Wanda people

The Wanda people are an ethnic group primarily inhabiting the Kilwa District of Lindi Region in southeastern Tanzania. They are closely related to, and often considered a subgroup of, the Mwera people. The Wanda language is a Bantu language, also called Wanda, and is mutually intelligible with Mwera.

Historically, the Wanda have been agriculturalists, cultivating crops such as rice, cassava, and maize. Fishing is also an important part of their subsistence. Their social structure is traditionally based on kinship and lineage. Like many other ethnic groups in Tanzania, they have been influenced by Swahili culture and Islam, although traditional beliefs and practices persist.

Detailed anthropological and linguistic research specifically focusing on the Wanda as a distinct group, separate from the broader Mwera population, is somewhat limited. Information regarding their unique customs, social organization, and historical narratives may be found within broader studies of the Mwera and other ethnic groups in the Lindi Region.