Rangi people

Last updated
Rangi people
Valangi [1]
0118 Chapati backen.jpg
A Rangi woman preparing chapati for her tea house in central Tanzania.
Total population
880,000 (2022) [2]
Regions with significant populations
Tanzania (Dodoma Region, specifically in Kondoa District) [2] [1]
Languages
Rangi, Swahili [1]
Religion
Majority Star and Crescent.svg Islam (93%) [1] [2]
Related ethnic groups
Alagwa, Swahili [2]

The Rangi (Rangi: Valangi; Swahili: Warangi) [1] are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group of mixed Bantu and Cushitic heritage in the Dodoma Region of central Tanzania. In 2022, the Rangi population was estimated to number 880,000. [3]

Contents

Endonym & Exonym

The Rangi use the endonym Valangi to refer to themselves, however the Swahili exonym Warangi is more commonly used in Tanzania to refer to group. Likewise, the Rangi use the endonym Kilangi to refer to their language, but most people in Tanzania use the Swahili exonym of Kirangi instead. In English, the Swahili plural prefix of Wa and the Swahili artifact prefix of Ki are often dropped, resulting in both the people and language being referred to as Rangi. [1]

History

Sources differ on when the Rangi became a distinct ethnic group, with some suggesting approximately 300 AD and others say around the range of 1500-1700. Despite being a Bantu ethnic group, most Rangi do not believe that their ancestors came from the West, and that they actually came from the North and East (Ethiopia and Sudan). Meanwhile, other Rangi believe that their ancestors originated from the West. This makes sense as the Rangi have both Cushitic (Northeastern) and Bantu (Western) heritage. When the Rangi arrived in the Dodoma region they began assimilating surrounding Cushitic peoples, primarily the Alagwa and Burunge. The Rangi also assimilated the neighboring Nyaturu people, another Bantu ethnic group. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swahili language</span> Bantu language spoken mainly in East Africa

Swahili, also known by its local name Kiswahili, is a Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique. Estimates of the number of Swahili speakers, including both native and second-language speakers, vary widely. They generally range from 60 million to 150 million; with most of its native speakers residing in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kisii people</span> Ethnic group of Kenya

The Abagusii are a Bantu ethnic group indigenous to Kisii and Nyamira counties of former Nyanza, as well as parts of Kericho and Bomet counties of the former Rift Valley province of Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodoma Region</span> Region of Tanzania

Dodoma Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the city of Dodoma. Dodoma is located in central Tanzania, bordered by Singida region to the west, Manyara region to the north, Iringa region to the south, and Morogoro region to the east. Dodoma region hosts the nation's capital city, where the legislative assembly of Bunge is based. Dodoma region also hosts one of the largest universities in Tanzania: University of Dodoma. The region is the home of the Tanzanian wine industry, which is the second largest wine industry on the continent after South Africa. According to the 2022 national census, the region had a population of 3,085,625; in the 2012 national census, the population was 2,083,588.

The Gogo also known as Gongwe(Wagogo, in Swahili) are Nilotic ethnic group but Speak Bantu languages based in the Dodoma Region of central Tanzania. In 1992 the Gogo population was estimated to number 1,300,000..Their Origin is from Nubia nowday called Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manyema</span> Ethnic group from Kigoma Region of Tanzania and eastern DRC

Manyema (WaManyema) (Una-Ma-Nyema, eaters of flesh) are a Bantu ethnic group, described in the past as powerful and warlike, in the African Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa and Central Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turu people (Tanzania)</span> Ethnic and linguistic group based in the Singida Region of north-central Tanzania

The Turu are an ethnic and linguistic group based in the Singida Region of north-central Tanzania who speak Bantu language Kinyaturu. In 1993, the Turu population was estimated to number 556,000. The current population of the Turu is now over 1,000,000. They speak the Turu language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqw people</span> Cushitic ethnic group from Arusha and Manyara Regions of Tanzania

The Iraqw people are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the northern Tanzanian regions. They dwell in southwestern Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania, near the Rift Valley. The Iraqw people then settled in the southeast of Ngorongoro Crater in northern Karatu District, Arusha Region, where the majority of them still reside. In the Manyara region, the Iraqw are a major ethnic group, specifically in Mbulu District, Babati District and Hanang District.

