Kinga
Encyclopedia
The Kinga are an ethnic and linguistic group based in southwestern Tanzania
, in the Kipengere Range (also called the Livingstone Mountains) northeast of Lake Malawi
. In 2003 the Kinga population was estimated to number 140,000.
, bean
s, some bananas, cultivating bamboo for a strong good beer, and finally in 1905, growing wheat and potatoes. They inhabited the Livingstone Mountains
to a height of 10,000 feet and maintained a moderate amount of cattle
but mostly sheep and goats. Even though related, the Nyakyusa
neighbors considered the Kinga to be distinct and different. According to them the Kinga were dirty, fawning, and submissive in their habits and manners, (not a marriage prospect but good enough to fight with in the Konde Revolt against the Germans), but were eager to acquire Kinga implements in exchange for food.
. With the invasion of the Ngoni the Nyakyusa found their wood-tipped spear
s to be ineffective against tough shields and went to the Kinga for well-made iron-tipped spears. Iron
, melting at about 2,804°F, was heated to about 2,200°F and then layered in charcoal until the slag
drained off. The remainder was a solid spongy mass called bloom
, which was then reheated and hammered in a forge with no guarantee of success. Each operation required the building of a new furnace with demands on charcoal, labor, and skills. The production of only three hoe
s or spears may have needed a ton of charcoal
and a long apprenticeship
. It also required a vast amount of wood. The Nyakyusa contributed by making the shields.
, and were not easily located. They had little interaction with their neighbors, and felt comfortable only in their mountains. While they provided early warning posts against invasion of the Nyakyusa territory from the south and east, the Nyakyusa were not thankful, and generally held the Kinga in contempt.
Alexander Merensky
describes them as having no particular physical type, their facial features and physique all being different. He thought them a mixed group of runaway slaves hiding in the mountains. Merensky found only one common characteristic: due to their mountain climbing the muscles on their legs were very well developed and they had acquired a distinct type of jogging
while going up and down these heights.
Merensky, like the Nyakyusa, found them personally dirty and their homesteads of cylindrical and conical shaped huts
disorderly and surrounded by hedges of thorn. Seemingly they were adept only at navigating their mountains and skillfully creating beautiful hoes, knives, iron spears, and a very pleasing beer
from bamboo
, which was plentiful in their area.
almost exclusively at home. They usually know Swahili
, but are not fluent. 57,000 Kinga live in the Makete district
, the rest in the Iringa Region
of the Kipengere Range.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, in the Kipengere Range (also called the Livingstone Mountains) northeast of Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
. In 2003 the Kinga population was estimated to number 140,000.
Background
The Kinga were primarily agriculturists with milletMillet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, some bananas, cultivating bamboo for a strong good beer, and finally in 1905, growing wheat and potatoes. They inhabited the Livingstone Mountains
Livingstone Mountains
The Kipengere Range, also known as the Livingstone Mountains, lies in southwest Tanzania at the northern end of Lake Malawi. From the town of Mbeya the range runs south-east and forms part of the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, extending about 100 km down the north-eastern shore...
to a height of 10,000 feet and maintained a moderate amount of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
but mostly sheep and goats. Even though related, the Nyakyusa
Nyakyusa
The Nyakyusa are an African ethnic and linguistic group who live in the fertile mountains of southern Tanzania and northern Malawi—former German East Africa. They speak the Nyakyusa language, a member of the Bantu language family...
neighbors considered the Kinga to be distinct and different. According to them the Kinga were dirty, fawning, and submissive in their habits and manners, (not a marriage prospect but good enough to fight with in the Konde Revolt against the Germans), but were eager to acquire Kinga implements in exchange for food.
Metalwork
The Nyakyusa considered iron a scarce and precious commodity normally needing the secret skills of the Kinga smithsSmith (metalwork)
A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...
. With the invasion of the Ngoni the Nyakyusa found their wood-tipped spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s to be ineffective against tough shields and went to the Kinga for well-made iron-tipped spears. Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, melting at about 2,804°F, was heated to about 2,200°F and then layered in charcoal until the slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
drained off. The remainder was a solid spongy mass called bloom
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
, which was then reheated and hammered in a forge with no guarantee of success. Each operation required the building of a new furnace with demands on charcoal, labor, and skills. The production of only three hoe
Hoe (tool)
A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soil. Common goals include weed control by agitating the surface of the soil around plants, piling soil around the base of plants , creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs, to chop...
s or spears may have needed a ton of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
and a long apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
. It also required a vast amount of wood. The Nyakyusa contributed by making the shields.
Beliefs
Kinga priests claimed they belonged to an ancient heritage, a line older than their chiefs. The priests also seemed to interpret subterranean water movement (much as a Rutengänger). The Nyakyusa would watch with fear and dismay as these pilgrims descended the mountain paths each year heading for 'Lwenbe's' shrine.Characteristics
The Kinga were to be found in hidden areas, probably having been driven there by the Magwangwara Ngoni, and then the Wasangu, and even the HeheHehe
The Hehe are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Iringa Region in south-central Tanzania, speaking the Bantu Hehe language. In 1994, the Hehe population was estimated to number 750,000.-History:...
, and were not easily located. They had little interaction with their neighbors, and felt comfortable only in their mountains. While they provided early warning posts against invasion of the Nyakyusa territory from the south and east, the Nyakyusa were not thankful, and generally held the Kinga in contempt.
Alexander Merensky
Alexander Merensky
Alexander Merensky was a German missionary, working in South Africa since 1859.-Life:...
describes them as having no particular physical type, their facial features and physique all being different. He thought them a mixed group of runaway slaves hiding in the mountains. Merensky found only one common characteristic: due to their mountain climbing the muscles on their legs were very well developed and they had acquired a distinct type of jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
while going up and down these heights.
Merensky, like the Nyakyusa, found them personally dirty and their homesteads of cylindrical and conical shaped huts
Hut (dwelling)
A hut is a small and crude shelter, usually used for dwelling. Its design favors local techniques and materials to allow for swift and inexpensive construction.-Modern use:...
disorderly and surrounded by hedges of thorn. Seemingly they were adept only at navigating their mountains and skillfully creating beautiful hoes, knives, iron spears, and a very pleasing beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
from bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, which was plentiful in their area.
Demographics
The Kinga speak the Kinga languageKinga language
Kinga is a Bantu language of Tanzania. Magoma is ethnically distinct, and mutual intelligibility is low....
almost exclusively at home. They usually know Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
, but are not fluent. 57,000 Kinga live in the Makete district
Makete
Makete is one of the 7 districts of Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North and West by the Mbeya Region, to the East by the Njombe District and to the South by the Ludewa District. It is divided into six divisions and 17 wards. Makete District was founded in 1979 with the policy of...
, the rest in the Iringa Region
Iringa Region
Iringa is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital is Iringa. The total area is , of which land area is 56,864 km sq and water area is 2,070 km² ....
of the Kipengere Range.