Bakiga
The Bakiga - also called Kiga , Bachiga or Chiga - are a tribe in southwest Uganda , mainly settled in the Kabale region . According to the last census (2002), around 1.7 million of them live in Uganda.
Traditional life
The Bakiga were a highly segmented society that immigrated from what is now Rwanda to the region around Kabale . They believed in Ruhanga, the creator of everything earthly. They also had several cults, the most important of which was Nyabingi , the spirit of a highly valued rainmaker.
The Bakiga lived on agriculture and grew sorghum , peas, millet and beans. These were supplemented with pumpkin, sweet potatoes , meat and various green vegetables. Food was always prepared in excess as it was the custom for guests to attend a family dinner uninvited. The Bakiga brewed their beer Omuramba (common name: pombe ) from sorghum. This was consumed as an alcoholic drink, but also as a food. The Bakiga sat on small wooden chairs and drank the beer from a common pot through long straws.
Among the Bakiga there were skilled blacksmiths who made hoes, knives, spears, etc. Pottery and carpentry were also sophisticated, as was beekeeping for honey. Women were responsible for the field work, while men cleared the bush and built grass-roofed round huts. Almost all of the tasks were done collectively.
Men dressed in cowhides; rich men wore two. The fur hung over the shoulder and covered the intimate parts of the body. Men girded themselves for fighting or dancing, while they were usually naked for field work. Women wore skirts made of different skins. Another fur covered the upper body.
Virginity was very important. If an unmarried woman became pregnant, she was abandoned in a forest, tied to a tree, left to the wild animals or thrown over cliffs: the Kisizi Falls were often used for this. On Lake Bunyonyi a small island was used to suspend to those women on it. Men had to pay the bride's family a bride price for the wedding in cows, goats and hoes . If a man owned enough land and animals, he could marry as many women as he wanted: polygamy was the norm. It was just not allowed to marry within a clan - marriages were one of the few unifying things in a politically highly segmented society. Before the wedding, the bride spent a month in seclusion to be well fed and to learn all about household chores. If the man or woman was sterile, lazy, or had other negative traits, it was common to divorce. Divorced people could remarry, but the woman's family had to reckon with a lower bride price. Disputes that could lead to a divorce first tried to settle the council of elders.
Resolving disputes was one of the most important tasks of the elders of a clan. This council of elders chose its members on the basis of character traits (trustworthiness, bravery, warfare) and influence (wealth, medicine man or priest). Older people from different clans publicly discussed matters of greater concern. If the elected representatives were unable to find a solution, it could easily lead to armed conflicts between the groups. The Bakiga were a warlike tribe by nature.
"Non-destructive-aggressive society"
The social psychologist Erich Fromm analyzed the willingness of 30 pre-state peoples, including the Bakiga, to use ethnographic records to analyze the anatomy of human destructiveness . He finally assigned them to the “non-destructive-aggressive societies”, whose cultures are characterized by a sense of community with pronounced individuality (status, success, rivalry), targeted child-rearing, regulated manners, privileges for men and, above all, male tendencies to aggression - but without destructive ones Tendencies (destructive rage, cruelty, greed for murder, etc.) - are marked. (see also: "War and Peace" in pre-state societies )
modern life
When the British came into what is now the Cabal in 1908, they found farmers and hunters who lived in a miserable situation without central authority. The circumstances resulted from decades of constant fighting, looting and raids from all sides, epidemics, famines and locust plagues. Europeans used the concept of the tribe instead of the clan , although there was no basis for this. The clan groups were not united, the language used was a dialect-like variation of Runyakore. The term "Bakiga" (to be translated as "mountain people") was initially used mainly by strangers, only rarely by the tribe members themselves. Over time, it became part of the cultural awareness.
Since sporadic attempts of violent resistance against foreign rule were often organized around religious cults, the entire traditional religion was pushed into the underground in order to calm the foreign administration. The indigenous population initially believed that converting to the Christian religion resulted in the loss of logical thinking and therefore led to stupidity. They equated Christianity with colonialism and felt obliged to reject one if they rejected the other - or to accept both as soon as they accepted one. The year 1929 represents the final acceptance of colonialism and Christianity. When those Bakiga who wanted to control the system from within received the leading posts, the time of self-government began under European sovereignty.
A look at the Bakiga after 40 years of Uganda's independence creates the impression that European influence has finally prevailed. The Bakiga are mostly Christian (there are few Muslims) and there is a sharp division between Catholics and Protestants. Religion can determine job prospects, and religious preferences have a decisive influence on local choices. Everyone dreams of a European-style house, imported goods are valued, and locals dress according to Western models. As in all of Uganda, it is of the utmost importance to be well dressed. “Looking good” is a priority for anyone who can afford it. The extreme expression of this longing to be non-African is the bleaching of the skin in women to be less black. Compliments like "She looks / eats / dresses like white woman" exist. The traditional Bakiga wedding customs are negated as soon as a western-style ceremony becomes affordable. Robes are borrowed, music equipment and generators are brought to the festival site and no effort is spared to imitate foreign customs. District government meetings are also held in English (although everyone is Mukiga), as are parents who speak English regularly with their children. People who speak English are seen as educated and successful.
Festo Karwemera, a respected elder from Kabale, put it this way: “The acceptance of Western culture is the result of an inferiority complex due to the fact that the colonial rulers brought civilization to this country, and we too easily believe everything they do good is. Your way of life is clean and attractive, therefore positive, because nobody cares to find out how we can best modernize our culture in our own way. "
African culture beneath the surface
However, African culture has not yet been wiped out. There is a lot to discover behind the white facade. Regardless of the ardor of the evocation to be Christian, everyone sticks a little to traditional African values and beliefs. The powerful dance of the Bakiga, once demonized as satanic, is enjoying a comeback. The most popular Bakiga dishes are the same today as they were hundreds of years ago: beans, peas, potatoes, posho and plantains . Influences from Europe and India had only a small effect. Eating with your hands is still the norm today.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erich Fromm: Anatomy of human destructiveness . From the American by Liselotte et al. Ernst Mickel, 86. – 100. Thousand edition, Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1977, ISBN 3-499-17052-3 , pp. 191–192.
Remarks
- ↑ On p. 191 Fromm names the “Bachiga” based on Margaret Mead's notes, but then writes “Zachiga” incorrectly on p. 192