The Yira are subdivided into 12 clans including the Baswagha, Basukali, Bamate, Bahira, Bakira, Bahambo, Bito, Batangi, Bahumbe, Bakumbule, Batike and Babinga. Each clan is independent and ruled by its own family head, also called king (omukama, omughole or omwami). There is no common supreme king of the Yira.
Language
The Nande of Congo and the Konjo people of Uganda are a single ethnic group, which they call Yira (Bayira). They trace their origins to the Ruwenzori Mountains between the two countries. The languages Nande and Konjo are close enough to be considered divergent dialects. Nande has a number of dialects of its own: Nande proper, Kumbule, Mate, Tangi, Sanza, Shu, Songola (Songoora, Nyangala), Swaga / Kira (in Nande, all of these are prefixed with eki-).
Their language is Olhuyira, a Bantu language whose number of speakers in the DRC was estimated at more than 10,000,000 in 2022 and nearly 1,000,000 in Uganda.
For the varieties of this language known as Shu we are given the information [3] that another language, "EkiShukaali" was formerly spoken by the women, the AvaShukaali. This may be a specific reference to some kind of "secret jargon" into which the girls, and not boys, were initiated.
Some of the Nande of Congo have a patron–vassal relationship with the Efé Pygmies.
Palatal and labio-velar glides [j, w] are only heard as a result of front vowels /i, ɪ, ɛ/ or back vowels /u, ʊ, ɔ/ preceding other vowels, or in stem-initial positions between two vowels.
Voiceless plosives /p, t, k/ can be freely heard as voiced [b, d, ɡ] among speakers, or voiced stops may also occur in loanwords.
Sounds /ɛ, ɔ/ can also occur as more tense (close) vowels [e, o] within stems containing tense vowels (like /i, u/), or within stems in plural form.[4]
Economy
Among the Nande people there is a lot of trade. Historically, the Nande people traded salt from Lake Katwe in Uganda. Thanks to the evolution of trade among the Nande and following their strong economic relations with East Africa, the Middle and the Far East, villages have now become cities: Butembo, Beni, Oicha, Luholu, Kasindi ... and neighboring agglomerations have become towns: Goma, Kisangani, Bunia, Isiro, etc.
Despite the economic crisis that hit the whole country during the time of the Republic of Zaire, the region of Beni-Lubero and the city of Butembo have maintained a flourishing economic activity and until today despite the wars. Industrialization had started in the region at the initiative of the local economic elite with the special economic zone of Musienene. The Nande people have also produced an intellectual elite who have distinguished themselves in all areas of national and international life, and particularly:
The Nande people are above all farmers and breeders of small livestock, cattle breeding being a particularity of certain large families only. They have become the major producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa, cinchona and tea throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo. Plantains, tubers, cereals,... are other foodstuffs most cultivated among this people. They practice fishing in Lake Edward (Lake Mutsyamiria) with a production of 16,000 tons of fish per year also in the rivers Semuliki, Tayna, Talhya, Luholu, etc.
Following this evolution of agriculture for centuries among this people, several organizations have just emerged locally to sustainably support these peasant farmers.
Names
The following Yira names have become very popular throughout the world, because of a great increase in the birth rate among this people and their strong representations in the various fields of life, these names form one of their particularities , these names are in each restricted family, here are their meanings:
Boy names
The first eldest son of the family is called: NZANZU, KAMBERE, MUMBERE, PALUKU, BALUKU = Omuluki wekihanda (the one who weaves/reunite the family),
2nd boy is called: KAMBALE, BWAMBALE, TSONGO, KAMBASU, KOMBI = Oyuka ongoza echihanda (the one who leads the family),
3rd boy is called: KASEREKA, MASEREKA, KABUYAYA, KAMATE, MATHE = Oyukachirika ekihanda (the one who defends the family),
4th boy is called: KAKULE, KULE= Oyukabika ebindu byekihanda (family logistician),
5th boy: KATEMBO, THEMBO = Oyuka husika ne sende (in charge of finance),
6th boy: MBUSA, KAVUSA = Oyuka mbusira ekihanda (in charge of diplomacy),
The younger: NDUNGO.
