26/01/2024
Little bit of trivia ( some poetic leeway used )
One for our DID YOU KNOW series:
KARIBA. A corruption of kariwa, meaning in Shona "a little trap". The Zambezi River narrows at the Kariba Gorge and the old people say that at one time there were two huge boulders on either side the gorge which created a bridge. Riwa can also mean "bridge" or "lintel".
ANTELOPE island – Names after antelopes that are there. Often these animals have suffered due to a shortage of food and donors have given them supplementary feed
AUBREYS fishing camp – Not sure who Aubrey is
BALABI island – A place further up in Central Africa
BED Island – in the early seventies there were two beds set in concrete and a bit of a roof over them there. The "bed" is a concrete platform on which instruments were placed to monitor the level of the lake rising when it was being built. There is another one on the first bay to the right of Sanyati gorge as you approach it.
BIMBI – In Shona it means a portion
BINGA. On Lake Kariba; the name has two meanings - "the enclosure surrounding a chief's village", or "thick forest country", both of which could apply. In Tonga it means to drive as cattle, or to accept partial responsibility for a debt
BLAIRS POINT – Was this the same Blair that invented the Blair toilet in Zimbabwe?
BWIRAWKOROMOKO – In Shona Bwira means falling on ones face and koromoka means to slide or fall down
CHALALA – Indian name, Chalala is also a location near Chipinge in Mozambique. CHARARA in Shona means flying beatle
CHARARE - charara in Shona means flying beatle
CHASAYI island -
CHERACHESA – In Shona Chechesa means to urge people to work hard. Chera means Drawer of liquid, Dispenser of beer at party, or an informer, malign or dig. Chesa means a thick growth of trees covering a small area
CHETE. A game reserve on the shores of Lake Kariba: the word in Shona means "only", but in this case it is more than probable that the original word was chetu, an onomatopoeic word implying cutting across sharply or suddenly. This would apply where the river cuts through a deep gorge.
CHIBUNDIRA – in shona mbundira means to greet by shaking hands, also to cower, crouch or curl up
CHIBUYU – the word buyu in Shona seems to be associated with insects
CHIBWATATA – In Shona hwatata means Crouching quickly or Lying face down
CHILILA – In Tonga lilila means to cry for, and ilila to copy each other
CHIMBURU – In Shona chimburungwa/mburumbwa is Deep saucer, or Small bowl. Mburu means an immoral person
CHINGOMBE –In Shona a chigombe is a small whip-snare for birds. String (and noose) for such a snare or a Playing stick similar to a hockey stick. In Shona gombe is a bench; a high seat, or seat of distinction or judgment; a tribunal or court.
CHIPAMPA – In Tonga pampa means to cut off a strangers head and give it to the chief, to divide, to distribute, cut the head of an animal, strip flesh off the skull, knock or tap as if removing dust, or report in detail
CHIRANZI – In Shona ranzi means the light of the sun
CHISASATI – In Shona chisa is iron
CHISONDE – sonde, In Shona Chisonde is a figtree
CHITEME – A surname in Zimbabwe and some other countries
CHIUNGA gap – In Tonga unga means breezy
CHIZYUNGULUKWA-
CHRISTMAS island – maybe someone stayed there at Christmas?
DANDAWA – In Chewa dawa means poison or medicine. In Shona a dahwa is a nightjar.
DEKA. In the Shona language the word can mean either "a flat depression" (which seems likely, as the banks are low lying there), or can suggest "a quick exit". Alternative meaning - "to scoop up water". At Deka the currents flow across one another where the Deka river joins the Zambezi. It is an African name that means “pleasing”
DEVILS GORGE – a gorge at the top of Kariba. It looks a little threatening and may have got its name from that
DIAMOND fishing camp – did someone lose their diamond ring here?
ELEPHANT island – because of the elephants present
FOTHERGILL Island – Named after the famous pioneer game ranger Rupert Fothergill who played a major part in the early development of our parks and in Operation Noah
GACHE GACHE – gatshegatshe, In Shona gacha means quickness, catching something thrown or any suffering or distress
GARDEN island – Maybe at the time there may have been numerous wild flowers
GAZA – In Shona gaza means to shave
GWAAI - The name is not, as sometimes suggested, a reference to the wild to***co paid by the local tribes as tithe to the marauding Matabele, but comes from the Sesutu word ukayi meaning "where".
