History of the Tumbuka people

History and origin

Origin

The Tumbuka were part of the earliest waves of Bantu immigrants from the Proto-Bantu center in the Kola region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They originated from the Luba portion of the Luba Empire under Mwaa Yamvo. The Tumbuka migrated together with the Hehe, Gogo, and Mwakyusa in the early 1400s, leaving because they resisted the menial work imposed by their leaders.

From the split in Southern Tanzania to Kalonga

Mudala's death caused disputes, leading to the split of the group into three branches by 1415. The Gogo and Hehe moved north to central Tanzania, while the Mwakyusa remained in southern Tanzania. The Tumbuka, led by Mulonga Mbulalubilo, continued east, eventually discovering a small stream, later named Songwe, flowing into Lake Malawi Mulonga's son, Kalonga wa Songwe, was born there, and the settlement became known as Kalonga, a name still in use today.

The Tumbuka settled in Kalonga (Karonga District) around 1415, living there for about twenty years until Mulonga Mbulalubilo died around 1430. Archaeological excavations at Mbande Hill in Karonga District confirm settlements in the area between 1410 and 1480. Later, Kyungu (Chungu) arrived and found the Nkhonde (Ngonde) people settled there, integrating them into the broader Tumbuka population.

Birth of Ngonde ethnic group

Population growth led to gradual dispersals from Kalonga in three directions: west, south, and east. Kalonga wa Songwe’s elder brother, Kalonga wa Nkhonde, married five wives and cultivated rice and bananas, forming the Nkhonde ethnic division. Some of his group later migrated westward, settling in the mountains between Kalonga and the Isoka–Nakonde corridor, forming smaller Tumbuka groups including Tambo, Nyika, Wandya, Wenya, Fungwe, and Lambya.

Birth of Manda ethnic group

Another division moved east to the western shore of Lake Malawi, becoming the Manda group, while some under Kalonga wa Songwe moved south and southwest.

Birth of Malawi Tonga sub ethnic group

Those remaining at Kalonga renamed their senior leader Karonga, giving rise to the Lakeshore Tonga through intermarriage and merging of other sub Tumbuka ethnic groups.

Tumbuka group

The term Batumbuka kwa Luba originally described the group as those who broke off from the Luba Kingdom, later simplified to Tumbuka, giving the ethnic group its current name. By around 1435, significant dispersal had begun across what would become Utumbuka, the land of the Tumbuka. Kalonga wa Songwe had two sons, Kayazga (Ntambwe) and Malikwata, from whom most Tumbuka clans trace their lineage.