Kiga people

Kiga people, or Abakiga ("people of the mountains"), are a Bantu ethnic group native to south western Uganda and northern Rwanda.
The Kiga people are believed to have their origins in Rwanda. This is mentioned in one of their folk songs - Abakiga twena tukaruga Rwanda, omu Byumba na Ruhenjere - (All of us Bakiga, we came from Rwanda, from Byumba and Ruhenjere). Both Byumba and Ruhengeri (Ruhenjere in the folk song) are cities in present day Rwanda. The Bakiga are believed to be the descendants of Kashyiga, whom people later called Kakiga. He is said to be the son of Mbogo from the ancient Bumbogo kingdom of Rwanda. He immigrated to present day south-western Uganda and formed the present community of the Bakiga of Kigyezi or Kigezi.
Before 1700 A.D., Rwanda is believed to have been occupied by the Twa people, who were later on joined by the Hutu, and the finally the Tutsi. Rwanda at the time was made up of many small states and chiefdoms all united under one ruler called the Mwami. He was also known as Omukama. Among the Bakiga, the ruling person was therefore named Mukama, equivalent to Mwami in other parts of Rwanda.
In the earlier days, Mukama was the title given to the chief. Later on, people adopted Mukama as a name for their children (loosely translated to "leader" or "ruling man"). These were the sons belonging to families of the ruling clan, the Bamuhutu. Any person bearing the name Mukama, must be a Bamuhutu, specifically a Mungura/Mwitira, or belong to the royal clan of the Bamuhutu. In the present day, after the spread of Christianity, the name is used as one of the names of God. Because of this, people instead now use derivatives of the name. e.g. Byamukama, Kyomukama, Womukama, Kamukama and Bainomukama.
In Rwanda's early days, the major states were Bumbogo, Buriza, and Rukoma. (These areas have kept their names, and are located in central Rwanda near the capital city of Kigali). Each of these states was represented by a clan chief. The first Mwami was Mbogo of the state of Bumbogo.
According to legend, Mbogo, who belonged to the royal Abungura clan (a.k.a Abahitira clan), was displaced by an ally, Kirima (Cyirima) of the Abanyiginya clan. Kirima accused Mbogo of negligence, and made promises to the people that he would be a better leader. However, since he wasn't from the royal clan, he wasn't able to become an Umwami. Kirima's rule is said to have been one of relative prosperity, but his reign was cut short by the first invasion of Banyoro, led by Cwa I son of Nyabwongo. (It is rumored, but not confirmed, that Nyabwongo is Labongo, the first Babiito king of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom)
It is said that Mbogo was quite old and did not want to fight Kirima. His son Kashyiga (Kakiga) fled to the north, with the aim of to regrouping so that he could return and fight. The departure of Kakiga was a big blow to the state of Bumbogo as he did not return, thus Kirima and his sympathizers took over the kingdom. However, Kakiga fled with the royal drum Kamuhagama, meaning that Kirima could never claim the title of King.
In the Rwandan history, Kirima is known as Cyirima I Rugwe. In contrast to classic chronology, modern historians dispute that his successor, Kigeri I Mukobanya, was actually his son. They insist that he was son of the king of Bugesera, a kingdom located south of Kigali ruled by the Abahondogo clan. Cyirima stole that king's wife, and it now believed that she was already pregnant with Mukobanya. During Cyirima's reign, Mukobanya grew up to become a great warrior and expanded the kingdom's territory, annexing Buriza and Rukoma along the way. During Mukobanya's own reign, he inflicted a strong defeat on the army of the Banyoro, forcing them out of Rwanda. The Banyoro were only able to successfully attack again during the reign of Mukobanya's successor. Mukobanya was the first true expansionist king of Rwanda, but the people's acceptance of him as king was as a result of his bravery.
In the years that followed after Mukobanya's exploits, the kingdom of Rwanda became more centralized. It expanded continuously, till the shores of Lake Kivu. The expansion was a combination of military conquest and migrations of Rwandan population. As the kingdom grew the Rwandan people spread their agricultural techniques and social organization. All of these factors extended the sphere of political control of the Mwami. Camps of warriors were established along vulnerable borders to prevent incursions. Against other mature kingdoms (Gisela, Bugesera and Burundi) expansion was carried out by force.
