Their estimated population is 13.6 million:[7][8] During the 11th century, the Karanga people formed kingdoms on the Zimbabwe plateau.

The Ndebele destroyed the weakened Rozvi Empire during the 1830s; the Portuguese gradually encroached on the kingdom of Mutapa, which extended to the Mozambique coast after it provided valued exports (particularly gold) for Swahili, Arab and East Asian traders.

The Pioneer Column of the British South Africa Company established the colony of Rhodesia, sparking the First Matabele War which led to the complete annexation of Mashonaland; the Portuguese colonial government in Mozambique fought the remnants of the kingdom of Mutapa until 1911.

[9] Precolonial Shona states derived substantial revenue from the export of mining products, particularly gold and copper.

[citation needed] Both historically and in contemporary art, the Shona are known for their work in stone sculpture, which re-emerged during the 1940s.

[citation needed] Many of the sculptures depict the transformation of spirits into animals or vice versa, and some are more abstract.

Pottery is also a traditionally practiced craft, with the storage and serving pots being the most decorative, contrasted with those used for cooking.

Sorghum and maize are used to prepare the staple dish, a thickened porridge (sadza), and the traditional beer known as hwahwa.

[14] Beef is found to be a staple in Shona people's diet due to cattle rearing being very prominent in Zimbabwe.

The traditional religion of Shona people is centred on Mwari (God), also known as Musikavanhu (Creator of man/people) or Nyadenga (one who lives high up).

No one wants to be a bad spirit, so during life, people are guided by a culture of unhu so that when they die, they enjoy their afterlife.

When compared with Christianity, the Shona religious perspective of afterlife, holiness, worship and rules of life (unhu) are similar.

In Zimbabwe the mitupo (translated as totems by colonial missionaries and anthropologists, a term which neglects the organizational system) are a system of identifying clans and sub-clans, which are named after and signified by emblems, commonly indigenous animals or animal body parts.

In marriage, mitupo help create a strong identity for children but it serves another function of ensuring that people marry someone they know.

[16][17] The Shona people, like many other Bantu-speaking groups in southern and central Africa, do not exhibit evidence of Eurasian DNA.

Genetic analyses of ancient remains from regions such as Zimbabwe have not identified archaic Eurasian DNA markers.

For instance, a study analyzing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability in Bantu-speaking populations, including the Shona from Zimbabwe, found no significant Eurasian genetic influence.

This research supports the understanding that the Shona's genetic heritage is primarily of sub-Saharan African origin.