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Ruhanga
Ruhanga () features in Bantu spirituality as the remote creator and sky-God, recognized among the Rutara people ( Banyoro, Banyankore, Batooro, Bahaya, Bakiga, Bahema and all other groups referred to in general as Banyakitara). The Bahima further recognise him as the arbiter of life, sickness, and death. However, unlike creator figures in other religious systems, Ruhanga is generally not a focus of worship. According to Bahaya and Banyankore belief, humans originally came back to life on earth after dying, but Ruhanga took away this ability after a woman refused to properly celebrate the return of a human after the death of her pet dog. Etymology The name Ruhanga means “Creator” in the Rutara languages. The name reflects Ruhanga’s role as the supreme creator of everything in the universe, including the other gods, spirits, humans, animals, and plants. The word comes from the Proto-Bantu verb "Panga", which meant 'to haft'. By regular processes of phonetic change ...
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Empire Of Kitara
Kitara (sometimes spelt as Kittara or Kitwara, also known as the Chwezi Empire) was an ancient legendary state that covered significant parts of western Uganda and is regularly mentioned in the oral traditions of the Banyoro, Batooro and Banyankole. Legends Many accounts of the history of Kitara exist, and some may vary and/or contradict each other. Note that accounts agree more on the details of the Chwezi dynasty than the earlier Tembuzi dynasty. Tembuzi dynasty Ruth Alice Fisher wrote that Kakama Twale became the first king of Kitara as willed by Ruhanga. K. W. (standing for Kabalega and Winyi) and John W. Nyakatura wrote that Kintu was the first king, and consider Kakama () and Twale (Itwale in K.W.'s account) to be separate. In their accounts, Kintu was succeeded by Kakama, who was succeeded by (I)twale. John Roscoe and Petero Bikunya only mention "Twale" and "Twari" respectively. Nyakatura then mentions that Twale's son, Hangi, succeeded him. Roscoe mentions Han ...
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Rutara People
The Rutara peoples (endonym: ''Banyakitara'', ''Abanyakitara'') are a group of closely related Bantu ethnic groups native to the African Great Lakes region. They speak mutually intelligible dialects and include groups such as the Banyoro, Banyankore, and Bahaya. History Proto-Rutara people originated in the Kagera Region of Tanzania near Bukoba in the year 500AD. They adopted pastoralism in the grasslands of Kagera with influence from the now extinct Tale southern Cushites and Sog Eastern Sudanic peoples who were their neighbors. They adopted the word for cow (''ente'') between 100-500AD from the Sog Eastern Sahelians, and the practice of cattle breeding from the Tale southern Cushites. After 1200AD they split into two groups, with one group (the Proto-North Rutara) expanding north-westwards, spreading the Rutara language and culture (and assimilating many of the previous Central Sudanic peoples like the Madi in the process) into the Grasslands of western Uganda and easter ...
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Kiga People
Kiga people, or ''Abakiga'' ("people of the mountains"), are a Bantu ethnic group native to south western Uganda and northern Rwanda. History Origins The Kiga people are believed to have their origins in Rwanda. This is mentioned in one of their folk songs - ''Abakiga twena tukaruga Rwanda, omu Byumba na Ruhenjere'' - (All of us Bakiga, we came from Rwanda, from Byumba and Ruhenjere). Both Byumba and ''Ruhengeri'' (Ruhenjere in the folk song) are cities in present day Rwanda. The Bakiga are believed to be the descendants of Kashyiga, whom people later called ''Kakiga''. He is said to be the son of Mbogo from the ancient Bumbogo kingdom of Rwanda. He immigrated to present day south-western Uganda and formed the present community of the Bakiga of Kigyezi or Kigezi. Before 1700 A.D., Rwanda is believed to have been occupied by the Twa people, who were later on joined by the Hutu, and the finally the Tutsi. Rwanda at the time was made up of many small states and chiefdoms all u ...
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Bantu Spirituality
Bantu religion is a system of various spiritual beliefs and practices that relate to the Bantu people of Central, East, and Southern Africa. Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups, there is a high degree of homogeneity in Bantu cultures and customs, just as in Bantu languages. Many Bantu cultures traditionally believed in a supreme god whose name is a variation of Nyambe/Nzambe and ancestral veneration. The phrase "Bantu tradition" usually refers to the common, recurring themes that are found in all, or most, Bantu cultures on the continent. Traditional beliefs The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spi ...
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Banyoro
The Nyoro people (, ), also known as Banyoro, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the kingdom of Bunyoro in Uganda. They live in settlements on a well-watered and fertile plateau. Banyoro are closely related to other Bantu peoples of the region, namely the Batooro, Banyankole, Bakiga Kiga people, or ''Abakiga'' ("people of the mountains"), are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group native to south western Uganda and northern Rwanda. History Origins The Kiga people are believed to have their origins in Rwanda. This is mentione ... and the Bahema peoples. Name They are mentioned under various names in various sources. Some of their names include Bakitara, Banyoro, Bunyoro, Gungu, Kitara, Kyopi, Nyoros, Ouanyoro, Runyoro, Vouanyoro, and Wanyoro. The Kingdom of Bunyoro Bunyoro is one of the Bantu kingdoms of Uganda. The Nyoro were traditionally pastoral, but war and disease have mostly wiped out former herds. The Nyoro state was ruled by a king and his hierarchy of feud ...
