Bokote is a community on the
Busira River
The Busira River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main tributary of the Ruki River, which in turn is a tributary of the Congo River.
The Busira may be seen as the upper reach of the Ruki River. It is navigable year ro ...
in the
Province of Équateur
Équateur is one of the 21 newest provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created by the 2015 repartitioning. The provinces of Équateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshuapa are the result of the division of the former ...
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the colonial period it held a trading post and a Catholic mission.
Location
Bokote is on the north shore of the
Busira River
The Busira River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main tributary of the Ruki River, which in turn is a tributary of the Congo River.
The Busira may be seen as the upper reach of the Ruki River. It is navigable year ro ...
in the
Province of Équateur
Équateur is one of the 21 newest provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created by the 2015 repartitioning. The provinces of Équateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshuapa are the result of the division of the former ...
. The river here forms the boundary with the province of
Tshuapa
Tshuapa is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the Subdivisions of the DR Congo#New provinces, 2015 repartitioning. Tshuapa, Équateur Province, Équateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, and Sud-Ubangi provinces are ...
, which Bokote faces to the south.
It is at an elevation of about .
Precolonial times
The early European explorers found that the Busira-Tshuapa region was inhabited by different groups of
Mongo people
__NOTOC__
The Mongo people are an ethnic group who live in the equatorial forest of Central Africa.[Mongo people]
, including the Bokote, Ekota, Bakutu, Bosaka, Bongando and Boyela.
The trading posts and missions were often given the same name as the local people, examples being Bokote, Bamanya, Bokuma and Lotumbe.
As was common in the area, the fishing village of Bokote was paired with the farming village of Liyolongo, and the two villages traded their produce.
The people came together for dances, games and festivals, and intermarried.
Colonial era
As of 1 January 1894 the
Société anonyme belge pour le commerce du Haut-Congo
Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A.
Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...
(SAB) had 83 factories and posts, including some in the French territory to the west of the
Congo and
Ubangi rivers.
A map shows the company had posts along the upper Ruki River (i.e. the Busira) at
Bilakamba,
Bombimba,
Bussira Manene
Busira, or Busira Manene, is a village in the Province of Équateur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Busira Territory.
Location
Busira is on the north shore of the Busira River at an elevation of about .
It is in the Busira collectivi ...
,
Moniaca, Bocoté and
Yolongo. It also had a post at
Bomputu
Bomputu is a community on the Salonga River in the province of Tshuapa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the colonial period it held a trading post.
Location
Bomputu is on the east shore of the Salonga River in the province of Tshuapa.
...
on the Lengué (Salonga) River, and posts at Balalondzy, Ivulu and Ivuku on the
Momboyo River
The Momboyo River () is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It joins the Busira River to form the Ruki River, a tributary of the Congo River.
The Momboya and its main tributary the Luilaka are navigable for from its mouth.
Location
...
.
The first Catholic mission station in the region was established in 1913 in Bokote, followed by a station in
Boende
Boende is a city and capital of Tshuapa Province, lying on the Tshuapa River, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a river port with riverboats sailing to Kinshasa via Mbandaka and is also home to an airport. As of 2009, it had an estimat ...
in 1925.
In 1924 the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; ; ) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Jules Chevalier at Issoudun, France, in the Diocese of Bourges.
The motto of the Missionaries of the S ...
took Bokote back from the
Trappists
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...
.
A 1920s or 1930s postcard from the Sacred Heart mission agency in Coquilhatville (now
Mbandaka
Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Province.
The city was f ...
]) shows a line of eight young girls wearing traditional clothing with the caption "La jeunesse de Bokote." ("Youth of Bokote").
Another postcard from that period shows a number of people standing in dugout boats in the river, some holding paddles, with the legend "4. – Mission de Coquilhatville, Congo Belge. –Sur la Busira, a Bokote." ("On the Busira, Bokote").
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:
Populated places in the province of Équateur