Baganda

person	Muganda
people	Baganda
language	(O)Luganda
country	Buganda

The Ganda (ethnonym: Baganda; singular Muganda) are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are currently officially recognised)^[1] the Ganda have a rich history and culture. One early-twentieth-century British observer described them as "perhaps the most advanced and cultured" of the Bantu peoples.^[2] Sometimes described as "The King's Men" because of the importance of the king, or Kabaka, in their society,^[3] the Ganda number an estimated three million in Uganda.^[4] In addition, there is a significant diaspora abroad, with organised communities in Canada, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.^[5] Their language is called Luganda.

History

Main article: History of Buganda

Early history

The early history of the Ganda is unclear, with various conflicting traditions as to their origins. One tradition holds that they are descendants of the legenday figure of Kintu, the first human according to Ganda mythology. He was said to have married Nambi, the daughter of the creator deity Ggulu.^[6] A related tradition holds that Kintu came from the east, from the direction of Mount Elgon, and passed through Busoga on the way to Buganda.^[7] A separate tradition holds that the Ganda are the descendents of a people who came from the east or northeast around 1300, possibly either a "Hamitic" people from Ethiopia, or one of the Luo peoples from Sudan.^[8] According to the traditions chronicled by Sir Apolo Kagwa, Buganda's foremost ethnographer, Kintu was the first Muganda, and having descended to Earth at Podi is said to have moved on to Kibiro, and having reached Kyadondo in Uganda's modern-day Wakiso District have formed Buganda there. As the Ganda are a Bantu people, it seems likely that they originated as a people in Central Africa.^[9]

Kintu should not be confused with Kato Kintu, a recorded historical figure who founded the kingdom of Buganda as its first Kabaka in the early 14th century. The latter Kintu, whose origins are unclear, is said to have adopted the name Kintu in reference to the legend of Kintu to establish his legitimacy as a ruler. He was successful in forcefully conquering and unifying what had previously been a number of warring tribes.^[10]

British rule and Uganda Protectorate

The Ganda came into contact with the British in the nineteenth century, resulting in widespread social upheavals in Buganda. The population of the Ganda, said to have numbered three million during the reign of Muteesa I (1856–1884), diminished to around a 1.5 million as a result of famine and civil war. By the early 1900s, their population had been reduced to around one million as a result of an epidemic of sleeping sickness.^[11] Changes to Bugandan society, the first major change being the introduction of a standing army during Muteesa I's reign,^[12] were accelerated when Buganda became the centre of the newly formed Uganda Protectorate as part of the British Empire in 1894. Land which had previously belonged solely to the Kabaka, was divided among the Kabaka and the tribal chiefs. Many of the old clan burial-grounds, previously considered sacred, were desecrated.^[13]

Notes

1. ^ Mukasa E. Ssemakula. "The Clans of Buganda". The Buganda Home Page. http://www.buganda.com/ebika.htm. Retrieved 22 July 2010. 
2. ^ Roscoe, pg. 6
3. ^ "Baganda". Countries and Their Cultures. http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Baganda.html. Retrieved 22 July 2010. 
4. ^ "Baganda". Countries and Their Cultures. http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Baganda.html. Retrieved 22 July 2010. 
5. ^ Mukasa E. Ssemakula. "Baganda in the Diaspora". The Buganda Home Page. http://www.buganda.com/diaspora.htm#baana. Retrieved 22 July 2010. 
6. ^ Mukasa E. Ssemakula. "The Founding of Buganda". The Buganda Home Page. http://www.buganda.com/kintu.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
7. ^ "Baganda People Of Uganda: The Culture, History and Traditions of the Baganda People Of Uganda". Uganda Visit and Travel Guide. http://www.uganda-visit-and-travel-guide.com/baganda-people.html. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
8. ^ "Baganda People Of Uganda: The Culture, History and Traditions of the Baganda People Of Uganda". Uganda Visit and Travel Guide. http://www.uganda-visit-and-travel-guide.com/baganda-people.html. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
9. ^ "Baganda People Of Uganda: The Culture, History and Traditions of the Baganda People Of Uganda". Uganda Visit and Travel Guide. http://www.uganda-visit-and-travel-guide.com/baganda-people.html. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
10. ^ Mukasa E. Ssemakula. "The Founding of Buganda". The Buganda Home Page. http://www.buganda.com/kintu.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
11. ^ Roscoe, pg. 6
12. ^ Roscoe, pg. 2
13. ^ Roscoe, p. 2

References

• Roscoe, John (2005). The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1417975389.