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[[Image:Niger-Congo.png|right|300px|thumb|Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. other [[Niger-Congo languages|Niger-Congo]] languages and peoples (bright yellow).]]
 
Col nome '''bantu''' o '''bantù''' si identificano:
* una civiltà che si espanse in tempi antichi in tutta l'[[Africa]] meridionale, e che divenne il più grande impero del sud del mondo nel [[medioevo]];
* un insieme di gruppi etnici caratterizzati da lingue appartenenti a un unico gruppo (le [[lingue bantu]]), che si considerano essere discendenti della civiltà Bantu. Le popolazioni che parlano le [[lingue bantu]] contano circa 400 diversi gruppi etnici, distribuiti dal [[Camerun]] al [[Sudafrica]], e uniti non solo da tratti linguistici comuni ma anche, in alcuni casi, da simili usi e costumi.
 
* una civiltà che in tempi antichi era diffusa in gran parte dell'[[Africa]] meridionale e centrale, e che nel [[medioevo]] costituiva il più grande impero dell'[[emisfero australe]]; vedi [[bantu (civiltà)]];
Inoltre, nel periodo dell'[[apartheid]], i neri del [[Sudafrica]] venivano talvolti chiamti "bantu" nei documenti ufficiali del regime.
 
* un gruppo linguistico africano (che include anche lo [[swahili]]), detto gruppo delle [[lingue bantu]], e la lingua (oggi dimenticata) da cui si suppone che questo gruppo di lingue derivi;
==Storia==
Il termine "bantu" fu definito per la prima volta da [[Wilhelm Bleek]] nel [[1862]], nel libro ''A Comparative Grammar of South African Languages''. Bleek avanzò l'ipotesi che un grande numero di lingue dell'Africa centrale, meridionale, orientale e persino occidentale appartenessero a un unico [[gruppo linguistico]]. Nelle sue linee generali, questa tesi è accettata ancora oggi, sebbene alcuni dei dettagli dello scritto di Bleek siano stati refutati.
 
* l'insieme dei gruppi etnici che parlano le lingue bantu; si tratta di oltre 400 gruppi etnici, distribuiti dal [[Camerun]] al [[Sudafrica]], e uniti non solo da tratti linguistici comuni ma anche, in alcuni casi, da simili usi e costumi. Vedi [[bantu (etnie)]].
Considerando la vastità del territorio in cui sono distribuite, le lingue bantu sono in effetti straordinariamente simili, cosa che ha fatto ritenere agli storici che il popolo dei Bantu abbia dominato l'Africa subequatoriale fino a tempi relativamente recenti. Questa tesi è supportata anche da fonti nordafricane e mediorientali, che non riportano la presenza di Bantu a nord del [[Mozambico]] prima dell'anno [[1000]].
 
'''Bantu''' è anche un nome proprio abbastanza diffuso nell'Africa australe, per esempio questo era il secondo nome di [[Stephen Biko]].
[[Image:Bantu_expansion.png|thumb|200px|right|''Bantu expansion'']]
 
Prima dei Bantu, si ritiene che l'Africa meridionale fosse abitata da popolazioni di lingua [[Khoisan]], oggi relegate alle regioni aride intorno al [[Kalahari]] e a poche zone isolate in [[Tanzania]]. Le moderne teorie sulle origini e la diffusione della civiltà Bantu (e quindi delle lingue bantu) sono in parte basate sulle ricerche di [[Joseph Greenberg]] e di [[Malcolm Guthrie]], che sulla base di studi linguistici ipotizzarono che la civiltà Bantu fosse originaria rispettivamente della [[Nigeria]] sudorientale oppure della zona dello [[Zambia]] e della [[Repubblica Democratica del Congo]]. Secondo le teorie moderne, la culla delle civiltà Bantu sarebbero state le valli dei fiumi [[Benue]] e [[Cross (fiume)|Cross]], che attraversano la Nigeria sudorientale e lo Zambia. Intorno al secondo millennio a.C., forse in seguito all'inaridimento del [[Sahara]] e la pressione delle popolazioni che cercavano di allontanarsene, i Bantu si espansero nelle [[foresta pluviale|foreste pluviali]] dell'Africa centrale (fase 1). Circa 1000 anni dopo, cominciarono una fase di espansione più rapida in Africa meridionale e orientale (fase 2). Durante il primo millennio, nuove tecniche agricole e nuove coltivazioni vennero introdotte in [[Zambia]], probabilmente importate dal [[Sudest asiatico]] attraverso il [[Madagascar]]. A seguito di queste innovazioni, iniziò una nuova espansione dei [[Bantu]] in cui lo Zambia era la regione dominante (fase 3).
 
