Ngoni

(also Angoni, Mazitu, Mgwangara), a people living in parts of Malawi (approximately 250,000; 1970, estimate), Zambia (approximately 100,000), and Tanzania (approximately 150,000).

The Ngoni are related to the Zulus. They settled in their present territories in the first half of the 19th century, when they fled northward from Natal. The Ngoni have lost their native Zulu language and speak languages of their neighbors (Nyanja, Thonga, Mande, and Swahili). They have retained traditional religious beliefs (worship of natural forces; cult of ancestors); some have become Muslims. The Ngoni raise cattle, engage in farming, and work on plantations where sisal, cotton, and other crops are grown.