|
Tribe Snapshots Luvale |
| Location: |
Eastern Angola,
western Zambia |
| Population: |
20,000 |
| Language: |
Luvale (Bantu) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Chokwe,
Luba,
Lunda, Luchazi,
Ovimbundu, Songo |
| Types
of Art: |
Most Luvale art is in the form of masks, many
of which are danced during initiation ceremonies
to educate the initiates and to mark the territory
where the ceremonies take place. |
| History: |
Luvale (Lwena in Angola) peoples are closely
related to Chokwe, and their history is interconnected
with both Chokwe and Lunda political movements,
which have historically dominated the region.
Between 1600 and 1850 they were under considerable
influence from the Lunda states and were centrally
located in Angola. In the second half of the 19th
century, considerable development of the trade
routes between the Chokwe homelands and the Angolan
coast led to an increased participation in trade
of ivory and rubber. Wealth acquired from this
allowed the Chokwe kingdom to expand, eventually
overtaking the Lunda states that had held sway
over them for so long. |
| Economy: |
The mainly agrarian Luvale economy is centered
around the staple crops of manioc, cassava, yams,
and peanuts. Tobacco and hemp are also grown for
snuff, and maize is grown for beer. Domesticated
livestock is also kept and includes sheep, goats,
pigs, and chickens. Meat supplements are garnered
through hunting. There is a exclusive association
of big game hunters (Yanga), but everyone contributes
to the capture of small game animals. The farming
and processing of agricultural products is done
almost exclusively by women among the Luvale.
Slash and burn techniques and crop rotation are
practiced to naturally conserve the land. |
| Political
Systems: |
Luvale do not recognize a paramount leader,
but instead offer allegiance to local chiefs who
inherit their positions matrilineally from the
maternal uncle. The chiefs (mwana nganga) consult
with a committee of elders and ritual specialists
before making decisions. Villages are divided
into manageable sections, which are governed by
family headmen. All members of Luvale society
are divided into two categories, those who are
descended from the founding matrilineal lines
and those who are descended from former enslaved
populations. |
| Religion: |
Luvale recognize a god of creation and supreme
power (Kalunga) and a series of nature and ancestral
spirits (mahamba). These spirits may belong to
the individual, the family, or the community,
and neglecting them is sure to result in personal
or collective misfortune. Evil spirits may also
be activated by sorcerers (orwanga) to cause illness,
and this must be counteracted to regain health.
In order to accomplish this, individuals normally
consult with a diviner (Nganga), who attempts
to uncover the source of the patient's problem.
The most common form of divination among Luvale
involves basket divination, which consists of
the tossing of up to sixty individual objects
in a basket. The configuration of the objects
is then "read" by the diviner to determine the
cause of illness. |
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