Hlubi people

The Hlubi (or amaHlubi) are a South African ethnic group who originate from the the Samburu people of Kenya and the Shubi, an ethnic and linguistic group based in Kagera Region, Tanzania. For at least two centuries they have been a part of the Nguni, Mbo or Lala nation. They are found in Mozambique, Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West provinces.They were traditionally hunters and warriors but now are predominantly agriculturalists.The amaHlubi are the oldest in origin and are a much older tribe than either the amaZulu or amaXhosa. There is a lot of literature about the AmaHlubi, but very little is known or documented about this tribe. Most of the literature refers mostly to the time of King Langalibalele, and therefore offers very little on the roots of the amaHlubi nation. The amaHlubi were once a mighty tribe originated from what today is known as the Congo as part of the downward migration of the eMbo group/nation or amaLala from central Africa. After settling briefly along the Lubombo mountains, a range extending from the North of present day Zululand northwards along the Swaziland-Mozambique border, they went South and settled in what today is known as Natal as far back as the 13th century, leaving behind a section of their group which later became the amaSwazi nation.

Hlubi kings

Below is a traditional estimation of the Hlubi Kings that ruled from 1300 until now.^[1] Note that Hlubi history comes mainly from oral sources and the dates below should not be taken as historically accurate.

Language

The amaHlubi speak a dialect of or closely related to Swazi, one of the Tekela languages in the Nguni branch of the Niger–Congo language family.

The Hlubi dialect is endangered, and most Hlubi speakers are elderly and illiterate. There are attempts by Hlubi intellectuals to revive the language and make it one of the eleven recognised languages in South Africa.^[1]

References

Further reading

• Henry Masila Ndawo (1939). Iziduko zama-Hlubi. Lovedale Press. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
• Henry Masila Ndawo (1945). Ibali lamaHlubi. Lovedale Press. 
• Andrew Hayden Manson (19??). The Hlubi and Ngwe in a colonial society, 1848–1877. s.n. Retrieved 31 July 2011.  Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Alfred T. Bryant (1965). Olden times in Zululand and Natal: containing earlier political history of the Eastern-Nguni clans. C. Struik. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
• John Henderson Soga (1930). The south-eastern Bantu: (Abe-Naguni, Aba-Mbo, Ama-Lala). The Witwatersrand university press. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
• John Britten Wright; Andrew Manson (1983). The Hlubi chiefdom in Zululand-Natal: a history. Ladysmith Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-620-06178-0. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
• John William Colenso (1875). Langalibalele and the amahlubi tribe: being remarks upon the official record of the trials of the Chief, his sons and Induna, and other members of the amahlubi tribe. Retrieved 31 July 2011. 
• Paul Maylam (1986). A history of the African people of South Africa: from the early Iron Age to the 1970s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-37511-9. Retrieved 31 July 2011.