Jaga (people)
Encyclopedia
The Jaga or Jagas were terms applied by the Portuguese
to invading bands of African warriors east and south of the kingdom of Kongo
. The use of the phrase took on different connotations depending on where it was applied. There were two groups of people, both known for fierce warriors, that were dubbed as jagas or the jaga. Unbeknownst to the Portuguese who encountered these warriors, the two groups were practically unrelated.
, Angola
and Sierra Leone
and ultimately to some great "Jaga homeland" somewhere in central Africa. While more recent scholarship dismissed these earlier claims, in the 1960s a number proposed that oral traditions of the Lunda Empire, when compared with those of some Angolan groups suggested that the Jaga invasion of Kongo and the Jagas of Angola were in fact groups of conquerors fleeing from Lunda in the 16th century.
In 1972, Joseph C. Miller successfully argued by presenting an overview of all the evidence, that the group that invaded Kongo was completely distinct from the group invading Angola, and that the second group should properly be called "Imbangala". This distinction is now very widely accepted by all scholars operating in this field.
kingdom of Ndongo. Among Ndongo's regular forces were mercenary warriors of the Yaka
ethnic group. The Yaka had a reputation for ferocity and were said to come from the far interior. They inhabited the middle reaches of the Kwango valley, making them the eastern neighbors to the Mbundu and BaKongo. These particular "jagas" were constant victims of the Kongo slave traid and eventually invaded their western neighbor in 1568. This forced the Portuguese to intervene with some 600 matchlockmen on behalf of then king Alvaro I
. Though forced completely out of Kongo by the mid 1570s, they continued to be a force on the border. They later exported many mercenary troops to Kongo during its civil war
.
. The origins of these people is still debated, but they are also believed to have immigrated from the Lunda Empire rejecting that states political changes. The Imbangala were known to be notoriously cruel and also ritually cannibalistic. They were used to good effect as mercenary elements in the Portuguese army during its conquest of Angola. Once introduced into central Angola, the Imbangala settled forming the kingdom of Kasanje on the Kwango River.
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
to invading bands of African warriors east and south of the kingdom of Kongo
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. The use of the phrase took on different connotations depending on where it was applied. There were two groups of people, both known for fierce warriors, that were dubbed as jagas or the jaga. Unbeknownst to the Portuguese who encountered these warriors, the two groups were practically unrelated.
The "Jaga" Question
In the 17th century there were a number of theories proposed by missionaries and geographers that connected these two groups to other maurading groups operating as far afield as SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and ultimately to some great "Jaga homeland" somewhere in central Africa. While more recent scholarship dismissed these earlier claims, in the 1960s a number proposed that oral traditions of the Lunda Empire, when compared with those of some Angolan groups suggested that the Jaga invasion of Kongo and the Jagas of Angola were in fact groups of conquerors fleeing from Lunda in the 16th century.
In 1972, Joseph C. Miller successfully argued by presenting an overview of all the evidence, that the group that invaded Kongo was completely distinct from the group invading Angola, and that the second group should properly be called "Imbangala". This distinction is now very widely accepted by all scholars operating in this field.
Yaka Jagas
The Portuguese first learned about a people they called "jagas" during Kongo's 1556 war with the MbunduMbundu
The Northern Mbundu or Ambundu are a people living in Angola's North-West, North of the river Kwanza. The Ambundu speak Kimbundu, and mostly also the official language of the country, Portuguese...
kingdom of Ndongo. Among Ndongo's regular forces were mercenary warriors of the Yaka
Yaka
The Yaka are an ethnic group of Southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. They number about 300,000. They live in the forest and savanna areas between the Kwango and Wamba rivers. They are very artistic. Many of their religious and cultural customs transcend ethnic boundaries, and...
ethnic group. The Yaka had a reputation for ferocity and were said to come from the far interior. They inhabited the middle reaches of the Kwango valley, making them the eastern neighbors to the Mbundu and BaKongo. These particular "jagas" were constant victims of the Kongo slave traid and eventually invaded their western neighbor in 1568. This forced the Portuguese to intervene with some 600 matchlockmen on behalf of then king Alvaro I
Álvaro I of Kongo
Álvaro I Nimi a Lukeni lua Mvemba was a Manikongo , or king of Kongo, from 1568 to 1587.-Biography:Álvaro's father was an unknown Kongo nobleman who died, leaving his mother to remarry to King Henrique I. When Henrique I died fighting on the eastern frontier, he had left Álvaro as his regent...
. Though forced completely out of Kongo by the mid 1570s, they continued to be a force on the border. They later exported many mercenary troops to Kongo during its civil war
Kongo Civil War
The Kongo Civil War was an internal conflict between rival houses of the Kingdom of Kongo. The war waged throughout the middle of the 17th and 18th centuries pitting partisans of the House of Kinlaza against the House of Kimpanzu...
.
Imbangala Jagas
The Portuguese also encountered another fierce warrior people, this time further south beyond the Kwanza River. The actual name of these people was ImbangalaImbangala
The Imbangala or Mbangala were 17th century groups of Angolan warriors and marauders who founded the kingdom of Kasanje.-Origins of the Imbangala:...
. The origins of these people is still debated, but they are also believed to have immigrated from the Lunda Empire rejecting that states political changes. The Imbangala were known to be notoriously cruel and also ritually cannibalistic. They were used to good effect as mercenary elements in the Portuguese army during its conquest of Angola. Once introduced into central Angola, the Imbangala settled forming the kingdom of Kasanje on the Kwango River.
See also
- Kingdom of KongoKingdom of KongoThe Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
- YakaYakaThe Yaka are an ethnic group of Southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. They number about 300,000. They live in the forest and savanna areas between the Kwango and Wamba rivers. They are very artistic. Many of their religious and cultural customs transcend ethnic boundaries, and...
- Lunda Empire
- ImbangalaImbangalaThe Imbangala or Mbangala were 17th century groups of Angolan warriors and marauders who founded the kingdom of Kasanje.-Origins of the Imbangala:...
- Kasanze
- History of AngolaHistory of AngolaAngola is a country in southwestern Africa. Its name derives from the Kimbundu word for king, 'N'gola'. It was first settled by Bushmen hunter-gatherer societies before the northern domains came under the rule of Bantu states such as Kongo and Ndongo. From the 15th century Portuguese colonists...