Kiga people, or Abakiga (“people of the mountains”), are a Bantu ethnic group of northern Rwanda and southern Uganda. The Kiga speak a Bantu language called Rukiga.They are sometimes referred to as the Chiga or Kiga, while the singular form is Omukiga. Additionally, a large number of Bakiga were still living in Rwanda at the time of European colonization. An Anglo-German Agreement signed in Brussels on 14 May 1910, modified part of the boundary between British and German territories initially established as the parallel of one degree south latitude by the treaty of 1890. Modified were the sectors between the Congo tripoint and the junction of the Kakitumba and Kagera, comprising the present Rwanda-Uganda boundary, and between the junction and the second crossing of the parallel of one degree south latitude by the Kagera, comprising the western segment of the present Tanzania-Uganda boundary. Details of the final delimitation and demarcation of the Rwanda-Uganda boundary between the Congo tripoint of Sabinio and the southwestern branch (Lubirizi) of the Tshinzinga (Muvogero) are given in an Anglo-German Protocol signed at Kamwezi on 30 October 1911. Therefore, many Bakiga became Ugandans by de facto in 1911 when the current international boundaries of Uganda were formally finalized.
Location
The Bakiga inhabit Kabale and part of Rukungiri districts. They occupy the counties of Ndorwa, Rubanda, Rukigain Kabale and parts of Kinkizi and Rubando counties in Rukungiri districts. Due to overpopulation, the Bakiga have been migrating to other parts of Uganda especially t Kabarole, Rukungiri, Kasese, Hoima, Masindi and Mubende districts; and Rwampara, Ruhuma and Ibanda counties of Mbarara district. They have also settled in Masaka and Rakai districts. They are a physically strong people. They speak Rukiga, a Bantu language.
Origins
The actual origins of the Bakiga are hidden in varying traditions. Some say that the Bakiga originally lived in Karagwe having migrated from Bunyoro during the Luo Invasion. They are associated with the Banyambo of Tanzania. Another tradition which seems more sensible says that the cradle of the Bakiga was in Buganza in Rwanda. They migrated from Buganza in search of fertile land and to escape natural harzards due to internal political conflicts.
From Rwanda, the Bakiga are said to have migrated to Bwisa, to Bugoyi, then to Rutchru, all in Zaire, and they finally settled in Kigezi. Since the Bakiga are Bantu speakers, this tradition could be true. What may equally be true id that the Bakiga were part of the Bantu speakers who migrated from the Congo region, through Bunyoro, Karagwe, Rwanda and eastern Zaire to finally settle in Kigezi. What has not yet been established are the exact dates when they settled in each of the areas en route to Kigezi.
Social set-up
The Bakiga were organized into clans the biggest of which was Basiga clan. Each clan was composed if several lineages and each lineage had ahead, Omukuru w’omuryango. A man was not allowed to marry from his clan.
Inheritance
The male children could divide their fathers estate amongst themselves. It was normal for fathers to give some land to their daughters upon marriage as part of the assets (emihingizo) to accompany the daughtesr to their new married lives. This used to act as an asset start up (entandikwa) for the new family particularly when the boys’ parents asset base was so lacking. At other times when the girls father either had fewer boys or had land in abundance.
Homesteads
A mukiga homestead consisted of a main house or hut, a kitchen, a kraal, sanitation facilities and a series of grannaries. All these were enclosed in a strong fence made up of mainly thorny plants like emikwatangwe (plants that restrain leopards). The fence was meant to offer protection against wild animals on livestock, thieves and enemies.
Marriage
Marriage was a very important cultural institution among the Bakiga. Traditionally, no marriage could be honored without the payment of bride wealth. In the past, a marriage could be arranged by the boy’s father or uncle on the boy’s behalf. The final arrangements could only be made after the payment of bride wealth. The bride was normally paid by the boy’s father. It involved cows, goats and hoes. The amount paid differed from group to group and from family to family within each group. It is said that it was taboo to sell any animals given as bridewealth.Such animals could be used to obtain wives for the girl’s brothers or father.
The Bakiga are a very polygamous society; the number of wives was only limited by the availability of land and bride wealth obligations.
The Bride wealth paid on a girl was shared among the girl’s principal relatives. Of the relatives the most important were Nyinarimi (maternal uncle) and ishenkazi (paternal aunt). If one of them went away dissatisfied, so they said, he could render the girl barren or cause her to have incessant ill- health by inciting the wrath of the ancestors.
Boys tended to marry at a slightly late age, between eighteen and twenty years, while girls could be marred off between fourteen and sixteen years of age. The normal trend was for girls from richer families to get married later than girls from poorer families. Before marriage, a girl wield spend a month or so in seclusion. During this period, she would be well fed and instructed in the art of home management.
