Note 69 — Chapter IV · THE PORTUGUESE IN AFRICA
Reading edition
A corruption of Mwene-mutapa. According to some authorities this title meant “Lord Hippopotamus,” the hippopotamus on the Zambezi above Tete being looked upon as a Totem or sacred animal indicative of the royal clan; but in my personal opinion Mwene-mutapa is really “Lord of the Mine, or gold mining,” mutapo or mtapo being a shallow pit dug in clay or sand for mining, or washing gold.