Kongo Kingdom

Introduction
The Kongo Kingdom lasted for over (1390-1914) 500 years!  The Bakongo tribe created the Kongo Kingdom.  It had its own government and religion.  It had a great art.  Bakongo were brought to the Americas.  The Bakongo had a lot to do with the creation of religion in the Africa Diaspora.

History
Lukeni lua Nimi was the first Manikongo.  He founded the Kongo Kingdom.  His parents were leaders of 2 kingdoms that married each other.  The Kongo Kingdom was an empire because other states were a part of it.

The Portuguese contacted the kingdom in 1482.  King Nzinga a Nkuwu was baptized by the Portuguese and changed his name into Jose I.  Christianity became the religion of the Kongo Kingdom.  The government became more European after this.  Christianity became one of many cults in the Kongo Kingdom.

The Kongo Kingdom bartered slaves with Portugal.  The Portuguese kidnapped people in the Kongo. A Kongo prince was kidnapped, so the Manikongo sent a letter to the King of Portugal about it.  The Pope sent a letter back saying it's not a big deal because there's a lot of people in the Kongo.

The Jaga invasion caused a recession in the Kongo; which caused extreme poverty.  In response to this, people sold their relatives to Portuguese.  Even nobility was sold.  The Manikongo was able to save most of the people sold.  Slaves were the only currency Portugal took from the Kongo.  There were civil wars in the Kongo because of slavery.

In 1641 a providence of Kongo revolted.  The Manikongo teamed up with the Dutch to stop the Portuguese from kidnapping people.  In 1665 the Portuguese invaded.  They defeated the army and killed the Manikongo.  To men fought other who should be the next Mainkongo.

The Portuguese helped the Kongo defeat the rebels from an independent providence.  The Kongo split into 2 kingdoms.  Each kingdom had its own capital.  More factions were created and they warred with each other.

It was decided at the Berlin Conference that the Kongo would be ruled by Portugal.  The Portuguese incorporated the Kongo Kingdom into Angola.  It stopped being a kingdom in the 1900's.

Tribe
Bakongo is a mixture of Bantu tribes.  They have been farming for over 2000 years!  They speak their own language called Kikongo.  Their language is part of the Niger-Congo language family.  Some of them are hunters, others are fishermen. They are matrilineal, which means inheritance comes from the mother.  They have rites of passage: rituals that turn boys 2 men and girls to women.    

Social Strafication
Manikongo-King

Nobility-Upper class people.  They elected the Manikongo.

Freeperson: Middle-class people.

Slave: People that weren't free.

Religion
The Bakongo people believed in a creator (Nzambi), ancestors, and deities.  They believed in reincarnation. Reincarnation was a common Bantu belief.  Minkisi are statues that have magical powers.  Cosmogram represents the land of the spirit and land of the flesh.    

Art
Artists in the Kongo made a lot of sculptures out of ivory.  They created great pottery and jewelry. They made great masks that were worn at funerals and court.  There were whistles made out of antelope horns. Manikongo had staffs with statues of women on them because they were matrilineal.

Bakongo Religion in the America
Millions of Bakongo people were brought to America.  My triple great grandmama may have been a Bakongo lady.  That is so sweet!!!!!!

Haitian Vodou-Congo Nation (group of deities)

New Orleans Voodoo-Congo Square, Minkisi, etc

Umbanda-This religion was created or influenced by Bakongo

Quimbanda-Fire spirits, deities, and other practices came from the Bakongo.

Palo Mayombe-This religion/magical system was created by Bakongo.

Hoodoo-Bakongo people help create/influence Hoodoo.

Conclusion
The Kongo Kingdom would have been great place had they not dealt with Europeans.  The downfall of the Kongo was dealing with Europeans and embracing Christianity.  I love Bakongo people.  I want them to be a great success.  They have sweet religion, art, philosophy, science, etc.  The Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo is named after the Kongo.

References
https://www.britannica.com/place/Kongo-historical-kingdom-Africa
http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/kingdom-kongo-1390-1914
https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/kongo
http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAfrica/AfricaAngola.htm
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Brazil-to-Congo-Republic-of/Bakongo.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kongo-people
http://bakongopeople.weebly.com/
http://www.webarchaeology.com/html/kongocos.htm
http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Other_religions/kongo_religion.htm
http://daeunstripstokongo.blogspot.com/2012/04/politics-of-kongo.html
http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2013/05/pre-colonial-african-kingdom-of-kongo.html
http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/kongo.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1979.206.127/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/nkisi
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~sulli20c/classweb/Kongolese_ReligiousBeliefs.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kong/hd_kong.htm
http://www.african-art.net/ethnicity/kongo/africa-black-life-rituals
http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2015/kongo
http://www.african-art.net/ethnicity/kongo/africa-black-life-rituals
http://www.africamuseum.be/research/publications/rmca/music/kongo-mbata
http://houseofquimbanda.org/quimbanda/
http://blackbluedog.com/2013/01/news/hoodoo-the-exploited-forgotten-african-religion/
https://destee.com/threads/nsambi-nkisi-bakongo-cosmology.44755/
https://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/lowCountry_furthRdg4.htm
Kongo Kingdom
Kongo Art
Kongo Cosmogram
Nkisi