Girls names
The first eldest daughter: MUSOKI, SOKI, KASOKI, KANYERE, MASIKA = Oyuka nyerera, sakira ekihanda (to look for food),
2nd daughter: KAVIRA, KATSIRAVWENGE, BIIRA = Oyukabiraya (in charge of hygiene and cleanliness),
3rd daughter: KAVUGHO, KABUO, KASWERA = Oyukabuhirira (in charge of communication / Family spokesperson),
4th daughter: KAHAMBU, KAMBAMBU, MBAMBU = Oyukahambirira abandi (the one who helps others),
5th daughter: KATHUNGU = Omuthungi (in charge of breeding and aesthetics),
- The boy who is born after a girl or vice versa: MUHINDO, KAHINDO.
- A child born after another who died: KATSUVA, NZUVA, MUSUBAHO.
- A child born after two others who died: KYAVIRO, KISUGHU.
- The Twins: VAHASA.
• The 1st of the Twins: NGURU.
• The 2nd of the Twins: NDOVYA.
- Children born after Twins: KITSA, KAMALA.
- An illegitimate child: KAHEMU, MUHEMU.
Culture
The term "KYAGHANDA" designates the hut with two and sometimes three entrances, generally located in the middle of the village. It is there that the inhabitants of the village usually meet to solve their vital problems and provide, in all solidarity, solutions deemed appropriate. The Kyaghanda currently operate in several towns and villages around the world where the Yira meet.
The term “ISUMBA” designates both secret societies and the clay statuettes used in initiation rites. These closed societies were reserved for men, who had to recognize each figurine and arrange them in a precise order.
Dance and music
Dance in Olhuyira: “amasata, amavina, amahotole” is a gesture par excellence reflecting the various feelings of man developing both as a rhythm in time and in space. The position and movement of the body in the Yira dance translates prayer.
Here are some Yira dances according to the circumstances of exhibition and then according to the instruments of execution:
a) The dances according to the circumstances of exhibition
The dances can be current, ancestral according to joyful and sad events or picturesque circumstances. The art of dance being sacred or profane, we distinguish between show dance and entertainment dance.
We distinguish among the Yira:
Popular celebration dances: Omunde, Amalembo, Amangudu, Amatakiyo, Ebwaya, Ekila, Endara, Enduku and Erisole.
The enthronement or investiture dances: Emburura, Endungulu and Erighomba.
Initiation dances: Amaghengeleghengele, Engyengo, Omukumo w'avakali n'ow'avalume, Omumbitili and Omutetere.
The funeral dances: Amasindula, Engwaki, Omukonga, Omukovo and Ovusingiri.
Recreational or entertainment dances: Akasambi, Akasayi, Dahudahu, Ekibaliya, Ekidali, Ekimbati, Ekimbakisi, Ekipulenge, Ekituta, Ekiyamba, Ekururu, Emikalihyo, Enanga, Endeku, Epuli, Eriduku, Erikembe, Olusengo, Oluveve, Omughoviro, Omusayi and Ovurwani.
b) Dances according to instruments
A. Idiophones: These instruments where it is the material of which they are composed that provides the sound thanks to its acoustic properties.
1. direct percussion:
Endara (Xylophone)
Esyongereghese or ngangatiro (gong)
Esyonzeve
2. indirect percussion:
Erisengo (calabash bell)
Eritsetse (Fruit Shell Bell)
Ekiyamba (Bell)
3. by pinching:
Akasambi (Kaffir)
Erikembe (sanza) or lamellophone
Akasayi
B. Aerophones: These are air or wind instruments with a bevel or reed.
Erirenga (Whistle)
Enyamulera and epuli (Flute)
Endeku-neku (whistle)
Enguvi (horn trumpet)
Embingu (Wizard's Whistle)
Orumaka (wooden trumpet) whistle for fair weather makers
Orwamo (rainmaker's whistle)
C. Membanophones: The sound is due to a stretched membrane. The following dances are performed to the accompaniment of the drums.
D. Chordophones: All sleeveless instruments separate from the body and whose strings are parallel to its resonance board.
Ekipulenge: musical bow (mouth zither)
Omughoviro: trough
arched harps:
Enzenze (stick zither)
Enanga (arched harp with violin body)
Ekidali (Guitar)
4. Zithers
Akaghovoghovo (rebec or fiddle)
Akawarewere
Myths
The myth of the big drum
The myth of the Great Drum begins with the story of the couple and the human family. He says that: “Up there, on the hill of creation, higher than the clouds of Rwenzori, God Nyamuhanga the Creator gave each creature a mission.
