It can also refer to a civil system in which one inherits property throughway the female’s family line.
More interesting is the fact that most of Africa’s matrilineal tribes are still in existence.
Also referred to as Aawambo, the Ovambo people are a tribal ethnic group predominantly found in southern Africa. They are the largest tribe in Namibia, accounting for 50 percent of the country’s population. The group mostly occupies Namibia’s northern region.
The Ovambo people are also found in southern Angola, where the name Ambo is very common. They are said to have moved south from the upper regions of Zambezi around the 14th century.
Most of them practice Christianity and speak the Ovambo language. The tribes figure their descent by a matrilineal kinship system, with hereditary chiefs arising from the daughter’s children, not the son’s. Polygyny is accepted, with the first wife recognized as the senior.
Ovambo brew a traditional liquor called ombike. It is distilled from fermented fruit mash and particularly popular in rural areas. The fruit to produce ombike are collected from Makalani Palms, Jackal Berries, Buffalo Thorns, Bird Plumes and Cluster Figs. Ombike, with additives like sugar, is also brewed and consumed in urban areas.
This liquor is then called omangelengele; it is more potent and sometimes poisonous. New Era, one of the English-language daily newspapers, reported that clothes, shoes, and tyres have been found to have been brewed as ingredients of omangelengele.
