Banyole
 Banyoli man playing musical instrument for his two wives, one making alcohol and the other sauce. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 530,120[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Uganda | |
| Languages | |
| Nyole,English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity,Islam,traditional faiths | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Masaba peopleandLuhya people |
TheBanyoleorBanyuliare aBantuethnic group of Uganda that live mainly inButaleja District.
Ethnicity
[edit]The Banyole are one of the smaller Bantu ethnic groups in Uganda. They are sometimes called "Abalya Lwooba", meaning "mushroom eaters". They speak theNyole language. They are mostly polygamous, and are divided into many clans. They have similar language and traditional customs to theBagwepeople, and like the Bagwe claim origins with theBanyalaof Kenya.[2] The traditional founder of the Banyole came from near the point where theYala RiverentersLake Victoria.[3] He was named Omwa and lived 45 miles (72 km) west of their present location. They were forced to move east due to pressure from Nilotic people.[3]
According to a 2014 report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics the Banyole population is about 300,000.[4][5] Possibly there is confusion with speakers of the relatedNyole language of Kenya. In September 2019 the clan leaders of the Banyole elected their first cultural head. At least 148 clan leaders participated. There was controversy because one of the two candidates was not a resident of the district.[5]
Location and economy
[edit]
Elgon
The Banyole were one of the ethnic groups in the plains betweenLake Kyogato the west and the slopes ofMount Elgonto the east when the British established theBukedi Districtin this area at the start of the 20th century. Bukedi district also containedGisu peoplein the populous and mountainous northeast, and several other ethnic groups in the western and southern plains including theNiloticTeso peopleand theBantuGwere people.[6] The plains peoples were mostlyacephalous.[7]
The Banyole today live mostly inButaleja Districtin the east of Uganda. They also live in the nearbyBudaka,Mbale,Tororo,Bugiri,NamutumbaandPallisadistricts The surrounding peoples are theGisu peopleto the east,Adhola peopleto the south,Soga peopleto the west andGwere peopleto the north. The Banyole typically live by subsistence agriculture.[citation needed] The region is one of rolling grassland surrounded bypapyrusswamps. The land is now densely populated and mostly cultivated. Rice,cottonandcoffeeare grown for cash. Their staple food crop isfinger millet,and they also growsorghum,maize,cassavaandsweet potato.[8]
Religion
[edit]According to the 2002 Census of Uganda about 56.2% of the Banyole tribe are nominallyChristian,mostlyAnglicanestimated at 42.6%. Due to low levels of literacy and lack of Christian texts in their language they have only a basic understanding of this religion, and may also follow traditional religious practices. About 41.6% have converted toIslam.[9]
Divination
[edit]Nyolediviners,known aslamuli,commonly practice invocation as a form of divination. When a person is visibly afflicted (usually determined by change of character, wellness, vocal exclamations, etc.),lamuliwill ask "ohwebusa"in an attempt to ask a potentially malignant spirit who they are.[10] Lamuliare used by Nyole people solely to determine the causes of misfortune, which is believed to be the cause of malignant or upset spirits. It is believed by the Nyole people that the possession of a person is largely due to the spirits of his kin, who may feel as though the afflicted person has not done enough to honor them or their legacy. There are three main types of unhappy kin spirits. The first are known asohulamaorohung'waba,and are older family members such as grandparents. The second type are ancestor spirits known asemigu j'abafu,and the third type are known asekuni,or "clan spirits".[11]
Thelamulialso use books for divination. The books used by thelamulimight beThe Holy Qur'an,theSa'atili Habariand theAbu Mashari Faraki[12] Divination by the use of books is thought to have begun by way of the first influence of Ali bin Nasoor, atraderfromOmanwho settled inBusolwe,and also by the influence of otherSwahiliorArabictraders.[13] Findings of an investigation made by S. R. Whyte found that the majority of people (in thesample) went for divination consultations for reasons of their own bad or failed health.[13]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Uganda Bureau of Statistics."National Population and Housing Census 2017 - Main Report"(PDF).
- ^Banyole Culture.. UTG.
- ^abOwen 1932,p. 67.
- ^"One moment, please..."101lasttribes.Retrieved2024-02-11.
- ^abPolice deployed as Banyole clan leaders...
- ^Heald 1989,pp. 17–18.
- ^Heald 1989,p. 24.
- ^The Banyole People... Wycliffe.
- ^"Population Composition"(PDF).ubos.org.Retrieved7 August2023.
- ^Whyte 1990.
- ^Peek 1991,pp. 2–4.
- ^Olupona 2014,p. 48.
- ^abWhyte 1997,pp. 16, 65.
Sources
[edit]- "Banyole Culture",Uganda Travel Guide,retrieved2021-03-06
- Heald, Suzette (1989),Controlling Anger: The Sociology of Gisu Violence,Manchester University Press,ISBN978-0-7190-2566-2
- Olupona, J. K. (Harvard Divinity School) (2014),African Religions: A Very Short Introduction,OUP USA,p. 48,ISBN978-0-19-979058-6,retrievedDecember 26,2015
- Owen, W.E. (1932),"The Bantu of Kavirondo"(PDF),Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society,Nairobi,retrieved2021-03-06
- Peek, P. M. (Drew University) (1991),African Divination Systems: Ways of Knowing,Indiana University Press, pp. 2, 3, 4,ISBN978-0-253-34309-3,retrievedDecember 25,2015
- "Police deployed as Banyole clan leaders elect first cultural head",Daily Monitor,2019-09-21,retrieved2021-03-06
- The Banyole People,Wycliffe UK Ltd,retrieved2021-03-06
- Whyte, Susan Reynolds (1990), "Uncertain Persons in Nyole Divination",Journal of Religion in Africa,20(1): 41–62,doi:10.2307/1581424,ISSN0022-4200,JSTOR1581424
- Whyte, S.R. (University of Copenhagen) (1997),Questioning Misfortune: The Pragmatics of Uncertainty in Eastern Uganda,Cambridge University Press,ISBN978-0-521-59558-2,retrievedDecember 26,2015