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Marriage and Bridewealth in a Matrilineal Society: The Case of the Tonga of Southern Zambia: 1900-1996

2000; University of Wisconsin–Madison; Issue: 28 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3601649

2163-9108

F.M. Mizinga,

Gender and Women's Rights

he majority of the Tonga speaking people are found in the Southern Province of Zambia, an area of approximately 85,283 square kilometers divided into eleven districts, namely, Mazabuka, Monze, Gwembe, Siavonga, Choma, Sinazongwe, Namwala, Kalomo, Livingstone, Itezhi-tezhi, and Kazungula (the last two were given district status in 1996). However, the area generally referred to as Butonga covers the Southern Province, the areas occupied by the Lenje and Sala of Kabwe rural of the Central Province, the Soli of the Lusaka Province, and the Tonga living along the Zambezi River on the Zimbabwean side of the border. Within the Southern Province itself, there are Tonga who speak dialects of the Tonga language. These are the Ila of Namwala and Itezhi-tezhi districts, the Leya and Toka of Kalomo, Livingstone, and Kazungula districts, and the Goba of Gwembe and Siavonga districts. All these people share similar customs and ceremonies.