Kingdom of Mutapa

The Kingdom of Mutapa - sometimes referred to as the Mutapa Empire (Shona: Mwene we Mutapa or more commonly and modern "Munhumutapa"; Portuguese: Monomotapa) - was a Shona kingdom which stretched from the Zambezi through the Limpopo rivers to the Indian Ocean in southern Africa, in what are the modern states of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and parts of Namibia and Botswana; stretching well into modern Zambia. Its founders are descendants of the builders who constructed Great Zimbabwe.

Etymology

The Portuguese term Monomotapa is a transliteration of the title Mwenemutapa (Prince of the land), Mwene meaning (Prince) and Mutapa meaning (Land). However the title came to be applied to the Kingdom as a whole, and was used to indicate its territory on maps of the period. Copper was transported from Mutapa empire to the coast for trade business

History

The origins of the ruling dynasty at Mutapa go back to some time in the first half of the 15th century. According to oral tradition, the first "Mwene" was a warrior prince named Nyatsimba Mutota from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe sent to find new sources of salt in the north. That's the first legend Prince Mutota found his salt among the Tavara, a Shona subdivision, who were prominent elephant hunters. The second says that there was hunger at the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. Mutota then escaped the hunger then found land. They were conquered, a capital was established 350 km north of Great Zimbabwe at Zvongombe by the Zambezi.