Xivongo · Xitsonga
Vandzawu (VaNdau)
Also spelled Vandzawu, VaNdau, Ndjao / Ba-Ndjao.
- PeopleVatsonga
- Grouping VaNdau cluster with Moyane, Sithole, Simango and Maxava (Wikipedia, uncited); Junod treats the Ndjao as a neighbouring people near the Save, not Thonga
- Surnames recorded Moyane, Sithole, Simango, Maxava
- Places recorded North, Save, Xitsonga-speaking, Limpopo
Written down by families and by the people who recorded them.
About This Record
What Was Written Down
Wikipedia lists the Vandzawu among the peoples identified in 1500-1650 and gives a VaNdau cluster of surnames within Xitsonga-speaking South Africa; it also records that Ndau spirits among Tsonga diviners are linked to Gaza soldiers who took Ndau wives. Junod names the Ndjao near the Save as neighbours of the Thonga and says Manukosi's rule reached into their country. Mathevula's table of contents includes a chapter on Maxava (not read). One Rikhotso praise line recorded by Malungana calls the clan genuine Ndawu full of beads and chieftainship. Recorded from the sources named on this entry; the wording here is Sibaya's own.
Families Tell This Differently
Families who carry this name tell parts of it differently. Each way it has been told is below.
Where This Comes From
- Written down by
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- Henri-Alexandre Junod, The Life of a South African Tribe, Vol. I: The Social Life, Imprimerie Attinger Freres, Neuchatel — https://archive.org/details/lifeofsouthafric01junouoft
- Wikipedia contributors, Tsonga people, read 2026-09-05, Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsonga_people
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