The Ende (cow) carried between its horns a large Risingi (drum). God Nyamuhanga had placed two human beings there: Kisi the Great Sun and Nyabhandu, the mother of men. Each was seated in his royal E'ndeve (chair) and inhaled the scent of O'Bhukwa incense; to see each other in this darkness God Nyamuhanga had given Kisi and Nyabhandu an o'bhulhengekania (consciousness) and bio-efflorescent hair that shone like the firefly (e'ngununu). This great Drum was the land of great peace O'bhuthekane.
One day, the cow wanted to relieve herself. She looked down and dropped the great Drum. She ran to God Nyamuhanga to be forgiven for losing her royal office. God Nyamuhanga sent him to reconcile with those who were seated in the great Drum which became a canoe when it crashed on Lake Mutsyamiria (Lake Edward today). While the great Drum swooped down, Kisi the Great Sun jostled Nyabhandu the mother of men. This one emitted the first word of the men which is a questioning: “what are you doing Ukayira uthi? Hence the ethnonym Yira given to the Nande to designate the people of those who were born after the first word of our Ancestors Nyabhandu and Kisi. The village they founded is called Bhuhikira, the place where they landed; the child born there is called Mukira, the ancestor of the Bakira clan; they had many children, who are the founding Ancestors of all the YIRA clans with all its ramifications”.
Crossing on the Dragon's Back (Omughongo we ndioka)
Thus, according to the mythology transmitted from father to son, the nande crossed the Semliki river, on the back of the dragon to reach the other bank in the Congo. To tell the truth, the passage was made at the ford of Kapanza. At times of drought, the stones emerge from the water so that one can easily cross the river.
It is these stone points that have been compared to the scaly back of the dragon that the narrative tradition conveys from father to son as a mythology, with an underlying religious idea. This mysterious crossing was made possible thanks to the intervention of the spirit Katulikanzira, who preceded the convoy of immigrants and settled them in the place of his choice. Nevertheless, during the crossing, part of the Nande remained in Uganda on the east coast of the Ruwenzori mountains and the Semliki river which separate the Congo from Uganda. These are currently called Konzo. They were geographically and administratively separated from their Nande brothers during the division of Africa between the great European powers in 1885. They keep, however, the same habits and customs as the Nande apart from the linguistic nuances in Lhukonzo.
The Yira tradition relates that one day on the hill of creation, the Creator God O'Muhangitshi answered the prayer of the Nande who were threatened with famine due to a very incendiary drought. He summoned all the heavenly Bhalhimu deities found in the world to protect him. He ordered them to transport the Ruwenzori mountain to plant it in the middle of the Nande country which was terribly short of water.
Hangi the Spirit of Providence and Luck was in the front row followed by Mbolu the protector of female youth and Lusenge the protector of male youth. The Kapipi Spirit, the Master of the forest and of the initiation to wisdom, was in the last row surrounded by his pack of seventy-seven sacred dogs of the hunt. The convoy also included all the goddesses in charge of gifts to be offered as gifts to God Nyamuhanga the Supreme Being as soon as they arrived in the land of the Nande. As the Providence Hangi was walking very fast, the Spirit Muhima the Great Celestial Seer, claimed that he alone carried the Ruwenzori Mountain. The other deities got angry and let go of the Ruwenzori mountain to make the Great Seer Muhima understand that he alone was unable to accomplish this heavy task of transporting a mountain.
To calm their anger, the Spirit of Providence Hangi caused rain to fall on the whole country where the drought was raging. He reconciled all the members of the procession by inviting them to dialogue where everyone was given the floor by the Spirit Mulhekya the Peacemaker, happy to have been refreshed by the celestial shower. When it was the turn of the animals to speak, the smallest of the dogs of the last pack of the deity Kapipi addressed this famous word to the Great Seer Muhima: "you have to know how to count on others". This is why the Ruwenzori massif is still where the gods left it. He has not moved, he continues to make the fresh water of Providence Hangi flow there.
This is the reason why all the rites of reconciliation between the clans begin with the gestures of sprinkling the shoulders and ablution of the feet and the hand with water drawn from the Ruwenzori glacier or Tsithwa -tsya-Nzururu which means the big hill with eternal snow in the local language Kinande.
