Suku (ethnic group)

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The Suku are an ethnic group living in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , formerly Zaïre , and in the north of Angola . About 400,000 Suku are counted, of which only about 130,000 speak their language Kisuku , which is counted among the Bantu languages .

Culture and religion

The Suku are known for their wooden sculptures, which include religious figures and objects of magic, as well as objects of everyday life such as cups, fly whiskers and combs. The complicated masks used in the initiation ceremonies are particularly impressive .

In the Suku religion there is a Creator, Ndzambyaphuungu, who resides in heaven and who is responsible for life and death and all mysterious questions of human life. He is not worshiped or particularly honored. Instead, the religious celebrations focus on the veneration of the elders of the tribe and ancestors, the bambuta . The death of an elder gives rise to a public ceremony performed by other elders. The ancestors are honored in clearings in the forest, where sacrifices and gifts are laid to the exclusion of outsiders and women. Furthermore, one honors the ancestors by preserving the traditions and making sacrifices at the graves of the ancestors.

history

The history of the Suku is closely related to that of the Yaka . Both ethnic groups withdrew north from what is now Angola in the 17th century in order to escape the political pressure exerted by the Kingdom of Lunda . Only after the fall of the Lunda Kingdom in the 19th century were the Suku able to develop independently of the Yaka.

Political system

The Suku have a matrilineal system of descent. Individuals can trace their origins three to four generations deep. The village chiefs (chiefs) are usually descended from the original landlords and are monitored and controlled by paramount chiefs . This system is still used today by the authorities of the Congo in the administration of the Suku.

Individuals with special knowledge of the rituals and healers continue to exert some influence on local politics.

economy

Traditionally, the Suku, almost exclusively by women, grow vegetables and fruit, yams , cassava and peanuts . The women collect nuts, wild berries and roots in the surrounding forest and bush areas, while the men maintain the menu by hunting with dogs. These hunts are of great importance to the self-image of men, although the contribution to nutrition is relatively small. Fishing in rivers such as the Kwango is occasional.

In recent times, the plantations with oil palms have become very important. Palm oil and palm kernels play a major role in Suku cuisine and in commerce.

geography

The Suku settlements are generally located on the plateaus between the deeply cut valleys of the rivers between the Congo and the Kwilu . In the Republic of the Congo, the settlements belong to the Bandundu Province .

literature

  • Igor Kopytoff: Extension of Conflict as a Method of Conflict Resolution among the Suku of the Congo . Ann Arbor, USA 1961.
  • François Lamal: Basuku et Bayaka des districts Kwango et Kwilu au Congo . Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale, Tervuren, Belgium 1965.
  • Tumina Kikusa: Fils, on n'épouse sa sœr! Mythes suku . Ceeba Publications, Bundundu, Zaïre 1974.
  • Arthur Paul Bourgeois: Art of the Yaka and Suku . A. et F. Chaffin, Meudon 1984, ISBN 2-90400501-3 .

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