The material culture of the peoples of the Gwembe valley
Barrie Reynolds

The purpose of this work was to describe the material culture of the Gwembe (Valley) Tonga before the building of the Kariba Dam forced them to leave their homes and resettle further up the side of the Gwembe Valley and away from the Zambezi River. The fieldwork was carried out mostly on the north side of the valley with only two weeks spent in the southern part. Because only six months were available to complete this fieldwork, rapid, intensive studies of villages and neighborhoods were made; these studies were then compared, giving a picture of the culture of the Tonga. Emphasis is placed on technological data with some information given on subsistence activities and magical and medical practices. Reynolds has included many good text figures and photographs to illustrate the work. The appendices include: a detailed list of medicinal plants and their uses; a list of edible plants; information on buildings and building materials used; and, some population statistics. The author concludes that subsistence activities will be much different after resettlement on the edge of Lake Kariba than they were in the valley. Because the area of resettlement is near the Plateau Tonga, it appeared probable that the resettled Valley Tonga would imitate the culture of the Plateau Tonga.

With many illustrations and photo’s.