The Luba Kingdom lasted for over (1585-1889) 300 years! The Baluba tribe created the kingdom or the children of the creators. It had a great government, economy, religion, and art.
The ancestors of the Baluba people lived in Central Africa a millennium b4 the Luba Kingdom. They were farmers, fishermen, and metalworkers. They traded with people in the forest. They even imported glass beads from people across the Indian Ocean.
The Nkongolo dynasty created the a nation that was the mother of the Luba Kingdom. A hunter married a Nkongolo women and he became king. He conquered various regions and he may have introduced the bow and arrow to Central Africa.
Belgians and Arabs kidnapped a lot of people in the Luba Kingdom. The kingdom split into 2 kingdoms after a succession dispute. Then it became part of the Belgian Congo Free State.
Tribe
Baluba: They are a Bantu tribe and the main tribe of the Luba Kingdom. They may have been a mixture of various tribes in the Luba Kingdom. They are great at carving wood. They are farmers, fishermen, and cattle herders.
Mulopwe: King, all the kings were descended from hunter that married the Nkongolo lady.
Bamfumus: Council of nobles
Balopwe: Chiefs; they were like governors.
Mwadi: Female incarnation of mulopwe.
Bambudye: Secret society of professors and griots of Luba history.
Mbudye: Men of memory. Griots of the kings.
Economy
The Luba was great at trading. The traded with people near the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They imported or exported copper, iron, and salt. All of this trade made them rich.
Religion
Leza: Supreme Being
Bivayde: Deities
Bankanbo: Ancestors
Muntu: Humans; they are ensouled.
Bumuntu: Goal of humanity; loving-kindness.
Vidye: Spirit is the ultimate reality.
Muja: Soul
Umbidi: Body
Nganga: Healer
Kitobo: Priest
Lubuko: Divination
The muja and umbidi are separate, but connected. What happens to one affects the other. When something is touched a person's energy is left on it. Like a fingerprint. When people die they go to live with their ancestors under earth. Ancestors watch other their descendants. They contact them through dreams and lubuko. The muja reincarnates 3 times as human and 1 time as animal. After that it stays in the spirit world. If people don't honor their ancestors their lives will be ruined. Common people and kitobo in the Luba Kingdom perform prayers, invocations, offerings and other rituals.
Art
Artists made a lot of sculptures. Women were popular in Luba art because they were important in society. Royal art was abundant. Masks held great importance. Mulopwe set on stools and their feet couldn't touch the ground because they were demigods. It was said only a woman is strong enough to hold a powerful king spirit. The elite used headrests at night while sleeping. Memory beads were used by mbudye. The different colored beads represented different memories.
The Luba kingdom was amazing!!!!!!! It had great government, economy, religion and art. I love Baluba people!!!!!!!!!! The Luba religion is very modern. The had a big impact on the Lunda Kingdom. I give this kingdom an A++.
References
http://blackhistoryeveryday.tumblr.com/post/44933590602/luba-kingdom
http://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/luba-religion
http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/08/luba-baluba-people-highly-spiritual.html
https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Luba
https://www.lotusmasks.com/luba-african-masks
http://www.afropedea.org/luba-empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Luba
http://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/2.%20Introductory%20Essay.pdf
Luba Kingdom
Luba Art
More Luba
Luba Song
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