It was during this period that imbalances between the Hutus and the Tutsis started to crystallize. The Tutsi's started to dominate the hierarchy. The King was treated as a semi-divine being, responsible for making the country prosper. He adopted the sacred drum Kalinga as the symbol of the King. He also hung the genitals of conquered enemies or rebels on Kalinga. This treatment will later on define the relationship between the Tutsi, the Hutu and the Twa peoples. Originally, the Hutus were among the nobility. They made up 82–85% of the population, and were mostly rich and simple. But later on they were made to live a poor peasant life. With the centralization of the political power, the Tutsis took over the show, monopolized all privileges of the kings, and came to be the ones called the Mwamis. Before the 19th century, the Tutsis held real military power, while the Hutus possessed supernatural power.
The reign of the Tutsi monarchy was destabilized by the colonisation of Rwanda by Germany and later on Belgium. The monarchy was ended by Grégoire Kayibanda shortly before Rwanda's independence. His political party was known as MDR-Parmehutu (Mouvement Démocratique Republicain Parmehutu; French for: "Parmehutu Democratic Republican Movement").
Kayibanda overthrew the Tutsi monarchy of Mwami Kigeri V in 1961, and appointed a government of Hutus. After independence, in July 1962, Kayibanda became the first president of Rwanda. In the general elections of October 1963, MDR Parmehutu won all seats in Parliament. In the coup of July 1973, Kayibanda was ousted by Major General Juvénal Habyarimana, and the Parmehutu party was dissolved. Habyarimana was a Hutu from the clan of Abungura (Abahitira). His father is said to have been a Mukiga who moved back to Rwanda. Juvénal's father settled in northwest part of Rwanda, where Habyarimana was born and raised. Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down near the presidential palace, and matters relating as to who was responsible remain unresolved. The aircraft had French crew and President Paul Kagame has been accused by France as the mastermind behind the attack. Kagame is a Tutsi who grew up in Uganda. He is from the Abega clan, which accounted for many queen mothers in the Abanyiginya dynasty.
In South Western Uganda, Kakiga is claimed to have been the founder the Kiga Kingdom, its clans and sub-clans, Each clan has a totem which clan members are forbidden from eating. e.g. Members of the clan with the Ba-Mungwe's totem (bushbuck) are prohibited from hunting it. Historically, these measures were put in place such that clans would not have to compete for the same sources of food. There a quite many clans and sub-clans among the Bakiga people, but historically the major ones include: Ba-Mungura (the Royal Clan), Ba-Musigi (the clan responsible for defending the King), Ba-Mungwe, Ba-Kinyagiro, Ba-Mugiri, Ba-Muhutu, Ba-Mugera, and Ba-Mugyesera, Ba-Mugyeyo. Each of these clans has sub-clans.
The Abukuru b-ekika was a committee of elders chosen by the clan to issue rules and administer justice. If a dispute was particularly serious and involved more than one clan, the cases would be heard publicly. An Omukuru, ideally a wise elder who knew the customs and traditions of his people, and who could be trusted to give fair advice and justice, was elected to preside over this expanded court.
After leaving Bugombo, Kakiga settled in the forests of Kagarama, the mountains of the present border of Rwanda and Uganda in Kigezi region. Kakiga found that the land was very fertile, with excellent grass fields for cattle rearing. Though he initially wished to return home to fight the Banyoro invaders, he and his cohort found themselves settling in Uganda establishing a new group, Abakiga or Bakiga.
As time passed and the population grew, Kakiga desired to expand his territory. He started sending out groups to explore and conquer. The first group was sent towards the east (Karweru), was a group of Abasigi (warrior clan members). This group was under the leadership of Rwandeme. This was the strongest group that was to fight the forces of Ankore. Embarrassingly, legend has it Rwandeme ended up losing the Royal Drum. and because of this never dared to return. He remained in the mountains of Karweru and his group intermarried with the Ankore people. This explains why the Abasigi can be found in these parts of the region. It also explains the presence of different accents, intonations, and spellings in the Rukiga language.