GWEMBE - which means the scab or itch in cattle, dogs, and other beasts. This was the name for the Kariba valley area
HONDWA – In Shona mhondwa is threshed bulrush millet
IBUYUAMONGA Island – In Shona Monga is a small stingless bee found in termite mounds. Mbuyu in Shona means insects
ISLAND 126/127 etc - Supposedly starting from Kariba many islands were given numbers
ISLAND Q and R etc – Maybe numbers got boring and they started using the alphabet to name islands?
JABAWA – Jabawa is a place name in west Africa. In Shona Bhawa is a bar or pub
JIYAKABENGI – vavengi in Shona means haters. Could also be Siyakabengi
JOHN HODGESON fishing camp – Not sure who he is
KABULAWO – In Tonga kabu is a small reed. In Shona kabu means being overcome by sleep
KABUSABA – In Tonga kabu is a small reed. Saba is also a Tonga word
KABUYA – kabaya, In Chewa baya means to inject, knife, stab, sting, prick. Baya is also a Tonga word. In Shona it means Prick, Stab, Pierce, Administer injection, Sign document, Slaughter, take opponent's piece in tsoro, Hit with a shot, or Cause pain.In Shona baya alos means Uncongenial task, Misfortune (e g continual ill-health)
KAFANKIRA – In Shona hankira, vhundukira means to Act or speak precipitately
KALONDA – In Tonga it means a little river or stream
KALULWA – In Hausa Kululwa means “swollen in part of the body”. Also an Asian word
KAMATIVI – a river and a mine nearby. The word mativi means "sides", "embankments" or "valleys" ,and the prefix "ka" though not grammatically correct, is a diminutive - therefore "little valleys".
KAMANA – In Shona Mana means those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family. Ka would mean small. In Tonga Mana means the larvae of bees, or small stones or pottery used as game counters in the game of indau. In Chewa Mana means to refuse to give something to someone, to be stingy.
KAMAWENDERE – In Shona maivendere would mean a goliath beetle. Ka would mean smaller
KAMPAKA island – Mpaka in Chewa means until, as far as
KANGAMANI island – Or Kang pan, In Tonga Kanga means small. This is the most likely meaning. In Chewa it means “to be hard, to be difficult, to be impossible.” kanga is a colourful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout the African Great Lakes region. In Shona Kanga means “to fry. To cook in a pan or on a griddle (esp. with the use of fat, butter, or olive oil) by heating over a fire; to cook in boiling lard or fat; as, to fry fish; to fry doughnuts.”Kanga is also used for a fox or jackal. In Tonga mani means grass
KANONGA – kanonge. In Chewa Nong`ona means to whisper. Kanonga is a name and place further up in Africa. In Shona nonga means glean
KANSANZA – kasansi, In Chewa sanza means to vomit, spew, puke
KARONDA – In Shona ronda means wind or wound
KASIKIRI –. In Shona Kasiyisiyi, kasirisiri, means a Green-cappedand Burnt-necked Eremomela. In Shona kiri means joy or running fast
KAVIRA – Kavira has origins in India and means sun and there is a river in Srilanka called Kavira
KAZIRARANYAMA – Nyama means meat and the first part of the word appears to be Shona
KOUNG – In Shona kunge means “to seem”
KOZI – In Shona this means sitting in a raised position alone or a seat of honour
KUDU island – kudus seen on the island
KUYU – In Shona this means a fig
KUYAGETERA Island – Kuya is a Tonga word. In Shona Kuyu means “from what place” or a fig. Vetera in Shona means to repair
LITTLE KARIBA – This is at the top of the lake near Devils gorge and like a smaller Kariba
LOKOLA – Logola, In Chewa kola means to draw, hook, catch
LONG ISLAND – long so hence the name
LUBANGWA island – Tonga Ila name for Grey Hornbill
LUIZILUKULU - Lwizilukulu – ruziruhuru. Means big River. This is a river so the name is appropriate. The river used to be called the Ruziruhuru
MAABWE bay – In various languages mabwe would mean stones
MADUDUDU – A Zimbabwe surname. In Shona it means moving quickly in a bent position to escape being seen.
MALALA – In Tonga lala means to sleep, or give a bed for the night
MAKANDABWE – In Chewa maka means special or specific. In Shona makando means to be abnormally talkative because you are drunk or a basket without a lid. Dabwe in Shona is a reference to mad
MAKUYU – In Shona Kuyu means “from what place” or a fig
MAMBALEZA island – In Chewa Mambala means “good for nothing, bad boy, bad character” while Leza in the same language means “to be patient with, bear with”
MANJOLO – A surname in central Africa and some Asian countries.
