The Ovimbundu peoples migrate from the north…

The Ovimbundu peoples migrate from the north and east of Angola to the Bié Plateau between 1500 and 1700.

They do not, however, consolidate their kingdoms, nor do their kings assert their sovereignty over the plateau until the eighteenth century, when some twenty-two kingdoms emerge.

Thirteen of the kingdoms, including Bie, Bailundu, and Ciyaka, emerge as powerful entities, and the Ovimbundu acquire  a reputation as the most successful traders of the Angolan interior.