Divorce
Divorce was a common phenomenon among the Bakiga. The common causes were barrenness and laziness on the part of the wife or the husband. Some other matters of misunderstanding between a husband and a wife could also lead to divorce. A divorce was allowed to remarry but she would fetch less bride wealth this time as she would no longer be a virgin. The majority of the would-be instances of divorce were settled by the elders. They would normally be called by the woman’s father to listen to both the husband and the wife and try to have the two sides reach an amicable conclusion that would prevent divorce. In such cases, it was normal to fine the offending party. Fighting in the home between husbands and wives was frequent, but would not normally lead to divorce.
Religion
The Bakiga believed in a supreme being Ruhanga or Kazooba Nyamuhanga; the Creator of all things earthly and heavenly. God is also known through many attributes. As the supreme elder and the ruler of the universe, he is called Mukama. When associated with the power of the sun, he is Kazooba-Nyamuhanga. In his aspect as the one who makes things grow, he is called Biheeko.
At a lower level they believed in the cult of Nyabingi ( the spirit of a much respected rain-maker). The Nyabingi cult was said to have originated from Karagwe. It had its base at Kagarama, near Lake Bunyonyi.  There were special shrines for Nyabingi known as endaro. Through Nyamingi’s representatives known as Abagirwa people would worship and tender sacrifices of beer and roasted meat to Nyamingi. The Nyabingi cult believed that their god was able to make them win wars and give them courage and strength in the agitation against colonialism, some believed that Emandwa would defend them against bad spirits, and other gods were for bumper harvests, good luck and others.
Many Bakiga with the influence of Christianity adopted ‘theo-phoric’ names. These names are eschatological (Turya-guma-nawe) meaning we will be with God for ever.
Nowadays most Bakiga are Christians (Muslims are few) and starkly divided into Catholics and Protestants, a division which strongly polarizes communities. One’s religion can determine professional prospects and religious preferences heavily influence local political elections.
The dressing code
Men used to dress in one cow hide or two if they were rich. The skin hung from the shoulder, covering private parts. A man would belt himself for a fight or a dance, while for clearing land one would put it aside and carry out his work without skin and put it on again after finishing his activity. Women used to wear skirts made from several skins and a top. A skin garment covered the torso. The women garments for Special occasions were designed and decorated with ringlets and beads through tiny holes bored along the edges of the skin (Ebishato). Both wealthy men and women would have additional decorational ornaments for the legs and the hands,”The Enyerere and Emiringa”
Parenthood preparation
Boys were coached by their fathers and uncles through the men routine. Such included herding cattle, clearing the bushes in preparation for cultivation, hunting, splitting firewood, building houses and others. For mothers to be, Virginity was very important. If an unmarried girl got pregnant, she would be taken to a forest, tied to a tree, and left to the mercy of animals.
Alternatively, she would be thrown over a cliff. Hamuhonga at the boundary of Rwamucucu and Kashambya, Kisizi Falls were some of the areas used for this purpose. At Lake Bunyonyi, a special island was used for dumping these unfortunate girls. From here some were salvaged to become second wives or to be wives of some men with limited means of survival usually unable to raise dowery. A marriage needed to be preceded by a payment of bride wealth, which meant cows, goats, and hoes. If a man had enough of these and plenty of land, he could get as many wives as desired: polygamy was a norm (Turyahikayo-Rugyema,Edel). For instance, one of the remnants of the royal clan of the Abungura, Umwami Katamujuna, had ten wives, though, at the coming of Christianity he had to compromise seven of them. A muhimba Rubango of Ibumba is estimated to have had thirteen wives.
Conflict resolution
In settling disputes the elderly members of a clan the abakuru b’emiryango (Ngorogoza). Clansmen elected a lineage head on the criteria of character (truthful, brave, a war-leader) and power (a rich man, a medicine man, or a priest). Different lineage heads would gather and publicly discuss potential issues of wider concern. What lineage heads did not solve together could result in fighting between groups. The Bakiga were natural born-warriors.
Medical Practice
The Bakiga had very wonderful ways of promoting good health. Some were preventive, corrective while others were curative. The common preventive measures were ample feeding and okushandaga (innoculation/administration of drugs through a skin incision). While good feeding ensured strength and vigor, Okushandaga was meant to confer immunity against a wide range of diseases including protecting a person from being charmed or struck by thunder.
