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Mwami () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means King, chief or tribal chief in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditional kings or rulers of regions within several African nation-states, for example, in Rwanda.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
noble title
Subclass of
ruler
Sources (1)

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Encyclopedic overview

4 sections
Contents
  • Tribal chief
  • Etymology
  • King
  • References

Mwami () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means King, chief or tribal chief in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditional kings or rulers of regions within several African nation-states, for example, in Rwanda.

==Tribal chief== In several Bantu languages − including Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Fuliiru, Nande, Lega, Luhya, Nyindu, Shi, and Chitonga − the word mwami means "tribal chief". It is used as a title for the leader of tribal societies or chiefdoms in areas where those languages are spoken.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mwami” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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