Kingdom of Barotse
The Kingdom of the Barotse was in the Mongu area in the western province of Zambia .
The kingdom was that of the Lozi , also pronounced pilot or rotse, a Bantuethnie . The prefixes Mu- and Ba- (Ma-) mean singular and plural in Bantu languages. The word Lozi means plain , Barotse means people of the plain and refers to the Zambezi floodplains where the Lozi live. The Lozi language is understood by the Shona in Zimbabwe .
history
Although the traditions of the Lozi claim that they have always lived in Barotseland , it is believed that they immigrated as the Aalui tribe from what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the 17th century and initially lived on the Kabompo River , 300 kilometers northeast of their present day Settlement area. The Makololo , a Bantuethnie of the Sotho , lived here, who migrated to western Zambia around 1835 from the area of the South African Republic , which was formed at that time, before the expansion of the Zulu under their King Shaka , and subjugated the area around Mongu . They held it until 1864 , when a revolution of the Lozi overthrew them, because from 1864 they decimated a malaria epidemic. In addition, a weak and ailing king ascended the throne, which favored the Lozi and put an end to the hegemony of the Makololo. The Makololo then merged with the Lozi tribe.
Form of government
The Lozi lived in a monarchy that was ruled by a king bearing the title Litunga (fully: Mbumu wa Litunga ). In the 19th century, the Lozi were ruled by Lewanika I , who held office for 38 years and brought Barotseland under British control in 1890 when he accepted Cecil Rhodes ' terms making the area a protectorate.
Although Barotseland became part of Northern Rhodesia , it retained a high degree of autonomy that it was able to maintain even when Zambia became independent in 1964 . Although this region was able to feed itself in colonial times and even export grain to neighboring areas, it is now one of the least developed Zambias. There is only the road from Mongu to Lusaka and the road from Sesheke to Livingstone . There is electricity only in Mongu.
The drive for autonomy is still acute. There is a Barotse Patriotic Front , which occasionally attracts attention and works with the Caprivi Liberation Army , organized by Lozi who live in the Namibian region of Zambezi . The main reason for this is that the long-standing Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda failed to comply with the basic treaty of 1964, which not only stipulates the independence of Zambia with Barotseland as an integral part of its territory, but also provides for corresponding consideration.
Culture
The Lozi ethnic group is strongly hierarchical with the king, the Mbumu wa Litunga at the top and people of royal descent in the highest offices. The traditional traces of male-female dual power are in decline. Criticism of the litunga is frowned upon in public, even if it is highly unpopular. Such criticism is understood as one of all Lozis.
The Loziculture is determined by the flood cycles of the Zambezi . At the beginning of the rainy season, the king moved from his seat in Lealui to that in the higher-lying Limulanga , which is still carried out in the Kuomboka today.
The first king to reside in Lealui was Sipopa in 1864. The place was re-established in 1978 by King Lubosi Lewanka as the cultural, traditional and administrative capital. The center of the royal complex is the Kamona from 1880. It still plays an important role in the coronation, when the new litunga has to live there for a certain time. The Kamona is considered an important historical testimony in Zambia. There is also the residence of the Litunga, which was built between 1896 and 1902 from materials from all over Barotseland and is a very special piece of Lozi architecture.
Your language is Lozi .
Official List of Kings
| Aluyana dynasty | ||
| Mbumu wa Litunga | from | to |
| Mboo Mwanasilandu | unknown | unknown |
| Inyambo | unknown | unknown |
| Yeta I. | unknown | unknown |
| Numwa | unknown | unknown |
| Ngalama | unknown | unknown |
| Yeta II. Malute | unknown | unknown |
| Ngombala | unknown | unknown |
| Yubya Lukama (regent) | unknown | unknown |
| Mwanawina I. | unknown | unknown |
| Mwananyanda Liwale | unknown | 1812 |
| Mulambwa Santulu | 1812 | 1830 |
| Silumelume | 1830 | unknown |
| Mubukwanu | 1830 | 1838 |
| Imasiku | 1838 | unknown |
| Makololo rulership | ||
| Morêna | from | to |
| Sebetwane | 1838 | July 7, 1851 |
| Mma Motshisane | 1851 | 1851 |
| Sekeletu | 1851 | June 1863 |
| Mambili | June 1863 | 1863 |
| Liswaniso (rebellion) | 1863 | 1863 |
| Mbololo | 1863 | 1864 |
| Aluyana dynasty | ||
| Mbumu wa Litunga | from | to |
| Sipopa | June 1864 | August 1876 |
| Mowa Mamili (Regent) | August 1876 | October 1876 |
| Mwanawina II. | October 1876 | May 1878 |
| Lubosi = Lewanika I. (1st phase) | August 1878 | August 1884 |
| Akufuna | September 1884 | July 1885 |
| Sikufele (rebellion) | 1885 | 1885 |
| Lubosi = Lewanika I. (2nd phase) | November 4, 1885 | February 4, 1916 |
| Mokamba (regent) | February 4, 1916 | March 13, 1916 |
| Yeta III. | March 13, 1916 | June 1945 |
| Shemakone Kalonga Wina (1st phase) | June 1945 | June 1946 |
| Imwiko (* 1885; † 1948) | June 1946 | June 1948 |
| Shemakone Kalonga Wina (2nd phase) | June 1948 | August 1948 |
| Mwanawina III. (* 1888, † 1968) | August 1948 | November 13, 1968 |
| Hastings Ndangwa Noyoo (Regent) | November 13, 1968 | 15th December 1968 |
| Lewanika II. (* 1888, † 1977) | 15th December 1968 | 1977 |
| Ilute (* 1907, † 2000) | 1977 | July 2, 2000 |
| Lubosi Imwiko | October 2000 | |