Pongwe Pogwe is a Tanzanian village belonging to the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
Kang'ata,
Handeni District
Handeni District is one of the 11 districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the west by the Kilindi District and the Handeni Urban District, to the north by the Korogwe District, to the east by t ...
in the northern
Region of Tanga. The local
demonym is "Wapongwe" ("Samwepongwe" for men and "Mnamweponge" for women).
Geography
In Pongwe Pogwe there is a
natural spring
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fres ...
water place called Kwekibaya. Kwekibaya is the only source of water for thousands of people and animals.
History
Cultural beliefs
It is believed that if a person not belonging to Wapongwe cleans the water source (the place where water is actually coming out to the surface), Kwekibaya dries out. If this happens, it is only a Wapongwe family member, in Wagongwe tradition, who can please the natural spring to give out water again.
Because of the importance of Kwekibaya, there is a chain of family leaders among the Wapongwe who guide the community in managing the Kibaya in particular and general resources such as deforestation issues (which forest is a reserved one). The last leader of wapongwe is Mkulago (1942-2006). Mkulago died on 28 April 2006 and laid to rest on 30 April 2006 in the Mtonga forest.
References
{{Reflist
Populated places in Tanga Region