The Chokwe and Bemba People Outline Chokwe Geography and

1
The Chokwe and Bemba People
2
Outline

• Chokwe
• Geography and History
• Political System
• Social
• Religion
• Economy
• Art

• Bemba
• Geography and History
• Political System
• Social
• Religion
• Economy
• Art

3
Geography and History

• Angola origin
• Southwestern DRC
• Northwestern Zambia
• Lunda States 17th and 18th centuries
• 19th century trade routes to coast
• Ivory and rubber
• Expansion, colonialism, disease
• Kingdom broke up

Image 1
4
Political Systems

• No single leader
• Chiefs Mwana nganga
• Gain position thru maternal uncle
• Committee of elders
• Villages divided family heads
• Village Structure
• Circle of houses
• meetinghouse

Image 2 Chokwe Chief 1903
5
Social

• Matrilineal
• Trace descent
• Live with husbands family
• Houses
• Mud brick
• Thatched roof
• Polygamy
• Restricted
• Initiation 12-17
• mukanda
• Circumcision

Image 3 circumcision masks
6
Religion

• God Kalunga
• Spirits Mahamba
• Ancestral and Nature
• Evil cause illness
• Wanga sorcerer
• Nganga diviner
• Basket Divination
• to determine reason for illness

Image 4 Chokwe Diviner
7
Economy

• Agriculture
• Cassava, peanuts, yams
• Hemp, tobacco, maize
• Slash and Burn Crop rotation
• Livestock
• Hunting and Fishing
• Yanga

Image 5 Cassava
8
Chokwe Art

• Sculpture
• Chairs, combs, snuff mortars, pipes, scepters,
  statues
• Pottery, basketry, ironwork
• Spirit Masks
• Chikungu
• Mukanda
• pwo

Image 6 scepters
9
Image 9 pwo
Image 7 chikunga
Image 8 mukanda
10
The Bemba People
11
Geography and History

• Zambia
• Origin upper Congo
• Luba and Lunda states
• 17th century
• North east Zambia
• Kalunga River
• Chitimukulu

Image 10
12
Politics

• Centralized/Authoritarian
• Chitimukulu Chief of state
• Supernatural
• Council Bakabilo
• District icalo
• Local hereditary chief mfumu, with councilors
• Multiple villages
• Subchiefs
• Village headmen Bakalamba
• Matrilocal family groups in center

13
Social

• Babemba name Chibemba language
• Cut on temples
• Matrilineal determine descent, position, status,
  residence
• Villages 100-200 people
• Wattle and daub houses with grass roof
• Clans named after animals/natural organisms

Image 11 Bemba villagers
14
Religion

• Lesa
• main god future
• Imilungu
• past
• Spirits mipashi, chiefs
• Local and chitimukulu
• Christianity 19th century
• Still retain aspects of traditional religion

15
Economy

• Agriculture finger millet, manioc, cassava
• Women work in the fields
• Men clear the fields
• Fishing
• Sheep, goats
• Few material possessions

Image 12 pounding cassava
16
Bemba Art

• Pottery, basket making
• Sculpture similar to the Luba
• Domed forhead
• Lowered eyes
• Pursed lips
• scarification
• Female initiation
• Clay figures
• Painted walls

Image 13 Bemba Sculpture
17
Comparison

• Chokwe
• No paramount leader
• Polygamous
• Matrilineal
• Mud brick homes
• Male initiation
• Spirit worship ancestral
• Agricultural

• Bemba
• Paramount leader
• Polygamous
• Matrilineal
• Wattle and Daub
• Female initiation
• Spirit Worship chiefs
• Agricultural

18
Image Bibliography

• Image 1 Southern Africa. 2003. World Music
  Productions. 8 Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.afropop.
  org/img/sa/m/souafmap.gifgt
• Image 2 Chokwe. 2005. 10 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//www.webzinemaker.net/africans- art/index.p
  hp3?actionpageid_rubr36gt
• Image 3 Masks No Date. 11 Mar. 2006.
• lthttp//www.baobab-factory.com/vo/house/decologo/
  mask/chokwe.jpggt
• Image 4 Chokwe. 2005. 10 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//www.webzinemaker.net/africans- art/index.p
  hp3?actionpageid_rubr36gt
• Image 5 The Cassava Plant. 2004. 8 Mar. 2006.
• lthttp//isa-africa.com/english/nepad/Cassava.jpg
  gt
• Image 6 Chokwe and their Bantu Neighbors.
  2003. 8 Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.chokwe.net/index1.
  htmcataloguegt
• Image 7 Chokwe Mask. 2000. 8 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//www.rebirth.co.za/masks11.htmgt
• Image 8 Chokwe Mukanda Mask. 2006. 9 Mar.
  2006. lthttp//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI
  temitem7392773734category37 946gt
• Image 9 Pwo Chokwe Mask. No Date. 9 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//www.grainsofafrica.com/catalog/popup_imag
  e.php?pID4osCsid287945a abcdbf569c76a6fd3f75cfd
  a7gt
• Image 10 Never Ending Gardens. 2 Dec. 2005.
  Wikipedia. 11 Mar. 2006. lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/
  wiki/Never_Ending_Gardensgt
• Image 11 Livingston Memorial. 11 Mar. 2006.
  2002. lthttp//www.knoware.co.uk/Travelogues/Afric
  an20Odyssey/Bemba20village.JPGgt
• Image 12 African People and Culture. 2006. 9
  Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.africaguide.com/culture/tr
  ibes/bemba.htmgt
• Image 13 Remnants of Ritual. 2003. 9 Mar.
  2006. lthttp//www.remnantsofritual.com/gallery/010
  5.htmlgt

19
Bibliography

• Arnoldi, M. Africa Puberty Rituals. 2006. Grove
  Art Online. 11 Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.groveart.co
  m/shared/views/article.html?fromsearchsession_se
  a rch_id82279928hitnum1sectionart.000675.4.5.
  1.4gt
• Roberts, A. A History of Zambia. New York
  Africana Publishing Company, 1976.
• Africa Symbolism and Ritual. 2004. Grove Art
  Online. 9 Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.groveart.com/sha
  red/views/article.html?fromsearchsession_search_
  i d607265327hitnum2sectionart.000675.5.1.2gt
• Africa Central Africa Sculpture. 2004. Grove
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  /shared/views/article.html?sectionart.000675.8.6.
  2art.00 0675.8.6.2gt
• Bemba. 2003. E Museum. 10 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/af
  rica/bemba.htmlgt
• Bemba. Wikipedia. Feb. 2006. 9 Mar. 2006.
  lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bemba_peoplegt
• Bemba." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006.
  Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
  10 Mar. 2006 lthttp//school.eb.com/eb/article-9015
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• Bemba Religion. 1999. Overview of World
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• Chokwe Information. Nov. 1998. 7 Mar. 2006 3
  lthttp//www.uiowa.edu/africart/toc/people/Chokwe
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• Chokwe. 2005. 10 Mar. 2006. lthttp//www.webzinem
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• Chokwe." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006.
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• Chokwe. Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2006. 9 Mar. 2006.
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