was the son of the former Lozi King, Mubukwanu. He was a successor of Mbo ...
(
Mubukwanu
''Mulena Yomuhulu Mbumu wa Litunga'' Mubukwanu (died c. 1840) was a High Chief of the Lozi people, King of Barotseland in Africa. He quarrelled with his brother Silumelume.
Biography
Family
Mubukwanu was a son of the Chief Mulambwa Santul ...
's son,
Mulambwa's grandson) to become the new king. Conventional historiography regards the 1864 accession of
Sipopa Lutangu
Sipopa Lutangu was the leader of the Lozi revolution and later a ''Litunga'' (king) of the Lozi people. He ruled from 1864 to 1876.
Biography
Sipopa (also known as Lutangu) was the son of the former Lozi King, Mubukwanu. He was a successor of Mbo ...
as "the 'Restoration' of the Lozi monarchy and the start of the 'Second Kingdom'", but Flint (2005) argued that the Lozi and Makololo peoples were ethnolinguistically close and had 'effectively merged' in the decades following the accession of Sebetwane, demonstrated by the fact that both groups spoke the
'Sikololo' or 'Silozi' language by 1864. Sipopa was 'on good terms with the Makololo hierarchy' and married Sebetwane's daughter
Mamochisane
Mamochisane (fl. 1851) was a Makololo Queen who ruled over many people, but especially the Lozi in Barotseland, today's Western Zambia, in 1851. She was later a wife of King Sipopa Lutangu.
Biography
Mamochisane was a daughter of the King Sebet ...
upon his accession. There are claims that all Makololo men were killed and only Makololo women and children survived, but there is evidence of Makololo men living in Barotseland after 1864, so Flint (2005) concluded that this assertion is a 'lie'. Moreover, after decades of intermarriage and cultural blending between two groups who were already very closely related, it would have been virtually impossible 'to weed out who was Makololo and who was not'.
Visit of David Livingstone
Sekeletu provided British explorer
David Livingstone
David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...
with many porters for his transcontinental journey from
Luanda
Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...
on the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
to
Quelimane
Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when Va ...
on the Indian Ocean, made between 1854 and 1856. Around 100 of these men were left at
Tete
Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. It is located on the Zambezi River, and is the site of two of the four bridges crossing the river in Mozambique. A Swahili trade center before the Portuguese colonial era, Tete continue ...
in 1856 when Livingstone made his way to Quelimane and then to Britain. Livingstone returned to Africa to start his second Zambezi expedition in 1858. On reaching Tete, he was reunited with the porters he left there in 1856 and attempted to repatriate them all to Barotseland. However, by this time Sekeletu was facing increasing opposition from the Lozi majority, and around 16 of them decided to remain on the middle Zambezi.
Those Makololo remaining were used from 1859 onward, by Livingstone and by missionaries of the
Universities' Mission to Central Africa (UMCA), as porters and armed guards to support their activities in the Shire valley and
Shire Highlands
The Shire Highlands are a plateau in southern Malawi, located east of the Shire River. It is a major agricultural area and the most densely populated part of the country.
Geography
The highlands cover an area of roughly 7250 square kilometers. t ...
including the freeing of slaves, and were paid in guns, ammunition and cloth. The Makololo decided to remain in the Shire valley when the missionaries left in January 1864.
After the 1864 departure of the UMCA mission, which left behind supplies of arms and ammunition, the Makololo maintained themselves by hunting elephants for ivory and attracted dependents seeking protection, many of whom were freed slaves. They and their armed dependents established chieftaincies in the present-day
Chikwawa District
Chikwawa is a Districts of Malawi, district in the Southern Region, Malawi, Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Chikwawa. The district covers an area of 4,755 km² and has a population of 356,682.
The district lies in a malaria endemi ...
. Originally, ten Makololo became chiefs or headmen and five
Makololo chiefs still exist today.
[J. McCracken, (2012). A History of Malawi, 1859–1966, Woodbridge, James Currey, pp. 41-2.]
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kololo people
Ethnic groups in Botswana
Ethnic groups in Malawi
Ethnic groups in South Africa
Ethnic groups in Zambia