A People's History Bantu

Most of the 11 million inhabitants that make up the population of Angola, are of Bantu origin. However, another significant part is formed by mixtures which began very early: first. between the various groups that migrated to the territory and later with Europeans (in most Portuguese) during colonization.   There are still a minority who are not Bantu, as Bochimane and a considerable number of Europeans. There are 3000 or perhaps 4000 years ago, Bantu left the equatorial forest (the area that is now occupied by Cameroon and Nigeria) and divided into two different movements: to the south and east in the biggest migration ever seen in Africa . Its cause is unknown, this migration continued until the nineteenth century. The equatorial forest was an area of ​​passage impossible. Only the ax or cleaver, quick and nutritious banana and yam production enabled a feat that lasted centuries. The excellent level of nutrition has led to an unprecedented population explosion. The exuberance of the equatorial jungle, rivers and lakes of the great savannas, so good for farming and the discovery of iron - a mineral very common in Africa - gave strength to the great adventure. Walking toward the south where these vigorous, armed, organized and young people, and made slaves won the helpless pygmies and Bochimane. The name Bantu does not refer to a drive race. Its formation and migration led to a huge variety of crosses. There are approximately 500 Bantu peoples. Thus, we can not speak a Bantu race, but the Bantu people, this means a cultural community with a common civilization and similar languages. After many centuries of movements, crossings, wars and diseases, the Bantu groups have maintained the roots of their common origin. The Bantu word applies to a civilization that has maintained its unity and was developed by Black people. The radical ntu, vulgar for most Bantu languages, means man, human being, and Ba is the plural. Thus, Bantu men means humans. The Bantu dialects, and there are hundreds, have such a similarity that can be justified only by a common origin. The Bantu peoples, as well as similar language level, remained the basis of beliefs, rituals and customs very similar; a culture with identical features that make them specific and grouped similar. Outside of their social identity, are characterized by a varied technology, a sculpture of great stylistic originality, an incredible empirical wisdom and a strong and interesting discourse with signs of intellectual expression. The languages ​​spoken in Angola today, are in order of seniority: Bochiman, Bantu and Portuguese. Of the three only the Portuguese have a written form. The Bantu dialects, have a genealogical unit. Homburger, an eminent scholar says that the Bantu first point obtained in the field of comparative linguistics was the unity of the Bantu peoples. It also says, given the history of this unit, the first Portuguese discoverers saw that Angolans could communicate with the people of the Mozambican coast. The Angolan Bantu are divided into nine ethnolinguistic groups: Quicongo, Quimbundo, Luanda Quioco (Tchokwe) Mbundo, Ganguela, nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero and Xindonga, which in turn are subdivided into approximately 100 subgroups, called tribes traditionally . http://www.inzotumbansi.org/malunda/47-a-historia-do-povo-bantu