MAPETA – In Chewa Peta means to winnow or bend.
MARA – In Shona it means to mark or scratch
MARIVANGO – In Shona mari means money
MARKER ISLAND – Probably as it is a good point for navigation on the lake
MASAMPA – msampa, In Tonga sampa means cattle mating
MASANGA –Masenga, In Shona Masanga means a greeting between strangers, or a meeting, or a junction of roads or rivers.
MASHASHA – In Chewa shasha means expert, cunning, crafty, artful, rich. In Shona shasha means winner, champion
MASUKO island – suko in Tonga means the ni**le of a muzzle loading gun
MASUMA – masumu, In Tonga suma means to join tightly or to sew together. In Shona suma means to represent
MASUNTU island – In Chewa suntha means to move.
MATIBI – In Shona Mativi means sides
MATICHEWE – In South Africa matichere means wife of the teacher
MATUSI – in Tonga this means verbal abuse
MBETA island –In Shona Beta is a surname ie a person is a member of the python clan. It also means a High, long rocky outcrop.
MEASURED MILE – From the map it appears to be a spot in the lake, but measured from where?
MEMATOMBU –nematomba. In Shona matomba means stones
MICA point – mica is a type of stone and there may be some present there
MLIBIZI – In Shona Mbizi means zebra
MPUNGULA –In Chewa pungula means to spill. Ungula in Tonga appears to mean to be blown away, diminished, degraded
MSUNA - In Shona Suna means come to an end. Probably a corruption of the word masunda, or of the word masundisundi, the first meaning "a backward motion", and the second meaning "waves", or "ripples".
MTORAMANGA – In Tonga manga means kindness, geniality, as in polite trivial conversation. In Chewa manga means build, plait, strap, tie, attach. In Shona manga means one of twins or a pumpkin. In Shona tora means to obtain; procure; gain; win; attain to; acquire by any means, to carry, or get
MUBENDE island - Mubenda In Tonga Benda seems to mean stalk or peel
MUBORORA? – In Shona boro is a testicle. Muborora is a word used further up in Africa
MUFANZOA - also a mine. In Shona fanzai means beginning to boil
MUJERE – mujele, In Shona Jere is a jail or Creeper, Adenia gummifera, or Dolichos Kilimandscharicus
MUSANGO – Msango, masanga. Musango means “in the forest” in the Shona language
MUZIMU –Mudzemu. In Shona this is an ancestral spirit
MWENDA - In Chewa wenda means to crawl, stalk, tiptoe
NACHIBWE - It is a surname in Zambia
NAHUNGA – In Shona hunga is a to***co plant
NAMAGWABA island – Magwaba is a name in Zimbabwe and South Africa, especially closer to the Limpopo.
NAMAMBERE island- Mambere is a place further up in Africa and a surname. In Shona Mbere means further, beyond
NAMANDE – A surname further up in Africa
NANDAVWI island – Nandavu, Nandavhi, In Tonga the word nanda is associated with birds. Nandawi is an Asian name with primary links to the Phillipines. Nandavu is an African surname
NANGIRI- Nangile, Nangiri is a place name in East africa
NJAMESI – could be a corrupted spelling of someone called James
NTUMBA – In Tonga tumba means to gather or get togther. In Shona Tumba means to uncover. In Chewa it means to discover, notice
NYAKISAKA – musakasaka in Shona means a shower of rain
NYAMUNGA- in Chewa munga means thorn
NYAMURONGO island – In Shona Murongo is a woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife
NYANYANA – In Chewa nyana means despite. In Tonga nyana means shrivel. In Shona Nyana is a young bird which has not abandoned the nest.
NYAODZA – In Shona nyadza means disgrace
OLIVE BEADLE - Sir Thomas Hugh William Beadle CMG OBE PC (6 February 1905 – 14 December 1980) was a Rhodesian lawyer, politician and judge who served as his country's Сhief Justice from 1961 to 1977. He loved going into the African bush. His second wife was Olive Jackson and the place was named after her
OMAY – In Shona oma means not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; -- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
PARTRIDGE island – In 1965 Matusadona GR (Game Reserve) – they were Investigating the possibilities of exotic bird shooting - Bobwhite quail and Chukar partridge introduced to a Kariba Island.