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Nkole People
The Nkole people, also known as the Banyankole, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the Ankole region of Uganda. They are primarily found in the southwestern part of the country, in what was historically known as the Ankole Kingdom. The Banyankole are known for their rich cultural heritage and traditional cattle-keeping practices. They are closely related to other Bantu peoples of the region, namely the Nyoro, Kiga, Toro and Hema people. History Origins and early history The Banyankole are part of the larger Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated from Central and West Africa to the Great Lakes region of East Africa over a millennium ago. Archaeological evidence and oral traditions suggest that the Banyankole settled in the Ankole region between the 10th and 15th centuries. Their early history is characterized by the establishment of the Ankole Kingdom, a centralized monarchy that played a significant role in the region's politics and culture. Culture Language The ...
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Haya People
The Haya (or Bahaya) are a Bantu ethnic group based in Kagera Region, northwestern Tanzania, on the western side of Lake Victoria. With over one million people, it is estimated that Haya make up approximately 4% of the population of Tanzania. Historically, the Haya have had a complex kingship-based political system. Agriculture, particularly banana farming, is central to Haya economic life. They are credited with the independent development of carbon steel dating to 2000 years ago using pre-heating techniques. Etymology According to Hans Cory, the term ( Haya for fisher-people) was originally used to differentiate the Haya from the Banyambo of Karagwe. This distinction is said to be based on cultural differences, with the Haya economy predominantly oriented toward fishing and other industries on Lake Victoria and the Banyambo predominately engaged in pastoralism. Other sources on the origin of the term Haya cite oral accounts that state it derives from a goddess named Muhay ...
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Bantu Religion
Bantu religion is a system of various spiritual beliefs and practices that relate to the Bantu people of Central, East, and Southern Africa. Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups, there is a high degree of homogeneity in Bantu cultures and customs, just as in Bantu languages. Many Bantu cultures traditionally believed in a supreme god whose name is a variation of Nyambe/Nzambe and ancestral veneration. The phrase "Bantu tradition" usually refers to the common, recurring themes that are found in all, or most, Bantu cultures on the continent. Traditional beliefs The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spi ...
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Creator Deity
A creator deity or creator god is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatristic traditions separate a secondary creator from a primary transcendent being, identified as a primary creator.(2004) Sacred Books of the Hindus Volume 22 Part 2: Pt. 2, p. 67, R.B. Vidyarnava, Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vidyarnava Monotheism Atenism Initiated by Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti around 1330 BCE, during the New Kingdom period in ancient Egyptian history. They built an entirely new capital city ( Akhetaten) for themselves and worshippers of their sole creator god in a wilderness. His father used to worship Aten alongside other gods of their polytheistic religion. Aten, for a long time before his father's time, was revered as a god among the many gods and goddesses in Egypt. Atenism was countermanded by later pharaoh Tutankhamun, as chro ...
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Toro Kingdom
The Tooro Kingdom is a Bantu kingdom located within the borders of Uganda. The current Omukama of Tooro is King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV took to the throne of Tooro kingdom in 1995 at the age of just three years, after the death of his father Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Rwamuhokya Olimi III on August 26, 1995, at the age of 50. The people native to the kingdom are the Batooro, and their language is likewise called Rutooro. The Batooro and Banyoro speak closely related languages, Rutooro and Runyoro, and share many other similar cultural traits. The Batooro live on Uganda's western border, south of Lake Albert. History The Tooro Kingdom evolved out of a breakaway segment of Bunyoro sometime before the nineteenth century. It was founded in 1830 when Omukama Kaboyo Olimi I, the eldest son of Omukama of Bunyoro Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro, seceded and established his own independent kingdom. Absorb ...
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Hema People
The Hema people or Bahema (plural) are a Bantu ethnic group who are concentrated in parts of Ituri Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ethnic group The Hema are a Bantu ethnic group, related to the Banyoro, Batooro, Bakiga, Basongora, Bahororo, Baruuli and Banyankore. They were historically pastoralists and migrated into Ituri from modern-day Uganda in the early 19th century, making them one of the last groups to settle in the region. The Hema are usually considered to fall into two distinct ethnic sub-groups: * The Northern Hema (''Gegere'') speak the Kilendu or Batha languages and are concentrated in Djugu Territory. They historically intermarried with the Lendu majority population. * The Southern Hema (''Nyoro'') speak Kihema or Kinyoro languages and live mostly in Irumu Territory. They historically remained segregated from the Lendu. There are generally thought to be 160,000 people who consider themselves Hema, mostly concentrated in It ...
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Rutara Languages
The Rutara or Runyakitara languages (endonym: ''Orutara'', ''Orunyakitara'') are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in the African Great Lakes region. They include languages such as Runyoro, Runyankore, Kiga language, Rukiga and Haya language, Ruhaya. The language group takes its name from the Empire of Kitara. Classification David L. Schoenbrun classifies the Rutara languages as follows: *Rutara ** North Rutara *** Nkore-Kiga-Nyoro-Tooro **** Nkore-Kiga language, Nkore-Kiga (Runyankore-Rukiga) ***** Nkore language, Nkore (Runyankore) ***** Kiga language, Kiga (Rukiga) **** Nyoro-Tooro language, Nyoro-Tooro (Runyoro-Rutooro) ***** Nyoro language, Nyoro (Runyoro) ***** Tooro language, Tooro (Rutooro) ***Ruuli language, Ruuli (Ruruuli) ***Talinga language, Talinga (Kitalinga) ***Hema language, Hema (Ruhema) **South Rutara *** Haya language, Haya (Luhaya) ***Nyambo language, Nyambo (Runyambo) **Kerewe language, Kerewe **Zinza language, Zinza Standardized language ...
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