Northern Ndebele people

rdf:langString Northern Ndebele people

rdf:langString Ndebele

rdf:langString Ndebele

rdf:langString Kalanga/BaKalanga people

rdf:langString Other Nguni people

rdf:langString The Northern Ndebele people (Northern Ndebele: amaNdebele) are an offshoot of the Bantu nation of Southern Africa. Their three related Ndebele groups in South Africa divided into (Northern and Southern Ndebele), the Northern Ndebele of South Africa comprise three tribes , namely ndebele of Langa/Laka, ndebele of Ndzundza & Mghumbhane/ mokopone-Mashashani whom are ndebele of kekana (Manala) whereas the Southern Ndebele comprise mzilikazi they are a young compared to those of Langa & Ndzundza . This "Northern Ndebele" group from Zimbabwe is not the same as the Northern Ndebele group from South Africa and the two groups are not related neither genealogically nor historically, however the Northern Ndebele and Southern Ndebele of South Africa are related genealogically and historically. They speak a language called isiNdebele. The Northern Ndebele were historically referred to as the Matabele by Sotho people, for a Nguni speaking person. Sotho people called all Nguni speaking people 'Matebele". That is why today there are a few tribes that live amongst the Basotho people and identify themselves as Matebele. These include from GaMashashane, Zebediela, and Mokopane near Polokwane. They identify themselves as Matebele meaning they are of Nguni origin, from Mpumalanga and in Lesotho. Mzilikazi was a contemporary of King Shaka and spoke the same language. The difference between the isiNdebele language of Zimbabwe and Zulu language of South Africa is not great. The two languages are mutually intelligible to some degree, with differences in pronunciation, accents, and some loan words. There is also the use of older words in isiNdebele, with some of the words no longer being in use in isiZulu, and only older generation knows these words. The Ndebele culture and language is similar Zulu culture, as they share ancestry and common origins to Zulu people from the KwaZulu Natal (KZN) province of South Africa. The amaNdebele of Mzilikazi used the much smaller cowhide shields and short stabbing assegai of King Shaka's army. Ndebele people were also called Bathebele, which became amaNdebele. The history of the Northern Ndebele began when a Nguni group split from King Shaka in the early 19th century under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former chief in his kingdom and an ally. He was sent to raid cattle up in the North, but changed the plan and continued on to raid and rule the chiefdoms of the Southern Ndebele. This was where the name and identity of the eventual kingdom was adopted. During a turbulent period in Nguni and Sotho-Tswana history, known as the Mfecane or "the crushing" or "the scattering", Mzilikazi's regiment, initially numbering 500 soldiers, moved north to the area that became Transvaal. They moved through areas which included Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North-West, Limpopo. Mzilikazi was a skilled tactician, both militarily and politically. Mzilikazi attacked or subjugated the local tribes he found along the way, including the Khoi, Batswana, Bapedi, Ndebeles of Mpumalanga. In their land, between 1827 and 1832, Mzilikazi built himself three military strongholds. The largest was , situated at the foot of the Wonderboom Mountains on the Apies River, just north of present day Pretoria. Another was Dinaneni, north of the Hartbeespoort Dam, while the third was Hlahlandlela in the territory of the Fokeng near Rustenburg. Mzilikazi befriended a white missionary by the name of Robert Moffat. Earlier, he had conquered the , whose capital Mosega became the his military headquarters. He also built his military stronghold at Tshwenyane, Great Marico River and at eGabeni (Kapain), where he also built a sizeable settlement. When the Voortrekkers in The Great Trek of 1836–1838 arrived in Transvaal, they found Mzilikazi there as the King of the region and he was a threat to their advancement. They fought with him, losing in the first battle but in the second battle in 1837, the Boers led by Potgieter, Maritz and Uys, launched another attack on Mzilikazi's military stronghold at eGabeni at dawn. In a battle lasting nine days, they destroyed eGabeni as well as other Matabele camps along the Marico River. Mzilikazi realising that he didn't have a chance against guns, decided to escape with 15,000 of his people, from the Marico valley. Mzilikazi moved to present-day Zimbabwe where the amaNdebele people overwhelmed the indigenous which was already crumbling on leadership squabbles after the death of Changamire Dombo, eventually carving out a home. When European people arrived in the area, they found Mzilikazi settled with his people, thus they called the area Matabeleland, which encompassed the west and southwest region of the country. In the course of the migration, large numbers of raided indigenous clans and individuals were absorbed into the Ndebele tribe, adopting the Ndebele language and culture. Historically the assimilated people came from the Southern Ndebele, Swazi, Sotho-Tswana, and ethnic groups.

rdf:langString Minority: Traditional African religion

rdf:langString Predominantly: Christianity