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Tribe Snapshots Chokwe |
| Location: |
Southwestern Congo (Zaire), Angola, Zambia |
| Population: |
1.16 million |
| Language: |
Wuchokwe (Bantu) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Luba, Lunda, Lwena, Ovimbundu, Songo |
| Types
of Art: |
The Chokwe are well known for art objects produced
to celebrate and validate the royal court. These
objects include ornately carved stools and chairs
used as thrones. Most of the sculptures are portraits,
which represent the royal lineage. Staffs, scepters,
and spears are among other implements sculpted
to celebrate the court. |
| History: |
Chokwe origin can perhaps be traced to the Mbundu
and Mbuti Pygmies. 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 though, considerable
development of the trade routes between the Chokwe
homelands and the Angolan coast led to increased
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. Their success was short-lived,
however. The effects of overexpansion, disease,
and colonialism resulted in the fragmentation
of Chokwe power. |
| Economy: |
The Chokwe grow manioc, cassava, yams, and peanuts.
Tobacco and hemp are also grown for snuff, and
maize is grown for beer. Domesticated livestock
is also kep, and includes sheep, goats, pigs,
and chickens. Protein is added through hunting.
There is an exclusive association of big game
hunters known as 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 Chokwe.
Slash and burn techniques and crop rotation are
practiced to conserve the land naturally. |
| Political
Systems: |
The Chokwe do not recognize a paramount leader,
but instead offer allegiance to local chiefs who
inherit their positions 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 Chokwe 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: |
The Chokwe recognize Kalunga, the god of creation
and supreme power, and a series of nature and
ancestral spirits (mahamba). These spirits may
belong to the individual, family, or the community,
and neglecting them is sure to result in personal
or collective misfortune. Evil spirits may also
be activated by sorcerers (wanga) 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 the Chokwe
is 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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