Katende, or Sungu-Katende, was a royal sacred village of the
Kingdom of Luba
The Kingdom of Luba or Luba Empire (1585–1889) was a pre-colonial Central African state that arose in the marshy grasslands of the Upemba Depression in what is now southern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Origins and foundation
Archaeologic ...
.
It was adjacent to the village of
Kabondo
Kabondo is a settlement in Kenya
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, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
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.
Katende is on the upper
Lomami Lomami may refer to:
* Lomami River, a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Lomami Province, a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Lomami Province (former)
Lomami is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republ ...
in the
Lualaba region in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
.
After gaining power around 1770,
Ilunga Sungu established his court at Katende, southwest of
Lake Boya
Lake Boya is a small lake about east of Kabongo in Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The lake is surrounded by high reeds, and has a thriving population of birds.
In the pre-colonial period the region around Lake Boya w ...
and to the west of the
Mashyo salt district of the Luba heartland. Previously the Luba kings had built their palaces northeast of Lake Boya, but the move to Katende set a precedent for locating the capital near the Mashyo resource that was followed by Ilunga Sungu's successors.
According to legend, late in the reign of Mulopwe Ilunga Sungu (c. 1770 - c. 1810) the town had become so large that the "Lord of Hygiene" could not keep the streets clear of refuse and excrement, even working all day with the help of his sons and relatives. The old king complained, blaming the
Bene Kanyoka, and said they should take their dirt home with them. The Kanyok went back to their home in the west and never paid tribute to the Luba again. The story refers to the break that occurred between the Luba and Kanyok people at this time.
Ilunga Sungu died at Katende and was buried there.
References
Sources
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Populated places in Haut-Lomami