Rozwi people
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Rozwi Empire. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2009. |
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The WaRozwi or Rozwi people of ancient Zimbabwe are probably those that built the Great Zimbabwe ruins, probably to service gold and other trading brought in via the Save river from the coastal Arab/Swahili town of Sofala. They are widely believed to be descendents of the Mapungubwe culture. The WaRozwi / Rozwi empire came about as an amalgamation of several Kalanga and Shona-speaking tribes. Descendants today include the Shona / AmaShona, the Barotse, Lozi and the Lemba people and Kalanga just to name a few. The Lemba people claim to be admixed with Jewish traders or artisans from Sofala or based at Zimbabwe. According to the Lemba, their Jewish ancestors came from Sena, an ancient city in the Yemen. Genetic studies indicate the Lemba may have had a minor Semitic or Jewish contribution to their gene pool.