By DAVID KANDUZA –
ZAMBIA has in the past registered high numbers of chieftaincy succession wrangles, with some chiefs’ installation ceremonies stalling for years.
According to our survey, some royal family members have been left divided wrangling over the succession of the chieftaincy as a result of matrilineal marriage which was prioritised according to traditionalists.
This is because by their observation, the children born from such marriages are culturally believed to have stronger family recognition and bondages.
This matter has attracted the attention of the Government who noted that the failure to resolve matters of this nature had affected development in rural areas where these chiefdoms are.
In different cultures and situations, a clan does not usually mean the same thing as other kin-based groups, such as tribes.
Often, the distinguishing factor is that a clan is a smaller part of a larger society such as a chiefdom.
In some societies, clans may have an official leader such as a chief, or patriarch in others.
Leadership positions may have to be earned, or people may say that ‘elders’ make decisions.
Examples include the Irish, Scottish, Chinese, Korean and Japanease clans, which exist as kin groups within their respective nations.
The biblical ‘tribe’ of Israel was composed of many clans. Arab clans were sub-tribal groups within the Arab society.
Ojibwa bands are smaller parts of the Ojibwa tribe or people in north America, as one example of the many Native American peoples distinguished by language and culture, most having clans and bands as the basic kinship organisations.
In some cases, more than one tribe recognised each other’s clans. For instance, the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes had fox and bear clans whose membership could supersede the tribe.
Apart from these different historical traditions of kinship, conceptual confusion arises from colloquial usages of the term.
In post-Soviet countries, for example, it is common to speak of clans in reference to informal networks within the economic and political spheres.
This usage reflects the assumption that their members act towards each other in a particularly close and mutually supportive way approximating the solidarity among kinsmen.
Polish clans differ from others as they are a collection of families who bear the same coat of arms, as opposed to claiming a common descent.
For example, the longest family tree in the world is that of the Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius (551–479 BC), the descendant of King Tang (1675–1646 BC).
The tree spans more than 80 generations from him, and includes more than two million members.
An international effort involving more than 450 branches around the world was started in 1998 to retrace and revise this family tree.
A new edition of the Confucius genealogy was printed in September 2009 by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee, to coincide with the 2,560th anniversary of the birth of the Chinese thinker.
This latest edition was expected to include some 1.3 million living members who are scattered around the world today.
Another very old and extensive tree is that of the Lurie lineage — which includes Sigmund and Martin Buber — and traces back to Jehiel Lurie, a 13th century rabbi in Brest-Litovsk, and from there to Rashi and purportedly back to the legendary King David, as documented by Neil Rosenstein in his book The Lurie Legacy.
The 1999 edition of the Guinness Book of Records recorded the Lurie family in the longest lineage category as the oldest-known living family in the world today.
In Europe, the pedigree of Niall Noigiallach would be contender for the longest, through Conn of the Hundred Battles (fl.123 AD).
Back in Zambia, this has been attributed to a spate of chieftaincy wrangles and absence of clearly documented succession guidelines in the chiefdoms.
The House of Chiefs has appealed to the Government to help it establish clear chieftaincy succession guidelines in all chiefdoms to prevent succession wrangles.
Chairperson Chief Ntambo attributed the chieftaincy wrangles to the absence of clearly documented succession guidelines in the chiefdoms.
Chief Ntambo’s comment comes in the wake of the brutal murder of Senior Chief Muchinda, who was installed to the throne last year after a lengthy legal battle.
Senior Chief Muchinda, 53, whose name is Evans Mukosha, was killed by unknown people around 03:00 hours.
President Edgar Lungu added his voice by challenging ruling clans to prepare unquestionable family trees as one way of averting succession wrangles that continue to bedevil chiefdoms when a sitting traditional leader dies.
President Lungu said chiefdoms were the foundation of Zambia’s tranquility, hence the need to ensure their stability.
Another example is that of Ndubeni chiefdom where family members to the late Senior Chief Ndubeni who died on November 2, 2015 after being at the helm for 39 years, have been left divided, wrangling over the succession of the chief.
Some villagers have claimed that the appointment of a new chief would cause controversy, fights or even spill into the courts following disputes that have arisen over the next successor.
But Friday Kabani, a senior citizen, said their  case was different from other wrangles that had taken place in some chiefdoms, saying they would strictly adhere to Lamba traditional customs, practices and norms when choosing a new chief soon.
Mr Kabani said fights for the chieftaincy were largely due to jealousy within the family.
“Our tradition is very clear on this. There can never be any fights as to who will assume the reigns once the chief dies,” he said and added: “Where there are squabbles and fights that can only be a result of jealousy and nothing else.”
But Sunday Times investigations have revealed that some Lamba chiefs were hinted by the late chief who had appointed a successor but the family sought a reversal of the appointment, saying it was done in bad faith.
The looming high-profile family feud involves the fight for the Ndubeni chieftainship that had seen nephews and children to the late chief fighting for the traditional role.
A source revealed that nephews and children of the late chief argued that the Ndubeni chieftainship was hereditary, and any appointment was a violation of that practice and norm.
Other residents spoken to who sought anonymity said the process of appointing a chief was not elective and negotiable and, therefore, should not spark any wrangles, as according to traditional customs and norms, the process was hereditary.
Apart from these different historical traditions of kinship, conceptual confusion arises from the colloquial usages of the term.
In conclusion, one of the ways to minimise succession disputes is for chiefdoms to prepare indisputable family trees which must be submitted to the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.
This it would help determine the rightful heir to the throne in case of disputes.