PETROL island – It may have been used to store fuel in earlier days
PHOTO CORNER – obviously named for the pictures one can get there
PIMPLE island – A small size, hence the name
REDCLIFF island – It doesn’t seem so red. Is it to do with the sunsets?
RHINO island – There were rhinos there once
RIFA – In Shona the word means inheritance
RHOKARI airstrip – In Shona kari is used for car and could be used for an engine of a plane in this case. Rho may have represented Rhodesia, possibly as it may be an old airstrip
SAMPAKARUMA islands- There is a similar word in Tonga and if we have changed the letters probably the same and that is Sampukuluka which means a person who is restored and reformed.
In Shona Karuma means biting. In Tonga Sampa means mating cattle.
SAMUNOMBA island – In Tonga Munomba is a type of tree called Ximenia Caffra
SANYATI - Sanyati meaning "many buffalo in the area
SEBUNGWE narrows – In Tonga Bungwe means a big animal
SEICHE TOWER island - A seiche is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbours and seas. There may have been a tower here to measure wave action?
SENGWA. – A river. Earlier maps show it as Sengwe and it had another name of Longwe. In Tonga isengwe means “a hole in a riverbed where fish live”. In Chewa Senga means to cut or mow, to beg or ask, or to milk a cow or goat.
SENGWE – senkwi, In Tonga it appears to mean a hole in a river bed where fish live
SIABULA – In Tonga Bula seems to mean to teach. In Chewa Bvula means to take ones clothes off
SIACHIZINGA – In Chewa a chizinga is a relic. In Shona it is the cell of a honeycomb
SIAMATALELE -
SIAMOKOTA –siamkota, In Shona Mokota means disintegrating when soaked eg mud clod, flowing tears or sand, disintegrating, or crumbling to pieces
SIAMBULO – In Tonga Bulo means bed. Siambulo is an African surname
SIABUWA – In Tonga cibuwe, buwa, means ‘dryness, a place cleared of rubbish, the floor of a house’, or a lazy person who always sits around.
SIAMEYE -
SIANKUMI –In Shona ukumi means decades
SIANSALI Bay – The name of a chief in the Binga district. In Tonga Sali may mean a type of grass
SIANSULWE – In Tonga a Sulwe is a hare
SIBENKWAZI DC – kwazi is a Tonga word. In Zulu sebekwazi means ‘Know’. In Zulu Nkwazi means an eagle
SIBILOBILO – In Zulu sizilobile means to register
SIJARIRA –Sijalila means "great barrier" in the local Tonga. In shona jira is a blanket or piece of cloth.
SIMAMBO – In Shona mambo means chief or king
SIM’S camp – A fishing camp no doubt named after someone called Sim
SINAMASANGA - In Shona Masanga means a greeting between strangers, or a meeting, or a junction of roads or rivers.
SINAMWENDA – In Chewa wenda means to crawl, stalk, tiptoe
SIZEMBA – In Chewa zemba means to avoid, divert, elude, parry, escape
SIZURURUNGUKWE – In Shona sununguka means to relax
SIYAKABENGI – In Chewa yaka means to glow, burn, shine
SNAKE island – snakes are around
SPURWING Island – This would be named after the Spurwing goose. Was known before as Tyler’s fishing camp
STARVATION Island – it was said that some animals were starving on the island
SUNDE – In Shona it means a ripple or wave
TERMITE island – termites are common in the area
TIGER FISH GAP – there are lots of Tiger fish in the lake and this is a gap between two islands
TOBWE – In Swahili it means a fool or a hole
TONGA – the name of the local people. In Tonga Tonga-tonga means to murmur unceasingly. In Chewa the word Tonga means advice or counsel
TOWER island – was there a tower here
TSETSE island – an irritating biting fly in the area
UME – In Tonga it means “I myself, me”. In Shona Umi means haze, obscure atmosphere mainly due to heat, smoke or dust. And Shona Umwe means “singleness, oneness”. In Ndebele it means wait
WEATHER island – possibly someone had a run in with the weather or it was used to monitor the weather
ZEBRA island – zebras have been seen there
ZINYAMA island – In a number of languages Nyama means meat. Zinyama is a surname in Zimbabwe
ZAMBEZI – Zambezi River means the “Great River” in the local Tonga dialect
40 MILE ISLAND – said to be 40 miles from Kariba
