Culture & Recreation

TPeople from Yao tribe are known as Ayao. Most people from Liwonde and the southern lakeshore are from the Yao tribe; their language is called Chiyao. The Yao came to Malawi from Mozambique to escape conflict with the Makua tribe. The Makua tribe had become enemies of the Yao because of the wealth the Yao were amassing through trading ivory and slaves to Arabs from Zanzibar. The Yao began attacking both the Chewa and the Ngoni people to capture prisoners who they later sold as slaves. The Yao were the first group to use firearms in conflict with other tribes. In 1870 the Yao ruling class chose to follow Islam like their Arab trading partners rather than the traditional animism (‘animism’ is a philosophical, religious or spiritual idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans and animals but also in plants, rocks, natural phenomena and geographic features such as mountains or rivers). As a benefit of their conversion to Islam, the Yao were provided with sheikhs who promoted literacy and founded mosques. This led to many Yao people believing in Islam, therefore, any person from a Yao tribe or anyone whose name is from Yao language is considered as a Muslim by Malawians. The Arab traders also introduced the cultivation of rice, which became a major crop in the lake region of Malawi.

People from this tribe are called Atumbuka. Tumbuka is the main tribe found in the northern region of Malawi (Viphya and Nyika). The Tumbuka are a Bantu ethnic group. Their language is Chitumbuku, a Bantu language similar in structure to Swahili. The chief god of Tumbuka traditional religion is Chiuta, an all-powerful, omniscient, self-created being. Chiuta literally translates as ‘Great Bow of Heaven’ or ‘Owner of All’ or ‘The Creator’. This tribe has got a higher percentage of educated people. Its people believe there is a direct link between dancing and the healing process; these curative dances are called Vimbuza. Traditional Doctors (Witchcraft Doctors) among the Tumbuka people use these dances to cure some diseases.

People from this tribe are called Atonga. The Tonga people live in Northern Malawi especially in Nkhata Bay. Their language is known as Chitonga. Traditionally, Tonga society was based on fishing, and cassava was their staple food. During colonial times, mission education enabled them to earn higher wages than other tribes and they often worked as porters and skilled or semi-skilled workers. Before Christianity their traditional religion was a religion of the dead, centred on the worship of ancestral spirits. They believed in diviners and spirit- possession, and they sought out those who communicated with the dead. The Tonga of Lake Malawi say that by taking certain medicines, a person can ensure his changing after death into whichever animal he wishes. The Tonga have adopted the Ngoni custom of marriage payment of cattle. Traditionally males can’t divorce their wives without a hearing of public repudiation, while she and her family, however, could dismiss him without formality, unless he had a wealthy or otherwise powerful family. Tonga people are said to be very smart and decent. People say that a Tonga would wear a jacket and a shirt which has only the front part and the collar without the whole back side (which has been worn out); in other words, wearing a jacket, tie and well fastened shirt is most important to them!

The Lomwe people are known as Alomwe. Many people living in Mulanje and Thyolo are from the “Lomwe” ethnic group and there main income generating activity is farming. The Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi. Many Lomwe moved into Malawi in the 1930’s due to tribal wars in Mozambique. 90-95% of the Lomwe live in rural areas and in Mozambique many are concentrated in the Zambezi Province. The Lomwe language is called Chilomwe and it is written using the Roman alphabet and there are reported to be nine different dialects of Lomwe determined by location. Sadly the language is now dying out, with only the eldest still speaking it as a main language, many of the younger Lomwe tribe now speak in the Chichewa. The Lomwe people are well known for their talkativeness, their beliefs in the spirits of the dead and witchcraft. Many people therefore believe that the best Traditional Doctors are those from Mulanje. The famous Mulanje Mountain is also believed to be associated with Spirits of the dead especially at the highest peak of Sapitwa (which means “where you cannot go”). It is believed that people used to find food in the mountain of which one was not expected to tell anyone or invite a friend to eat as this would make the food disappear. During some of Lomwe traditional dances girls are supposed to wear only beads and nothing else to cover their breasts.

People from this tribe are called Angonde. The Ngonde and Nyakyusa migrated from the north, like other Bantu tribes and settled at the extreme north of Malawi near Karonga where they are still found today. The area was remote and as a result they did not suffer from Ngoni and Yao raids. The centre for the Ngonde people is the sacred Hill of Mbande, which stands in the bed of the Rukulu River, about 13 km from Lake Malawi. Their language is known as Kyangonde. There are approximately 300,000 Ngonde in Malawi (Johnstone 1993).