#Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba

[royal-diaries-podcast]

[myhikari21things]

Read of Nzingha Warrior Queen of Matamba by Patricia C. McKissack (2000) (121pgs)

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba | Author: Patricia C. McKissack | Publisher: Scholastic (2000)

[emjee]

FIFTEEN? royal diaries? never knew there was so much. My best friend sure must get on with it to tell me all about all the one i don't know about lmao

There are twenty of them! Here's the full list:

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 by Kathryn Lasky (1999)

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. by Kristiana Gregory (1999)

Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466 by Carolyn Meyer (2000)

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France 1769 by Kathryn Lasky (2000)

Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 by Carolyn Meyer (2000)

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 by Patricia McKissack (2000)

Kaiulani: The People's Princess, Hawaii, 1889 by Ellen Emerson White (2001)

Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, 531 A.D. by Laurence Yep (2001)

Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 by Anna Kirwan (2001)

Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 by Kathryn Lasky (2002)

Sŏndŏk: Princess of the Moon and Stars, Korea, 595 A.D. by Sheri Holman (2002)

Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 by Kathryn Lasky (2002)

Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine, France, 1136 by Kristiana Gregory (2002)

Elisabeth: The Princess Bride, Austria-Hungary, 1853 by Barry Denenberg (2003)

Kristina: The Girl King, Sweden, 1638 by Carolyn Meyer (2003)

Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts-Rhode Island, 1653 by Patricia Clark Smith (2003)

Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal, Mesoamerica, A.D. 749 by Anna Kirwan (2004)

Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan, 1858 by Kathryn Lasky (2004)

Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 by Edwidge Danticat (2005)

Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743 by Kristiana Gregory (2005)

I read every single one of them.

[freddiekugel]

remember the Royal Diaries series, fellow millennials?

i always assumed they were written by random kid lit authors I'd never heard of (it seems like that kinda series, right? the branding is about the royals not the writers). and most of them are, one or two have won awards for some of their work.

one was written by Patricia McKissack, who won a bunch of Coretta Scott King awards and whose name I recognized immediately. she was a local author where I grew up though so maybe she's less of a big deal elsewhere (idk). [her book: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595]

and today I learned: one of these fun, learn about a royal from their fictional diary books was written by Edwidge Danticat. well-known lit fic author Edwidge Danticat. I read some of her short stories in my high school lit class! her first three novels, and the short story collection I read in HS all came out before she wrote this royal diaries book! [which is Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 and starts with a note about how the diary format is fictionalized bc Taínos didn't have a writing system]

she's a MacArthur Genius.

i - i am shocked and delighted by this information.

[morethanaloveinterest]

Favorite Female Book Characters #67 Nzingha

Book: The Royal Diaries series

Role: Nzingha is the 13-year-old daughter of the leader of her people. She records their dealings with the Portuguese colonialists as well as how ill-prepared she believes her brother is for rule, thinking that she is much better suited. 

Best Qualities: Nzingha is proud of her people and her own abilities, standing up for what she believes is right. She demonstrates her hunting prowess and her aptitude for rule, and a respected seer insists she be trained as well. She becomes an ambassador of sorts for her people and the Portuguese and holds her own despite her youth.

[pancreasnostalgia]

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, by Patricia McKissack. It feels unnecessary for them to have put the name of the continent in addition to the country on the cover.

I enjoy this diary and Nzingha reminds me a bit of Okoye from Black Panther. My biggest critique is that I wish it were longer! The story part is less than 90 pages, making it the shortest in the series by about 10 pages (next shortest is Elisabeth). The epilogue is quite detailed, though.

A few years back I was watching season 2 of Mercy Street. When one of the characters mentioned Nzingha I got excited, since I recognized her from this diary.

Goodreads star rating: 4/5

[ya-world-challenge]

Books about Angola 🇦🇴

Master book list for the YA World Challenge for 🇦🇴  Angola

Coming-of-Age Good Morning, Comrades, Ondjaki 💚 Nzinga African Warrior Queen, Moses L. Howard ⌛

Middle Grade Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Patrick C McKissack ⌛

Memoir That Hair, Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida 💚🛩️

Adult Authors to Consider Ondjaki José Eduardo Agualusa

💚 Native Author 🛩️ Immigrant or diaspora 🏖️ non-native characters in or about the country (ex. vacation/adventure) ⌛ Historical 🦋 Fantasy 🌈 LGBT

[mariacallous]

