Bangweulu Batwa

The Twa groups from Cavalli-Sforza's map of Pygmy populations.

Bangweulu Twa, or the BaTwa of the Bangweulu swamps, are one of several groups of Twa living in Zambia.[1] Others are Kafwe Twa and Lukanga Twa. They are also known by the names BaTwa[2] or Abatwa.[3] While other Twa groups that are scattered across equatorial Africa are described as pygmy groups and averaging about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in height, the Bangweulu Twa are described as taller and at least partly of Bantu origin[4][5] but they may be the descendants of former hunter-gatherer groups.[6][7]

After the coming of various outside Bantu groups to the area, groups of Twa moved to swamps and marsh land territories in Zambia.[8] In descriptions from the early 20th century Bangweulu Twa are said to live off the land, they had no domestic animals but cultivated around ant-hills and on other raised patches. Through trade with inland neighbours they got meal and grain.[4][9]

Batwa in the Bangweulu 1911–1912. Photo by Eric von Rosen.

Eric von Rosen and the Bangweulu Twa

Eric von Rosen visited the Twa during his expedition in Bangweulu during 1911 and 1912 and calls them the "Swamp people".[10][9] Von Rosen collected ethnographica and took photographs which are today in Sweden at the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm and the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg.

After 1912

After von Rosens expedition the Lake dwellers have been steadily moving to the main land. Sleeping-sickness did play an important part in this process.[11][8]

References

  1. ^ "AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Twa people". www.101lasttribes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  2. ^ Haller, Tobias (2010-07-15). Disputing the Floodplains: Institutional Change and the Politics of Resource Management in African Wetlands. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18537-1.
  3. ^ Musambachime, Mwelwa C. (1994). "The Ubutwa Society in Eastern Shaba and Northeast Zambia to 1920". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 27 (1): 77–99. doi:10.2307/220971. ISSN 0361-7882. JSTOR 220971.
  4. ^ a b Campbell, Dugald (1914). "38. A Few Notes on Butwa: An African Secret Society". Man. 14: 76–81. doi:10.2307/2788618. ISSN 0025-1496. JSTOR 2788618.
  5. ^ Jeffreys, M. D. W. (1953). "The Batwa: Who Are They?". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 23 (1): 45–54. doi:10.2307/1156032. ISSN 0001-9720. JSTOR 1156032. S2CID 143142336.
  6. ^ "Lawrence Barham - University of Liverpool". www.liverpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  7. ^ Breton, Gwenna; Barham, Lawrence; Mudenda, George; Soodyall, Himla; Schlebusch, Carina; Jakobsson, Mattias (2020). "The "BaTwa" populations from remote areas in Zambia retain ancestry of past forager groups". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Twa". Zambia's Traditional History. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  9. ^ a b Rosen, Eric von (1916). Träskfolket; Svenska Rhodesia-Kongo-expeditionenes etnografiska. Smithsonian Libraries. Stockholm, A. Bonniers förlag.
  10. ^ Rosen, Eric von (1912). Från Kap till Alexandria; reseminnen från svenska Rhodesia-Kingo-expeditionen. Robarts - University of Toronto. Stockholm A. Bonniers.
  11. ^ Crabtree, W. A. (1917). "Lake Bangweulu and Its Inhabitants". Journal of the Royal African Society. 16 (63): 216–226. ISSN 0368-4016. JSTOR 715627.