This Cycle I Am BaKongo

THE BAKONGA

The BaKongo people are located in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and the Congo Republic. The Vili, the Woyo and the Yombe form the vast Kongo cultural complex. The language is called Kikongo which is a Bantu language. Ntu is the word for man. Ba makes things plural.

We were a very friendly people, and as we settle along the banks of the Congo River, we did not rule lord over people, but they were accepted as our own. The BaKongo were ruled by the manikongo, or king, and was divided into six provinces, each administered by a governor appointed by the manikongo. We where among the first people on the west coast of Mama AfuRaKa to be visited by the european. We were too kind to the foreigners. We admired them much to much.

COSMOLOGY

In Kongo cosmology, the cosmos exists as two words the nza yayi (this world) and the nsi a bafwa (the land of spirits). The two worlds are separated by a body of water. Kalunga is the deity that repesents that body of water known as nlangu, m'bu or nzadi. In Kongo spitirual practies, life is cyclical. Life does not end because death is a transitional state in the process of change. It is said that a man's soul does not cease to exist after his death but travels to the nsi a bafwa to becomes n'kuyu (spirit) in ku mpemba a fula (the land of the ancestors). The repetitive movement between nza yayi and nsi a bafwa resemble the path of the sun as seen below.

Listen to the words of Dr K. Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau

Nzambi is the supreme god, and the intermediary representations included land and sky spirits and ancestor spirits, all of whom were represented in nkisi objects. When we encountered hardship and feared that a spirit had been offended, it would be necessary to consult an nganga (diviner) , who would often instruct the afflicted to add medicines to certain nkisi in order to achieve well-being. Nkisi means "medicine" and these talismen are representative of empowering materials or "medicines" called bilongo.

There are four main types of nkisi, used for different purposes. Nkondi are talismen of ill omen, usually brandishing a spear or a knife, while npezo are just as evil, but less menacing in attitude. Na moganga are benevolent figures, which protect against sickness and dangerous spirits. They help the hunter and the warrior; while mbula protect against ill-will. All nkisi can be used for a variety of purposes and their meaning is ambivalent. The talismen may be animals: two-headed dog, sometimes monkey. Nail and mirror talismans are a unique and important phenomenon of Kongo sculpture. The commemorative statues known as phemba were designed for women who had lost a child and wanted another. As constant sources of life and well-being, both the land and the matrilineal ancestors buried in it form the basis of Kongo deep thought. Kongo thought is also very focused on fertility and the continuity of the community.


BAKONGO FOLKTALE

Ntinu Lukeni (or Wene), arrived at Mbanza (town) Kongo after crossing Nzadi from his father's kingdom on the north bank, the historical kingdom of Vungu. The original inhabitants of the area were large-headed dwarfs called BaMbakambaka, Mbwidi-Mbodila, and BaFula Mengo. The king of Kongo thereafter was the embodiment of the cosmological world of the Bakongo, he had direct links with the forces that affected its prosperity, he controlled the weather, he could summon the dead, and he was able to bless his subjects with a movement of his fingers.


BAKONGO PROVERB

Nkome kakinda: Teka vútula mbusa.(Kongo)
To punch with a strong fist, you need to turn over your hand. (English)

OTHER FACTS
- Mpemba is the Kikongo word for "kaolin" and for "white," the color that is linked to death, to human bones, and to the ancestors.

- Nzambi Kalunga or Nzambi Mpungu Tulendo is the creator and the ultimate source of power (he is the supreme being and is thought to be omnipotent)

- Lesser spirits and ancestors mediate between humanity and the supreme being.

- Evil, disorder, and injustice are the result of such base human motives as greed, envy, or maliciousness

REFERENCES

http://www.zyama.com/kongo/pics..htm
http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Kongo.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/K/Kongo-ki.asp
http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/kongo.html
http://dickinsg.intrasun.tcnj.edu/diaspora/kongo.html
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Exhibit/Archive/longsteps/f1.htm
Listen to the words of Dr K. Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau

view the art of the BaKongo.
music sample - copy link into browser.
video of dance - copy link into browser. (7 seconds long)

Sesa Woruban

"I transform my life"