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 by Kathryn Lasky (1999) Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. by Kristiana Gregory (1999)[1] Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466 by Carolyn Meyer (2000) Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France 1769 by Kathryn Lasky (2000) Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 by Carolyn Meyer (2000) Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 by Patricia McKissack (2000)[2] Kaiulani: The People's Princess, Hawaii, 1889 by Ellen Emerson White (2001) Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, 531 A.D. by Laurence Yep (2001) Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 by Anna Kirwan (2001) Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 by Kathryn Lasky (2002)[3] Sŏndŏk: Princess of the Moon and Stars, Korea, 595 A.D. by Sheri Holman (2002) Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 by Kathryn Lasky (2002) Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine, France, 1136 by Kristiana Gregory (2002) Elisabeth: The Princess Bride, Austria-Hungary, 1853 by Barry Denenberg (2003) Kristina: The Girl King, Sweden, 1638 by Carolyn Meyer (2003) Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts-Rhode Island, 1653 by Patricia Clark Smith (2003) Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal, Mesoamerica, A.D. 749 by Anna Kirwan (2004) Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan, 1858 by Kathryn Lasky (2004) Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 by Edwidge Danticat (2005) Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743 by Kristiana Gregory (2005)

The bolded ones are all the ones I remember reading/owning (whether from the library or on one of my regular walks/bike rides to Barnes and Noble)

[sartorialadventure]

Costumes from  the Angolan film “Nzinga, Queen of Angola” (2013)

Queen Nzingha (1583-1663) was a 17th-century queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in what is known as Angola today. Born into the ruling family of Ndongo, Nzinga demonstrated an aptitude for defusing political crises in her capacity as ambassador to the Portuguese, and later assumed power over the kingdoms after the death of her brother. She ruled during a period of rapid growth in the African slave trade. Her reign lasted 37 years.

Nzinga fought for the freedom and stature of her kingdoms against the Portuguese, who were concentrating their efforts towards South West Africa, in attempts to control the slave trade. Today, she is remembered in Angola for her intelligence, her political and diplomatic wisdom, as well as her brilliant military tactics. A major street in Luanda is named after her, and in 2002 a statue of her in Largo do Kinaxixi, Luanda, Angola was dedicated by then-President Santos to celebrate the 27th anniversary of independence.

^ Hand colored lithograph of the woman known as 'Queen Ginga' in Portugal. Her name was Nzinga Mbande, although her name when converting to Christianity was 'Ana de Sousa'. Drawing from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.

According to legend, she was named Njinga because her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck (the Kimbundu verb kujinga means to twist or turn). It is said to be an indication that the person who had this characteristic would grow to become a powerful and proud person. According to her recollections later in life, she was greatly favoured by her father, who allowed her to witness as he governed his kingdom, and who carried her with him to war. She attended strategic war meetings and other governance affairs with her father. She was trained as a warrior to fight alongside her father and was taught to read and write in Portuguese by visiting Portuguese missionaries.

Njinga’s story is fascinating. One fact that caught my eye is that Nzinga was never able to give a credible reason for a woman to rule and she was clearly aware that being female reduced her legitimacy in the eyes of even her supporters. As a result, Nzinga adopted a more radical method of overcoming the "illegitimacy of her sex." At some point in the 1640s, Nzinga decided to 'become a man', which is actually a practice many female rulers in central and western Africa used to maintain their power. Njinga reinforced this maleness by engaging in masculine pursuits. She led her troops personally in battle, and she was quite deft in the use of arms herself. It allowed her to also have multiple husbands. Nzinga required these husbands, who were known as chibados, to dress in women's clothes and to sleep among her maids in waiting; should they touch these maids sexually though, they would be instantly killed.

Today, she is remembered in Angola as the Mother of Angola, the fighter of negotiations, and the protector of her people. She is still honored throughout Africa as a remarkable leader and woman, for her political and diplomatic acumen, as well as her brilliant military tactics.

Despite her struggles to rule despite her sex, Njina’s female successors faced little problem in being accepted as rulers. The clever use of her gender and her political understandings helped lay a foundation for future leaders of Ndongo today. In the period of 104 years that followed Njinga's death in 1663, queens ruled for at least eighty of them. Women in Angola today display remarkable social independence and are found in the country’s army, police force, government, and public and private economic sectors.

