Topoke people
Encyclopedia
The Topoke people are an ethnic group that live in the Isangi Territory south of the Congo River
, downstream from Kisangani
in Tshopo District
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They speak the Poke language
(also called Puki, Tofoke, Topoke or Tovoke), in the Kele language group of Bantu languages
.
.
Their main territory is between 0° and 2° South, 23° and 25° East. The heart of the territory is in the angle formed by the Congo and Lomami
rivers. Ilambi
is one of their communities.
Another group of Topoke people is located in the Yalikandja-Yanonge sector.
This group, commonly known as the "Topoke of Likolo" is due to population movements caused by the penetration of Arab slavers into the region.
The Topoke may have originated to the north of the Congo River, in the Ubangi
-Uele
basin. They would have abandoned this territory when threatened by the Baboa and Zande people. During their march to the south, they would have first settled on the the right bank of the Congo River around the lower Aruwimi
. From there they crossed the river to settle in their current territory, having driven the original Bangando and Bambole inhabitants further south.
There are cultural affinities between the Topoke and the Mongandu and Bambole peoples.
According to the 1984 Census, the Topoke accounted for 52.38% (128,613 out of 245,548 total inhabitants) of the population of the Isangi area.
The Topoke people had a long tradition of large regional markets, where purchases could be made on credit or by using iron javelins as currency.
Non-payment of debts periodically led to fighting, in which the javelins were used as weapons.
The lances were called ndoa by some Topoke, the Lokele word for marriage.
Thirty of them would buy a male slave, while forty or more would be needed for a female.
The Topoke were polygynous, and it was common for an important visitor to be offered female companionship as well as food and shelter. This practice persisted well into the colonial era.
However, sometimes sexual abuse of Topoke women by colonial administrators led to retaliation such as poisoning attempts by their husbands.
In 1905 two white officers of the Company were killed by warriors of Yaboila
.
Mr. Pimpurnaux, former District Commissioner of Aruwimi, led punitive expeditions.
One of the Topoke men accused of the murder was hung at Basoko
in November 1905.
Some Topoke families in the Mongo block at Bondombe, in the Tshuapa
basin on the equator, are descended from Topoke who fled the 1905 expeditions.
Resistance to work as rubber harvesters was widespread, with the men retreating to hiding places in the marshes to avoid being forcibly recruited for work that they equated with slavery during the period of Arab occupation.
The Topoke were relatively isolated from missionary activity and wage earning until the 1930s.
After World War II
they began to move to Kisangani
to work as unskilled laborers, but were at a disadvantage compared to more established urban groups. However, by 1975 many had become businessmen, intellectuals and university students.
|title=Poke
|author=Ethnologue
|work=Ethnologue
|accessdate=2011-10-08}}
|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=5S8Vh8F1F-cC&pg=PA204
|title=Important African and Oceanic art auction
|author=Heritage Auction Galleries
|publisher=Heritage Capital Corporation |year=2007
|ISBN=1599671522}}
|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=vh4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA40
|page=40
|title=The Topoke People of the Congo
|date=13 Apr 1959
|journal=Billboard
|volume=71 |issue=18
|ISSN=0006-2510}}
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
, downstream from Kisangani
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
in Tshopo District
Tshopo District
Tshopo District is a district located in Orientale Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They speak the Poke language
Poke language
The Poke language , is in the Kele language group of Bantu languages. It is spoken by the Topoke people of the Tshopo District, Isangi Territory, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
(also called Puki, Tofoke, Topoke or Tovoke), in the Kele language group of Bantu languages
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
.
Location
The Topoke are one of the three main ethnic groups in the Isangi territory. The other two are the Lokele and TurumbuTurumbu people
The Turumbu people live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mostly in the Isangi Territory of the Tshopo District on both sides of the Congo River. They speak the Lombo language...
.
Their main territory is between 0° and 2° South, 23° and 25° East. The heart of the territory is in the angle formed by the Congo and Lomami
Lomami
Lomami may refer to:*Lomami River, a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo*Lomami Province, a proposed province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
rivers. Ilambi
Ilambi
Ilambi is a community in the Tshopo District of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the Lomami River.It is to the south of the point where the Lomani enters the Congo River.Most of the inhabitants are Topoke people.-Colonial era:...
is one of their communities.
