Kalala Ilunga

Kalala Ilunga
Kalala Ilunga
Reign	c. 1600 / c. 1700
Coronation	c. 1600
Predecessor	Ilunga Mbili
Born	Kingdom of Luba
House	Kingdom of Luba
Father	Ilunga Mbili aka Mbidi Kiluwe
Mother	Bulanda

Last updated December 20, 2024

Kalala Ilunga (b. 16th century) was a Prince, King and one of the emperors of Luba Empire, the latter of which spread over the province of Katanga (before cutting) into Zambia and Zimbabwe. A mythic cultural hero who had invented much of Luba culture, Kalala is the first sacred King of the Kingdom of Luba and its most revered son.^[1]

Known as "The Warrior" and regarded as the most famous of Luba Kings for having been able to praise himself for his future exploits the same day he was born, Kalala Ilunga was the eldest son of Ilunga Mbili and nephew of King Kongolo Mwamba. From a young age, Kalala is an attractive option by his capacity warrior (like his father), his intelligence, powerful presence as well as his spiritual and mystical gifts.

Kongolo, on the other hand, already old and worried for his offspring and his empire ambitions and fearing revenge against Ilunga Mbili, will organize a plot to eliminate Kalala as well. During a ceremony at the Court, Kalala Ilunga, like all other Princes had to do a ritual dance before the king. In the dance hall had been dug a hole where there had concealed spears and fetishes so that Kalala Ilunga would fall over and die. However, priests Mbudie had echoes of the trap and alerted him. During the ceremony, Kalala Ilunga performed his dance with caution to avoid the trap. After the coup failed, Kongolo held another conspiracy with the complicity of a few soldiers.

It was expected that the slaughter Kalala Ilunga warriors on the battlefield. When the mutiny broke out, the faithful of the protected Kalala Ilunga and came out victorious. Thinking that his victory was gained, Kongolo went on the battlefield to find Kalala Ilunga living and supported by the soldiers. Kalala Ilunga went after Kongolo, caught him and killed him. He took care to take his head and his genitals with whom he returned to the capital of Mwibele. In exposing the people and the court, he was immediately proclaimed King of kings, Mulopwe (Emperor in Tshiluba).

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zāl</span> Legendary Iranian king

Zāl, alternatively spelled as Zaal, is a legendary Iranian king from Sistan, and is recognized as one of the greatest warriors of the Shahnameh epic. He is the father of the equally legendary Iranian hero, Rostam.

Sarsa Dengel, also known as Sarsa the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was throne name Malak Sagad I. He is considered one of the greatest warrior-kings of the Ethiopian Empire.

The Lukuga River is a tributary of the Lualaba River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that drains Lake Tanganyika. It is unusual in that its flow varies not just seasonally but also due to longer term climate fluctuations.

The Luba people or Baluba are a Bantu 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 Katanga, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï-Central, Lomami and Maniema. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups or clans.

Madra kingdom was a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. Its capital was Sagala in the Madra region. The Kuru king Pandu's (Pāṇḍu) second wife was from Madra kingdom and was called Madri. The Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, were her sons. Madri's brother Shalya was the king of Madra. Though affectionate to the Pandavas, he was tricked to give support to Duryodhana and fought against the Pandavas during the Kurukshetra War. He was killed by Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava. Other than the Madra kingdom with Sagala as its capital, it is believed that there was a Western Madra and a Northern Madra.

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 or Chibinda Yirung was a Luba and founder of the Lunda Kingdom that covered large parts of modern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.

Ilunga Tshibinda was a Mwata Gaand of Luba descent. He was the second son of Ilunga Mbidi and younger brother Kalala Ilunga.

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 by conquering the neighbouring Songye chiefdoms.

The Unknown Warrior is an unidentified member of the British Imperial armed forces who died on the western front during the First World War. He is interred in a grave at Westminster Abbey, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

The Vira people or Bavira are one of the most numerous ethnic groups in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. These people are located in the region of Uvira in the East of the country, on the northeast coast of Lake Tanganyika at the border with Burundi. The Bavira are also known in the name of Benembuga in Kivira which means "authentic Uvira citizens."

The Luba Empire or Kingdom of Luba 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.

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.

Ilunga Sungu 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.

The Hemba people or Luba-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.

Lukasa, "the long hand", is a memory device that was created, manipulated and protected by the Bambudye, a once powerful secret society of the Luba. Lukasa are examples of Luba art.

The Monarchy of Germany was the system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918.

References

↑ "Luba Art and Divination - Art & Life in Africa - the University of Iowa Museum of Art".

This biographical article about a person from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This African history–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Luba Art and Divination - Art & Life in Africa - the University of Iowa Museum of Art".

[1]