Proverbs
Yira literature is so vast with many authors mostly priests from the Diocese of Butembo-Beni. Here are some proverbs of wisdom:
Akathi kake, kakana lahukira oko mundu kw'amavi = little things can dishonor you.
Eyaviriheswa sirivula kathatha kerilima = a hoe is never afraid to plow the field.
A'mavwe wosi awo ukatwikalako syalikulangika = all the stones you hit cannot be torn away.
Thavwirika mwania o'mwilegha = he who does not listen to the advice of others ends up causing a scandal.
A'kanyunyu kamaghuluka kakavirirawa ngoko kaketshira ahisi = when the bird flies, it forgets that it will come down to earth.
O'mughunda syalyalotha akasinga oko vwami = the ordinary citizen does not dream of his enthronement as King.
Thowa vusindi ni muhumangotho = he who does not understand through proverbs is a...
Avali vaviri vo vita mbeva = Those who are together are the ones who kill a rat, unity is strength.
Amalw'avaghuma syalivughawako = the quarrel of the brothers, we don't talk about it.
Akavuli katowa kakowa omutwe iniali okoliko = who doesn't listen to adult advice realizes it when it's too late.
Amabhwe ni manji, lakini amathalyo ni make = the initiates are numerous but the elect are limited.
Abhakali ni bhangi ihane owaghu = women are many when you have found yours.
Akaghekagheka kyiti = exaggerated possessive money love of one's property kills.
Oyo wahola omo thuthuthu mweya e'kulimu ivaviri tshinga, ni kwa, n'oyo wahola o'mwigholo mweya e'kulimu ivaviri tsingula = what is denied on earth will also be denied in heaven and what is accepted on earth will also be accepted into heaven.
Erisire riri oko ame rikakwima amaseka = when a loved one commits a mistake or a crime, we don't talk about it.
Wamavinya oko vyigha avothathakulu wawu athawyako iukendi kw'embathu = if you walk in the way other than that of your ancestors you will be cursed.
Ovwenghemire vukavugha ovwimene = the less clever can harm you.
Eriryatsa okomunwe ni sikyawo = to correct or advise a man is to respect him.
Thwahikire ngundu ivwe = we let evil approach us.
Eriviha ry'embuli murya lheka iyingira omokithegho = let us avoid haste, for fear of being trapped.
Oyuthawithe e'mbunda syalivuya vitshindo = when you are weak you do not frighten anyone.
Ahaka hika ovuno, ho hatehika omughusu = saying and doing are two different things, action does not follow speech.
Akhalhibo ni k'ekwanza n'erithitya ni lhya kaviri = the first thing is to welcome, giving is only the second.
Related Research Articles
The Bantu languages are a language family of about 600 languages that are spoken by the Bantu peoples of Central, Southern, Eastern and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages.
Niger–Congo is a hypothetical language family spoken over the majority of sub-Saharan Africa. It unites the Mande languages, the Atlantic–Congo languages, and possibly several smaller groups of languages that are difficult to classify. If valid, Niger–Congo would be the world's largest in terms of member languages, the third-largest in terms of speakers, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area. It is generally considered to be the world's largest language family in terms of the number of distinct languages, just ahead of Austronesian, although this is complicated by the ambiguity about what constitutes a distinct language; the number of named Niger–Congo languages listed by Ethnologue is 1,540.
The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, or Rwenzururu are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches 5,109 metres (16,762 ft), and the range's upper regions are permanently snow-capped and glaciated. Rivers fed by mountain streams form one of the sources of the Nile. Because of this, European explorers linked the Ruwenzori with the legendary Mountains of the Moon, claimed by the Greek scholar Ptolemy as the source of the Nile. Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda are located within the range.
The Adhola people, also known as Jopadhola, are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo peoples that live in Tororo District of Eastern Uganda and comprise about eight percent of the country's total population. They speak Dhopadhola,, which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilotic language family. They are primarily pastoralists. The Jopadhola call their land Padhola which, according to historian Bethwell Ogot, is an elliptic form of "Pa Adhola" meaning the "place of Adhola", the founding father of the Jopadhola people. Officially, land of the Adhola is called Padhola, but the Baganda who misinterpret 'Widoma' – a Dhopadhola word for 'war cry' meaning 'You are in trouble' refer to the Jopadhola as "Badama". The social structure of the Jopadhola can be described as semi centralised because there is no traditional centralized government and its organization is limited to a clan called Nono. There are over 52 clans, each with cultural practices, common ancestry and a distinct lineage.
