Chokwe

Chokwe

people
also spelled  Ciokwe,  or  Cokwe,  also called  Bajokwe,  or  Badjok, 

      Bantu-speaking people who inhabit the southern part of Congo (Kinshasa) from the Kwango River to the Lualaba; northeastern Angola; and, since 1920, the northwestern corner of Zambia. They live in woodland savanna intersected with strips of rainforest along the rivers, swamps, and marshlands. They are a mixture of many aboriginal peoples and conquering groups of Lunda origin. The Chokwe language belongs to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo languages. At the end of the 20th century the Chokwe numbered about 1,300,000.

      Among the northern Chokwe, hunting is very important, and there are privileged corporations of hunters. Hoe cultivation overrides hunting among the southern Chokwe, the staple crops being cassava, peanuts (groundnuts), yams, millet, beans, and corn (maize); the southern Chokwe of Angola keep some cattle.

      The political structure of the Chokwe seems to range from tributary chiefdoms to autonomous village groups. Villages are compact and arranged into compounds; square huts or circular grasshouses are grouped in circles around a central meetinghouse.

      Descent is reckoned through the female line, although young married couples go to live with the husband's family. Polygyny is restricted to the chiefly and wealthy classes. Circumcision of boys, the use of initiation masks, and elaborate girls' initiation rites occur throughout the area. The Chokwe are exceptional craftsmen; plaiting, pottery, basketry, ironwork, and the carving of masks, statues, and stools are highly developed.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chokwe — may refer to: the Chokwe people (or Tchokwe) the Chokwe language Chokwe, Mozambique Chókwè District Chokwe, Malawi This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • Chokwe — puede referirse a: Chokwe, grupo étnico africano. Idioma Chokwe, lengua oficial en Angola y también hablada en República Democrática del Congo y Zambia. Chókwè, villa y distrito de la provincia de Gaza (Mozambique) …   Wikipedia Español

  • Chokwé — Chokwe may refer to: Chokwe, Mozambique Chokwe, Malawi This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article …   Wikipedia

  • Chókwè — es una villa y también uno de los doce distritos que forman la provincia de Gaza en la zona meridional de Mozambique, región fronteriza con las provincias de Manica, de Inhambane y de Maputo. Región ribereña del océano Índico y fronteriza con… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Chokwé — Chokwé, Bachokwé, Cokwé ou Tchokwé population répartie entre le N. de l Angola, le S. de la rép. dém. du Congo et la Zambie (env. 1 300 000 personnes). Ils parlent une langue bantoue …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Chokwe — Ethnische Karte Angolas, Siedlungsgebiet der Chokwe ist braun gekennzeichnet Die Chokwe (auch Cokwe, Tshokwe oder Tschokwe geschrieben; koloniale Bezeichnung in Angola Kioko oder Quioco), sind eine Bantu Ethnie im südlichen Afrika. Sie leben… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Chókwè — 24.52761944444432.991647222222 Koordinaten: 24° 32′ S, 32° 59′ O Chókwè …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Chokwe — Tchokwés Tchokwés Populations significatives par régions Population totale Langue(s) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • chokwe — ˈchäkwē noun (plural chokwe or chokwes) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Chokwe 1. a. : a scattered people of the southern Congo and northern Angola noted for the religious masks that they produce b …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chokwe — Chọkwe   [tʃ ],    1) Cọkwe [tʃ ], Tschọkwe, Batshiọk [ tʃ ], Bantuvolk mit vielen Untergruppen beiderseits der Grenze Demokratische Republik Kongo/Angola und Demokratische Republik Kongo/Sambia, etwa 650 000 Menschen; leben von Feldbau und… …   Universal-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”