[tigriswolf]

books read July 1 - December 31

ital for fun; bold ital for school/research

1.      The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss

2.       I Never Told Anybody: Teaching Poetry Writing in a Nursing Home by Kenneth Koch

3.      Incarceration Nation: Investigative Prison Poems of Hope and Terror by Stephen John Hartnett

4.       Split by Cathy Linh Che

5.      Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide by Sharan Merriam, Rosemary Caffarella, & Lisa Baumgartner  

6.       Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage by Paulo Freire

7.      The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy

8.      Blood Will Tell: A Medical Explanation of the Tyranny of Henry VIII by Kyra Cornelius Kramer

9.      Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII by Sarah-Beth Watkins

10.  Catherine: The Great Journey by Kristiana Gregory

11.  Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky

12.  Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory

13.  The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of Literary Work by Louise M. Rosenblatt

14.  Wild Wisdom: Animal Stories of the Southwest by Rae Ann Kumelos & Jan Taylor

15.  Jahanara: Princess of Princesses by Kathryn Lasky

16.  The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative by Thomas King

17.  Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen without a Country by Kathryn Lasky

18.  Tantivy by Donald Revell 

19.  Literature as Exploration by Louise M. Rosenblatt

20.  Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven by Kathryn Lasky

21.  Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba by Patricia McKissack

22.  Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII by Gareth Russell 

23.  Composing a Culture: Inside a Summer Writing Program with High School Teachers by Bonnie Sunstein 

24.   Red Butterfly by A. L. Sonnichsen

25.  Participant Observation by James P. Spradley 

26.  Kaiulani: The People’s Princess by Ellen Emerson White

27.  Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia by Anna Kirwan

28.  Ask Me: 100 Essential poems by William Stafford (ed. by Kim Stafford)

29.  The Daily Spark: Spelling and Grammar

30.  The Half Child by Kathleen Hersom

31.  The Waters and the Wild by Francesca Lia Block

32.  Elisabeth: The Princess Bride by Barry Denenberg

33.  Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets by Patricia Clark Smith

34.  Anacaona: Golden Flower by Edwidge Danticat

35.  Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer

36.  Kristina: The Girl King by Carolyn Meyer

37.  Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal by Anna Kirwan

38.  Sad Birds Still Sing by faraway

39.  Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Warrior of the South by Laurence Yep

40.  Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory

41.  Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess by Carolyn Meyer

42.  Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky

43.  Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus, translated by George Thomson

44.  The Epic of Gilgamesh translated by N.K. Sandars

45.  Collected Poems by Louise Bogan

46.  Guests by Teresa Cader

47.  Qualitative Research: Analyzing Life by Johnny Saldana & Matt Omasta

48.  Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner

49. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

50. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

51. 10,000 Years of Art published by Phaidon 

52. Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

53. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

54. California Demon by Julie Kenner

55.  Demons Are Forever by Julie Kenner

56.  Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

57. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

58. Crooked House by Agatha Christie

59. Talking to Dragons (revised) by Patricia C. Wrede

60. Talking to Dragons (original) by Patricia C. Wrede

61.  Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede

62. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

63. Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 

64. Case Study Research: Design and Methods by Robert K. Yin

65. A Fair Wind for Troy by Doris Gates

66. Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research by D. Jean Clandinin & F. Michael Connelly 

67.  The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success by Lawrence A. Machi & Brenda T. McEvoy

[royal-diaries-podcast]

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 by Patricia McKissack (2000)

[myhikari21things]

Finally got the last bunch I was missing

[avariceforbooks]

A to Z Book Recs

A (long) while ago, @macrolit posted their list of book recs from A to Z, and I thought it sounded like a good idea! Even if I didn’t manage books for all the letters lol Feel free to tag me if you do it too :)

A: Avengers: The Children's Crusade - Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung 

B: Big Little Felt Fun: 60+ Projects That Jump, Swim, Roll, Sprout Roar - Jeanette Lim

C: Cryptid Hunters - Roland Smith

D: Dinotopia - James Gurney

E: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler

F: Fire Logic - Laurie J. Marks

G: A Girl Named Disaster - Nancy Farmer

H: Habibi - Naomi Shihab Nye

I: Ironside - Holly Black

J: Just Listen - Sarah Dessen

K: Keeping the Moon - Sarah Dessen

L: Lady Knight - Tamora Pierce

M: The Merchant of Death - Lisa Henry 

N: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 - Patricia C. McKissack

P: The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi,

R: The Ragwitch - Garth Nix

S: The Scar - China Mieville 

T: Texas Gothic - Rosemary Clement-Moore

U: The Urban/Suburban Composter: The Complete Guide to Backyard, Balcony, and Apartment Composting - Mark Cullen

