They settled on the floodplains of the upper Zambezi River in what is now western Zambia, where they established a kingdom called Barotseland or Bulozi.

In the 1830s, the Kololo people, originally from the Free State province of South Africa, fled northwards to escape the Mfecane under King Shaka Zulu (died 1828).

They employed tactics learned from the Zulu armies to conquer the Luyana on the Zambezi floodplains, imposing their rule and language.

Today, Silozi is spoken in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, reflecting its historical development and cultural significance in the region.

Silozi: Kakuli Mulimu U latile hahulu batu ba lifasi, mane U ba file Mwan'a Hae wa libanda kuli mutu ufi ni ufi ya lumela ku Yena a si ke a shwa, kono a be ni bupilo bo bu sa feli.