The
Mambwe are an ethnic and linguistic group from
Rukwa Region,
Tanzania and northeastern
Zambia. In 1987 the Mambwe population in Tanzania was estimated to number 63,000
[1] The number of Mambwe in Zambia has not been independently estimated, though the combined number of Mambwe and
Lungu in Zambia was estimated to be 262,800 in 1993
[2] The mambwe people of Zambia are known to be great businessmen. They also distinguish the last names for males and females, like the Namwanga people, by applying prefixes "Si" and "Na" to be the first two letters of the last name e.g. Sinyangwe (Male) & Nanyangwe (Female), Sikasula (Male) & Nakasula (Female), Sinkamba (Male) & Nankamba (Female) etc. A meal of beans ("choli") and okra ("kumbi") are a mambwe staple and delicacy.