Mbugu people

Mbugu
Wambugu
Total population
60,000
Regions with significant populations
 Tanzania

Tanga Region

(Lushoto District)

(Bumbuli District)
Languages
Mbugu, Pare, Shambaa & Swahili
Religion
Majority Christianity, Minority Islam
and African Traditional Religion
Related ethnic groups
Shambaa, Zigua, Pare & other Bantu peoples
PersonMbugu
PeopleWambugu
LanguageKimbugu

The Mbugu people, also known as the Va'maa, Ma'a (Wambugu, in Swahili) are an ethnic Bantu and linguistic group hailing from western Usambara Mountains of Lushoto District in Tanga Region of Tanzania. Tanzania's Mbugu (or Ma'á) language is one of the few true hybrid languages, combining Bantu grammar with Cushitic lexicon. In actuality, the people speak two languages: one closely related to Pare and the other mixed (differing from the first mainly in the lexicon).[1] They are estimated to be around 60,000 Mbugu people left.[2]

Shaman's stoppered gourd vessel, Mbugu people, Honolulu Museum of Art
  1. ^ Tucker, A. N., and M. A. Bryan. "The 'Mbugu' Anomaly". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. 37, no. 1, 1974, pp. 188–207, doi:10.1017/S0041977X00094957.
  2. ^ "Mbugu Overview".