What does Bantu refer to?

What does Bantu refer to?

Definition of Bantu 1 : a family of Niger-Congo languages spoken in central and southern Africa. 2 : a member of any of a group of African peoples who speak Bantu languages.

What is Bantu known for?

The Bantu people’s iron tools improved agricultural yields and their iron weapons made them formidable military opponents. They were also hunters, animal herders (goats, sheep, and cattle), potters, weavers and traders, exchanging such goods as salt, copper, and iron ore for those things they needed.

Are there Bantus in South Africa?

South African Bantu-speaking peoples are the majority of Black South Africans. However, Bantu is used without pejorative connotations in other parts of Africa and is still used in South Africa as the group term for the language family.

Who are Bantus in Kenya?

The central Bantu speaking communities include the Kamba, Kikuyu, Rmbu, Tharaka, Mbeere and Meru. They are traditionally found in Central and Eastern regions of Kenya, occupying Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties.

How old is Bantu?

Origins and expansion Bantu languages are theorised to derive from the Proto-Bantu reconstructed language, estimated to have been spoken about 4,000 to 3,000 years ago in West/Central Africa (the area of modern-day Cameroon).

Who are the Xhosa tribe?

The Xhosa Kingdom is made up of two sub tribes. The main tribes are the amaGcaleka and amaRharhabe; AmaRharhabe are made up of AmaNgqika, amaMbalu, amaNtinde, amaGqunukhwebe, imiDange, imiDushane, and amaNdlambe.

Who speaks Xhosa?

South Africa
Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Xhosa is a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu group of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

What languages are spoken in Bantu?

Bantu languages. The Bantu languages (English: /ˈbæntu/, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) technically the Narrow Bantu languages, as opposed to “Wide Bantu”, a loosely defined categorization which includes other “Bantoid” languages, are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu peoples throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

What does the word Bantu mean in English?

Bantu means belonging or relating to a group of peoples in central and southern Africa. This use could cause offence. …a Bantu people who live on the southern slopes of the mountain. Bantu languages belong to a group of languages spoken in central and southern Africa.

What was the native language of the Bantu?

Swahili is a somewhat archaic Bantu dialect, indigenous probably to the East African coast south of the Ruvu (Pangani) river, which by intermixture with Arabic has become the lingua francaof eastern Africa between the White Nile and the Zambezi.

What is the meaning of the name Bantu?

User Submitted Meanings A submission from New Jersey, U.S. says the name Bantu means “Servant” and is of Teluga origin. A submission from Alabama, U.S. says the name Bantu means “Gift of God”. According to a user from South Africa, the name Bantu is of Bantu origin and means “The people”.

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