The Bazigaba or Zigaba clan is a large multi-tribal clan of the great
Banyakitara 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, Banyankor ...
in the
African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes (; ) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. The series includes Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by area; Lake Tangan ...
region. One who belongs to this clan is called Omuzigaba/ Muzigaba/Umuzigaba and the plural is Abazigaba. Because of their prior
nomadic pastoralist
Nomadic pastoralism, also known as nomadic herding, is a form of pastoralism in which livestock are herded in order to seek for fresh pastures on which to graze. True nomads follow an irregular pattern of movement, in contrast with transhumance, ...
nature, they are commonly found among the
Banyarwanda
The Banyarwanda (, plural; , singular) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic supraethnicity native to the northern African Great Lakes region, primarily the modern countries of Rwanda and Burundi. The Banyarwanda ar ...
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 ...
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 ...
Ha people
__NOTOC__
The Ha, also called Abaha (''Waha'' in Swahili language, Swahili), are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group found in Kigoma Region in northwestern Tanzania bordering Lake Tanganyika.Bahaya, Batagwenda,
Banyaruguru The Banyaruguru are a closely related ethnic group (sometimes considered a subgroup) to the Batutsi, Banyankole, Bahima, Bahororo, Ha people living in western Tanzania, and Banyamulenge living in northern Rwanda and parts of Uganda. They are f ...
,
Banyamulenge
The Banyamulenge are a community that lives mainly in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, with roots from mainly Rwanda. The Banyamulenge are culturally and socially related to the Banyarwanda Tutsi found in Rwanda, with mos ...
and to some extent among the Bakooki and Basongora tribes to this present day. They are found in various places, including Nduga, Gisaka, Bwisha, Ndorwa, Mubari, Bufumbira, Rukiga and many other places chiefly in southwestern Uganda, Rwanda and northwest Tanzania.
According to Bazigaba's oral history, the Bazigaba descend from an
eponymous
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
ancestor named Kaxigaba who along with his brother Rurenge and their sister Nyirankende originated in Gisaka Northwest Tanzania near Lake Nyanza (
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
). The Bazigaba eventually settled in the region of Rweya, where they founded the Kingdom of Mubari, located just southwest of
Karagwe
Karagwe is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Uganda, to the east by the Bukoba Rural District, to the southeast by the Muleba District, to the south by the Ngara District and to the w ...
, with their royal drum called Sera. Their ancestors are Kazigaba, the founding father, and Mungwe, the founding Nephew to Kazigaba. They often refer to themselves as "Abazigaba ba Mungwe of Mubari." The Bazigaba's totem is the
leopard
The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...
(Engwe/Engo in various indigenous languages). The Bazigaba share the leopard as a totem with the Abenengwe clan. The abanengwe may descend from Mungwe
Their
taboo
A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
is the
bushbuck Bushbuck is a common name that may refer to one of the following African antelopes:
*Cape bushbuck
The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus''), also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of ant ...
(Engabi in various indigenous languages ). They highly treasure leopards, which serve as the clan emblem and heraldic regalia wherever they reside. The Bazigaba were among the first clans to settle in the Great Lakes region and were exonymically referred to as "Abasangwa Butaka". The Bazigaba cluster includes the Bairu and Bahima pastoral communities. They were largely agro-pastoralists in terms of economy. They intermarried with the other pools of Bantu and Batusi-Bahima clans, which led to losing some of their original stature and customs. However, some characteristics persist, such as their tall stature, distinct linguistic dialect, and hospitable nature. They established the Mubari state of the Bazigaba, which covered an extensive area—from present-day
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 ...
to the southwest of
Karagwe
Karagwe is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Uganda, to the east by the Bukoba Rural District, to the southeast by the Muleba District, to the south by the Ngara District and to the w ...
in
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 t ...
.
While in Mubari, the clan flourished and grew in population. During the reign of King Kabeizi (Kabeja), the pastoral Batusi-Bahima people, led by King Kazi, arrived. King Kazi married a Muzigaba princess, Nyinarukangaga, and their union produced
mwami
''Mwami'' () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means ''chief'' or ''tribal chief'' in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditi ...
(king)
Gihanga
Gihanga I ("Creator", "Founder") is a Rwanda, Rwandan cultural hero described in oral histories as an ancient king popularly credited with establishing the ancient Kingdom of Rwanda. Gihanga descended from a line of gods Ibimanuka kings headed ...
I, one of the first kings of the Rwanda kingdom. Facing pressure from the emerging Kingdom of Rwanda, which sought to subdue Mubari, many Bazigaba migrated north and east into Karagwe, Ndorwa, Buhaya,
Kigezi
Kigezi District once covered what are now Kabale District, Kanungu District, Kisoro District and Rukungiri District, in southwest Uganda. Its terraced fields are what gives this part of Uganda its distinctive character. Kigezi was popularly kn ...
, and
Nkore
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 ...
. Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Harvey M. Weinstein, Timothy Longman (2006 THE TEACHING OF HISTORY OF RWANDA A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley 2006 The Bazigaba clan members in Katerera have an anthem called "Oruganda Rw'abazigaba", which translates to "The Bazigaba clan". The song is about the clan's endearing work towards development.
The sub-clans include the Banyangabo, Batendura, Bamoori, Basaakuru, Batemba, Bahoozi, Banyungu, Bagabira, Bagoma, Bajumbi, Basingo, Baruru, Bakoko, Bareegi, Bagarama, Batare, Bashaaho, And Bajara.Van Der Meeren, A. (1969) The social system of the Banyarwanda. University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (United Kingdom).