Lenje people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Lenje chief smokes pipe. Photo by Eric von Rosen 1911-1912. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
310 000 in  Zambia | |
| Languages | |
| Lenje, English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lukanga Twa, Tonga people |
Lenje people (also known as Bene Mukuni, Balenje, Balenge, Benimukuni, Ciina mukuna, Lenge, Lengi[1][2]) is an ethnic group in Zambia. They are loosely bound with its spatial and cultural boundaries shifting, depending on whom you talk to.[3] They live mainly in the Central province but also in Lusaka and Copperbelt province. It is not clear when they arrived to the area where they live today[2] but they are believed to be among the first people to come to Zambia from the Cameroon region.[citation needed] It has been claimed that they have been in the area at least since the 17th century.[4] The Lenje chiefdom comprises one senior chief and seven subordinate chiefs and chiefdoms.[5] They are about 240 000[citation needed] - 310 000,[citation needed] and are related to the neighboring Tonga people[6][7] and have also been said to be related to the Twa (or Batwa, Awatwa) of the Lukanga Swamps.[8][9]