The Chewa (or AChewa ) are a Bantu ethnic group found in Malawi , Zimbabwe , Zambia and few in Mozambique . The Chewa are closely related to people in surrounding regions such as the Tumbuka , Shona and Nsenga . They are historically also related to the Bemba , with whom they share a similar origin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . They also share a history with the Munhumutapa . As with the Nsenga and Tumbuka, a small part of Chewa territory came under the influence of the Ngoni , who were of Zulu or Natal / Transvaal origin. An alternative name, often used interchangeably with Chewa, is Nyanja. Their language is called Chichewa . Internationally, the Chewa are mainly known for their masks and their secret societies, called Nyau , as well as their agricultural techniques.
19-506: Loya may refer to:mal Phiri, a clan of the Chewa people Phiri (surname) , a surname Phiri, Soweto , a township in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Phiri . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
38-503: A family of dependents or Mbumba. Elder brothers of the mothers are called Nkhoswe, are the guardians of the lineage, and are mentors to their sisters' sons. When crops are sold, income from the sale belongs to the woman of the house. The village is led by a headman (Mfumu), a position to which every villager of good character could aspire. Village headmen and head women were subordinate to regional chiefs (Mwini Dziko), who were themselves subordinate to Paramount Chiefs. Subordination meant
57-506: A good number of Chewa still hold to their ancestral belief system. Women have a special place in Chewa society and belief. They are recognized as reproducers of the lineage (Bele), which is an extended family of people related to the same ancestor. As a matrilineal society, property and land rights are inherited through the mother. Bele means "descended from the same breast". Children of the same mother or female ( Lubele la achite ) make up
76-859: A remnant of the Maravi (Malawi) people or empire. There are two large Chewa clans, the Phiri and Banda, with a population of 1.5 million people. The Phiri are associated with the kings and aristocracy, the Banda with healers and mystics. Oral records of the Chewa may be interpreted to refer to origins in Malambo, a region in the Luba area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , from where they emigrated into northern Zambia , and then south and east into
95-724: Is in Malawi not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations . Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Fertility data as of 2016 (DHS Program): Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019. The following demographic are from
114-487: The CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated. Protestant 33.5% (includes Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 14.2%, Seventh Day Adventist/Baptist 9.4%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Anglican 2.3%), Roman Catholic 17.2%, other Christian 26.6%, Muslim 13.8%, traditionalist 1.1%, other 5.6%, none 2.1% (2018 est.) male: 69.33 years female: 75.59 years (2022 est.) 1 Doctor/65,000 Malawians note: on 21 March 2022,
133-586: The Banda clan at Mankhamba (near Nthakataka), and the other by the Phiri clan at Manthimba . By the 17th century, when the 'Malawi' state had been unified, the Portuguese had made some contact with the Chewa. Although the Portuguese did not reach the heartland of the chiefdom, there are well-documented records of contacts between 1608 and 1667. By 1750, several 'Malawi' dynasties had consolidated their positions in different parts of central Malawi; however
152-412: The Chewa, had managed to distinguish themselves from their neighbours through language, by having special tattoo marks (mphini), and by the possession of a religious system based on the nyau secret societies. During colonial time British and Portuguese missions have converted many to Christianity but at least one fifth (20%) of all Chewa are Muslims today. Despite the influence of Christianity and Islam
171-655: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Malawi is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with
190-583: The area north of Lake Malawi , the Maravi divided. One branch, the ancestors of the present-day Chewas , moved south to the west bank of the lake. The other, the ancestors of the Nyanjas , moved down the east bank to the southern part of the country. By AD 1500, the two divisions of the tribe had established a kingdom stretching from north of the present-day city of Nkhotakota to the Zambezi River in
209-651: The concept of a Malawian nationality has begun to take hold. Predominantly a rural people, Malawians are generally conservative and traditionally nonviolent. The Chewas constitute 90% of the population of the central region; the Nyanja tribe predominates in the south and the Tumbuka in the north. In addition, significant numbers of the Tongas live in the north; Ngonis —an offshoot of the Zulus who came from South Africa in
SECTION 10
#1732766196370228-418: The demographics of other tribes. Demographics of Malawi Demographic features of the population of Malawi include population density , ethnicity , education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malawi derives its name from the Maravi , a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo about 600 years ago. On reaching
247-600: The early 19th century—live in the lower northern and lower central regions; and the Yao , who are mostly Muslim , predominate in the Southern Region of the country and live in a wide band from Blantyre and Zomba north to Lake Malawi and east to the border with Mozambique . Bantus of other tribes came from Mozambique as refugees. According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects
266-453: The highlands of Malawi . This settlement appeared sometime before the end of the first millennium. After conquering land from other Bantu peoples , they regrouped at Choma , a place associated with a mountain in northern Malawi, and the plateau of northeastern Zambia. Oral history has it that the first Chewa kingdom was established some time before or after 1480, and by the 16th century there were two systems of government, one maintained by
285-484: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phiri&oldid=998851403 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Chewa people The Chewa (like the Nyanja, Tumbuka , Senga , Nsenga, Mang'anja ) are
304-411: The regular payment of tribute, as well as readiness to supply men in time of war. The population of the Chewa ethnic group numbers at 9 million, which is higher than most other tribes in the region. The Chewa people are the largest ethnic group in the region. The fertillity rate of the Chewa people is 4.7, over twice as high as the replacement level at 2.1. Go to the page Demographics of Malawi to see
323-557: The south, and from Lake Malawi in the east, to the Luangwa River in Zambia in the west. Migrations and tribal conflicts precluded the formation of a cohesive Malawian society until the turn of the 20th century. In more recent years, ethnic and tribal distinctions have diminished. Regional distinctions and rivalries, however, persist. Despite some clear differences, no significant friction currently exists between tribal groups, and
342-458: The stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed
361-404: The total population was 19,889,742 in 2021, compared to only 2 881 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 45.8%, 51.1% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older. Total and Percent Distribution of Population by Single Year of Age (Census 09.03.2018) Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections Registration of vital events
#369630