The Shona are a people whose ancestors built great stone cities in southern Africa over a thousand years ago. Today, more than 10 million Shona people live around the world. 

The Shona tribe is Zimbabwe's largest indigenous group, their tribal language is also called Shona (Bantu) and their population is around 9 million. They are found in Zimbabwe, Botswana and southern Mozambique in Southern Africa, and bordering South Africa.

Like Us on Facebook

The Shona have their own language, which the Penn Language Center estimates is spoken by about 75 percent of the population of Zimbabwe. The center notes that the language has multiple dialects and sub-dialects. The Shona work in a variety of occupations, and their artists are well known for their finely carved wooden headrests and stone sculptures.

I like how Shona people are discussing what Ndebele people go through, as if they have a clue what we go through in this country @RuvhenekoP

— Nqaba Matshazi (@nqabamatshazi) January 13, 2016

Traditionally, Shona people live in isolated settlements, usually consisting of one or more elder men and their extended families. Most decisions are made within the family, although organized political states were recognized as a source of centralized power.

Shona People of Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa & Botswana pic.twitter.com/wSw4OYaOK4 — THE CULTURE (@JakeToussaint) August 3, 2015

According to AfricanCraftsMarket the Shona believe in two types of spirits. Shave spirits are most often considered to be outside or wandering spirits and vadzimu are ancestor spirits. Shave spirits are connected to populations living outside of Shona territory and may be connected to neighboring people. Vadzimu represent all that is ideal and moral about a Shona way of life. They are usually associated with recent ancestors or with more remote culture heroes whose exact genealogy has been forgotten.