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Monieka 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 Protestant mission.


Location

Monieka 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
Bolomba Territory Bolomba Territory is an administrative area in Équateur Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The headquarters is the town of Bolomba. It is located northeast of the provincial capital of Mbandaka. Its main waterway is the Ikelemba ...
of 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 ...
. It faces the
Boende Territory Boende is a territory of Tshuapa province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After the town of Boende became a separately administered city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings ar ...
in
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 ...
province to the south of the river. It lies between Busira to the west and Bokote to the east. It is at an elevation of about . The village gives its name to the Monieka Health Zone.


Precolonial era

As was common in the area, the fishing village of Monieka was paired with the farming village of Ekonda-Moke, and the two villages traded their produce. The people came together for dances, games and festivals, and intermarried.


Colonial era

The Belgians arrived towards the end of the 19th century in a steamboat. At first the local people tried to drive them away, but quickly learned the superior power of modern guns. The Belgians used extreme force to compel the villages along the Busira to gather rubber, often killing those who resisted or fell short of quotas. 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 post at Monieka formally established in 1901. The Protestants established a mission at Monieka in 1912. The American doctor Louis Jaggard (1877–1951) at the Monieka mission spoke in 1917 with scorn of the 30 or so traders at Bussira, away, who came to him for treatment. He called them "low down white trash". A rebellion that began in
Sankuru Sankuru is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Sankuru, Kasaï-Oriental, and Lomami provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Kasaï-Oriental province. Sankuru ...
in 1920 spread to the SAB's Bus Bloc concession on the Upper Busira. The rebels attacked state posts, trading stations, factories, homes and a Catholic chapel. The military arrived in March 1921 and over the next five months killed at least 115 rebels. A 1947 account described Monieka as an clearing holding a bush mission founded and operated by the
Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
from
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
in the United States. The mission served a territory of with 60,000 inhabitants who lived by hunting, fishing and growing vegetables in gardens. There were five adult missionaries, one of whom was a doctor, and five children. They lived in a row of four brick houses with tin roofs. The mission ran a residential school for 450 male and 100 female students from 6 to 30 years of age, giving a four-year course partly in the
Mongo language Mongo, also called Nkundo or Mongo-Nkundu (''Lomongo, Lonkundu''), is a Bantu language spoken by several of the Mongo peoples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mongo speakers reside in the north-west of the country over a large area insid ...
and partly in
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
. A print of the ''Head of Christ'' by
Warner Sallman Warner Elias Sallman (April 30, 1892 – May 25, 1968) was an American Painting, painter from Chicago best known for his works of Christianity, Christian religious imagery. He also worked in commercial advertising, as well as in freelance illust ...
arrived at the Monieka mission in 1947, where it was used in religious pageants.


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT: Populated places in the province of Équateur