The Nkundu people are an ethnic group whi live near the Kunda people north of Lake Ndombe in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Kundus can be found in and around the cities of Bikoro, Ingende and Mbandaka,
The Kundu (Bankundu, Baseka Mondji, Elanga, Gundo, Inkundo, Mkundu) are a tribe of the Central division of the Mongo nation in the strict sense and consequently are closely related to the Mongo proper (forming the Northern division), and Mbole and Bosaka (with Ekota) of the Central division, and the Ekonda and Kutshu (with Boshongo) of the Southern division.
The Mongo-Nkundu of Democratic Republic of the Congo are numbering 5,990,000 (Peoplegroups.org, 2024)
With the Kundu live a very large number of dependent "Kanduized" Twa (Pygmies) locally called Balumbe, Batswa, Bilangi, Bone, and Jofe. There are also Elinga and other "Jtunduized" fishing people of alien origin, and the alien Bombwanja.
The two principal sources do not agree as to the composition of the Kundu group.
They are farmers and wage workers. Primarily agricultural, with brand tillage. The staple crops are bananas and manioc (both sweet and bitter); also grown are maize, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, and peanuts. Animal husbandry is unimportant; there are a few goats (not milked), no cattle or sheep, numerous chickens and ducks (the latter introduced relatively recently), and dogs. Fishing is next in importance to agriculture, and some subjected groups (Boluki, Elinga, Nkole) live primarily by fishing. Hunting is of less importance and is done mainly for sport; most serious hunting is being done by the dependent Twa (Pygmies). Collecting is mentioned.
Sex Division of Labor. Men clear land and plant bananas, but women plant other crops, hoe, harvest, and do practically all other agricultural work. Men hunt and fish; women do the gathering and a little fishing.
Property. Important objects of property are slaves, iron knives, copper rings, goats, and formerly pearls and shell ornaments. Land is held only by men, who acquire usufruct in plots brought under cultivation. Land is essentially the common property of clans (see Community Organization).
Inheritance is primarily by classificatory brothers (including ortho-cousins), passing by seniority through one generation in the extended family before passing to a member of the next generation. After the supply of classificatory brothers is exhausted, the rule is predominantly patrilineal, the eldest son taking priority. The inheritance rule, although primarily patrilineal, reveals strong survivals of matrilineal inheritance.
Social Stratification. Slaves are acquired only by settlement of debt, capture in war, or purchase. Slave status is not hereditary;
females become free by marriage, and males become free when they marry a free woman or produce an heir for their master by a slave wife. Descent for slaves is strictly patrilineal, and the children of slaves suffer some stigma since they cannot trade matrilincal ancestry. Except for this stigma on the children of slaves, there are no significant class distinctions among freemen, although age status and political status are important. The dependent Twa (Pygmies) form a sort of lower castQ and marriage with them is forbidden.
Family. The patrilocal extended family is the norm. According to one source, it typically occupies a special quarter within a hamlet of the village. It is called likudu and is headed by its senior male member as patriarch. Succession is normally patrilineal by seniority. The patriarch is succeeded by his younger brothers, then by a sister's son, then by his eldest son.
Settlement Pattern. Settled communities consist of one to six hamlets separated by plantations. Each hamlet is composed of a double row of dwellings that are arranged close together on either side of a single street. Near many communities there is a settlement of dependent Twa (Pygmies). There are bachelors' houses in at least some communities.
Community Organization. Patrilineages (ilongo), composed of patrilineally related extended families, normally occupy the hamlets of a village, forming clan-barrios. The agricultural land and hunting territories of a settlement are the communal property of its resident clan.
Local Government. Each settlement or clan has its hereditary headmen and a council of elders, who presumably are the heads of the component lineages or clan-barrios. The rule of succession is patrilineal and subject to the qualifications for inheritance .
State. Clans are aggregated into ctuka (perhaps phratries or districts), these into sub tribes Cliotsi ) , and these into tribes (bonanga); the subtribe is normally the largest political aggregate, having a patriarchal head. A source uses the term etuka for clan-barrio and reports it as the strongest functioning unit and the largest political unit today.
Sources: