The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni and Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The displacement
of the Ngoni people in the great scattering following the Shaka Zuluwars of the 1800s had repercussions in social reorganization as far north as Malawi and Zambia.While the Ngoni have generally retained a distinct identity in the post-colonial states in which they live, integration and acculturation has led to them adopting local languages; nowadays theZulu language is used only for a few ritual praise poems and songs Makishi masks represent ancestral spirits that bring positive supernatural  influences to communities during Mukanda (the initiation of boys).