 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(June 2013) |
| Ilunga Sungu | |
|---|---|
| Mulopwe | |
| Investiture | c. 1790 |
| Predecessor | Kumwimbe Kaumbu |
| Successor | Kumwimbe Ngombe |
| Died | c. 1810 Katende |
Ilunga Sungu (died c. 1810) was a ruler (Mulopwe) of the Kingdom of Luba in what is now the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said to have reigned from about 1780 to his death. [1]
Ilunga Sungu's father was King Kekenya and his mother was a Songye princess named Dyango. [2] Kekenya soon died and was succeeded by his nephew, Kumwimbe Kaumbu. Ilunga Sungu lived with his mother's Ilande subgroup of southern Songye people while he was a child. Traditions say Kumwimbe Kaumbu attacked the northern Songe and much of the fighting took place among the southern Songye, but do not mention an attack on Ilunga Sungu. [1] After Kumwimbe Kaumbu died following an unsuccessful battle, he was briefly succeeded by his brother Miketo. Ilunga Sungu disputed the succession and gained the throne without serious opposition. [3]
Ilunga Sungu gained power around 1780, although the exact date is very uncertain. [4] He established his court at Katende, southwest of Lake Boya and 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the west of the Mashyo salt district of the Luba heartland. Previously the Luba kings had built their palaces northeast of Lake Boya, but the move to Katende set a precedent for locating the capital near the Mashyo resource that was followed by Ilunga Sungu's successors. [5] Later he established a second residence at Kipushya village 200 kilometres (120 mi) to the east in the upper Luvidjo River valley, in the iron-producing region of Kilulwe. The two residences lay on either side of the heartland with its wealth of iron and salt. [6] During his rule, the Luba Empire expanded, conquering and assimilating distant peoples, often in densely populated regions. The size achieved was impressive given that all travel was by foot or by canoe. [7]
The kingdom of Mutombo Mukulu lay between the Luba kingdom to its east and the Lunda kingdom to the west. Ilunga Sungu attempted to persuade Mutombo Mukulu to accept his authority, and when this was refused made an unsuccessful attempt to conquer the kingdom. [6] The Kanyok states lay still further west in the area between the Lubilash and Mbuji Mayi rivers. By tradition, the heads of these states paid tribute to the Luba emperors, and at their accession had to visit the Luba emperor and pay tribute before being acknowledged. [8] Around 1800 the Kanyok states became unified, and rejected Luba authority. [9] According to legend, the town of Katende had become so large that the "Lord of Hygiene" could not keep the streets clear of refuse and excrement, even working all day with the help of his sons and relatives. The old king complained, blaming the Kanyoks, and said they should take their dirt home with them. The Kanyok went back to their home in the west and never paid tribute to the Luba again. [10] The Luba invaded Kanyok territory, but after various engagements were forced to withdraw. [11]
To the east, the Luba under Ilunga Sungu had more success with their expansionary policy. The land east of the Lualaba River between the Lukuga and the Luvua rivers was inhabited by the Hemba, or eastern Luba, in the east and the Tumbwe further east in the highlands beside Lake Tanganyika. Luba forces raided this territory and penetrated as far as the region of Kalemie at the source of the Lukuga where it exits the lake. Some of the Luba remained there, settling among the local Holoholo people and paying tribute to the Luba emperors. [12] The Hemba also became tributaries to the Luba, headed by a "fire king", who symbolically represented the Luba king. [13]
Ilunga Sungu died at Katende and was buried there. [14] Two of Ilunga Sungu's sons, Kape and Kumwimbe Ngombe, disputed the throne. After several engagements Kape was captured and executed, and Kumwimbe Ngombe emerged as the ruler. [15] The Hemba fire kingdom in the east cut its links to the Luba empire after Ilunga Sungu died. Kumwimbe had to fight several campaigns to recover the eastern territories. [16]
The Luvua River is a river in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru on the Zambia-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for 350 kilometres (220 mi) to its confluence with the Lualaba River opposite the town of Ankoro. The Lualaba becomes the Congo River below the Boyoma Falls.
The pre-colonial history of the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo encompasses the history of the Congo Basin region up to the establishment of European colonial rule in the era of New Imperialism and particularly the creation of the Congo Free State and its expansion into the interior after 1885. As the modern territorial boundaries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not exist in this period, it is inseparable from the wider pre-colonial histories of Central Africa, the Great Lakes and Rift Valley as well as the Atlantic World and Swahili coast.
The Lubudi River is a tributary of the Lualaba River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Lubudi rises near the Zambian border southwest of Kolwezi. It flows north and northeast to join the Lualaba from the left where the southern Katanga plateau drops into the Upemba Depression, near Bukama.
The Luba people or Baluba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in Katangaand Maniema. The Baluba Tribe consist of many sub-groups or clans
Kazembe is a traditional kingdom in modern-day Zambia, and southeastern Congo. For more than 250 years, Kazembe has been an influential kingdom of the Kiluba-Chibemba, speaking the language of the Eastern Luba-Lunda people of south-central Africa. Its position on trade routes in a well-watered, relatively fertile and well-populated area of forestry, fishery and agricultural resources drew expeditions by traders and explorers who called it variously Kasembe, Cazembe and Casembe.
The Nation of Lunda was a confederation of states in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, north-eastern Angola, and north-western Zambia, its central state was in Katanga.
Albert Kalonji Ditunga was a Congolese politician best known as the leader of the short-lived secessionist state of South Kasai (Sud-Kasaï) during the Congo Crisis.
The Bakwa Dishi is a people belonging to the Luba ethnic group living today in the Kasai-Oriental Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Miabi, the Dishi Capital, is located 16 miles (26 km) West of Mbuji-Mayi. The territory of the Bakwa Dishi lies on approximately 1,900 square miles (4,900 km2), which is known as the Miabi territory.
Ilunga Mbidi was a soldier and cultural hero of the Luba and Lunda people.
Tshibinda Ilunga was a Luba Prince and Emperor of the Lunda and their civilizing hero.
Kongolo was a leader of Luba people in the region of Katanga, and the first king of the Luba Empire. He built his capital in Mwibele, near Lake Boya. Kongolo Mwamba was trying to extend his kingdom in conquering the Songye neighbouring chiefdoms.
The Kingdom of Luba or Luba Empire (1585–1889) was a pre-colonial Central African state that arose in the marshy grasslands of the Upemba Depression in what is now southern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Paul-Amédée Le Marinel (1858–1912) was an American-born officer in the Belgian army who became an explorer and administrator in the Congo Free State. He was best known for his expedition to Katanga in 1891.
The Holoholo also known as Kalanga are a Bantu ethnic group that inhabit the shores of central lake Tanganyika. The majority of them live near Kalemie city on Lake Tanganyika in Tanganyika Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on the opposite shore of the lake in Uvinza District of Kigoma Region in Tanzania.
Katende, or Sungu-Katende, was a royal sacred village of the Kingdom of Luba. It was adjacent to the village of Kabondo. Katende is on the upper Lomami in the Lualaba region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lake Boya is a small lake about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Kabongo in Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake is surrounded by high reeds, and has a thriving population of birds.
The Hemba people are a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Luba art refers to the visual and material culture of the Luba people. Most objects were created by people living along the Lualaba River and around the lakes of the Upemba Depression, or among related peoples to the east in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rémy Mwamba (1921–1967) was a Congolese politician who twice served as Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was also a leading figure of the Association Générale des Baluba du Katanga (BALUBAKAT).