Most of the curative drugs were derived from the herbs that treated awide range of diseases. Remedies for poison were selectively and commonly administered (Okutanasya/vomiting in order to expel the ingested poison). They even had an antidote for excessive vomiting induced by such medications. Babies born prematurely could be incubated using millet bran until they could mature. Cuts would be treated with enyabarashana/Bidens pilosae which could effectively arrest the bleeding. Urinaly omplications/Enzibe/possibly prostate cancer would effectively be treated with preparations from the Stinging nestle/ Ekicuriganyi. Bruises and fractures were treated/okumunga either in the presence or absence of the patient as long as the area of the fracture was known. Stories of love portions were rife especially in polygamous settings to attract the close attention of the husband from other wives and women. A critical examination of the bakiga medical practice could form a very vital foundation for relevant reliable basic medical care solutions.
Music/Dance
The form of dance for the Bakiga is called the Ekizino. Ekizino is a royal dance from the Bakiga people of Kigezi, which is known as “Switzerland of Africa” because of its weather and landscape similar to most European countries. Temperatures at night readily drop to 4°C – 10°C. Livestock are traditionally kept indoors, often under a raised wooden pole bed, to generate heat to keep the family members warm.
During colder months, Ekizino is the warm-up dance. Since Kigezi is a hilly region, the men who go out farming early in the morning cold must jump around for a while to get warm, and also to stretch their muscles after work. Traditionally, the people also used to stamp the ground until they found signs of water. Therefore, this very vigorous dance represents their jumping, stamping and is meant to demonstrate stamina and strength. Women participant in this vigorous dance along as well, with a more elegant display of their arms.
Economy
The Bakiga were basically agriculturalists growing mainly sorgum, peas, millet, and beans. They also reared some cattle, sheep and goats. Among them were excellent iron- smiths who made hoes, knives, and spears. They were great porters and produced a wide assortment of pottery. Besides, they made a wide range of carpentry object baskets and mats and they reared bees and produce honey.
The Bakiga lived and worked communally. Most economic activities were dome on a communal basis. Grazing, bush clearing, cultivation and harvesting were done communally. The men cleared the bush while the women tiled the land. Men worked together to erect round, grass-thatched huts for shelter. They practiced barter trade amongst themselves and between their neighbors.
The stable foods of Bakiga were sorghum, beans and peas. They supplemented them with pumpkins, yams, meat and a variety of green vegetables.Sufficent food was prepared so that every one could ear his fill. It was considered goof manners to join in whenever one found a given family at a meal. One would just wash one’s hands and join the others without waiting to be invited. If a man had more than one wife, all his women had to serve him at each meal. He could ear the most delicious share of the food among the lot, or all of it if he so wished.
The Bakiga made beer, omuramba, played a significant social role. It had a food component and was an alcoholic drink necessary for social gatherings. Omuramba was normally taken from a pot placed in a convenient place. The men would sit on wooden stools surrounding it and by means of long tubes; they would drink as they discussed matters affecting their country. The elders would also settle disputes, recite their heroic deeds and their history, and sing and dance around a pot of omuramba.
The Bakiga were and still are very good zither (enanga) players. They played it alone or in groups.
Utensils
The Bakiga‘s domestic utensils included baskets, pots, wnnowingtrays, stools, grindingstones, woodenpestles, mortars and mingling ladles. The other household items were drums and harps for entertainment; spears, bows and arrows for defense and hunting; grassmats (ebirago) for sleeping on and emishambi for sitting on. Previously the Bakiga women dressed in cow hides known as ebisahto or enkanda. They wore bangles on their legs and arms.
Political set-up
The Bakiga were a segmentary society. Political authority rested in the hands of lineage leaders, Abakuru b’emiryango, many of whom had excellent oratory as well as military skills. They were supposed to be impartial in administering justice. Some leaders such as Basubi emerged to prominence because they had mystical skills. They were rain makers. Others were Baigirwa, the mediums of Nyabingi cult.
The Bakiga were warlike. They resisted the Batutsi and Bahima incursions. As a politically segmented society, they did not have a standing army. However, they had warlords who would mobilize and lead the people to war in the event of invasion. The warlords were men who had killed a large number of enemies in wars without losing any of their men or weapons. Every able-bodied male was culturally obliged to be a soldier.
Judicial systems
The Bakiga abhorred anti-social activities and if anyone was caught he was heavily punished. Such activities included stealing, blocking paths, murder, sorcery and night dancing. In the case of murder for example, the murderer was buried alive in the same grave with the victim. Virginity was highly esteemed and it was a very serious offence for a girl to get pregnant before marriage. If an unmarried girl became pregnant, she would either be taken to a forest and tied to a tree feet and arms and town over a cliff. Most pregnant girls among the Bakiga were taken to the Kisizi falls in Ndorwa and thrown down the cliff. They would drown in the falls. The lucky ones were simply cursed and disowned by their people. Others would be taken to a solitary island on Lake Bunyonyi.
