

Chap. XXX. NATIVE NAMES. 617 



On the 20th we came to Monina's village (close to the sand- 

 river Tangwe, lat, 16° 13' 38" S., long. 32° 32' E.). This man 

 is very popular among the tribes on account of his liberality. 

 Boroma, Nyampungo, Mom'na, Jira, Katolosa (Monomotapa), and 

 Susa, all acknowledge the supremacy of one called Nyatewe, 

 who is reported to decide all disputes respecting land. This con- 

 federation is exactly similar to what we observed in Londa and 

 other parts of Africa. Katolosa is " the Emperor Monomotapa " 

 of history, but he is a chief of no great power, and acknowledges 

 the supremacy of Nyatewe. The Portuguese formerly honoured 

 Monomotapa with a guard, to fire off numbers of guns on the 

 occasion of any funeral, and he was also partially subsidized. 

 The only evidence of greatness possessed by his successor, is his 

 having about a hundred wives. When he dies, a disputed suc- 

 cession and much fighting are expected. In reference to the 

 term Monomotapa, it is to be remembered that Mono, Moene, 

 Mona, Mana, or More'na, mean simply chief, and considerable 

 confusion has arisen from naming different people by making a 

 plural of the chief's name. The names Monomoizes, spelt also 

 Monemuiges and Monomui'zes, and Monomotapistas, when applied 

 to these tribes are exactly the same as if we should call the 

 Scotch the Lord Douglases. Motape was the clrief of the 

 Bambiri, a tribe of the Banyai, and is now represented in the 

 person of Katolosa. He was probably a man of greater energy 

 than his successor, yet only an insignificant chief. Monomoizes 

 was formed from Moiza or Muiza, the singular of the word 

 Babisa or Aiza, the proper name of a large tribe to the north. 

 In the transformation of this name the same error has been com- 

 mitted as in the others ; and mistakes have occurred in many 

 other names by inattention to the meaning, and predilection for 

 the letter r. The river Loangwa, for instance, has been termed 

 Arroangoa; and the Luenya, the Ruanha. The Bazizulu, or 

 Mashona, are spoken of as the Morururus. 



The government of the Banyai is rather peculiar, being a sort 

 of feudal republicanism. The chief is elected, and they choose 

 the son of the deceased chief's sister in preference to his own 

 offspring. When dissatisfied with one candidate, they even go to 

 a distant tribe for a successor, who is usually of the family of the 

 late chief, a brother, or a sister's son, but never his own son 



