Ankole

Ankole
For the breed of cattle, see Ankole-Watusi (cattle).
Kingdom of Ankole and its districts
State flag of the Kingdom of Ankole

Ankole, also referred to as Nkore, is one of four traditional kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdom is located in the southwestern Uganda, east of Lake Edward. It was ruled by a monarch known as The Mugabe or Omugabe of Ankole. The kingdom was formally abolished in 1967 by the government of President Milton Obote, and is still not officially restored.[1] The people of Ankole are called Banyankole (singular: Munyankole) in Runyankole language, a Bantu language.

On October 25, 1901, the Kingdom of Nkore was incorporated into the British protectorate of Uganda by the signing of the Ankole agreement.[2]

Due to the reorganisation of the country by Idi Amin, Ankole no longer exists as an administrative unit. It is divided into six districts: Bushenyi District, Ntungamo District, Mbarara District, Kiruhura District, Ibanda District and Isingiro District.

History of pre-colonial ethnic relations in Ankole

The pastoralist Hima (also known as Bahima) established dominion over the agricultural Iru (also known as Bairu) some time before the nineteenth century. The Hima and Iru established close relations based on trade and symbolic recognition, but they were unequal partners in these relations. The Iru were legally and socially inferior to the Hima, and the symbol of this inequality was cattle, which only the Hima could own. The two groups retained their separate identities through rules prohibiting intermarriage and, when such marriages occurred, making them invalid.

The Hima provided cattle products that otherwise would not have been available to Iru farmers. Because the Hima population was much smaller than the Iru population, gifts and tribute demanded by the Hima could be supplied fairly easily. These factors probably made Hima-Iru relations tolerable, but they were nonetheless reinforced by the superior military organization and training of the Hima.

The kingdom of Ankole expanded by annexing territory to the south and east. In many cases, conquered herders were incorporated into the dominant Hima stratum of society, and agricultural populations were adopted as Iru or slaves and treated as legal inferiors. Neither group could own cattle, and slaves could not herd cattle owned by the Hima.

Ankole society evolved into a system of ranked statuses, where even among the cattle-owning elite, patron-client ties were important in maintaining social order. Men gave cattle to the king (mugabe) to demonstrate their loyalty and to mark life-cycle changes or victories in cattle raiding. This loyalty was often tested by the king's demands for cattle or for military service. In return for homage and military service, a man received protection from the king, both from external enemies and from factional disputes with other cattle owners.

The mugabe authorized his most powerful chiefs to recruit and lead armies on his behalf, and these warrior bands were charged with protecting Ankole borders. Only Hima men could serve in the army, however, and the prohibition on Iru military training almost eliminated the threat of Iru rebellion. Iru legal inferiority was also symbolized in the legal prohibition against Iru owning cattle. And, because marriages were legitimized through the exchange of cattle, this prohibition helped reinforce the ban on Hima-Iru intermarriage. The Iru were also denied highlevel political appointments, although they were often appointed to assist local administrators in Iru villages.

The Iru had a number of ways to redress grievances against Hima overlords, despite their legal inferiority. Iru men could petition the king to end unfair treatment by a Hima patron. Iru people could not be subjugated to Hima cattle-owners without entering into a patron-client contract.

A number of social pressures worked to destroy Hima domination of Ankole. Miscegenation took place despite prohibitions on intermarriage, and children of these unions (abambari) often demanded their rights as cattle owners, leading to feuding and cattle-raiding. From what is present-day Rwanda groups launched repeated attacks against the Hima during the nineteenth century. To counteract these pressures, several Hima warlords recruited Iru men into their armies to protect the southern borders of Ankole.

References

  1. ^ The Observer Media Ltd. :: The Weekly Observer :: Uganda's Top Resource site
  2. ^ The Ankole Agreement 1901

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ankole — Ankole …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ankole — bezeichnet: Ankole (Volk), ein Volk in Uganda Ankole, das frühere Königreich der Ankole im Südwesten des Landes Ankolerind, eine von den Ankole gezüchtete Rinderrasse Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärun …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ankole — Ankole,   ehemaliger Distrikt in Südwestuganda, in der Westregion, zwischen Victoria und Rutanzigesee, extensive Weidewirtschaft im Osten, Anbau von Tee, Kaffee, Bananen im Westteil. Hauptort ist Mbarara; in der Nähe der Mburo Nationalpark (260… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Ankole — Demande de traduction Ankole → Ankole (+ …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ankolé — Nkolé, Nkoré ou Ankolé population du sud de l Ouganda (env. 1 400 000 personnes). Ils parlent une langue bantoue …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ankole (Königreich) — Flagge des Königreichs Ankole Lage des Königreichs Ankole in Uganda …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ankole Mole Rat — Taxobox name = Ankole Mole Rat status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia familia = Spalacidae genus = Tachyoryctes species = T. ankoliae binomial = Tachyoryctes ankoliae binomial… …   Wikipedia

  • Ankole-Watusi (cattle) — ruled, Watusi were known as Insanga or the ones which were found and Inyambo or the cows with long, long horns. Those with the largest and longest horns belonged to the King and were considered sacred, with some individuals having horns that… …   Wikipedia

  • Ankole — ► Distrito de Uganda, en la región del Oeste; 16 182 km2 y 688 153 h. Cap., Mbarara. Parque Nacional Queen Elisabeth …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • ankole — an·ko·le …   English syllables

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”