Mussumba

Mussumba was the royal capital of the Lunda, a centre of power and exchange in the country of the upper Kasai. Its ruler bore the title Mwant Yav, and the court drew together officials, visitors and traders. Mussumba was not fixed forever in one place: the royal settlement could move as rulers changed, while retaining its role as the seat of the Lunda state.

From the seventeenth century, Lunda political influence spread over a wide area of south-central Africa. Leaders linked to the court established authority beyond the original Lunda heartland, while the Mwant Yav's prestige reached communities across a network of tributaries and alliances. The royal centre stood at the heart of these relationships, even as its location shifted within the region.