Karagwe Kingdom is in north-western Tanzania between

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

and

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

. Karagwe Kingdom was influential kingdom in the history of East Africa led by a hereditary of Kings and chief said to have descended from the

Bachwezi The Kingdom of the Banyakitara, also known as Union of Kitara (Union of Chwezi) or Chwezi Union, and better known as the Kitara Empire, was an empire in East Africa. It existed in the region from around the early bronze age to about 500 C.E. ...

. It enjoyed prosperous trade with merchants from all corners of Africa including Arabs towards the end of the 20th century.

History

The Karagwe kingdom was part of the many Great Lakes Kingdoms in East Africa. The kingdom reached its apex during the 19th century. The growth occurred during the early part of the 1800s with King Ndagara who came to power around 1820 and ruled until 1853 at which time he was replaced by King Rumanika.Israel.K.Katooke

Economy

During the height of the Karagwe kingdom agriculture played an important role in local economics. Many Karagwe were cattle herders and so cows were a measure of wealth and power. Iron production also played a key part in the economic balances within the kingdom. The location of Karagwe land in what is today north-western Tanzania allowed them to participate in regional trade routes that connected

Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...

and other the Ugandan and Rwandan states and merchants from the Eastern coast and the rest of eastern Africa.

Banyambo people

The Banyambo are an ethnic group in Tanzania. They primarily inhabit the Kagera and

Kigoma Kigoma is a city and lake port in Kigoma-Ujiji District in Tanzania, on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika and close to the border with Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo. It serves as the capital for the surrounding Kigoma R ...

regions in the north west. The Banyambo are pastoralists. They are considered to be distinct from the

Haya people The Haya (or Bahaya) are a Bantu ethnic group based in Kagera Region, northwestern Tanzania, on the western side of Lake Victoria. With over one million people, it is estimated the Haya make up approximately 2% of the population of Tanzania. Hi ...

. This distinction is said to be based on cultural differences, with the Haya economy predominantly oriented toward fishing and agriculture, and the Banyambo predominantly engaged in pastoralism.

Art

The most famous works of art from the Karagwe kingdom are iron objects. Some are utilitarian, while others are thought to be symbolic cows and hammers which were used symbolically to link the king with iron production.

Royal House

Karagwe was ruled by a line of Kings said to have descended from the Bachwezi and Babiito clans. The kingdom is said to have been established by Ruhinda, a son of Njunaki, son of Igaba, grandson of Wamalaa.

References

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History

Economy

Banyambo people

Art

Royal House

References

See also