Guruuswa

Guruuswa or Guruhuswa^[a] is a term used for a historical region in modern-day Zimbabwe. Meaning "long grass" in Shona, David Beach says that it was an environmental term due to its location differing among informants.^[2] The Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe says that Guruuswa was a region corresponding to southwestern Zimbabwe that was home to the Kingdom of Butua and, later, the Rozvi Empire.^{[1]: 115} Other sources say it was the southern province or portion of the Mutapa Empire.^{[3]: 46}

Shona oral traditions hold that they originated from Guruuswa.^{[4]: 201}

Notes

1. Also Gunuvutwa or Gunuuswa.^{[1]: 115}

References

1. Rasmussen, R. Kent (1990). "Guruhuswa". Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-2337-2.
2. Beach, D. N. (1976). "The Mutapa Dynasty: A Comparison of Documentary and Traditional Evidence". History in Africa. 3: 1–17. doi:10.2307/3171558. ISSN 0361-5413.
3. Lipschutz, Mark R.; Rasmussen, R. Kent (1986). Dictionary of African Historical Biography. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06611-3.
4. Kwenda, Chirevo V. (2003-06-01). "Chapter 13. Religious Myth and the Construction of Shona Identity". In Prentiss, Craig R. (ed.). Religion and the Creation of Race and Ethnicity: An Introduction. New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-6837-2.