Nkwinika in the sources
Wikipedia’s Tsonga people article lists the Nkwinika under the VaHlave, with the Maswanganyi. Junod names a Hlabi clan he spells Nkwinika among the Ba-Hlabi settled in the triangle formed by the Limpopo, the Shengan and the 24th parallel, with the Mapsanganyi, Tsungu, Mavundja and Makamo.
What the sources say
That is the only place Junod names the Nkwinika (about p. 17). For what he says of the Hlabi as a group, including their dialect, western origin claim and praise-name, see our Maswanganyi page. He does not say anything particular to the Nkwinika.
Cautions
This is a one-sentence mention. Junod wrote in 1912 in his own spelling and from a missionary’s viewpoint, so the match between his clan names and today’s surnames is by sound and is our inference. We found no Nkwinika-authored history, praise text or totem. Page numbers for Junod are approximate, read from machine-scanned text.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Nkwinika totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Nkwinika and recite your praises (miLao), we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Henri A. Junod, The Life of a South African Tribe, vol. 1, The Social Life (Neuchatel, 1912), read in the Internet Archive scan; a missionary ethnography of the Thonga (Tsonga), using his own spellings
- Wikipedia: Tsonga people (its post-1890 community list has no inline citation)
Do you belong to the Nkwinika? 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.