Definition of Nyamwezi in English:
Nyamwezi
nounPlural Nyamwezis ˌnjamˈweɪzi
1A member of a people inhabiting western Tanzania.
Example sentencesExamples
- The Nyamwezi (originally and also Wanyamwezi) are the second-largest of over 120 ethnic groups in Tanzania.
- Many Nyamwezi also speak English and the languages of neighboring ethnic groups, such as Kisukuma, the language of the Sukuma people.
- Besides the tourist market, the Nyamwezi in former times carved thrones for their chiefs.
- I have been compiling this bibliography in the course of research on the folklore of the Sukuma and Nyamwezi of Tanzania, which I began in 1993.
- At the same time, formal education equips the Nyamwezi with basic skills for life in modern Tanzanian society.
2mass noun The Bantu language of the Nyamwezi, related to Sukuma and having about 900,000 speakers.
Example sentencesExamples
- Hulu may mean ‘Cease’ and ‘Desist’ in Swahili but Lulu means ‘bitter’ in Nyamwezi, Nyaturucha, and Sukuma.
- Sukuma and Nyamwezi, spoken in western Tanzania, form a dialect continuum.
adjective ˌnjamˈweɪzi
Relating to the Nyamwezi or their language.
Example sentencesExamples
- The Nyamwezi people, also called the Wanyamwezi, live in the East African country of Tanzania.
- Sungusungu is often referred to as an ‘army of the ancestors’ because of its close emergence within the Sukuma and Nyamwezi ethnic groups.
- Relations with the ancestors and respect for Nyamwezi traditions are maintained through ritual activity such as animal sacrifices and other ceremonies.
- Starting in 1891, Nyamwezi Chief Isike fought the Germans in Tabora region in the Western part of Tanganyika.
- It unraveled in the second half of the nineteenth century as the Nyamwezi trader, Msiri, allied with Swahili traders, intervened in succession disputes and undermined the integrity of the kingdom.