Ngangela

The Ngangela are a people who live in the eastern part of Angola, as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. They are one of several Bantu-speaking groups in the region, all of whom speak languages belonging to the Niger-Congo language family. The Ngangela are considered part of the broader Lunda group of peoples, who originated in the southern Congo and later dispersed.12

The Ngangela primarily practice shifting hoe cultivation, growing crops such as cassava, millet, peanuts, beans, and corn. They also keep small livestock, and some groups own cattle. Trade is common among the Ngangela, with some groups historically known for trading ivory and slaves. Their religious beliefs often involve a supreme being and the worship of ancestors.2