The Alagwa are a Cushitic ethnic group mostly based in the Kondoa District of the Dodoma Region in central Tanzania, an area well known for rock art. Smaller numbers of Alagwa reside in the Hanang district of the Manyara Region in Tanzania, as well. They speak the Alagwa language as a mother tongue, which belongs to the South Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. In 2022, the Alagwa population was estimated to number 52,816 individuals, and Mous (2016) estimates the number of speakers to be slightly over 10,000.

The Burunge or Burungi are a Cushitic ethnic group and among Iraqhw Communities based in the Chemba District of Dodoma Region in central Tanzania. They speak the Burunge language as a mother tongue, which belongs to the South Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. In 2007, the Burunge population was estimated at 30,000 individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kondoa Rock-Art Sites</span> National Historic Site of Tanzania

The Kondoa Rock-Art Sites or Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings are a series of ancient paintings on rockshelter walls in central Tanzania. The Kondoa region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 because of its impressive collection of rock art. These sites were named national monuments in 1937 by the Tanzania Antiquities Department. The paintings are located approximately nine kilometres east of the main highway (T5) from Dodoma to Babati, about 20 km north of Kondoa town, in Kondoa District of Dodoma Region, Tanzania. The boundaries of the site are marked by concrete posts. The site is a registered National Historic Sites of Tanzania.

Burunge is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Tanzania in the Dodoma Region, by the Burunge people, a small community of about 28,000 native speakers that live in the Northeastern region of Tanzania. The Burunge belong to a cluster of Tanzanian groups known as Southern Cushites, which also categorizes Burunge as part of the South Cushitic language family. The Burunge live in close proximity to other languages such as the Rangi, Gogo and Sandawe, and ultimately, their language and culture is endangered by dwindling number of speakers and absorption by larger tribes.

Gorowa is a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania in the Dodoma and Manyara Regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kondoa Mjini</span> Town in Kondoa District, Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Kondoa is a town and administrative ward in the Kondoa District of the Dodoma Region of Tanzania.

Rangi or Langi is a Bantu language spoken by the Rangi people of Kondoa District in the Dodoma Region of Central Tanzania. Whilst the language is known as Rangi in English and Kirangi in the dominant Swahili spoken throughout the African Great Lakes, the self-referent term is Kilaangi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Tanzania</span>

Tanzania is a multilingual country. There are many languages spoken in the country, none of which is spoken natively by a majority or a large plurality of the population. Swahili and English, the latter of which was inherited from colonial rule, are widely spoken as lingua francas. They serve as working languages in the country, with Swahili being the official national language. There are more speakers of Swahili than of English in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantu peoples</span> Ethnolinguistic group in Africa

The Bantu peoples are an indigenous ethnolinguistic grouping of approximately 400 distinct native African ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages. The languages are native to countries spread over a vast area from West Africa, to Central Africa, Southeast Africa and into Southern Africa. Bantu people also inhabit southern areas of Northeast African states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathias E. Mnyampala</span> Tanzanian writer

Mathias E. Mnyampala (1917–1969) was a Tanzanian writer, lawyer, and poet. Mnyampala was born on 18 Novembern 1917 according to a personal record form but he wrote in his autobiography, Maisha ni kugharimia, that he only knew the year with accuracy. He was born in the hamlet of Muntundya depending on the village of Ihumwa in Chamwino District in Dodoma region at the time part of German East Africa. He died on 8 June 1969 in Dodoma city, Tanzania. Mnyampala wrote in Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, not Cigogo, the native language of his ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Historic Sites of Tanzania</span> List of National Heritage Sites of Tanzania

National Historic Sites of Tanzania is an official list of places in Tanzania that have been designated as National Historic Sites as per the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania under the Antiquities Division. The list is not complete and is currently being updated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mbugu people</span> Ethnic group from Tanga Region of Tanzania

The Mbugu people, also known as the Va'maa, Ma'a are an ethnic Bantu and linguistic group hailing from western Usambara Mountains of Lushoto District in Tanga Region of Tanzania. Tanzania's Mbugu language is one of the few true hybrid languages, combining Bantu grammar with Cushitic lexicon. In actuality, the people speak two languages: one closely related to Pare and the other mixed. They are approximately 60,000 living Mbugu people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Sociolinguistic Survey Among the Rangi People" (PDF). SIL International. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cox, Richard (2008). "Why Rangi Christians Continue to Practice African Traditional Religion" (PDF). Dallas International University. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  3. "Langi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2022-07-26.