Western Lakes Bantu languages

Western Lakes Bantu
Geographic distribution	Rwanda, Burundi, Kigoma Region, South Kivu, North Kivu, Kisoro District, Rwenzururu, Kagera Region
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Northeast Bantu Great Lakes Bantu Western Lakes Bantu
Proto-language	Proto-Western Lakes Bantu [1]
Subdivisions	Kabwari Kivu Rwenzori
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	west2842

The Western Lakes Bantu languages form a subgroup of the Great Lakes Bantu languages spoken in Rwanda, Burundi the DRC, Uganda and Tanzania.

Classification

The Western Lakes Bantu languages are classified within the Glottolog database as follows: ^[2]

• Kabwari
• Kivu
  • Forest Kivu
    • Fuliiric
      • Fuliiru-Vira
        • Fuliiru
        • Vira (also called Joba)
      • Nyindu
      • Nyindu
    • Hunde-Havu
      • Havu
      • Hunde
    • Shi
    • Tembo
  • West Highlands Kivu
    • Kinyarwanda
    • Rundic
      • Ha
      • Hangaza-Shubi
        • Hangaza
        • Shubi
      • Kirundi
    • Kitwa
    • Vinza
• Rwenzori
  • Konzo
  • Nande

History

Proto-Western Lakes Bantu was developed in 400 AD by those who remained in the original Proto-Great Lakes Bantu homeland, which was in and on the hillsides of the Kivu Rift Valley. ^[3]

Similar to the Okiek people in Kenya, the Great Lakes Twa played important roles as "outsiders" in the ritual and oral historiographic life of Western Lakes Bantu speaking societies. ^[4]

References

1. A Green Place, a Good Place: Agrarian Change, Gender, and Social Identity in the Great Lakes Region to the 15th Century. Boydell & Brewer, Limited. 1998. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-85255-681-8.
2. https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/west2842
3. A Green Place, a Good Place: Agrarian Change, Gender, and Social Identity in the Great Lakes Region to the 15th Century. Boydell & Brewer, Limited. 1998. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-85255-681-8.
4. A Green Place, a Good Place: Agrarian Change, Gender, and Social Identity in the Great Lakes Region to the 15th Century. Boydell & Brewer, Limited. 1998. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-85255-681-8.