BANYAI TRIBE

Banyai are people who are residents of the Zambezi plateau  in Zimbabwe.This cultural group has strong religious believes that they practice.They believe that their ancestors can communicate using animals.During the Chimurenga war when blacks were colonized by whites,the (go away) bird used to communicate to the blacks to flee from the enemy were by it could shout near their home stead (vani vani chilopa chontu) this meant that go away go away human liver will be removed.This phrase asserts that people were supposed to move and hibernate in order to survive from the enemy.

According to oral tradition lions were not harmful to humans instead they respected human beings.When lions catches prey it kills it near the home steads of villagers so that they get meat from the prey.As soon as it leaves the prey it then goes back in the jungle. More-so in times of danger lions flee from the jungle in order to find fortress from human beings.In as much as lions are afraid of Lycaon  pictus (wild dogs) they come near human beings when they are about to be attacked bearing in mind that they will be protected since they also help by providing with prey.

There is also some thing unique about the Banyai tribe,as beliefs are concerned.Near the Zambezi valley there is a placed chakona chakakona banyai  this place was named after the second chimurenga war.During this war the Banyai received instructions from the ancestors throu
gh spirits mediums on how to escape from  the enemy.They were told to put a long log across the Zambezi river so that the whole tribe cross to the other side of the river.All of them crossed safely but nevertheless the white also attempted to cross using the same log but they all drowned and died in the Zambezi river,the second groups of white also tried to cross using the same log and they all died.When the war came to an  end the  ancestors told them to go back to their land using the same route.All of them crossed safely using the same log that drowned the whites hence the name (chakona chakakona banyai)  which implies that the warriors did not conqure the tribe of Banyai which is now known as the Nambia people.