Abbe people

Baniabungo

Baniabungo / Banyabongo /Bashi / Wanyabungu

The Baniabungo (Banyabongo, Bashi, Wanyabungu), with whom are included the kindred Fulero (Bafuleri, Bafulero, Wafulero) and Havu (Bahavu) to the southeast and north respectively, belong to the Interlacustrine group of Bantu peoples in Democratic Republic of the Congo. All information is on the Baniabungo proper.

 

Basic Economy

The economy has a dual basis — agricultural and pastoral. The staple crops are sorghum and manioc, followed by bananas, but beans, maize, and sweet potatoes also are raised. Cattle and goats are of special importance, furnishing meat as well as milk and butter. Sheep, dogs, and chickens (eggs not eaten by women) are kept. Available sources mention fishing only incidentally.

 

Sex Division of Labor

Men alone tend and milk cattle, but both sexes engage in agriculture.

 

Property

The native currency consists of strings of red beads, in.units about 14 inches (35 cm) long. Chiefs are considered to be the owners of all land and cattle. Trade is important, and there are regular markets. Inheritance is patrilineal.

 

Social Stratification

Above ordinary commoners stands a noble class, the Baluzi.

 

Family and Settlement Pattern

The residential unit is an independent polygynous family occupying a compound separated from others by a hedge and plantations.
The Baniabungo live in neighborhoods of dispersed homesteads.

 

Community Organization

The limits of a community are set by the distance to which the authority of a local chief extends. That £t: tends toward the structure of a patrician is suggested by the data on descent, residence, and local exogamy.
Each community has a chief or headman, who is advised by a council of men who own 15 or more cattle. Succession is often patrilineal, but a considerable number of headmen (who may be women) are appointed by provincial chiefs.

 

State

The Baniabungo are organized into two kingdoms, one in the north and one in the south. The king is a divine monarch, exercises the power of life or death over his subjects, and is the chief judge. Each kingdom is divided into provinces, which are subdivided into districts and further subdivided into local groups, each with a chief who is at the same time the headman of his own village. All these positions are in prin­ciple hereditary from father to son, but actually district and local chiefs are often appointed by the provincial chief with the consent of the king, and appointment from above is usual when there are no direct heirs. Female headmen may serve as rulers of provinces or kingdoms as regents for their sons. The whole administrative system has a strong feudal character. Kings and provincial chiefs are supported by gifts, bribes, fees, and death dues, and their residences are built by forced labor.

 

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