Chokwe people

This article is about the African ethnic group. For the city in Mozambique, see Chokwe, Mozambique. For the language, see Chokwe language.
Chokwe people
Chokwe artwork
Total population
1.3 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Angola, Congo DR, Zambia
Languages
Chokwe; many also speak French, Portuguese or English
Religion
Christian, Animist
Related ethnic groups
Ambundu, Ovimbundu, Luba, Lunda, Lwena, Songo


The Chokwe people, known by many other names (including Kioko, Bajokwe, Chibokwe, Kibokwe, Ciokwe, Cokwe or Badjok), are a Bantu ethnic group of Central and Southern Africa. They are found primarily in Angola, southwestern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa to Lualaba), and northwestern parts of Zambia.[1]

There are two distinct seasons that occur in the Chokwe region: a rainy season between October and April, and a dry season for the remainder of the year. This weather had a huge impact on village life; the Chokwe farmed, hunted, fished, and built houses according to the changing of the seasons.[2]: 15 

The Chokwe people have many different forms of artwork and many extant examples are kept in museums abroad.

  1. ^ a b Chowke people Archived 2016-10-23 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ Jordan, Manuel (1998). Chokwe (1st ed.). The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-1990-0.