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Bemba: Quick Facts

Location

Pronunciation: BEM-bah

C l i m a t e

Location: Northeastern Zambia

The Bemba Tribe

-Even though there is no shortage of rainfall and precipitation on the plateau, the quality of the soil is poor and covered by large masses of shrub.

-This characteristic is typical of an African Savannah.

-The environment surrounding the Bemba can best be described as very bland and having very few actual trees.

-However, because of the abundance of shrubs, Bemba are known as 'Forest People.'

of Zambia

Population: 3.1 million*

*population calculated based on number of Bemba speaking individuals.

-The Bemba live in the high level plateaus of Zambia.

-Of the ~8.5 million people living in Zambia, it's estimated that 36% are Bemba or Bemba-speaking.

Languages: Bemba (native language) and English are the primary spoken and written languages.

Geographical Features

Lake Mweru

Occupations and Gender Roles

  • After completing their rites of passage (Chisungu) in their early teens, the Bemba women are expected to assume the duties of a woman. These include cooking, cleaning, sewing, and taking care of the children in the family.

Languages Among the Bemba

Language Map of Africa

Living Situations

  • The main occupation of the Bemba men is subsistence farming, and most men will remain in this practice throughout their entire lifetime.

This is one example of what a typical Bemba village looks like.

This is another example of a typical hut. This is what the 'nicer' homes look like.

  • The Bemba reside in rural villages along with the extended family of their mother.

Like the majority of central and parts of southern Africa, a variety of languages are spoken in Zambia.

Lake Bangweulu

Most of the languages spoken in Zambia are some variation of the Bantu language family.

  • They live in huts that are built primarily with woven rods and twigs and are held together using clay or mud.

Relationships and Social Expectations

  • It is customary and tradition among the Bemba that a person's age is representative of the level of respect they should be treated with. Bemba culture has great respect for older individuals.

References

  • The Bemba are taught from a very young age to always greet people with a handshake, even if they have met many times before.

Works Cited

Albamaltanorthafrica, Posted By. "Alba Malta Team at Bantu Philosophy and African Philosophies Seminar Quai Branly Museum Paris." Alba Malta North Africa Coordination. N.p., 09 July 2016. Web.

"Bemba." Countries and Their Cultures. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Bemba Definition | Bemba Meaning." Words to Describe Someone. N.p., 08 Sept. 2016. Web.

"Chief Chitimukulu Wants Public Order Act Abolished, It's An Archaic Law." Open Zambia. N.p., 16 Sept. 2015. Web.

Images from Early Africa. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Lake Mweru." Zambia Tourism. N.p., n.d. Web.

LakeNet - Lakes. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Zambia." Smartraveller.gov.au. N.p., n.d. Web.

Zikin, Mutur. Africa - Cartes Linguistiques / Linguistic Maps. N.p., n.d. Web.

The languages are fairly similar, but are not mutually comprehensible, meaning a person who speaks one Bantu language cannot understand another.

  • Handshakes are especially mandatory when greeting a member of the same clan or respective partner clan.

Lake Mweru is located between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (left)

  • A typical Bemba village has anywhere between 30 to 50 huts.
  • Each village has its own political leader. Since most members of a village are family, it's common for the political leader to be of relation to the family inhabiting the village.

-Mozambique and Tanzania are connected by Lake Bangweulu.

-It's possible to travel from Botswana to Mozambique by way of Lake Bangweulu.

  • The Bemba are organized in clans determined by a common female ancestor. Each clan has a 'partner clan' and marriages are permitted between a clan and its partner clan. It is rare that members of unrelated clans get married, and it's commonly frowned upon.

English in Zambia?

English is actually the national language of Zambia.

Religions and Beliefs

The Bemba's native language, Chibemba, is the second most common language spoken among the Bemba. English is the most common.

  • The Bemba traditionally believe in the existence of a single higher power known as Leza. He does not deal with the problems of everyday life, but instead is known to control thunder and fertility. Leza is the source of all magical power.

-Lake Bangweulu is much more

understated than Lake Mweru.

-It's known more for its beauty

rather than its recreational purpose.

Beginning in high school and continuing on through university, education is taught entirely in English.

  • In the late 19th century, Christian missionaries arrived in Zambia and converted many people, including the Bemba, to Christianity.
  • However, most members of the Bemba culture have kept grounded in their traditional beliefs, and the power of Leza is still widely recognized and respected.

Similar to many lakes in the United States, Lake Mweru is used in a recreational manner for fishing and boating. (right)

-The Plateau on which the Bemba reside is home to Lake Mweru and Lake Bangweulu, which are major geographical features of the area.

Religions: Protestantism,Roman Catholicism, African Christianity, Islam, and Traditional Beliefs.

Who Are the Bemba of Zambia?

  • The Bemba are actually a smaller group belonging to the large ethnic group known as the Central Bantu.

Who Are the Bemba of Zambia?

:

Henry Kanyanta Sosala, the current Chief Chitimikulu of the Bemba, riding a crocodile parade float, representing his subordinate chiefs of the Bemba government.

ref. https://wordstodescribesomeone.com/bemba/

The Bemba established themselves in their current location of northeast Zambia during one of the Great Bantu Migrations. (approx. 16th/17th century)

Once settled, they enacted their own government, which has never been tightly established.

This new government was decidedly run by the Bemba's paramount chief, Chitimukulu, which means "the great tree." Serving under the Chief were to be groups of sub-chiefs that were part of the Royal Crocodile Clan.

Henry Kanyanta Sosala currently serves as Chitimukulu.

Bemba

Culture Project

Anthropology 2017

by

Lily Toan

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