Kalanga ethnic groups found in Botswana and zimbabwe
-Banyai (all bakalanga are related to Banyai)
-Balilima
-Baperi
-Balozvi
-Batalaunda
-Badeti
-Bananzva
-Bakhurutshe
Related ethnic groups,Bavenda and Bapedi
The people who still up to this day identify themselves as Bakalanga are found in Botswana and Zimbabwe. in Zimbabwe one can confidently acknoledge that the kalanga speakers number close to 1 million whereas in Botswana With the little data we have, the Kalangas are considered the largest
sample kalanga phrases
good morning- Dumilani
how are you?- Ma muka tjini?
i am fine thanks- Ta muka to ti bathu
what is your name-zina lilo ndi ani?/zina labo ndi ani/zina lenyu ndi ani/ndi ingwi ani
i do not know tjikalanga well...a ndi to ziba tjikalanga zwibuyanana/zwakanaka
i come from...- ndo dwa ku...Ndi nthu we...
it was nice meeting you..ndo shatha ku shangana na 'ngwi/ndo shatha ku ku ziba
Where is the nearest mall..mmolo u pejo u ntha ipi?
i do not like that...a ndi to da/a ndi to zwi da izwezwo
those are all my things.... izwezwe(o) zwithu zwangu zose
It was around 900 ad that the people from where the sun sets migrated from the river of Zamba,or zambezi in east Africa,the ba kalanga. When arriving they had already split with the vhashona. The kalanga group migrated further South to the Limpopo Basin where they settled. It was during this stay that the mapungubwe kingdom took place. The kingdom collapsed and the Bakalanga had their first split. One group remained in the limpopo basin and it is this group that later got in contact with the Sotho group and the venda language emerged. Those kalangas who were in close contact were absorbed by the sotho people and adopted the sotho language and culture . Those who migrated to North eastern Botswana and western Zimbabwe went on to build khami and the Lozvi(Rozvi) empire. it is hereafter that another split took place, another nyai group split and went to Venda, They joined their venda speaking cousins adopted their new language and culture. This is the time of the mfecane,it found the once powerful Nyai Army weak and vulnerable due to this migrations. The Rozvi army which had defeated the portuguese ceased to exist...Mzilikazi took over...it was the beginning of the dying of the kalanga language and culture. that is,many bakalanga were now absorbed and forced to speak ndebele and practice the ndebele culture. This is where the Moyo names in ndebele identities were seen as an example. Moyo surname and totem points to the kalanga lozvi(Badeti)origin.
Dr Ndatjibona Mambona
