Wednesday 12 September 2012

The ethnic group

Third article introducing you to culture and geography of the Lake Bunyonyi.


The ethnic group
Locals speak Rukiga, a Bantu language, and the ethnic group is that of Bakiga, a tribe that came here from today's Rwanda centuries ago. They were farmers mainly devoted to the cultivation of sorghum, peas, beans and millet. They distilled local beers from sorghum. The women took care of the work in the fields, while men cleaned the bush for agriculture and built the typical grass thatched huts. They were wearing skins of goat or cow. The Bakiga were described by other Ugandan tribes as "tough hard-working people." A marriage was a real contract between two families and the groom's family had to pay a dowry to the bride. In their culture, virginity before marriage was essential. Unmarried women who became pregnant were left in the forest at the mercy of wild animals, thrown in the lake from a cliff or abandoned on the tiny island of Akampene, also called Punishment Island.

Polygamy was the norm. Men who could afford the bride price could take as many wives as they wanted. On the other hand, it seems that both men and women were free to divorce. The Bakiga were organized in clans, which represented the highest authority. The leaders of the different lineages discussed the most important issues and when they could not solve disputes through dialogue, they passed to fighting, in which they showed to be fierce warriors (Edirisa, 2007).

Today 1.7 million of Bakiga in the region accounts for 7% of the total population of Uganda. They are Christians, divided between Catholics and Protestants. Muslims are a small percentage.


http://www.facebook.com/PunishmentIsland

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