Tsonga or, natively, Xitsonga, as an endonym, is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people of South Africa. It is mutually intelligible with Tswa and Ronga and the name "Tsonga" is often used as a cover term for all three, also sometimes referred to as Tswa-Ronga. The Xitsonga language has been standardised for both academic and home use. Tsonga is an official language of South Africa, and under the name "Shangani" it is recognised as an official language in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. All Tswa-Ronga languages are recognised in Mozambique. It is not official in Eswatini.
Butembo is a city in North Kivu, in the north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on the Rwenzori graben and west of Virunga National Park.The city is an important commercial centre with large markets, a cathedral, multiple large hospitals, and an airport. It is the city where live the most prosperous businessmen of the East of the country. The city is located in a region known for tea and coffee growing. As of 2024 it had an estimated population of 154,621.
Tooro or Rutooro is a Bantu language spoken mainly by the Tooro people (Abatooro) from the Tooro Kingdom in western Uganda. There are three main areas where Tooro as a language is mainly used: Kabarole District, Kyenjojo District and Kyegegwa District. Tooro is unique among Bantu languages as it lacks lexical tone. It is most closely related to Runyoro.
Nkore is a Bantu language spoken by the Nkore ("Banyankore") of south-western Uganda in the former province of Ankole, as well as in Tanzania, the DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the use of music is not limited to entertainment: it serves a purpose to the local community and helps in the conduct of daily routines. Traditional African music supplies appropriate music and dance for work and for religious ceremonies of birth, naming, rites of passage, marriage and funerals. The beats and sounds of the drum are used in communication as well as in cultural expression.
The Jita are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in Rorya District of Mara Region in northern Tanzania, on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria. In 2005 the Jita population was estimated to number 205,000. The Jita have many clans such as the Rusori clan, Batimba clan, and Bagamba clan.
The Banyarwanda are a Bantu ethnolinguistic supraethnicity. The Banyarwanda are also minorities in neighboring Burundi, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania
The Great Lakes Bantu languages, also known as Lacustrine Bantu and Bantu zone J, are a group of Bantu languages of East Africa. They were recognized as a group by the Tervuren team, who posited them as an additional zone to Guthrie's largely geographic classification of Bantu.
Amba is a Bantu ethnic group located on the border area between the DRC and Uganda south of Lake Albert in the northern foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. On the Uganda side, they are found in Bundibugyo District. On the Congolese side, they are located in the Watalinga and Bawisa subcounties of Beni, South Kivu. Numbering 42,559 on the Uganda side in the 2014 census and 4,500 on the Congolese side according to a 1991 SIL International estimate, Ethnologue lists their total population as 40,100. Agriculturalists, the Baamba traditionally cultivate plantains, millet, maize, sweet potatoes, peanuts, rice, coffee, cotton, and cassava, while raising goats and sheep. The Baamba practice Christianity.
Nyambe is the Supreme God, Sky Father, and God of the Sun across numerous traditional Bantu religions.
The Karamojong language is a Nilotic language spoken by the Karamojong people in Northeast Uganda.
The lhukonzo (Konzo) language, variously rendered Lukonzo, Olukonzo, and konzo, is a Bantu language spoken by the Konzo people of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has a 77% lexical similarity with Nande. There are many dialects, including Sanza (Ekisanza).
The Twa are a group of indigenous Central African foragers tribes. These cultural groups were formerly called Pygmies by European writers, but the term is no longer preferred based on its cultural and geographic inaccuracy, as well as being seen as pejorative. Cultural groups are being reclassified by themselves based on their function in society, lineage, and land ties.
Nyabinghi or Nyabingi is a legendary woman in the culture of Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, where religions or 'possession cults' formed around her.
The Bafumbira, are a Bantu ethnic group from Kisoro District in South Western Uganda. They are of three indigenous groups: Bahutu, Batutsi and Batwa.
Dott Services Limited, commonly referred to as Dott Services, is a Ugandan engineering and construction company. It is one of the leading companies in the engineering and construction fields, in the African Great Lakes Region, as of December 2021. Headquartered in Kampala, Uganda's capital city, Dott Services is active in Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan and DR Congo,
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.
