Lozi people, or Barotse, are a southern African ethnic group who speak Lozi

or Silozi, a Sotho–Tswana language. The Lozi people consist of more than 46

different ethnic groups and are primarily situated between Namibia, Angola,
Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of North-Western and western province
of Zambia inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi is also a nationality of
the people of Barotseland, an amalgamation of several smaller ethnic groups
and tribes. The Lozi people number approximately 5,575,000. Lozi are also
found in Zambia, Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Angola, Botswana, Mozambique
(50,000), and Zimbabwe (8,000). The Lozi are also known as the Malozi,
Nyambe, Makololo, Barotose, Rotse, Rozi, Rutse, Baloyi, Balobedu or Tozvi.
The word Lozi means 'plain' in the Makololo language, in reference to the
Barotse Floodplain of the Zambezi on and around which most Lozi live. It may
also be spelled Lotse or Rotse, the spelling Lozi having originated with
German missionaries in what is now Namibia. Mu- and Ba- are corresponding
singular and plural prefixes for certain nouns in the Silos language, so
Murotse means 'person of the plain' while Barotse means 'people of the
plain. Lozi tradition states that they have always inhabited Barotseland. In
about 1830, an army that originated in the Sotho-speaking Bafokeng region
of South Africa, known as the Makololo, led by a warrior called Sebetwane,
invaded Barotseland and conquered the Lozi. They ruled until 1864 when the
Sotho clique was overthrown following a Lozi revolt. The political
organisation of the Lozi has long centred on a monarchy, whose reigning
head, the Paramount King, is known as 'Litunga' which means 'keeper of the
earth.' The renowned Litunga Lewanika, whose latter name was a nickname
from the Mbunda[1] meaning "unifier". Lozi society is highly stratified, with a
monarch at the top and those of recent royal descent occupying high
positions in society. The monarch or Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) is
known as Mulonga, and Lozi society tolerates little criticism even of an
unpopular Litunga. Criticisms of a Litunga by a foreigner are treated as
criticisms of the Lozi nation as a whole. The Lozi are not separate into clans,
unlike most African ethnic groups. Lozi culture is strongly influenced by the
flood cycle of the Zambezi river, with annual migrations taking place from the
flood plain to higher ground at the start of the wet season. The most
important of these festivals is the Kuomboka, in which the Litunga moves
from Lealui in the flood plain to Limulunga on higher ground. The Kuomboka
usually takes place in February or March. These annual floods displace
hundreds of people every year.