For some reason, (people say out of anger towards his father Mbogo), Kakiga ordered obligatory circumcision of all male children in the Mungura clan. Although many did not support this, but he held firm in his insistence that every Mungura should be circumcised. Till recently, Abungura was the only clan in the entire Kiga tribe where circumcision of males was obligatory. Males were to be circumcised in their the eleventh (11th) year. In the present day, Bakiga parents increasingly self-opt for circumcision for health reasons. Kakiga also instituted the Kiga legacy of the system of naming. Historically, the Kiga people used take the family name after their grandfather, or of their father if their father died before their birth. It is thus quite difficult to trace Bakiga lineages through family names. Nevertheless, this norm still goes on among some of the clans. For instance, Mbogo could be the son of Rwambogo. But in like a seventh generation, Mubangizi could be the son of Mubanga. In the present day, the naming traditions are not as strong especially among the educated. For instance, the Bakiga who have adopted Christianity now give their children theophoric names e.g. Ainemukama (God is with him/her) and Ayebare (Praise be to the him (God))
Kakiga was never able to form a strong kingdom of his own because the people never fully trusted him and he couldn't build a strong enough military. However, even after the loss of the royal drum, he did not relent, he sent another group to attack the north. This was the group of the Abaromba and the Abahimba. These diffused to most parts of Muko, Rubanda, and Kihihi. Other groups went to Kakore and Mparo, and proceeded to Nyakishenyi and Nyarushanje. In the present day, there mixtures of Ankore and Kinyarwanda accents and intonations in these areas. Kakiga forbid his sons and daughters from marrying foreigners, because he believed his lineage should remain composed purely of Bakiga and people from Rwanda.
Kakiga made his shields out of cattle skin. He enjoyed wrestling, dancing, hunting and keeping cattle. The most common figures of the few known Bungura Royals include: Muhanga (Mubanga), Rwabutare, Kamboji, Kabogo, Katumba, Katamujuna, Kahigyi, Bakunzi, Mbogo, Rwakasole, Mungura, Rwambogo. The Abungura, few as they are in the present day, are still the recognized Royal Clan of the Kiga Tribe and many live on outskirts of Kabale Town, were they enjoy their inherited wealth.
In Uganda, Bakiga are known for their toughness and boisterousness. Culturally, educational attainment is massively encouraged, and Bakiga are one of the peoples with the highest literacy rates in Uganda. Among the youth, it is a common joke that Bakiga are "arrogant" and "aggressive".
There has been a variety of experiences in the life of the Bakiga, such as interactions with other Kingdoms, religions, and many other cultures. The Bakiga are very hospitable and enjoy the privilege of having a mixed language. Rukiga, as a language, is a combination of the influence of the accents and alphabets from Rwanda, Ankore, Toro, Bufumbira, and Swahili.
Before the coming of Islam Islam and Christianity, the Bakiga believed in a single God. The Bakiga understanding of God is as creator who is neither male or female, known as Ruhanga. God can also be referred to through his attributes. As the supreme elder and the ruler of the universe, he is called Mukama. When associated with the power of the sun, he is Kazooba-Nyamuhanga. When he is being referred to as the one who makes things grow, he is called Biheeko.
Bakiga these days are classified as Hutu, though they originally they considered themselves an entirely separate people. In modern Rwanda, the Hutus of southern Rwanda are called Banyanduga, while the Hutus in the northern Rwanda are collectively referred to as Bakiga.
Many Bakiga still lived in Rwanda at the time of European colonization. An Anglo-German agreement signed in Brussels on 14 May 1910, modified part of the boundary between British and German territories initially established as the parallel of one degree south latitude by the treaty of 1890. Modified were the sectors between the Congo tripoint and the junction of the Kakitumba and Kagera, comprising the present Rwanda-Uganda boundary, and between the junction and the second crossing of the parallel of one degree south latitude by the Kagera, comprising the western segment of the present Tanzania-Uganda boundary. Details of the final delimitation and demarcation of the Rwanda-Uganda boundary between the Congo tripoint of Sabinio and the southwestern branch (Lubirizi) of the Tshinzinga (Muvogero) are given in an Anglo-German Protocol signed at Kamwezi on 30 October 1911. Therefore, many Bakiga became Ugandans by de facto in 1911 when the current international boundaries of Uganda were formally finalized. Bakiga were a one class society that did not have kings but was based on clans, lineages and households.
The Bakiga communities defended their independence until the collaboration of German colonial forces and the royal troops of the Mwami or Mukama succeeded in incorporating the region into the Rwandan colonial state at the turn of the twentieth century. The region remained a hotbed of discontent against the central authority for many years. One of the strongest influences upon the character of the Bakiga was the anti-centrist cult of Nyabingi.
After the death of the Rwandan King, Kigeri IV Rwabugiri in 1895, one of his wives called Muhumuza fled to the mountains of Kiga and proclaimed an anti-colonial rebellion in 1911. She was captured the same year and her resistance taken up by Ndungutse, often believed to have been the son of Muhumuza and Rwabugiri. Ndungutse was seemingly killed, though sporadic rebellions sprang up until the advent of Belgian rule after World War I. The conditions for these rebellions were created by the system of forced labor tribute (ubareetwa) imposed on the Bakiga by their new colonial masters. P.T.W. Baxter noted that, "The proud boast of the Kiga is that they were never, as a people, subjugated by either Tutsi or Hima." However, this resistance was, paradoxically, in large part led or inspired by disaffected members of the Tutsi elite.
