# Great Zimbabwe 1374 The Mbira Council Reforms the Mwari Oracle

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/great-zimbabwe-the-lost-african-kingdom-of-stone-fexingo-history-7829648/great-zimbabwe-1374-the-mbira-council-reforms-the-mwari-oracle
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/great-zimbabwe-the-lost-african-kingdom-of-stone-fexingo-history-7829648/great-zimbabwe-1374-the-mbira-council-reforms-the-mwari-oracle.md
Podcast: [Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/great-zimbabwe-the-lost-african-kingdom-of-stone-fexingo-history-7829648)
Published: 2026-07-11T00:45:43+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/great-zimbabwe/episode-0152.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/great-zimbabwe/episode-0152.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/great-zimbabwe-the-lost-african-kingdom-of-stone-fexingo-history-7829648/episodes/great-zimbabwe-1374-the-mbira-council-reforms-the-mwari-oracle
Duration seconds: 510

## Resource

By 1374, Mambo Chikanda is at a crossroads. The gold trade that made Great Zimbabwe wealthy has collapsed, and the Mwari Oracle, once a distant spirit of the Matopo Hills, has become the state religion — but its priests are splintered and its authority contested. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Mbira Council of Song, born from the earlier musical resistance movement, steps in to reorganize the oracle's hierarchy. We meet the svikiro Nehanda Nyamuzuwe, who pushes for a written code of rituals, and the mhondoro Chaminuka, who defends oral tradition. The resulting compromise — the Mwari Code of 1374 — sets down rules for possession, prophecy, and tribute in a document that will shape Shona religion for centuries. Specifics include the purification rites at Njelele, the role of the dhlandhlo medium, and the banning of certain mbira hymns that had been used to incite rebellion. It's a story of how a kingdom remakes its gods in a time of crisis. #GreatZimbabwe #MwariOracle #MbiraCouncil #1374 #MamboChikanda #NehandaNyamuzuwe #Chaminuka #Njelele #Dhlandhlo #Svikiro #Mhondoro #ShonaReligion #OralTradition #WrittenCode #SouthernAfrica #AfricanHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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