The Tonga (Batonga) people of Zambia and Zimbabwe are a matrilineal  society of the Bantu ethnic group of southern Zambia and neighboring northern Zimbabwe, and to a lesser extent, in Mozambique. They are related to the Batoka who are part of the Tokaleya people in the same area, but not to the Tonga people of Malawi. In southern Zambia they are patrons of the Kafue Twa. They differ culturally and linguistically from the Tsonga people of South Africa and southern Mozambique.  Unlike other Zambian tribes which claim to have descended from the Luba-Lunda Kingdom in present day Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, the exact origin of the Tonga tribe is still unknown.  The name, ‘Tonga’ means independent.  They are known to be the first Bantu people to occupy Zimbezi Valley at around 1100 AD before spreading to the various countries they occupy today.

Today, the Tonga people are identified strongly with the Zambezi River, calling themselves Bazilwizi, “the River People”. They had rain shrines all along the river where they carried out ceremonies, mulende or mpunde, to ensure sufficient rain and good harvests.

The Tonga produced music using various drums for different occasions. At funerals, the Valley Tonga used the Budima goblet-shaped drum. The Tonga also have an instrument similar to the mbira (a thumb piano from Zimbabwe) called the Kankobela.