Cuchi

Cuchi lies in the Cubango country of southern Angola, in a wooded interior crossed by rivers. The Cuchi River gives the place its name. The land here is undulating woodland with seasonal streams, where people farmed clearings, kept cattle and hunted in the forest. Villages were small and dispersed, linked by paths to the riverside settlements.

The surrounding region was home to communities associated with the Ganguela peoples, including speakers of Mbunda and Luchazi. They combined grain farming with cattle keeping, and traded hides, wax and iron with their neighbours. Chiefs held authority through lineage and ritual, while long-distance caravans moving between the highlands and the coast passed through the wider region.