The Komo are bantu people from Central Africa that lives in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Komo are numbering 799,000 (Peoplegroups.org, 2024)
Depending on the sources and context, there are several forms: Babira, Bakomo, Bakumbu, Bakumu, Komos, Kumo, Kumu, Kuumu, Wakumu.
Their language is Komo (or kikomo), a bantu language which number of speakers was estimated in 400.000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998.
Traditional beliefs. Belief in creators of worlds (Muungu) and demiurges (Nkya). There are astral legends. Before farming and hunting begin, rituals with sacrifices to the spirits are performed. There is also a belief in magic. Part of the population is Catholic (mainly urban residents).
Primarily agricultural, though hunting was formerly more important than agriculture. The staple crop is bananas, but manioc, maize, yams, gourds, sugarcane, rice (introduced by the Arabs), legumes, and an unspecified condiment also are grown. Hemp and tobacco are used as narcotics. Fishing is rare, and there is practically no animal husbandry. Goats, dogs, and chickens are kept, but no cattle.
The core ritual is circumcision of adolescent boys; their practice of circumcision has been copied by neighboring people groups. Circumcision is performed at puberty, but clitoridectomy (female circumcision) is not practiced. Patrilocal clan communities are a distinct possibility.
Sex Division of Labor. Men clear land, but women do all other agricultural work. Only women fish.
The Komo place a high value on loyalty to the extended family and honoring the in-laws.
Settlements average about 20 household and consist of long rectangular houses, with gabled roofs and walls of leaves or bark, arranged on either side of a village street.
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