"This is the first full-length history of the kingdom of Kazembe, one of the principal and most enduring components of the Lunda 'commonwealth'. Unlike many kindred monographs, the book examines both the pre-colonial and the colonial trajectories of the eastern Lunda kingdom. This innovative approach reflects awareness of the pliability of historical consciousness and the extent to which oral sources were moulded by the colonial context."--Book jacket.