I like, no I love, researching everything about the African continent. Every aspect of the place is intriguing to me. It’s exactly like finding out about your family history and you stay up late chasing every lead, analyzing every photo. Mashonaland might not peak a lot of interest. However, when learning about something, it’s important to study everything. And that’s what I aim to do.
Where is Mashonaland?
Mashonaland is a region encompassing northern Zimbabwe. It’s divided into three provinces: Mashonaland Central, West, and East. Zimbabwe is a unitary state, meaning that its provinces exercise only the powers that the central government delegates. Zimbabwe divides their provinces into districts, which divide further into wards.
The capital of Zimbabwe, Harare, is in Mashonaland East and the cities Marondera and Mutoko. This province mainly comprises rural communities with several commercial farms specifically around Marondera and Mutoko.
Mashonaland West includes Chinhoyi, Chirundu, Kadoma, Kariba, and Karoj. Chinhoyi is the capital of the province and bordered by Zambia. By population, Mashonaland West is the largest of the three provinces with 1.5 million people.
Mashonaland Central includes the city of Bindura, which is the administrative capital of the province. This province mainly comprises rural and commercial farms with the area being known for its rich soils.
Mashonaland Geography
The region of Mashonaland sits on a wide plateau. The elevation is between 3,000 and 4,000 feet that slope down northward to the Zambezi River valley. The region drains into tributaries of the Zambezi River. The northern part of man-made Lake Kariba, on the Zambezi, is in western Mashonaland. To the south, the Munyati River forms the border with the current and former province of Midlands. The Nyanyadzi River forms the border with Manicaland to the east.
Much of the landform is rolling low hills divided by river valleys. Only a few isolated mountains and the spine of the Umvukwes Range resides in the west. The highest point is in the Wedza Mountains in the southeast at almost 6,000 feet.
People
The people of Mashonaland are known as the Shona people. They arrived as part of the gradual migration of Bantu-speaking peoples from West Africa through the Congo Basin and into Southern Africa, where they intermingled with the indigenous Khoisan inhabitants and introduced agriculture.
The Shona name did not come to fruition until the early 19th century when it was a slur word to mean non-Nguni people. This ethnic group migrated to the area and are classified into 5 major clans.
Manyika tribe
Ndau
Karanga
Zezuru
Their population stands at 16.7 million people. Traditionally, the Shona practice subsistence agriculture. In addition, they raise cattle and goats, which the Shona use as reserves during droughts.
The Shona sculpt stone. This practice developed during the 11th century and peaked in the 13th and 14th centuries. Although most of the sculptures are sedimentary stone such as soapstone in the shapes of birds and humans. They make other sculptures with harder stone, such as serpentinite.
Conclusion
Mashonaland is full of history, full of intrigue. This article just covered the basics, an introduction, its geography and the people. I must admit, the country of Zimbabwe is one of my favorites. Expect another article soon on why it’s one of my favorites. Here’s a hint, waterfalls!
Bibliography
Britannica Encyclopedia. “Mashonaland.” Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/place/Mashonaland. Accessed 24 November 2020.
Marin Theatre Company. “Geography and History of Zimbabwe.” marintheatre.org, 1 January 2020, https://www.marintheatre.org/productions/the-convert/convert-geography. Accessed 24 November 2020.
Wikipedia. “Shona People.” Wikipedia.org, 21 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shona_people. Accessed 25 November 2020.
Zimbabwe Info. “Mashonaland.” Zimbabwe-info.com, https://www.zimbabwe-info.com/country/province/74/mashonaland-central. Accessed 25 November 2020.
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