Ndembu Archives: documents from Angola in Memory of the World

The Ndembu Archives, registered in Memory of the World in 2011 following a nomination by Angola and Portugal, preserve documents created and kept by African authorities in the Ndembu region of northern Angola. Their connection with Portugal includes the language used, the historical relationships recorded and custody of one component at the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU) in Lisbon. The inscription concerns documentary heritage, rather than a single Portuguese location.

Who created the documents?

Mbundu authorities organised archives to preserve correspondence, acts of authority and relationships between lineages. The texts show Portuguese writing used for African purposes, incorporating Kimbundu words and expressions. Incoming and outgoing letters, copies and drafts require different readings: identify the writer, recipient and institution that preserved each document.

The collection extends beyond relations with the colonial administration in Luanda. The nomination describes exchanges between African authorities and with the king of Kongo, alongside matters of jurisdiction, trade and succession. Comparing sender and recipient helps distinguish different positions, without assuming that all the records express one voice.

Two components with different counts

The nomination describes about 1,160 items in the component then held by IICT/AHU, dating from the late seventeenth to the early twentieth century. This is not a reconciled total for all inscribed documents in both countries. António de Almeida collected these materials in Angola in 1934; according to the nomination, they were transferred to AHU in three groups between 2007 and 2009.

For the National Archive of Angola in Luanda, the nomination separately identifies codex 240, containing copies of outgoing letters from colonial authorities to African chiefs, dated 1798–1854. Distinguishing its provenance from that of the Ndembu archives allows comparison of the two sides of correspondence, without assuming that a matching letter survives for every exchange.

Beginning your research

Consult AHU’s fonds and collections and search for Dembos in Digitarq. Descriptions use the prefix PT/AHU/DEMBOS. Note the complete reference, date, description level and responsible archive before requesting consultation or reproduction. Search results can include collections and subordinate units; their total is not a count of originals recognised by UNESCO.

Confirm access conditions with the holding institution. The Luanda codex belongs to the Angolan component, so Lisbon’s reading room does not automatically provide access to every original in the inscription. For comparison, explore the Corpo Cronológico, keeping the collections’ identities and provenances distinct.