The Matumbi are a
Bantu ethnolinguistic group native to
Kilwa District
Kilwa District (''Wilaya ya Kilwa'' in Swahili) is one of six administrative districts of Lindi Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . The district is comparable in size to the land area of the nation state of East Timor. Kilwa di ...
,
Lindi Region
Lindi Region (''Mkoa wa Lindi'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Sr ...
in southern
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, who speak the
Matumbi language. They are also the native inhabitants of the
Songosongo island archipelago. Their homeland is also south of the
Rufiji delta in southern
Pwani Region in
Rufiji District. In 1978 the Matumbi population was estimated to number 72,000.
They are the largest ethnic group in Kilwa District. The
Matumbi Highlands are named after them.
Culture
The Matumbi are mainly farmers and the ones that settled on the coast and
Songosongo Islands are fishermen. Crops grown by Matumbi include rice and coconuts. For livestock they raise goats and poultry.
Like many groups in the world, the Matumbi are a
patrilineal society.
The Matumbi are adherents of Islam.
References
Ethnic groups in Tanzania
Indigenous peoples of East Africa
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