Another group of Topoke people is located in the Yalikandja-Yanonge sector.
This group, commonly known as the "Topoke of Likolo" is due to population movements caused by the penetration of Arab slavers into the region.
The Topoke may have originated to the north of the Congo River, in the Ubangi
Ubangi River
The Ubangi River , also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou and Uele Rivers and flows west, then bends to the southwest and passes through Bangui, after which it flows south to the Congo at Liranga....
-Uele
Uele River
The Uele River, also spelled Welle River, is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It originates in the mountains near Lake Albert and flows west for about to join the Mbomou River at Yakoma....
basin. They would have abandoned this territory when threatened by the Baboa and Zande people. During their march to the south, they would have first settled on the the right bank of the Congo River around the lower Aruwimi
Aruwimi River
The Aruwimi River is a tributary of the Congo River, located to the north and east of the Congo.The Aruwimi begins as the Ituri River, which arises near Lake Albert, in the savannas north of the Kibale River watershed. It then runs generally south southwest until it is joined by the Shari River...
. From there they crossed the river to settle in their current territory, having driven the original Bangando and Bambole inhabitants further south.
There are cultural affinities between the Topoke and the Mongandu and Bambole peoples.
According to the 1984 Census, the Topoke accounted for 52.38% (128,613 out of 245,548 total inhabitants) of the population of the Isangi area.
Pre-colonial culture
Music and dance played important roles in Topoke culture, and music in particular reached a high level of sophistication.The Topoke people had a long tradition of large regional markets, where purchases could be made on credit or by using iron javelins as currency.
Non-payment of debts periodically led to fighting, in which the javelins were used as weapons.
The lances were called ndoa by some Topoke, the Lokele word for marriage.
Thirty of them would buy a male slave, while forty or more would be needed for a female.
The Topoke were polygynous, and it was common for an important visitor to be offered female companionship as well as food and shelter. This practice persisted well into the colonial era.
However, sometimes sexual abuse of Topoke women by colonial administrators led to retaliation such as poisoning attempts by their husbands.
Colonial era and later
The Lomami Company was formed in 1898 and in 1899 started forcing the local people to harvest rubber.In 1905 two white officers of the Company were killed by warriors of Yaboila
Yaboila
Yaboila is a village in the Isangi Territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The Lomami Company was formed in 1898 and in 1899 started forcing the local people to harvest rubber....
.
Mr. Pimpurnaux, former District Commissioner of Aruwimi, led punitive expeditions.
One of the Topoke men accused of the murder was hung at Basoko
Basoko
Basoko is a town on the Congo River in Tshopo District of northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 47,970....
in November 1905.
Some Topoke families in the Mongo block at Bondombe, in the Tshuapa
Tshuapa River
The Tshuapa River is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 1000 km long. The middle Tshuapa is navigable and about 150 m across...
basin on the equator, are descended from Topoke who fled the 1905 expeditions.
Resistance to work as rubber harvesters was widespread, with the men retreating to hiding places in the marshes to avoid being forcibly recruited for work that they equated with slavery during the period of Arab occupation.
The Topoke were relatively isolated from missionary activity and wage earning until the 1930s.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
they began to move to Kisangani
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
to work as unskilled laborers, but were at a disadvantage compared to more established urban groups. However, by 1975 many had become businessmen, intellectuals and university students.
Sources
|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pof|title=Poke
|author=Ethnologue
|work=Ethnologue
|accessdate=2011-10-08}}
|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=5S8Vh8F1F-cC&pg=PA204
|title=Important African and Oceanic art auction
|author=Heritage Auction Galleries
|publisher=Heritage Capital Corporation |year=2007
|ISBN=1599671522}}
|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=vh4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA40
|page=40
|title=The Topoke People of the Congo
|date=13 Apr 1959
|journal=Billboard
|volume=71 |issue=18
|ISSN=0006-2510}}