The Nkole people, also known as the Banyankole, are a Bantu

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

native to the Ankole region of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. They are primarily found in the southwestern part of the country, in what was historically known as the Ankole Kingdom. The Banyankole are known for their rich cultural heritage and traditional cattle-keeping practices. They are closely related to other Bantu peoples of the region, namely the Nyoro, Kiga,

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

and Hema people.

History

Origins and early history

The Banyankole are part of the larger Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated from Central and

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

to the Great Lakes region of East Africa over a millennium ago. Archaeological evidence and oral traditions suggest that the Banyankole settled in the Ankole region between the 10th and 15th centuries. Their early history is characterized by the establishment of the Ankole Kingdom, a centralized monarchy that played a significant role in the region's politics and culture.

Culture

Language

The Banyankole speak Runyankole, a Bantu language closely related to other languages in the region such as Rukiga, Runyoro, and Rutooro. Runyankole serves as a vital part of these people's identity used in everyday communication and cultural ceremonies and it is widely spoken in southwestern part of the country.

Social structure

Traditional Banyankole society is divided into two main social classes: the Bahima and the Bairu. The Bahima are primarily cattle herders, known for their long-horned Ankole cattle, while the Bairu are primarily agriculturalists. This division has historically influenced social roles and interactions within Banyankole communities.

Religion

The Banyankole tribe in

is predominantly Christian, with a significant majority of its members practicing Christianity. The Banyankole people are primarily adherents of the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

( Church of Uganda) denominations. According to the 2002 Census of Uganda 52.6% of Banyankole are

and 34.8% are

. A minority at 5.2% are

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and 4.6%

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Names

There are several names they are referred to as. These include the following ones: Ankole, Ankori, Banyankole, Banyankore, Nkoles, Nkore, Nyankole, Nyankore, Ouanyankori, Runyankole, Runyankore, Uluyankole, Uluyankore.Source LCSH, BnFbr>
/ref>

References

Other sources

* John Roscoe, ''The Banyankole: the second part of the report of the Mackie Ethnological Expedition to Central Africa'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1923, 176 p.

External links

*
« Nkole (peuple d'Afrique) »
(notice LCSH, Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF) {{Authority control Ethnic groups in Uganda