Intorno all'anno [[1000|1000 d.C.]], la civiltà Bantu si estendeva fino agli odierni [[Zimbabwe]] e [[Sudafrica]]. In quest'epoca nacque l'impero Bantu, il più grande impero dell'emisfero australe, con capitale [[Grande Zimbabwe]]. L'impero Bantu controllava le rotte commerciali dal Sudafrica fino a nord del fiume [[Zambesi]], commerciando [[oro]], [[rame]], pietre preziose, [[avorio]] e metalli con i commercianti arabi della costa [[Swahili]] coast. L'impero collassò intorno al [[XIV secolo|XIV]] o [[XV secolo]], probabilmente per aver esaurito le proprie risorse, e la città di [[Grande Zimbabwe]] fu abbandonata.
 
==I bantu in sudafrica==
 
===Storia===
Quando [[Jan van Riebeeck]] circumnavigò il [[Sudafrica]] nel [[1652]], la popolazione locale era prevalentemente costituita da [[Khoisan]], e i bantu erano una piccola minoranza. Dalla metà del [[1700]], per un periodo di circa un secolo, un gran numero di coloni giunsero in questa zona dall'[[Olanda]], dalla [[Francia]] (gli [[ugonotti]]) e dalla [[Germania]]; questi coloni furono chiamati [[boeri]] (oggi il nome più diffuso è [[afrikaner]]). I boeri incontrarono i Bantu solo nel [[1770]], e li combatterono per gran parte del [[XIX secolo]], con l'apporto anche degli [[Regno Unito|inglesi]].
 
All'epoca in cui [[Grande Zimbabwe]] cessò di essere la capitale dell'impero Bantu, dalle popolazioni bantu derivano due grandi gruppi: sulle coste orientali, gli [[Nguni]] (che comprendevano gli [[Xhosa]], gli [[Zulu]] e gli [[Swazi]]); sugli altopiani interni, i [[Sotho-Tswana]].
 
Due eventi fondamentali occorsero a cavallo fra il [[XVIII secolo|XVIII]] e il [[XIX secolo]]. Da una parte, gli [[Xhosa]], la tribù più meridionale, che stava migrando verso sudovest, ebbero i primi contatti con i boeri olandesi. Nel [[1816]], [[Shaka]] prese il potere all'interno del piccolo clan degli [[Zulu]].
 
In 1816 [[Shaka]] acceded to the Zulu throne. Within a year he had conquered the neighboring clans, and had made the Zulu into the most important ally of the large [[Mtetwa]] clan, which was in competition with the [[Ndwandwe]] clan for domination of the northern part of modern day [[KwaZulu-Natal]].
 
He also initiated many military, social, cultural and political reforms, creating a well organized centralized Zulu state. The most important of these were the transformation of the army, thanks to innovative tactics and weapons he conceived, and a showdown with the spiritual leadership, clipping the wings, claws and fangs of the witchdoctors, effectively ensuring the subservience of the "Zulu church" to the state.
 
Another important reform was to integrate defeated clans into the Zulu, on a basis of full equality, with promotions in the army and civil service being a matter of merit rather than circumstance of birth.
After the death of Mtetwa king [[Dingiswayo]] around 1818, at the hands of [[Zwide]] king of the Ndwandwe, Shaka assumed leadership of the entire Mtetwa alliance. The alliance under his leadership survived Zwide's first assault at the [[Battle of Gqokli Hill]]. Within two years he had defeated Zwide at the [[Battle of Mhlatuze River]] and broken up the Ndwandwe alliance, some of whom in turn began a murderous campaign against other Nguni tibes and clans, setting in motion what has come to be known as Defecane or [[Mfecane]], a mass migration of tribes fleeing the Zulu. By 1825 he had conquered a huge empire covering a vast area from the sea in the east to the Drakensberg mountains in the west, and from the [[Pongola River]] in the north to the Bashee river in the south, not far from the modern day city of East London.
 
An offshoot of the Zulu, the Kumalos, better known to history as the [[Matabele]] created under their king, [[Mzilikazi]] an even larger empire, including large parts of the highveld and modern day [[Zimbabwe]].
 
Shaka, who had had contacts with English explorers realized that the white man posed a threat to local populations, and had planned to begin an intensive program of education to enable the Nguni people to catch up with the Europeans. However in 1828 he was assassinated by his half brother [[Dingane]], who succeeded him. A weak leader, Dingane was defeated by the Boers, however under his successors [[Mpande]] (another half-brother) and Mpande's son [[Cetshwayo]] the Zulu were able to rebuff Boer attempts to conquer them. He handed the British army the worst defeat it ever suffered at the hands of a non-European fighting force at the [[Battle of Isandlwana]], at great cost to his [[impi]]s, before succumbing to modern European military technology.
 
