Country: Angola

Group: Kimbundu

Date: Oct 11, 2022

Name: Alicia Hernandez (lead), Ash Pessaran, Anusha Natarajan, Amanda Nelson, Amaya Tanhueco, Heather Varsalona

Content Warning: N.A

Approximate Time Period: 13th Century-1917

The Kimbundu are a matrilineal society who arrived in northwest Angola starting in the 13th century (Wikipedia,n.d.). Approximately 2 million people speak the Kimbundu language, making them the second largest ethnolinguistic group in Angola (Britannica,n.d.). Angola’s name comes from Ngola, the Mbundu chief of the Ndongo kingdom. The Kimbundu are a sub ethnicity of the Mbundu people, and are sometimes referred to as “North Mbundu” (Vansina, 1970).

There is evidence of ethnocide against the Kimbundu people. When Portugal occupied the territory of present-day Angola, they spread the Portuguese language and Catholicism. (U.S. Department of State, n.d.). Kimbundu remained more popular than Portuguese throughout the 18th century. In response, Portugal prohibited the use of Kimbundu in 1772 and abolished all publications in this language (Vansina, 1970). Currently, many of the Kimbundu people are bilingual, speaking both Portuguese and Kimbundu. They are free to speak and interact using their native language, and recent discrimination has not been documented.

Data Quality: We rank the evidence quality as a 2 out of 3 because there is credible evidence, but “information is not readily available enough for a 3/3 ranking.

Sources

  1. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). History of Angola. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Angola/History
  2. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Mbundu. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mbundu
  3. U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://history.state.gov/countries/angola#:~:text=Portugal%20granted%20Angola%20independence%20on,over%20the%20newly%20liberated%20state
  4. Vansina, J. (1970, January 1). Portuguese vs Kimbundu: Language use in the colony of Angola (1575 – c. 1845). Bulletin des s. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=240942485