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An Introduction to Lomwe Speakers | |
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How do you describe over a million people? Lomwe (LOM-way) people are increasingly diverse-- some live in cities and have office jobs and high-rise apartments and televisions and some are in mud huts in the countryside with no electricity --so that one description does not "fit all," but here is an attempt to give you some of the traditional background Lomwe people come from, and many people still live in: The Lomwe people say God created them on Mount Namuli, near Gurué in northern Zambezia province ,Mozambique. Some 1.3 million live in Mozambique and another 700,000 now live in Malawi. Location The majority of Lomwe-speakers live in the northern half of Zambezia province in Mozambique in a belt stretching from the Indian Ocean on the east into Malawi on the west. The Lomwe are closely related linguistically and culturally to the Makhuwa peoples to the north. Topography Most Lomwe people are peasant farmers in a tropical area with good rainfall, producing crops with a hand hoe including beans, rice, corn, and peanuts. Malaria, cholera and AIDS are common hazards of life. Climate The climate is tropical, with temperatures highest in November-December and lowest in June-July. Rain falls from October to March. Harvests are from March to June. Culture Traditionally, Lomwe people build their own houses out of mudbricks and grass and cook on an open fire. Most do not have sanitation or secure water supplies. The primary language is Lomwe, with Portuguese taught in the schools. Just this year, primary schools began instruction in Lomwe and now there are books in Lomwe up to 8th grade. Matrilineal Society: Traditionally, the Lomwe count family through the mothers' line. A child belongs to his uncle and his mothers' uncle, not to his father or his fathers' family. Religion Traditional religion is often called animistic, which means living in a world of active spirit powers and seeking to pacify them through offerings and ceremonies. The first converts to Christianity were baptized in 1922, but the Lomwe are still waiting for the whole Bible in Lomwe. SIM involvement SIMs history with the Lomwe goes back to 1939. Persecution led to missionaries being expelled in 1959 and it was 25 years before missionaries were allowed to return, during the civil war. Scripture availability There is a NT from 1931 which needs revision and an OT translation which has finished 2/3 books of the Bible. |
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