Braam Knights Klub

Clans of Bukalanga At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Butwa state under the rule of the Changamira dynasty remained the largest and probably wealthiest indigenous state in southern Africa. Yet by 1840 it had ceased to exist. Its fall came as a result of a series of invasions by external groups, beginning with various Batswana groups united under the leadership of the Bangwato Kgosi Kgari and culminating in the conquest of the core areas of the kingdom by the Amandebele of Mzilikazi. Batalaote In what is now north-eastern Botswana, the Mambo's presence was reinforced through the migration of several Banyayi groups led by junior members of the royal lineage. These included the Badalaunde or Batalaote, Bamen'we, Banambia, and Batshangate. Dalaunde or Ntalaote is commonly said to have been a junior son of Changamira II first house, although oral traditions are not consistent on this point. While he died in Zimbabwe, under his son, Langane, the Batalaote migrate...

  Changamire The ruler of Moyo clan & Rozwi (~Banyayi) state ruled by Chilisamhulu,  son of Maluzapi,  (other names: Nichisike, Nityisike, Nitjisike) roughly translates as "Lord Cha the creator", while Changamire is a non-Ikalanga derivation, which translates as Cha the king (from Arabic/Swahili emir or amir).  During the 17th century, relations of the Portuguese with the interior population, the Monomotapa became increasingly dependent on the Portuguese needing their support to suppress revolts. F ollowed by a series of disputes and acts of violence. Constantly forced to rely on Europeans to maintain their authority, all the rulers of the plateau and coastal regions Monomotapa, Barue, Manica, and Quiteve, but not Butwa. In 1631, Capranzine and the people of Monomotapa and Manica found themselves in conflict, the Portuguese lost 400 of their own men and 6,000 African troops. They launched a successful counterattack in 1632: Capranzine was defeated an...

Rozwi Mambo(~ King ) Chibundule was associated with the rulers of the first Butwa state (A Bakalanga Kingdom), which is referred to in Portuguese records as the Torwa or Tolwa state. From the late 16th century Chibundule associated sites including the royal ruins at Khami.  Mambo Chibundule of the Humbe/Wumbe (Bawumbe) clan was the supreme ruler of the Bakalanga.  Chilisamhulu From the eastern of the kingdom was the Moyo clan ruled by Chilisamhulu (other names: Nichisike, Nityisike, Nitjisike) roughly translates as "Lord Cha the creator". Lord Cha's followers were also known by two praise names: "Rozwi" or "the destroyers" and "Banyayi" or "the spies". Chilisamhulu, wanted Chibundule's thrown but was initially unable to overcome the power of the Mambo ( ~King's ) magic. Plots to poison or otherwise kill the Mambo all failed.  Chilisamhulu  decided to get at Chibundule by first having him enticed into marrying his daught...

  Bakwa-Butwa State "Malambodzibwa Ne-Mbire also called Munumutapa(Monomotapa ~King) It was he who was found by the Portuguese ruling over the Bakalanga. It was then that he was attacking other communities, capturing the male and female children, making them his workers. It is thought that slavery started with them. Monomotapa raided many tribes at the time he went out with his army, the Portuguese also had their army assist and they went to attack Mongase, killed the people, taking the things of the people and their families. He raided many places doing his will, capturing the people and giving them to the Portuguese. It happened the Munamutapa Kingdom was torn by internal fighting and civil warfare that destroyed the Bakalanga. It was then that Madabhale broke away with a very big following and went down to the west of the country, into now modern Matabeleland. He went there to build a kingdom, having left with a very large following. It was a big kingdom and he had his ...

Mutapa When the Portuguese settled in Sofala, they hoped to easily control all the gold trade between the Zimbabwean & Mozambican plateau to their Indian Ocean commerce. With the port of Sofala closed to the Arabs, the Portuguese quickly resumed contact with the interior natives on the coast north of the Zambezi delta. From there, Arab merchants traveled up the great river in small boats called zambuks . The Portuguese had heard of this inland route, their attempts to “discover” the path were in vain. They then considered building a wooden fort at the Zambezi river’s mouth, in order to block access to Arab boats, but the project was abandoned. The Arabs had long succeeded in hiding the existence of the Mutapa state from the Portuguese. It was i n the centuries that followed Sofala's importance steadily declined between the 15th -17th century. Toward the end of that period, a witness wrote: “the fort of Sofala is no longer of any profit, except for a bit of ivory bought in the s...

  Sofala City Sometime in the 10th century, the Sofala port emerged as a small trading post and was incorporated into the greater global Indian Ocean trade network. It is stated that the first inhabitants of Sofala were out of the East African coast who came from Mogadishu, and that they were in search of gold. The Sultanate of Mogadishu or the Kingdom of Magadazo was a medieval Muslim sultanate cantered in southern Somalia, established by Abubakr bin Fakhr ad-Din of the Fakhr al-Din Dynasty had long kept Sofala a secret from the Kilwa Sultanate in Lindi Region of Tanzania. In the 1180's, Sultan Suleiman Hassan of Kilwa seized control of Sofala entering into the Swahili cultural sphere. Sofala's subsequent position as the principal entrepot of the Mwenemutapa gold trade expanded the finances of the Swahili commercial empire along the East African coast. Formally Sofala belonged to the Kingdom of Mwenemutapa, the Swahili community paid tribute for permission to reside and trade ...