Mwaant Yaav

Mwaant Yaav (also written Mwata Yamvo) is the title of the paramount ruler of the Lunda Empire in central Africa, taken by each king from the late seventeenth century onwards. The Mwaant Yaav and the nobility controlled the trade in salt, copper and ivory and received tribute from subordinate chiefs, who raised military forces under his authority. The title survives today as that of the Lunda paramount chief.