V: Veganize This! - Jenn Sharin

W: Wolf Tower - Tanith Lee

Y: Year of the Griffin - Diana Wynne Jones

[lucifers-favorite-child]

Black History Month: Nzingha, Queen of Angola

Born towards the 16th century, Nzingha was strongly favored by her father, who allowed her to witness as he governed his kingdom and carried her with him to war. She participated in the intense training for warriors, was educated in the fields of hunting, archery, diplomacy and trade. She was a true politician and showed true military and intellectual genius. Nzingha fought against the slave trade and European influence. As the Portuguese were setting a slave port in Luanda (present-day capital of Angola), and capturing the people for slavery, the Ngola Kiluanji tried to work diplomatically with the Portuguese to keep the Mbundu people safe, but many were captured and taken into slavery. When they’re father died in 1617, Nzingha’s brother, Mbandi, took over the throne.  In 1622, Nzingha went to Luanda working for Mbandi as an emissary to negotiate peace treaties with the Portuguese.  When she met with the Portuguese governor of Luanda, she was refused a seat.  As a mark of power, she sat on the back of one of her male servants and made him a human bench, to show the governor that she would not negotiate with him from an inferior footing. She succeeded in negotiating a peace treatment. After her return home, Mbandi committed suicide. The Portuguese used this moment of weakness to attack Kabasa, the capital of of the Mbundu kingdom, and burnt it to the ground. Nzingha fled with her people, and moved them to the mountains where she formed an army to fight against the Portuguese. She was named Ngola of the Mbundu people in 1624, with two of her war leaders and closest advisers being her sisters Kifunji and Mukambu. In 1626, after the Portuguese betrayed yet another treaty, she was led to move her people further west and establish a kingdom in Matamba. There, she organized several alliances with neighboring people such as the Imbangala people, and developed a new form of military organization known as kilombo, in which youths moved away from their families, and were raised communally in militias. Nzingha also made alliances with the Dutch to fight the Portuguese, but to realize later that they were treacherous, and only there to enslave the Mbundu people. From 1630 to her death in 1663, Nzingha, Queen General of Matamba, launched a formidable opposition to the Portuguese regime from the rocky slopes of Matamba.  The Portuguese came to respect her for her strength, dignity, pride, shrewdness, and her intransigence. Nzingha ruled for almost 40 years in both Ndongo and Matamba and died in 1663 at the age of 82. She was succeeded on the throne by her sister Mukambu (also known as Barbara).  Mukambu gave Nzingha a burial befitting of the greatest Ngolas: Nzingha was laid to rest in her leopard skins and with her bow over her shoulder and arrows in her hand. This was the first time in history that the Mbundu people had been led by a woman, and everyone remembered Nzingha as an outstanding warrior, ruler and field commander. For the Mbundu people, she is remembered for her love of her people, her strength, charisma, and her fight for their sovereignty and freedom. 

You can also read Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola by Patricia McKissack, as well as Black Women of Antiquity by Ivan van Sertima

Sources:

https://afrolegends.com/2013/03/18/queen-nzingha-great-queen-of-angola/

http://diasporicroots.tumblr.com/post/3080097703/nzingha-amazon-queen-of-matamba-angola-west 

[mcbooksters-blog]

Patricia L'Ann Carwell "Pat" McKissack (August 9, 1944 – April 7, 2017) was an American children's writer. She was the author of three Dear America books: A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North, and Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl. She has also written a novel for The Royal Diaries series: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba. * Patricia lived in St. Louis. Her husband, Fredrick McKissack, with whom she co-won the Regina Medal in 1998, died in April 2013 at the age of 73; before marrying her and joining her in writing full-time, he had an accomplished career as a U.S. Marine, a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and had owned a contracting business in the St. Louis area. * Patricia McKissack was also a board member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national not-for-profit that actively advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries. * She was known also as L'Ann Carwell, Pat McKissack and Patricia C. McKissack. * #McBooksters #LiteracyAdvocate #RIPPatriciaMcKissack #LoveForPatriciaMcKissack #ChildrensLiterature #RepresentationMatters #DiverseChildrensBooks #KidsLit #KidsBookstagram #BooksForEveryone #Multiethnic #PublishInColor #ReadYourWorld #DiversityInPublishing #BooksForChildrenOfColor