The Nambya people are an ethnic group of about 100,000 people, based in the north-western parts of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

and in the north-eastern parts of

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 Kalaha ...

. They are found around the coal mining town of

Hwange Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of ...

, surrounding areas of the

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...

as well as in the north-eastern parts of Botswana namely, Pandamatenga, Chobe, Maremaoto, Gweta, Shorobe, Tsienyane, Zoroga, Chumo, Makalamabedi, Sankoyo, Lesoma, Xhumo, Mopipi, Broadhurst, Rakops, Shoshong, Palapye and Maun. Hwange Town and the Hwange National Park were named after the BaNambya King Sawanga , who was later called Hwange by the Nambya people. The Kalanga tribes who were captured by the Nambya warriors from the former Rozvi Empire of the Great Zimbabwe influenced the Nambya language which resulted in the changed pronouciation of words and tone. The BaNambya people are also the native inhabitants of the area around

Hwange National Park Hwange National Park (formerly Wankie Game Reserve) is the largest natural reserve in Zimbabwe. It is around 14,600 sq km in area. It lies in the northwest of the country, just off the main road between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. The neares ...

, the second biggest national park in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

after Kruger National Park in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, which boasts the

Big Five game In Africa, the Big Five game animals are the lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo. They are examples of charismatic megafauna, featuring prominently in popular culture, and are among the most famous of ...

. Hwange is a mere 100 km from the resort town of

in the far north west of Matebeleland North Province. The Nambya people are related to the Kalanga. The BaNambya came from Great Zimbabwe, and conquered some Kalanga tribes along their way to

and the north-eastern parts of

, which changed the Nambya language and made it similar to TjiKalanga. The BaNambya were being led by a subchief of the Great Zimbabwe by the name of Denderende Sawanga and went to present day

Dete Dete (previously known as Dett) is a small railway re-crewing depot and a developing town on the Bulawayo-Hwange-Victoria Falls railway line in Zimbabwe, approximately north-west of Bulawayo and south-east of Hwange, lying within the Hwange N ...

which is where they settled. Some went on to live in Bumbusi. This is proven by the stone structures that were built by the Nambya that are similar to that of Great Zimbabwe. The BaNambya Royal leadership includes the BaNambya Chief Shana, BaNambya Chief Hwange, BaNambya Chief Nekatambe, BaNambya Chief Nelukoba, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Shashe Shakwa,Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Manchebu, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Makonyela, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Nakwela, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Montsho, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Masusu, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Shambi, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Sumbami, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Manchebu Phaphadza, Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Bahalole and Botswana BaShe BechiNambya NShe Mazwimbo. It is also believed that the Nambya are also part of the Lozwi/BaRotse tribe. Nambya consists of dialects namely, the baNizi and the baNyayi. The BaNambya originated from the Rozvi empire of Masvingo Great Zimbabwe.

References

External links

Nambya Cultural Association website
Ethnic groups in Zimbabwe {{africa-ethno-group-stub