Lotjhani !


Matabele


 Ndebele (Un duh BEE lay) or Matabele  (Mah tuh BEE lay) - Bantu-speaking people inhabiting Matabeleland and Southwest Zimbabwe. The Ndebele now number close to 2 million.


Hello - Lotjhani
How are you? - Unjani?
I am fine. - Ngikhona.
Fine, thank you. - Ngikhona ngiyathokoza.
Goodbye - Salakuhle.
Good luck - Iba netjhudu
Have a safe journey. - Ube nekhambo eliphephileko


The Ndebele people were originally an offshoot of the Nguni people of KwaZulu-Natal. The language amaNala and amaNzunza are related to that of the amaNdebele people of Zimbabwe.

Matabeleland today is a province of Zimbabwe in Southern Africa, and in the 19th century it was the kingdom of the amaNdebele, the `people of the long shields'. The kingdom was founded by the chief Mzilikazi who had fled north into Zimbabwe from Shaka's Zulu empire.
Zulu Matabele


In the early 19th Century, at the height of power of Tshaka, king of the Zulu, many of his subjugated chiefs took flight in an attempt to form their own dominions. The result was a period of terror throughout central southern Africa known as Difaqane, or "Time of Calamity", and a scattering of various tribes from the highveld. The Ndebele tribe (also called Ndebele Of Zimbabwe, or Ndebele, formerly Matabele), was a result of a break away from the Zulu empire. These are  Bantu-speaking people of southwestern Zimbabwe who live primarily around the city of Bulawayo.



Ndebele housepainting



The Ndebele people are well known for their artistic talent - especially with regard to their painted houses and colourful beadwork.


Ndbele Beadwork
Beadwork is one of the oldest and most basic of the decorative arts practiced by the rural people of Southern Africa. Of the Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, the Ndebele, along with the Xhosa and Zulu peoples, have made the most extensive and aesthetic use of glass beads.
Ndebele design



The Kudu Horn and the Matabele

Kudu horn

The kudu is one of the largest antelopes in Africa. The elegant spiral horns of the kudu, hollowed out as a wind instrument, are used for relaying messages.
Ndebele
Ube nekhambo eliphephileko