{UAH} THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BANYANKOLE AND LANGIS

The Banyankore (also Banyankole, attributed to Luganda pronunciation) are a Bantu speaking community found mainly in Ankore region in south-western Uganda stretching westwards from the western shores of Lake Victoria up to the border between Uganda and Congo and also extending into some areas in Congo. They consist of two main ethnic groups, namely the majority Bairu farmers and the minority Bahima pastoralists. It is believed that Bairu had already arrived and settled in Ankore long before the cattle keeping Bahima arrived from Ethiopia or the horn of Africa.

They also believe that when the larger Ethiopian/horn of Africa group that was on a southerly migratory trek in search of greener pastures reached Ankore, a group peeled off and settled there and later became known as Bahima. The main group continued further southwards forming the Tutsi in Rwanda and Burundi, and the Banyamulenge in Eastern Congo.

It is known that when the Bahima arrived in Ankore, they were speaking a different language, most probably Ethiopian dialect, but lost it and adopted the Bantu language of the indigenous Bairu. Just like their cousins, Tutsi, who upon settling in Rwanda and Burundi formed ruling kingdoms over both their and host populations, the Bahima also established a kingdom under Mugabe rulership that exerted full authority upon both Bahima and Bairu.

Many historians assert that the word Bairu was a derogatory term meaning servants, which Bahima rulers used to identify the Bantu Bairu people they found in the area. On the other hand, the word hima is believed to be associated with cattle herding.

Omugabe (King) of Ankore was a very powerful leader who wielded absolute power over just about everything there was in Ankore and claimed ownership of all the cattle and land in the kingdom. His palace was usually built on a hill and enclosed by a large wooden fence. Inside it, a huge space was set aside for his cattle that numbered in hundreds or more. Special houses/huts were built at a designated area within the palace for the dozens or hundreds of his wives. Other than the main gate through which visitors entered and exited the palace, several smaller ones were created around the palace's perimeters for the in and out movements of his very large family members.

In Omugabe's Ankore Kingdom existed a caste system where wealthy Bahima men with large herds of cattle and many wives and large families formed a high social class, while the land-tilling Bairu and some poor Bahima settled at the low end of the class stratification.

Since the beginning of their coming together, Bahima and Bairu have lived together complementarily. They traded or battered products between and among members of the two sides; for example, Bairu swapped agricultural products like grains, tubers and brew with animal products such as milk, meat and hides from Bahima.

Even though Bairu and Bahima live together in the same region, speak the same language and share many beliefs and norms, they are distinguishable in certain aspects like morphology, rituals, and other cultural practices.

Like their Bantu cousins who occupy most parts of eastern and southern Africa, Bairu are much shorter and fairly stout. On the other hand, Bahima are generally taller with pointed nose (described as bridged nose by explorer John Hanning Speke in his book "Discovery of the Source of the Nile" in 1863).

No wonder this Banyakole have staple food like the Langi--who have the same route from Ethiopia. The Lango also lost their original language and adopted the luo dialect. The Lango originates from Abyssinia in Ethiopia. In Uganda we have Karamojong, Iteso, and Lango. All these tribes have closed love to cows. some names among bahima rhymes with Langis, eg Aguma,Apuuli ,Ariho/Ario,Aber/Abera etc The basita clan is among old clans in Ankole. the basita clan have strong concentration in Bunyoro Kingdom. The Lango were very prominent warriors from history. They fought many wars and successfully won them. Due to that resulted into infiltration of Lango names to those tribes. The name owiny is in bunyoro as a result of a great warrior Owiny Akullo helped Kabalega in many wars and keeping him during the search by the british Colonial government. So Kabalega named one of his sons owiny in memory of his great friend Owiny Akullo. Owiny was also offered many women from Bunyoro as well during the war many women were abducted so these abducted women took Lango names to their relatives as well known in African societies of adopting names of elders, relatives and friends. That is why these names exist in Toro and Bunyoro- clear Toro and Bunyoro and brothers. That is my little memory I have about that from reading and orally hearing about backgrounds of tribes in Uganda. 

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Allaah gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him."And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (6:17)

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