Nkoya People of Zambia

Nkoya People can be found in Zambia, they are also known as Shikoya and they are part of the Bantu speaking people, they are related to the Mambwe, Lozi and Subiya People of Zambia, they grow crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, tomatoes, carrots, onions and other crops. According to their Oral history the leaders of the Mvule clan,  Mwene Shipandu of the lands, the son of Mwene Kayambila, his nephew known as Shilili, and together two sons which is Mwanamunene na Ngoma, the sons of Mwene Kayambila, Mwana Mwene Shishasha and his younger brother known as Mungumani Mulawa, their mother’s was Kanwengo,  Shihshonda Banyama and Mukwemba their mother was Kashinzi she had five children who belonged to the family of Kafuta and as well as the father Mwene Shikongi the son of Mulawa, Mampilu a Nanzala, Kakemble and Nkuta, Kakembele are the leaders of the Nkomba clan, moreover Kakembele Kuta one of the great elephant gave them Sipopa powers their father was the son of Mushima. 

It is believed Nkoya people came from the Luba Libupe It is said their ancestors came from Ncelele the north, Mwene first lady came with them and migrated across the Zambezi, they were known by their old name of Mbwela, Mwene Libupe had a daughter called Shilayi her original name was Mashiku, Mwene Libupe did not wage  war on one another and Mwene Libupe reached a higher age, It is said she died from natural causes her people ate fish, game meat and fruits were collected in the forest there was no porridge such as millet porridge. 

According to other accounts their Origin It is believed after everything else in the world,  Mwene Nymabi created a man, It is believed their great grandparents passed down the story that all people were born free and came from the same great grandmother, She was fertile and from her womb came forth all Nkoya clans, the clans are six of them such as Lavwe, Mbunze, Shungu, Ntabi, Nkomba and Nyembo, Nkoya People wanted to get honey, they had to make a fire to scare away the bees, because of burning their hands every time and having smoke in their eyes, they were kindling, It is believed all these clans descended from same ancestress this means that there is only one divison of Nkoya. Nkoya languages include Mbwera, Lukolwe, Shangi, Shasha, Shimbwera and Mbowela. 

In Nkoya Culture the Kazanga ceremony is held annually in Kaoma district this include a two events such as drumming, singing and dancing, the kingship is said to have started with the large cooking pot full of game meat, many of them in the past believed that Mwene Nyambi is a bird, Mwene Nyambi has a child called Mvula the name means rain also a bird and that two clans in Nkoyaland are the relatives of Mvula, Nkwehe which is the hawks Buzzards on the part of the birds and on the part of the people.

The Humnu War was the first war the Myene of the Nkoya fought as a result of a request from a Lihano to the effect that the Mwene should go to Mukanda, along with the entire land which restored under the kingship, Nkoya refused to adopt to that custom, and the war started. Nkoya defeated the Humbu and It is said Humbu came from the north, crossing the Zambezi and Kabompo, another greater army came and many of the Nkoya died in the war, It is claimed Humbu came and took the land of Mwene Luhamba and others believed they came from Mwantiyavwa later they left. Mwene Luhamba begot Kashina, who acceded to the kingship at the capital of Nkulo later on, Kashina son of Luhamba moved the capital from Nulo to Nabowa, and built his capital on Kate Kanyemba, a tributary of Nabowa, Mwene Kashina was the successor of Luhamba son of Shilayi, It is said Lipepo Mwenda na Nkuli, a son of Shilemantumba  succeeded to the kingship when Kashina ka Luhamba died later it is believed Mwene Liepopo was well known for his benevolence and Nkoya People were fond of him , blessing him with a word of praise. 

In 1936, Nalilele Native treasury was established in Makoya district in Present day Kaoma and a Lozi appointed to head it and Nkoyas wanted freedom from the Lozis and According to Malama Katulwende Indigenous people in an area, moved south down the Kabombo river in the latter part of the 18th century, and founded other bantus such as Nkoya, Sotho, Shona and Nguni lived already in Present day Western Zambia, the new settlers conquered and subdued the locals through the use of arms, Twa or Kwengo were drivern south by 1800 AD they had founded what is known as “ Barotse Nation” with their greatest Chief Mulambwa who imposed himself and ruled from 1812- 1830. The early Bantu had settled in the Zambezi plain as early as the 1500 AD and these existing Inhabitants such as Nkoya were subsequently displaced. 

The Indigenous people such as Nkoya, Kwangwa and Twa had lived in the western province and surrounding region since 1500 AD, although people were conquered by Lozi in the early 1800AD, Kuomba festival is celebrated by both Nkoya and Lozi it is celebrated during the month of February or march sometimes, the festival is celebrated on a Thursday just before full moon, Kuomboma means “ to get out of the water onto a dry ground “ each year towards the last part of the rainy season as the flood plain of the upper Zambezi valley increases, the signal of drums is given to all the people, the Chiefs leaves on his flat boat with his family and a crowd.  In Nkoya culture they used instruments such as Silimba which is a xylophone turns keys are tied atop resonating gourds, It is used during traditional ceremonies like Kazanga and Nkoya ceremonies, dancers slowly make their appearance in sing file in front of a lead singer next to the drummers and Shilimba the xylophone player and they perform traditional dances such as Makwasha , Luhwa , Kamunyelele and Ntomboke, Nkoya Chiefs have their own royal dances they also perform.