Lozi people

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The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi are also found in Namibia, Angola and Botswana.

1 Name
2 History
3 Culture
4 Language
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Name

The word Lozi means 'plain' in the Makololo language, in reference to the Zambezi flood plain on and around which most Lozi live. It may also be spelt Lotse or Rotse, the spelling Lozi having originated with German missionaries in what is now Namibia. Mu- and Ba- are singular and plural prefixes in Bantu languages, so Murotse means 'person of the plain' while Barotse means 'people of the plain'.

[edit] History

Although Lozi tradition states that they have always inhabited Barotseland, it is generally believed that they migrated into Western Zambia from what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the 17th and 18th centuries. In about 1830, the Makololo people, who had been displaced from what is now South Africa by the Zulu expansion and conquest led by Shaka, invaded Barotseland and conquered the Lozi. They ruled until 1864 when they were overthrown by a Lozi revolution.

The Lozi have long been a monarchy, ruled by a king known as the 'Litunga'. In the late 19th century, the Lozi were ruled by Lewanika, whose reign as Litunga lasted about 50 years. Lewanika brought Barotseland under British control in 1890, when he agreed terms with Cecil Rhodes for the region to become a protectorate.

Although Barotseland was incorporated into Northern Rhodesia, it retained a large degree of autonomy, which was carried over when Northern Rhodesia became Zambia on its independence in 1964. Although before colonial times, the region was self-sufficient in food and exported crops to neighbouring regions, today it is the least-developed region of Zambia, with only one major road into the province, from Lusaka to Mongu, and only intermittent supplies of electricity. There remains some support in the region for greater autonomy within Zambia or full independence..

[edit] Culture

Lozi society is highly stratified, with a monarch at the top and those of recent royal descent occupying high positions in society. The monarch is known as the Litunga, and Lozi society tolerates little criticism even of an unpopular Litunga. Criticisms of a Litunga by a foreigner are treated as criticisms of the Lozi nation as a whole.

Lozi culture is strongly influenced by the flood cycle of the Zambezi river, with annual migrations taking place from the flood plain to higher ground at the start of the wet season. The most important of these festivals is the Kuomboka, in which the Litunga moves from Lealui in the flood plain to Limulunga on higher ground. The Kuomboka usually takes place in February or March.