TheYeyi people, also known as theMayeyi orBayeyi, are aBantu-speaking ethnic group native toSouthern Africa. They are part of the largerLozi ethnic group and have significant populations inBotswana andNamibia.The Yeyi immigrated to the area in the 18th century from the north, and lived in close cooperation with theSan people, orBasarwa,in particular, the Xanikhwe (otherwise known as Maghumaahi, meaning the San clan who live along riverbanks, just like the other riverine tribes such as Wayeyi and others) who had lived in the area previously. They speakShiYeyi, a language that was influenced by theSan and exhibits the characteristicclicks[1] butSilozi is used as the formal language in official, educational, and media contexts. The Bayeyi population is 68,400.[2]
According to oral tradition, the baYei emigrated from the kingdom of theLozi people in the 18th century, and were led intoNgamiland by the skilled fisherman and hunter Hankuzi. When the baYei met the baKhakwe people, Hankuzi married one of their women, possibly as a guarantee of peace. A number of immigration waves followed. The baYei learned many of the baKhakwe's survival skills, including new fishing techniques, while the baYei are credited with bringing the canoe-building technology to Ngamiland. The baYei also had connections to the Lozi in the north, and traded tobacco for iron with them. Iron was important in the baYei economy for producing spearheads and tools.[3]
In the early 19th century the baTswana tribe known as baTawana arrived in the Ngamiland. After the arrival, many of the baYei became serfs, orbatlhanka, of the baTawana. Initially the servitude was voluntary in many cases, as it offered protection to attach oneself to a powerful household.[3]
In Namibia, the Mayeyi were first recognised as an independent tribe in 1992; before they were covered under theMafwe traditional authority.[1] The seat of theirkhuta (royal homestead) is the settlement ofSangwali in theJudea Lyaboloma Constituency of theZambezi Region. The current traditional chief, since 1993, is ChiefBoniface Sifu.[4][5] This is also the place whereBatsara Batsapi, the annual cultural festival of the Mayeyi people, is conducted.[6] This recognition (which was accompanied by that of theMashi people), is not without political importance: the Mafwe were suspicious of the move since the Yeyi and the Mashi had begun shifting their political allegiance toSWAPO, the most powerful political party in Namibia, and traditional opponents of the Mafwe's desire for independence.[7]
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The baYei had amatrilineal succession, i.e. the inheritor of a kingdom is the son of a sister to the king.
The baYei believed in a creator god who lived among the humans. One day the god became angry with the humans for their wickedness and went to heaven. He does not interfere much in the world, except for throwing down the occasional thunderbolt. The baYei also venerate ancestor spirits.
Crops that are important for the baYei culture includes sorghum and tobacco.[8]Maize andsweet potatoes especially for those people in the Okavango Delta are also grown widely.
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