Hlubi

The Hlubi (or amaHlubi) are a South African ethnic group who originate from the the Samburu people of Kenya and the Shubi, an ethnic and linguistic group based in Kagera Region, Tanzania. For at least two centuries they have been a part of the Nguni, Mbo or Lala nation. They are found in Mozambique, Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West provinces.They were traditionally hunters and warriors but now are predominantly agriculturalists.The amaHlubi are the oldest in origin and are a much older tribe than either the amaZulu or amaXhosa. There is a lot of literature about the AmaHlubi, but very little is known or documented about this tribe. Most of the literature refers mostly to the time of King Langalibalele, and therefore offers very little on the roots of the amaHlubi nation. The amaHlubi were once a mighty tribe originated from what today is known as the Congo as part of the downward migration of the eMbo group/nation or amaLala from central Africa. After settling briefly along the Lubombo mountains, a range extending from the North of present day Zululand northwards along the Swaziland-Mozambique border, they went South and settled in what today is known as Natal as far back as the 13th century, leaving behind a section of their group which later became the amaSwazi nation.

Below is a traditional estimation of the Hlubi Kings that ruled from 1300 until now. Note that Hlubi history comes mainly from oral sources and the dates below should not be taken as historically accurate.

The amaHlubi speak a dialect of or closely related to Swazi, one of the Tekela languages in the Nguni branch of the Niger–Congo language family.

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