Manyika

Manyika, one of the cluster of Shona-speaking peoples inhabiting extreme eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent areas of interior Mozambique south of the Púnguè River. The Manyika have existed as an ethnic group discrete from other Shona groups only since the 1930s.

Historically, the Manyika recognized a hereditary headman who, assisted by family heads, arbitrated disputes and officiated at sacrifices to ancestral spirits. Although the earlier Manyika were divided into many small polities, Manyika-speaking peoples did make up the two kingdoms of Mutasa and Makoni, which are said to have existed from at least the early 17th century.

It was not until well into the colonial period that people of Mutasa and Makoni, in reaction to the activities of European missionaries and administrators, began to have the common feeling of being Manyika. Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic missionaries established a written Manyika dialect with which they taught and evangelized. Educated, Christian Manyika were recognized as ardent workers and entrepreneurs and were given priority in hiring; being Manyika became profitable. Considerable rural-urban migration by Manyika has transformed social organization in rural areas. The Manyika were enthusiastic participants in the struggle for Zimbabwean independence. National leaders from their area include Herbert Chitepo and the Methodist bishop Abel Muzorewa.

Goldfields are found in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, and have been worked since the 17th century or earlier. Gold was an important trade item among peoples of the area and was taken eastward to coastal towns in Mozambique for trade with Indian, Arab, and Portuguese merchants there. Manyika work in the mines (gold, chromium, and tungsten) and local industries (lumber, distilleries, and food-preparation) of Zimbabwe and elsewhere in southern Africa. They are, however, largely an agricultural people who grow corn (maize) as a staple; raise cattle, goats, and chickens; and fish, hunt, and gather some wild foods. Rural Manyika reside in dispersed hamlets of family compounds, their round houses surrounding a communal cattle corral.