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Ruwa (god)
Ruwa is the supreme god of the ancient Chagga religion of the Chagga people of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. It was practiced before German colonial occupation in the 1890s. Ruwa is one of the Bantu many prominent deities of the Bantu people The Bantu peoples are an Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct native Demographics of Africa, African List of ethnic groups of Africa, ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. The language ... of East and southern Africa. Overview In Chagga cosmology, Ruwa, who was associated with the sun, is believed to reside in the sky alongside his consort, the moon. Sacrifices to Ruwa are traditionally performed at high noon. While these superior spirits typically do not intervene directly in human affairs, the spirits of the deceased, who inhabit the earth, play a more active role in the lives of the living. The spirit world is perceived as a reflection of the earthly realm, populated with powerful ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chagga Religion
Chagga religion (''Dini ya Wachagga'' in Swahili, ''Vanruvairuwa'' in Kichagga) was the pre-colonial Bantu religion of the Chagga people of the former Chagga states on the slopes of Kilimanjaro in present-day Tanzania. Overview In Chagga cosmology, the natural and supernatural realms are intertwined, with every aspect of the world considered to possess a supernatural influence. Human actions are believed to carry significant otherworldly implications, where misfortunes may arise from improper conduct leading to ancestral punishment, the malevolent practices of individuals, or the negative intentions of either people or spirits. The attribution of misfortune is often a subject of debate within the community. Conversely, the explanation for good fortune involves the need to coax favorable outcomes from a universe inhabited by capricious ancestral spirits and potent forces. This coaxing is achieved through ritual acts aimed at appeasing and controlling these spirits. A prominent de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaga People
The Chaga or Chagga () are a Bantu ethnic group from Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania and Arusha Region of Tanzania. They are the third-largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They founded the now former sovereign Chagga states on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro which governed both the current Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions (eastern) of Tanzania. The Chagga people are recognized as one of the economically successful groups in Tanzania. Their relative wealth is attributed to the fertile soil of volcanic Mount Kilimanjaro, which supports intensive agricultural activities. The Chagga have developed a strong work ethic and engaged in trade, contributing to their current economic standing in the country. They are known for historically employing various agricultural techniques, including sophisticated irrigation systems and terracing. Furthermore, they have intensive farming methods for centuries, a tradition that dates back to the time of the Bantu expansion within their historical stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere and the fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth. Kilimanjaro's southern and eastern slopes served as the home of the Chagga Kingdoms until their abolition in 1963 by Julius Nyerere. The origin and meaning of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown, but may mean "mountain of greatness" or "unclimbable". Although described in classical sources, German missionary Johannes Rebmann is credited as the first European to report the mountain's existence, in 1848. After several European attempts, Hans Meyer reached Kilimanjaro's highest summit in 1889. The mountain was incorporated into Kilimanjaro National Park in 1973. As one of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro is a major hiking and climbing destination. There a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. According to a 2024 estimate, Tanzania has a population of around 67.5 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator. Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania. In the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania included South Cushitic languages, Southern Cushitic speakers similar to modern day Iraqw people who moved south from present-day Ethiopia; Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of Lake Turkana about 2,000 and 4,000 years ago; and the Southern Nilotic languages, Southern Nilotes, including the Datooga people, Datoog, who originated fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German East Africa
German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portuguese Mozambique, Mozambique. GEA's area was , which was nearly three times the area of present-day Germany and almost double the area of metropolitan Germany at the time. The colony was organised when the German military was asked in the late 1880s to put down a revolt against the activities of the German East Africa Company. It ended with German Empire, Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I. Ultimately the territory was divided amongst Britain, Belgium and Portugal, and was reorganised as a League of Nations mandate, mandate of the League of Nations. History Like other colonial powers, the Germans expanded their empire in the Africa Great Lakes region, ostensibly to explore the region's rich resources and its people. Unlike other imp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bantu Peoples
The Bantu peoples are an Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct native Demographics of Africa, African List of ethnic groups of Africa, ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. The languages are native to countries spread over a vast area from West Africa, to Central Africa, Southeast Africa and into Southern Africa. Bantu people also inhabit southern areas of Northeast African states. There are several hundred Bantu languages. Depending on the definition of Dialect#Dialect or language, "language" or "dialect", it is estimated that there are between 440 and 680 distinct languages. The total number of speakers is in the hundreds of millions, ranging at roughly 350 million in the mid-2010s (roughly 30% of the demographics of Africa, population of Africa, or roughly 5% of world population, the total world population). About 90 million speakers (2015), divided into some 400 ethnic or tribal groups, are found in the Democratic Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
