Maravi

Kingdom of Maravi malaŵí(Spanish)
c. 1480–1891
The Maravi Kingdom at its greatest extent in the 17th century.
Capital	Manthimba,Mankhamba
Common languages	Chewa Yao Tumbuka
Government	Monarchy
History
• Established	c. 1480
• Disestablished	1891
Preceded by Succeeded by Chewa people British Central Africa Protectorate Portuguese Mozambique
Today part of	Malawi Mozambique Zambia Zimbabwe

Maraviwas a kingdom which straddled the current borders of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the 16th century. The present-day name "Maláŵi"is said to derive from theChewawordmalaŵí,which means "flames". "Maravi" is a general name of the peoples of Malawi, eastern Zambia, and northeastern Mozambique. TheChewa language,which is also referred to as Nyanja, Chinyanja or Chichewa, and is spoken in southern and central Malawi, in Zambia and to some extent in Mozambique, is the main language that emerged from this empire.

TheMaravi Confederacywas founded byBantu peopleimmigrating into the valley of theShire River(flowing out of Lake Nyassa) around 1480 AD. It prospered into the late 18th century, extending to reach what is now belonging to Zambia and Mozambique.

At its greatest extent, the state included territory from theTongaandTumbuka people's areas in the north to theLower Shirein the south, and as far west as theLuangwaandZambeziriver valleys. Maravi's rulers belonged to the Mwalematriclanand held the titleKalonga.They ruled fromManthimba,the secular/administrative capital, and were the driving force behind the state's establishment. Meanwhile, the patrilineal Banda clan, which traditionally provided healers, sages and metallurgists, took care of religious affairs from their capitalMankhambanearNtakataka.

History

Beginning as early as the thirteenth century, the first signs of a large-scale migration of related clans entered the region of Lake Malawi. Traditional accounts indicate that these people originated in theCongo Basinto the west ofLake Mweru,in an area that subsequently formed part of the Luba Kingdom. The movement continued during the succeeding two or three centuries, but it appears certain that by the sixteenth century the main body of these people, known collectively as the Maravi, were settled in the Shire River valley and over a wide area lying generally west and southwest of Lake Malawi, including parts of present-day Zambia and Mozambique.

After contact with thePortuguese,trade intensified. It included such items as beads of theKhamitype andChineseporcelainimported via Portuguese intermediaries. The first (colonial) historical account of the Maravi was byGaspar Bocarro,a Portuguese man who traveled through their territory in 1616.The picture presented in the 1660s by Father Manuel Barretto, a Jesuit priest, was of a strong, economically active confederation that swept an area from the coast of Mozambique between the Zambezi River and the bay of Quelimane for several hundred kilometres into the mainland. An account from the following century implied that the western limits of the confederation were near theLuangwa Riverand that it extended on the north to theDwangwa River.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the state declined as many clans grew more autonomous.Maravi was invaded byNgoni peoplefleeing theMfecaneand was frequently raided by the neighboringYao people (East Africa),selling captive Maravi on the slave markets of Kilwa and Zanzibar. In the 1860s, Islam was introduced into the region through contact with Swahili slave traders. The region was visited by David Livingstone and stations were set up by Protestant missionaries in 1873. A British consul was also sent there in 1883.David Livingstonevisited Lake Nyasa in 1859, and otherProtestantmissionaries soon followed.

References

https://axis.gallery/exhibitions/nyau-masks/

External links

• Maravi culture
• History of Maravi