Bahunde (Kobi, Rukobi) | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| over 1 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North Kivu DRC, South Kivu DRC, Western Uganda | |
| Languages | |
| Kihunde, Kiswahili | |
| Religion | |
| Bantu spirituality, Christianity, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Shi, Havu, Nyanga, Tembo, Nande, Toro, Kiga and other Bantu people |
The Hunde people also (Bahunde, Kobi, Rukobi) are descendants of Bantu people primarily inhabiting the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many live in the Masisi, Rutshuru and Walikale territories. Some Bahunde also live in Rwanda and southwestern Uganda. They number approximately 950,000 and speak the Hunde language.[1]
Among the massive capture of Bantu speaking people, many of the Bahunde were captured and sold during the Arab slavery of Africans, many more were also captured by the Portuguese and shipped during the trans Atlantic slavery, and with the coming of the European coloniser, the Bahunde Kingdom was reduced to chiefdoms and forced to convert to Christianity and Islam after a decade of resistance and resilience. The Bahunde have been in conflict with the Banyarwanda of Rwanda many times long before independence, in particular with the Tutsi; a cushitic or nilotic tribe in Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, many Bantu kingdoms in this region.