The Bakiga became one of two major forces, along with the hill-level tensions of Hutu peasants and Tutsi chiefs, in the formation of "Social Revolution" of 1959. In the pre-colonial system, land usage was controlled by chiefs who owned land (bakonde) or controlled access to it (bagererwa). With the onset of colonial rule, these chiefs were technically replaced by southern Tutsi and Bakiga who agreed to work for them. However, the old order was never entirely erased, resulting in tensions between the two. While the older bakonde yearned for a return to their old status, younger generations of bakonde were able to merge their claims into that of the anti-colonial/Tutsi revolutionary movement.
When the British came to nowadays Kabale in 1908, they found farmers and hunters living without any central authority, as they preferred to exist in this way, not wanting to be organized in a manner that the other Rwanda groups were. There was frequent fighting, plunder and raids from all sides, of recent epidemics, famines, and a locust invasion had challenged the society. There were very many clans and so, the Europeans applied the concept of a tribe to the clans, with little grounds for it because the Bakiga are a myriad of very distinct clan groups.
Though the ruling class of the Abahitira existed and still exists today (Abungura had collapsed), at that time, the groups were not united in any way and the language they were speaking was a dialectical variation of Runyankore, Kinyarwanda, Kihororo and some kind of Kihaya. The term "Bakiga" could be translated from Kinyarwanda as "Highlanders", and it was in the beginning most frequently used by the Royal clan of the Abungura, though at later time, they were mostly referred to by the outsiders, and rarely did the people themselves recognise it as a whole tribe. Over time it has become a part of local consciousness and today, it is widely known as the people of the hills. However, they did not start out as a single distinct tribe as the other large tribal groups in the region did.
Bakiga are very hardworking and a warrior type. The warrior nature of the Bakiga made it difficult for colonisers to penetrate their culture. The time the colonialists came to Kigezi, they could not influence any single person since they had not yet formed a single body of kingdom, because, it was still underway.
As sporadic attempts of Bakiga's violent resistance to foreign rule often formed around religious cults, entire traditional religion had to go underground to please the administration. Indigenous people initially thought that a convert to Christianity would lose their reasoning capacity and become an idiot. They equated Christianity with colonialism, and when they refused one, they felt obliged to reject the other - or to accept both, if they accepted one.
A glance of the Bakiga 40 years after Uganda's independence would give an impression of thoroughly prevailing European influences. The Bakiga are majority Christian (Muslims are few) and starkly divided into Catholics and Protestants, a division which strongly polarizes communities. One's religion can determine professional prospects and religious preferences heavily influence local political elections.
The Bakiga are very developmental. They love new things and enjoy life. In ancient times they had one thing to admire from colonists, their way of life. Most of the Bakiga dream of having a good life, and decent living. The European way was a perfect image for them. Remember that the state of denial of kingship would still come up in trying to imitate the high life. So for the Bakiga, a European-style home, imported objects are admired, and locals dress in a Western way. As in most of Uganda, people are extremely concerned about clothing. To "look smart" is a priority for anyone who can afford it.
The elaborate, among the older generation, traditional weddings of the Bakiga were being neglected by anyone who could afford a Western-looking ceremony. Clothes were borrowed, music equipment and generators brought to the area, every possible thing done to imitate foreign customs. However of recent, most youth are going back to their cultural ways. Traditional wedding ceremonies are being held more often than before, everyone comes dressed in the Kikiga - Kinyakore wear, as the traditional ceremonies are carried out.
It should also be noted that Bakiga regardless of where they are, have a strong solidarity more so among the youth.
At the meetings of district councils, English is used although everybody is a Mukiga, though it is the problem of the entire country. Parents who know English well, sometimes resort to speaking it with their children. Those who use English are supposed to be educated and successful.
Festo Karwemera, a respected elder from Kabale, offers this general comment: "Accepting the culture of the West is a result of the inferiority complex due to ignorance emanating from the fact that they are the ones introducing civilisation in this land and we tend to assume that everything they do is the best. Their way of living is clean and attractive hence positive because nobody takes trouble to find out how best we can modernise our culture in our own way."
Notable people of Kiga origin include: