Myeni in the sources
D. Hugh Gillis says that, among the clans moving from the Maputo settlements, a number sought the protection of the Lubombo mountain ranges: the Matsenjwa, Mngomezulu and Myeni, for example, took up sites along the foothills of the eastern ranges from the big bend of the Lusutfu river towards the Pongola (PDF p. 27). He adds that others ventured west across the lowveld plain in scattered patches that were in time brought within the Swazi nation.
What the sources say
That passage is all the books we read say about the Myeni; Bonner does not mention them. It is part of Gillis’s account of the southward movement of Nguni clans from Delagoa Bay, which he explains by the pastoralists’ need for water and grazing; he gives no dates for the Myeni.
Cautions
We found no Myeni chief, praise text or totem. Our listing placed the Myeni among the Zulu; the Swazi history is the only source we could read. The surname Myeni is common, and we claim no link between surname-holders and the Lubombo clan. We read Bonner and Gillis only through machine OCR of scanned copies, so names and page numbers may contain errors.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Myeni praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Myeni and recite your izithakazelo, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- D. Hugh Gillis: The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in Political History (SAHO scan, read by OCR)
See also Zulu.
Do you belong to the Myeni? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.