===Social organization===
The Bantu were divided into different [[clan]]s, not around [[national]] [[federation]]s, but independent groups from some hundreds to thousands of individuals.
 
The smallest unit of the Bantu organisational structure formed the [[household]], or [[Kraal]], consisting of a man, woman or women, and their children, as well as other relatives living in the same household. The man was the head of the household and often had many wives; he had complete authority over the family. The household and close relations generally played an important role in the life of the Bantu. Households which resided in the same valley or on the same hill were also an organisational unit, managed by a sub-chief.
 
The chief was [[hereditary]]. With most clans the eldest son inherited the office of his father. With some clans the office was left to the oldest brother of the deceased chief, and after his death again the next oldest brother. This repeated until the last brother had deceased. Next was the eldest son of the original chieftain; then the oldest one of the brothers as the leader. The chief was surrounded with a number of trusted friends or advisors, usually relatives like uncles and brothers, rather than influential Headmen or personal friends. The degree of the [[democracy]] depended on the strength of the [[chieftain]]. The more powerful and more influential a chieftain was, the lesser the influence of his people. Although the leader had much power, he was not above the [[law]]. He could be criticized both by advisors as well as by his people, and compensation could be demanded.
 
===Ethnic partitioning===
The Bantu is divided into four main groups: [[Nguni]], [[Sotho]], [[Venda]] and [[Shangana Tsonga]], with the Nguni representing the largest group. These are divided as follows:
 
* [[Nguni]]
** Northern Nguni
*** [[Swazi]]
*** [[Zulu ]]
** Southern Nguni
*** Mfengu
*** Mpondo
*** Mpondomise
*** Thembu
*** [[Xhosa]]
* Shangana Tsonga
* [[Sotho]]
** [[Basotho]] (also: Southern Sotho)
*** [[Bakoena]]
*** [[Bataung]]
*** [[Batlokwa]]
** Northern Sotho
*** [[Balobedu]]
*** Pedi
** Tswana (also: Western Sotho)
* [[Venda]]
* [[Lemba]]
 
Common among the two powerful groups of the Nguni and the Sotho are patrilinear societies, with which the leaders formed the socio-political units. Similarly, food acquisition was by cultivation and hunting. The most important differences were the strongly deviating languages, although both are dialects of [[Bantu language]], and the different settlement types and relationships. With the Nguni settlements were villages widely scattered, whereas with the Sotho settled in towns.
 
===Culture===
The Bantu were not territorially minded like the Europeans, but rather group-related. As long as sufficient land was available, they had only very vague conceptions of [[border]]s. Borders were natural features such as rivers or mountains, which were not by any means fixed.
 
===Food acquisition===
The [[food]] acquisition of the Bantu was primarily limited to agriculture and [[hunting]], where generally the women were responsible for agriculture and the men drew for the hunt. Except with the [[Tsonga]] (and partially the [[Mpondo]]), fishing was surprisingly of little importance. The diet consisted of corn, meat (mostly [[beef]]), vegetables; and [[milk]], [[water]] and grain beer (which contained very little [[alcohol]] compared with European beer).
 
The Bantu had a number of [[taboo]]s regarding the consumption of meat. No meat of [[dog]]s, [[ape]]s, [[crocodile]]s and [[snake]]s could be eaten. Likewise taboo was the meat of some [[bird]]s, like [[owl]]s, [[crow]]s and [[vulture]]s.
 
All Bantu tribes commonly had clear separation between the tasks of the women and those of the men.
 
===House types===
 
[[Image:Maka house in Cameroon.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Typical Bantu dwelling in the town of [[Abong-Mbang]], [[Cameroon]]]]
 
The Bantu lived in two different types of huts. The [[Nguni]] used the [[Beehive hut]], a circular structure out of long poles, which was covered with grass. The huts of the [[Sotho]], [[Venda]] and [[Shangana Tsonga]] used the Cone and Cylinder hut. A cylindrical wall was formed out of vertical posts, which was sealed with mud and cow dung. The roof was built from tied together poles. The floor of both types of compressed earth.
 
===Faith===
[[Magic and religion|Magic]] takes a major central role in Bantu belief, with good and bad influence. They often saw a manifestation of the souls of deceased ancestors in ceremonies. The Bantu believed the separation from body and spirit after death.
 
==See also==
* [[Bantu language]]
 
==Literature==
* Schapera I (OD.): The Bantu Speaking Tribes OF South Africa. 1959: Routlege & Kegan Paul, London.
* [http://www.africaguide.com/country/kenya/photolib.htm#people Supplementary Photos]
 
[[Categoria:Africa]]
 
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[[es:Bantú]]
[[fa:بانتو]]
[[fr:Bantous]]
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[[sr:Банту]]
[[pl:Bantu]]
[[pt:Bantu]]
Estratto da "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu"