Joseph de Munck
Encyclopedia
Joseph de Munck was a Belgian Catholic
Priest of the Redemptorist Order noted for his historical research relating to the Old Kingdom of Kongo
. In many ways de Munck was the successor to Jean Cuvelier
, whose work with documents and oral traditions made him one of the great historians of the kingdom. De Munck was particularly fond of the Kikongo languages, at times even keeping his personal notes in that language.
He was very active in doing research in oral traditions, for example, he sent catechists attached to the mission all over the Kikongo speaking parts of the Belgian Congo (and subsequently in the independent Republic of Congo and Republic of Zaire as well as much of northern Angola (both before and after independence)to collect tradition. He published relatively little of his work, the most famous product being the production of a fourth, augmented edition of Nkutama a mvila za makanda
(originally compiled by Jean Cuvelier in 1934[1972]) and more significantly Kinkulu kia Nsi eto (Matadi, 1971), which was a short overview of Kongo history from earliest times to independence. Kinkulu kia Nsi eto made use of some of his oral tradition research, especially for the nineteenth century, and thus contains historical accounts which are nowhere else in print.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Priest of the Redemptorist Order noted for his historical research relating to the Old 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...
. In many ways de Munck was the successor to Jean Cuvelier
Jean Cuvelier
Jean Cuvelier was a Belgian Redemptorist missionary and bishop of Matadi in Belgian Congo from the late 19th century until his death in 1962. Cuvelier was notable for his interest in the history of the Kingdom of Kongo, which he saw as a route to evangelization in his time...
, whose work with documents and oral traditions made him one of the great historians of the kingdom. De Munck was particularly fond of the Kikongo languages, at times even keeping his personal notes in that language.
He was very active in doing research in oral traditions, for example, he sent catechists attached to the mission all over the Kikongo speaking parts of the Belgian Congo (and subsequently in the independent Republic of Congo and Republic of Zaire as well as much of northern Angola (both before and after independence)to collect tradition. He published relatively little of his work, the most famous product being the production of a fourth, augmented edition of Nkutama a mvila za makanda
Nkutama a mvila za makanda
Nkutama a mvila za makanda is a "Catalogue of Praise Names of Clans" in the Kikongo language compiled and edited by Father Jean Cuvelier comprising a list of about 500 Kongo clans in alphabetical order. The list was compiled by Cuvelier between 1926 and 1934 when he was inspector of schools for...
(originally compiled by Jean Cuvelier in 1934[1972]) and more significantly Kinkulu kia Nsi eto (Matadi, 1971), which was a short overview of Kongo history from earliest times to independence. Kinkulu kia Nsi eto made use of some of his oral tradition research, especially for the nineteenth century, and thus contains historical accounts which are nowhere else in print.