THE ORIGIN OF ‘H’ IN TONGA NAMES
Article 02 (a)

THE ORIGIN OF ‘H’ IN TONGA NAMES
Article 02 (a)

Many people have wondered why Tonga is the only tribe in Zambia with most names start with H. Have you ever asked yourself this question: why?

If you wondered, don’t put on an apparel of stress. Know it that you’ve discover all what you wanted in this article. I am going to tell you something which you’ll never hear from any Tonga apart from me. You hear it today from me and never again.

Examples of Tonga names that start with H:
1. Habeenzu
2. Hakalyamba
3. Hamoonga
4. Hamapande
5. Hakainde
6. Hamweemba
7. Hangoma
8. Halyapanga
9. Habazoka
10. Hamududu etc

Nothing that happens without any sound reason.

Let me fly you back to 1623. Southern province that time looked like a national park. No school, no church, no market, only trees and small villages. They didn’t have permanent shops to buy clothes from. They mostly depended on mobile sellers who would sell everything from one place to another.

In 1623, 19 June, came from America a white man, Frank Douglass, who began to teach young children how to read. For the love of education to the people of southern, Douglass talked to elders of most villages, starting from the east which is Sikalongo village, Mwiinde village, Sakalyati village, Nangoma mubotu village up to Delemuka village of head man Moonga, the most feared witch in southern province who boasted himself as Chienda usiku whose head looked like a drum of local wine known as seven days with eyes like a surprised Lusaka prostitute, very short but stubborn.

Marrying a girl from the head man’s village, one needed to pay 15 cattle, 10 females and 5 males. Marrying the head man’s daughter, the professed lover would pay 20 cattle, 13 females and 7 males. It’s for this rationale that tongas have had many cattle from time immemorial. Now, they don’t keep as many cattle as centuries back because lozis attacked them, fought them, defeated them, grabbed over 75% of their cattle and wives. These guys were so rich in cattle that one chap, no matter how foolish he was, could marry up to 10 or more wives. They couldn’t pay money, but cattle as dowry. They bore beautiful daughters because of mabisi. It’s for that reason that they produce most beautiful women in Zambia.

That aside, Douglass was given a farm in Shimabala village and 400 cattle. In order to appreciate them, he told them he would be thrilled to see their children know how to read and write. He chose among them valiant men who would go to America to study that when they would return, they would teach their communities how to read and write.

By that time, there was no name starting with H. 5 men were chosen:
1. Mweemba
2. Beenzu
E. Lwiindi
4. Moonga
5. Basimbi
6. Malambo

They travelled to America. When they arrived there, they received the shock of their lives. They saw many different people most of whom were whites. Tall buildings left their mouths widely open that even if a fly wanted to enter their mouths, it would enter without any single problem. By that time there were no modern cars. Mostly were wagons driven by horses.

The only thing they suffered was to speak English.
Douglass’s wife, Michelle Douglass, welcomed them and gave them a room each one of them where they would spend all the days of their stay in America.

When they would see something that would surprise them, you would hear them, “Ha! Moonga, kobona chi building echi. Ha, chipati!”
The word ‘Ha’ was always heard whenever they would see something astonishing beyond their understanding.

Every morning, Mrs Douglass would greet them going from room to room, “Hi Moonga,” “Hi Mweemba!”  “Hi Beenzu,” just like that!

The word ‘Ha’ is used to express fear  or surprise .

When they returned from United States, they began to go round teaching people how to read and write.
When they would tell their story about the things they saw in United States, the word ‘Ha’would always be used before anything or before a name of a person. For example, “Ha! Mweemba, did you see that?” “Ha, Moonga, that was amazing!”

Especially these guys who went to America, the word ‘Ha’ was on their lips most of the time. And you know how people are. They name or nickname people according to the things they like doing or saying.

If you are a tailor, they would call you Mr Tailor. If you are a shoe repairer, they will call you Mr Shoe Repairer. If you like responding “Sure Sure”, they will be saying, “I’m going to see Mr Sure Sure,”  just because you like using that word. That’s how a human being is.

Likewise, these Tonga American dudes were nicknamed Ha.
You would hear them say, “I’m going to see Ha Mweemba or Ha Lwiindi.”
If you see one of them passing, you would say, “Ndababona ba Ha Beenzu.

As the days went by, that sounded like a name: Ha Mweemba, Ha Lwiindi, Ha Beenzu, Ha Moonga, Ha Basimbi. As the passage of time, as that sounded like a full name yet the ‘Ha’ was just a nickname, people couldn’t trace or know that it was just a nickname, they began to use it thinking it’s a name. And when writing, the space between Ha and the name was ignored. For example, instead of Ha Mweemba, they would write Hamweemba, Hamoonga, Habasimbi etc.

That’s why today, you find that most names have ‘Ha’. Then you would wonder. This is how it came into existence. These guys are capable of stealing any name from other tribes and add Ha and it will sound Tonga. For instance, Ngoma is a name from Chipata. They would get it and add Ha before it and it will be Hangoma. N’gandu is also from Chipata. They’ll add Ha and it will be Hang’andu.

And then, as they were being greeted by Mrs Douglass every morning, Hi, they developed it as a habit. You would hear them, “Hi Moonga,”  “Hi Mweemba.”

So all this was developed and added to their names. Instead of Hi Moonga, a greeting they heard from a white person, they wrote it as Himoonga. They would steal names from other tribes and add Hi to it and it will sound Tonga. For example, Monde is a lozi name, they would get it and add Hi and it will be Himonde.

Previously, there was nothing like Hamweemba, it was Mweemba. Nothing like Hamoonga, it was only Moonga. Know these things.

So that’s how Ha and Hi in some Tonga names are found— were gotten from a surprise (Ha 﫢 ) and from a mere greeting ( Hi ). There’s no way all the names are “Haharing.” It doesn’t make sense at all. That’s why today we have people with such names: Minivah Halyapanga , Candy Himoonga , Chrispin Hamapande , Mutinta Cecilia Hankede , to mention but a few.    藍藍藍藍.

The writer writes for pleasure. I’m tired of teaching these tongas.

Alfred A FL Nyambe One Lozi Man Mbuya: Chief of the Tonga People.