Bakonjo-Bamba People of UgandaThe Details about The Bakonjo-Bamba People of Uganda and their Culture in Africa .The Bakonjo-Bamba are Bantu and they are said to have a common origin with the other Bantu groups.
The Bakonjo are found in the District of Kasese. They are the most numerous of the Rwenzori peoples, being more than the Bamba or the Bambuti. Physically they are generally short and stout. What are their origins Custom Search Legend has it that the Bakonjo once lived on Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda and that during the Kintu migration, the Bakonjo came with Kintu and other peoples to Buganda. However, rather than settle in Buganda, the Bakonjo decided to continue and settle in the western highland s of Mount Rwenzori which has a climate similar to that of Mount Elgon where they had originally lived. This is said to have been around A.D 1300. Another tradition asserts that the Bakonjo have lived on Mount Rwenzori from time immemorial and that they have no foreign place of origin. This tradition asserts that the ancestor of the Bakonjo emerged from the caves of Mt.Rwenzori and produced the rest of the Bakonjo. This tradition however is too simplistic to be generally accepted. What could best be said is that since the Bakonjo are Bantu speaking, they could trace their origin to the Congo region where the other Bantu groups originated.Click here if you want to read about the Baganda culture
Their traditional marriageMarriage among the Bakonjo-Bamba was a matter of great social concern. It was usual for families to book spouses early in life. Often the booking would be done on the day the boy was initiated. No marriage could be socially recognized unless bride wealth obligations had been settled. The bride wealth was normally paid in form of goats. The number of goats was determined by the economic status of the families concerned. In addition to the number of goats, a digging stick and an animal skin had to be included. The digging stick would replace the girl’s lost labour and the skin would replace one used by the girl when young. In modern times, a hoe and a blanket have replaced the digging stick and the skin. Divorce was rare but in the event of it, all the goats given as bride wealth would be given back. All un married girls were supposed to be virgins. If a girl conceived before marriage, she would be executed.
The Bakonjo share some elements of culture with the Bamba. One such element was the initiation. The purpose of initiation was to transform the initiates from childhood to adulthood. Therefore all the male children, before or after reaching puberty, had to undergo circumcision. This was conducted jointly by the Bakonjo and the Bamba. The ceremony would normally begin in Bwamba and then end in Bukonjo. The initiation ceremony was conducted after long intervals, often fifteen to seventeen years. It involved all male children from the age of three years.
For more information on the culture of Uganda people, click to any of your choice and the new page will be opened for your full view Baganda People and their Culture Banyankole People and their Culture Bakiga People and their Culture Batooro People and their Culture Acholi People and their Culture The Bachwezi People and their Culture Bafumbira or Banyarwanda People and their Culture Bagishu People and their Culture Bagwere People and their Culture Banyole People and their Culture Banyoro People and their Culture Basamia-Bagwe People and their Culture Basoga People and their Culture Batwa or Bambuti People and their Culture Japadhola People and their Culture Kakwa People and their Culture Karimojongo People and their Culture Kumam People and their Culture Langi People and their Culture Lugbara People and their Culture Okebu People and their Culture Sebei People and their Culture
Click to return from Bakonjo-Bamba back to other people of Uganda Click to return Back to Home Page
Do you have a great story about this? Share it!
|
