The Kingdom of Butua or Butwa (–1683) was a

Bakalanga The Kalanga or BaKalanga are a southern Bantu ethnic group mainly inhabiting Matebeleland in Zimbabwe, northern Botswana, and parts of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The BaKalanga of Botswana are the second largest ethnic group in th ...

(western Shona) kingdom located in what is now southwestern

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. Butua was renowned as the source of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

for

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

and Portuguese traders. The first written record of the kingdom came from Ahmad ibn Majid in 1502. The kingdom was governed by the

Torwa dynasty The Kingdom of Butua or Butwa (–1683) was a Bakalanga (western Shona) kingdom located in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe. Butua was renowned as the source of gold for Arab and Portuguese traders. The first written record of the kingdom cam ...

until 1683 from its capital at

Khami Khami (also written as ''Khame'', ''Kame'', or ''Kami'') is a ruined city located west of Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Butua of the Torwa dynasty. It is now a national monument and became a UNESCO World Heri ...

. In 1683, the kingdom was conquered by the Rozwi Empire. The foundations of the Khami Ruins show a striking resemblance to the pattern of masonry at the base of the Zimbabwe Ruins.

History

Foundation and apogee

was originally a

Leopard's Kopje Leopard's Kopje is an archaeological site, the type site of the associated region or culture that marked the Middle Iron Age in Zimbabwe. The ceramics from the Leopard's Kopje type site have been classified as part of phase II of the Leopard's K ...

site, whose inhabitants are thought to be the ancestors of the Kalanga (southwestern Shona). During the time of

Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from 1000 AD, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century. It is the largest stone struc ...

's dominance over the region, various offshoots split from it to form various states, one such state being the Mutapa Empire. In the early 15th century

Angoche Angoche is a district, city and municipality located in Nampula Province in north-eastern Mozambique. The district has limits in the North with Mogincual District, in the South with Larde District, to the east with the Indian Ocean and to the west ...

traders opened a new route along the

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

via the nascent Mutapa Empire and Ingombe Ilede to reach the goldfields west of Great Zimbabwe, bypassing it. Close to the goldfields, a local Leopard's Kopje chiefdom centred on

rose to prominence, contributing to Great Zimbabwe's decline. This was the Kingdom of Butua, with its first ''

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

'' (king) Madabhale of the Torwa dynasty, who had the praise name ''Chibundule'' (meaning "sounding of the war horn"). Butua rapidly grew in size and wealth, and came to border the Mutapa Empire along the

Sanyati River The Munyati River (also known as the Umniati River, and as the Sanyati River for part of its length) is a river in Zimbabwe. Under the Rhodesian administration, it was officially named the Umniati, but its spelling was changed in 1983 to more clos ...

. There appear to have been intermarriages between the Torwa dynasty and the Nembire dynasty of Mutapa. Changamire I, who rebelled against and ruled Mutapa from 1490-1494, was likely a member of both dynasties, and was possibly supported by the Torwa, with his descendants founding the

Rozvi Empire The Rozvi Empire (1490–?, 17th century–1866) was a Shona state established on the Zimbabwean Plateau. The term "Rozvi" refers to their legacy as a warrior nation, taken from the Shona term ''kurozva'', "to plunder". They became the most ...

. In 1493, the ''mambo'' gifted the ''Mwenemutapa'' (Mutapa king) 4000 cows and copious amounts of gold. The first written record of Butua came from Ahmad ibn Majid in 1502, who mentioned "Munhu Butua" ("King of Butua"). Due to tales such as that already mentioned, the Portuguese referred to Butua as the "Mother of Gold". The Portuguese traded far into the interior via African merchants, who were noted for their honesty. The Kalanga of Butua were reportedly not war-like (said to rely more on faith in Mwari), and the ''mambo'' only mobilised his army in times of war. Women accompanied the army and cooked for them.

Internal conflict and Portuguese invasion

In the 1640s, internal conflict between the king and his brother led to the king's exile. He returned to power with the Portuguese's help invading Butua, making the king effectively a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

, however Portuguese influence over the kingdom was short-lived.

Rozvi conquest and rule

In 1683 the

conquered the Torwa Kingdom of Butua. Its dynasty continued to rule in Butua, adopting the name "Rosvi", until it was destroyed during the 1830s amid the Ngoni invasions.

Government

The ''

'' had various Councillors (''bakadzaxa'' or ''makulukota'', one of which was head of the royal herds of cattle), minor councillors (''basungwaxa''), and royal advisors (''machinda''). He also had a Great Diviner ( ''ng'anga''), one of their tasks was rainmaking. Roles were likely hereditary. The ''mambo'' had multiple residences for security reasons, with oral traditions mentioning five in and around the Matopos Hills. Cattle played an important role in politics, and the ''mambo'' owned many. The government's tribute was collected by sub-chiefs from their people, and gifts were likely distributed, often in the form of

loans In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...

of cattle. According to Rozvi traditions the Torwa dynasty had the totem of the monkey. Traditions collected in 1922 claim the kingdom covered the territory from Great Zimbabwe to the Makgadikgadi Pan, south to the Crocodile River, and north to the

, however other traditions say the ''mambo'' ruled from

Gweru Gweru, originally known as Gwelo, is a city in central Zimbabwe. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high banks, in 1894 it became the site of a m ...

to the Motloutse River.

Society and culture

Ceremonies were held at Khami where people prayed to Mwari for rain. Men sought to marry many wives and have as many children as possible. Produce, skins, and copper could be used to buy cattle and goats, which could then be used to acquire wives. Women sewed skins and furs into blankets, and copper was mined to make jewellery. Gold was mined in people's spare time, usually before planting season. Khami features monumental stone structures, which likely symbolised prestige, with reports that the stones were brought to Khami and laboured on as tribute. Khami's royal palace resembles

architecture (specifically Woolandale). After Changamire's conquest of Butua, the Rozvi did not allow the Portuguese to enter its territory, however they allowed African merchants hired by the Portuguese, termed '' mussambazes'', to trade in Butua.

Economy

Cattle were abundant in Butua, and were an important component of its economy. Cattle were also likely used for

(a practice called ''kusaidza''). The person who received the loan (''kuronzera'') could use the cattle as they saw fit and sell its produce, however they could not dispose of them without the owner's permission. The relationship between owner and ''kuronzera'' resembled one of vassalage, and served to distribute food and wealth, with the ''

'' owning most cattle. Despite Butua's fame for gold, Portuguese reports say that its people had little interest in gold mining, and focussed primarily on cattle.

Gallery

File:Khamiruins1.jpg, The ruins of Khami, capital of the Butua Kingdom. File:Khamiruins2.jpg, Steps leading into the ancient city of Khami File:Khamiruins3.jpg, The outer wall of Khami

Notes

References

* * Butua States and territories disestablished in 1683 Former monarchies of Africa {{Zimbabwe-hist-stub