Libolo

Libolo was a kingdom south of the Kwanza River whose rulers bore the title hango. They appointed district governors, gave them the insignia of office, and maintained initiation rites associated with the training of warriors. Libolo's political traditions may have roots in the older and little-known kingdom of Kulembe in the Angolan highlands farther to the south.

For a time Libolo expanded north of the Kwanza, but by the middle of the sixteenth century the rulers of Ndongo had confined it to the southern bank. In the seventeenth century merchants visited fairs in Libolo, reaching the interior by routes connected with the Longa River. Portuguese expeditions penetrated the region in 1677–1678 and again in 1687, but did not establish lasting control over it.