Asoa, also known as ''Asua, Asuae, Asuati,'' or ''Aka,'' is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the

Mbuti The Mbuti people, or Bambuti, are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages are Central Sudanic languages and Bantu languages. Subgroups Bambuti are pygmy hunter-gatherers, and are one of the old ...

Pygmies known as the Asua. It is closely related to the

Mangbetu language Mangbetu, or ''Nemangbetu,'' is one of the most populous of the Central Sudanic languages. It is spoken by the Mangbetu people of northeastern Congo. It, or its speakers, are also known as ''Amangbetu, Kingbetu, Mambetto.'' The most populous di ...

, and the Asua live in association with the

Mangbetu people The Mangbetu are a Central Sudanic ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, living in the northeastern province of Haut-Uele. Culture The Mangbetu are known for their highly developed art and music. One instrument associated with ...

, among others. It is the only distinctive

Pygmy language The Congo Pygmies (African Pygmies) are those "forest people" who have, or recently had, a hunter-gatherer economy and a simple, non-hierarchical societal structure based on bands, are of short stature,Generally speaking; those who are not parti ...

in the east. Asua is spoken in the forests to the north of the

Aruwimi River The Aruwimi River is a tributary of the Congo River, located to the north and east of the Congo.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, Vol. One , Vol. Two The Aruwimi begins as the Ituri River, which rises near Lake ...

, between the

Nepoko River The Nepoko River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It joins the Ituri River at the town of Bomili to form the Aruwimi River. The river separates different groups of the Budu people of Wamba Territory, who speak different dialect ...

and the headwaters of the

Rubi River The Rubi River (french: Rivière Rubi) is a left tributary of the Itimbiri River, which forms where the Rubi joins the Likati River. Course The Rubi River originates in the southeast of the Bas-Uélé province, then flows west until it meets the L ...

.Demolin, Didier. 1992. ''Le Mangbetu: etude phonétique et phonologique'', 2 vols. Brussels: Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres, Université libre de Bruxelles dissertation.

References

Central Sudanic languages African Pygmies Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo {{Africa-ethno-group-stub