The Hlubi people or AmaHlubi are an AmaMbo ethnic group native to Southern Africa, with the majority of population found in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.

Hlubi People
AmaHlubi
AmaHlubi AmaNgelengele
Total population
~3 million
Regions with significant populations
 South Africa,  Lesotho
Languages
IsiHlubi, IsiXhosa, Sesotho
Religion
African Traditional Religion, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Southern Ndebele, Northern Ndebele and Phuthi
The AmaHlubi Nation
PersonIHlubi
PeopleAmaHlubi
LanguageIsiHlubi
CountryEmaHlutjhini

Hlubi people are located in Eastern Cape, Lesotho, and KwaZulu-Natal most Amahlubi speak IsiXhosa, Sesotho, and a handful speaks isiZulu, the language is near extinction many AmaHlubi identify themselves as Xhosa or Sotho, Zulu speakers.

Origins edit

The Hlubi, similar to other current Southern African nations, originate from Central Africa. They moved as part of the eMbo people’s southern migration. More specifically, they are said to originate from the people known as the Shubi. The Shubi can still be found today in Congo and some parts of Rwanda and Tanzania.

Language edit

The AmaHlubi speak a dialect closely related to the Swati language, one of the Tekela languages in the Nguni branch of the Bantu language family.

The Hlubi (AmaHlubi) dialect is endangered and most Hlubi speakers are elderly and illiterate. There are attempts by Hlubi intellectuals to revive the language and make it one of the eleven recognized languages in South Africa.[1]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Isizwe SamaHlubi: Submission to the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims: Draft 1" (PDF). July 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2011.

Further reading edit