|
Tribe Snapshots Kuba |
| Location: |
Southeastern Congo
(Zaire) |
| Population: |
250,000 |
| Language: |
BaKuba (central Bantu) |
| Neighboring Peoples: |
Chokwe,
Luba,
Luluwa,
Lele |
| Types of Art: |
Aside from the beautiful cloth mentioned above,
the Kuba also produce carved wooden masks and
figures. They also carve headrests, divination
oracles, and anthropomorphic cups. |
| History: |
In the 16th century, the Kuba peoples migrated
from the distant north to their current location
along the Sankuru River. When they arrived, however,
they found that the Twa already lived there. The
Twa were eventually absorbed into the Kuba Kingdom,
but retained some independent cultural characteristics.
The height of the Kingdom was during the mid-19th
century. Europeans first reached the area in 1884,
but the Kuba, being relatively isolated, were
not as affected by the slave trade as many of
the other peoples in the area. The Nsapo invaded
during the late 19th century, and the Kingdom
was broken up to a large extent.
See also the essay on African
States by Professor James Giblin. |
| Economy: |
The rivers which define the Kuba territory provide
the fish consumed in the area. They also farm
maize and cassava, both of which were imported
from the new world. The Kuba weave beautiful raffia
cloth, which is embroidered by the women and traded
to surrounding areas. |
| Political Systems: |
The Kuba Kingdom is actually comprised of numerous
smaller ethnic groups, including the Bushoong,
Ngeende, Kel, Pyaang, Bulaang, Bieeng, Ilebo,
Idiing, Kaam, Ngoombe Kayuweeng, Shoowa, Bokila,
Maluk, and Ngongo. The King of Kuba is always
Bushoong. Each of the ethnic groups has a representative
in residence at the Bushoong court.
See also the essay on African
States by Professor James Giblin. |
| Religion: |
The Kuba oral history tells of the creation
of the world by Bumba, who decreed that the Bushoong
would always be the ruling class. This creator
god is not formally worshiped. At one time the
Kuba had a religion based on ancestor worship,
but this seems to have died out, although divination
is still practiced in order to discover causes
of evil. Success during hunting is recognized
as a gift from the gods. It is not incidental
that diviners often employ carved wooden hunting
dogs as rubbing oracles in order to arrive at
their knowledge. Dogs are seen throughout the
region as responsible for delivering the will
of the god, whether it be through hunting or through
the diviner. |
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