Hema people
_-_Ituri.svg) Map showing the location of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c.160,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Languages | |
| Northern Hema: Kilendu or Batha languages Southern Hema: Oruhema or Kinyoro languages | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Rutara people () |
The Hema people or Bahema (plural) are a
Ethnic group
The Hema are a
- The Northern Hema (Gegere) speak the Djugu Territory. They historically intermarried with the Lendu majority population.[1]
- The Southern Hema (Nyoro) speak Kihema or Kinyoro languages and live mostly in Irumu Territory. They historically remained segregated from the Lendu.[1]
There are generally thought to be 160,000 people who consider themselves Hema, mostly concentrated in
Hema-Lendu ethnic tensions
It is generally considered that the Hema became more ethnically distinct under Belgian colonial rule when they were seen as more civilised than other populations in Ituri. Considered part of the mythical "Hamitic" people like the Tutsi, Hima and Songora in neighboring Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, some Hema imagined joining with the aforementioned ethnic groups to form a Hima Kingdom. Hema political pre-eminence continued in Ituri after Congolese independence in 1960. Ethnic Hema continued to dominate local political appointments and business, at the expense of the Lendu who were largely excluded. Land reforms introduced by the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko in 1973 allowed Hema to partly dispossess land held by Lendu peasants.[4]
The ethnic tensions between Lendu and Hema was the primary cause of the
Notable Hema people
See also
- Hema language
- Hima language
References
- ^ a b c d Historical Dictionary 2010, p. 216.
- ^ a b Wright 2008, p. 95.
- ^ Hema
- ^ Wright 2008, p. 96.
Bibliography
- Wright, Alexander (2008). "Ethnic Identity in the Democratic Republic of Congo". In Kotzé, Dirk; Solomon, Hussein (eds.). The state of Africa: Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development. Pretoria: Africa Institute of South Africa. ISBN 978-0-7983-0211-1.
- Kisangani, Emizet Francois; Bobb, F. Scott, eds. (2010). "Hema". Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3rd ed.). Lanham: The Scarecrow Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-8108-5761-2.
Further reading
- Pottier, Johan (2010). "Representations of Ethnicity in the Search for Peace: Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo". African Affairs. 109 (434): 23–50. JSTOR 40388445.
- Thiry, Edmond (2004). Une introduction à l'ethnohistoire des Hema du Nord (Congo du Nord-Est) (PDF). Tervuren: Africa Museum. ISBN 90-75894-65-1. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- Thiry, Edmond (1996). Une introduction à l’Ethnohistoire des Hema du Sud (Haut-Zaïre). Annales No. 150. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa.
External links
- Hema from ethnologue.com
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| Other | |
