The Hema people or Bahema (plural) are a
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
ethnic group
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
who are concentrated in parts of
Ituri Province
Ituri Province ( in Swahili) is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the subdividing of the former Orientale ...
in the eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
.
Ethnic group
The Hema are a
Bantu ethnic group, related to the
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 regi ...
,
Batooro
The Tooro people (; , ), also known as Batooro or Toro people are a Bantu ethnic group, native to the Tooro Kingdom, a subnational constitutional monarchy within Uganda.
Religion
According to the 2002 Census of Uganda 48.8% of Batoro are Roma ...
,
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 ...
,
Basongora,
Bahororo,
Baruuli
The Baruuli or Baluuli (ethnonym: ''Baluuli''; singular ''Muruuli''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Bunyoro-Kitara, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. They stay in an area called Buruuli. They share a common ancestry with the Banyala ...
and
Banyankore
Ankole was a traditional Bantu kingdom in Uganda and lasted from the 15th century until 1967. The kingdom was located in south-western Uganda, east of Lake Edward.
Geography
The kingdom of Ankole is located in the South-Western region of Ugand ...
. They were historically
pastoralists
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anima ...
and migrated into Ituri from modern-day
Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
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
Irumu is a territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the northeastern part of the country, 1,700 km east of the capital Kinshasa. Its administrative center is the town of Irumu.
The territory nearly en ...
. They historically remained segregated from the Lendu.
There are generally thought to be 160,000 people who consider themselves Hema, mostly concentrated in
Ituri Province
Ituri Province ( in Swahili) is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the subdividing of the former Orientale ...
in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
. Collectively, the Hema and
Lendu people
The Lendu language is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the Balendru, an ethno-linguistic agriculturalist group residing in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in the area west and northwest of Lake Albert, specifically the Ituri Provinc ...
account for around 40 percent of the population in Ituri. They are a minority ethnic group, and one of 18 present in the same province. Most Hema are
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
.
Hema
/ref>
Hema-Lendu ethnic tensions
It is generally considered that the Hema became more ethnically distinct under Belgian colonial rule when they were seen as more civilised than other populations in Ituri. Considered part of the mythical "Hamitic" people like the Tutsi, Hima and Songora in neighboring Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
, Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
and Burundi
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...
, some Hema imagined joining with the aforementioned ethnic groups to form a Hima Kingdom. Hema political pre-eminence continued in Ituri after Congolese independence in 1960. Ethnic Hema continued to dominate local political appointments and business, at the expense of the Lendu who were largely excluded. Land reforms introduced by the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...
, in 1973, allowed Hema to partly dispossess land held by Lendu peasants.
The ethnic tensions between Lendu and Hema was the primary cause of the Ituri conflict
The Ituri conflict () is an ongoing low-intensity conflict, low intensity asymmetrical warfare, asymmetrical conflict between the farmer, agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralism, pastoralist Hema (ethnicity), Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri Provin ...
(1999-2003) which led to a collapse of state control in the region and genocidal violence. This was partly caused by the democratisation of Mobutu's regime which allowed the emergence of a Lendu elite before it collapsed entirely in the First Congo War
The First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War, was a Civil war, civil and international military conflict that lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997, primarily taking place in Zaire (which was renamed the Democratic Republi ...
(1996–97). However, the Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...
was also important because the divide between Tutsi and Hutu
The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great L ...
was commonly projected over the Hema and Lendu respectively by both sides. During the Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa, was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over a year after the First Congo War. The war initially erupted ...
, the Hema were widely believed to have collaborated with the Ugandan occupiers and the Ituri conflict was sparked by the installation of a Hema provincial governor by the Ugandan military in Ituri. Ethnic militias were formed and United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
and European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
peacekeepers were deployed. In the ensuing conflict the Hema-backed Union of Congolese Patriots
The Union of Congolese Patriots (, or UPC) is a political and militia group in Ituri, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, formed towards the end of the Second Congo War. It was founded by Thomas Lubanga in 2001 and was one of six su ...
(''Union des Patriotes congolais'', UPC) fought the Lendu-backed Nationalist and Integrationist Front
The Nationalist and Integrationist Front (, or FNI) is a rebel group active in the Ituri conflict in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, associated with the Lendu ethnic group. The FNI has fought against ethnic Hema and is blamed for the a ...
(''Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes'', FNI) and various smaller groups. Sporadic fighting has continued since 1999. Uganda also became involved in the fighting which was aggravated by the presence of significant gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
deposits in Ituri.
Notable Hema people
See also
*Hema language
Hema is a Bantu language and one of three languages spoken by the Hema people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last a ...
* Hima language
References
Bibliography
*
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Further reading
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External links
Hema
from ethnologue.com
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ituri