Ngbandi people

Last updated
Ngbandi
Total population
122,000
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic
Languages
Ngbandi
Religion
Christianity

The Ngbandi are an ethnic group from the region of the upper Ubangi River; they inhabit the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and southern Central African Republic. They traditionally speak the Ngbandi language, which is part of the Ubangian language family. Historically the Ngbandi were subsistence farmers, and many still grow maize, manioc, and other food crops. Until recently, some of their subsistence depended on traditional hunting and gathering.

They were once known as warriors, and some of the most prized African knives and lances were made by their craftsmen. This culture and others of Sudan had close connections, as expressed by shared usage of a musical instrument, a kind of harp, whose form is distinctive to this area. [1]

Mobutu Sese Seko, the president and de facto dictator of Zaire, came from the Ngbandi ethnic group and was born in Lisala, DRC.

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References

  1. "Ngbandi". Encyclopædia Britannica.

See also