abagabe’s burial grounds: VALUABLE BUT FORGOTTEN
IT may pass off as an insignificant lake shore, but it is where the departed kings of the ancient Nkore kingdom rest in eternal slumber.
By Raymond Baguma
IT may pass off as an insignificant lake shore, but it is where the departed kings of the ancient Nkore kingdom rest in eternal slumber.
It is in the sacred forest of Ishanje that the remains of about 14 Nkore kings are strewn in the marsh by Lake Nakivale, over 50 kilometres outside Mbarara, in the new district of Isingiro.
Isingiro is one of the five districts that constitute Nkore kingdom. The district also holds cultural importance in Nkore history.
Legend has it that Isingiro is where the Abagabe of Nkore (kings of Nkore) often fled whenever inter-kingdom wars broke out during the pre-colonial era. ‘Isingiro’ is thus derived from the Kinyankore word ‘Okusingirwa’, which is translated as ‘where to run and seek refuge’.
Today, the major administrative centre of Isingiro district is Kabingo, a sprawling village town with dust-spattered buildings and rusty roofs.
It is at Kabingo that I find Julius Musinguzi, my guide to the sacred forest of Ishanje. Perched on a boda boda, the only convenient transport means here, we head for our destination, past scorched pasture and underfed cattle.
The stifling noon sun and trails of thick dust stirred by passing vehicles stifle my breathing. In Ishanje, the sun casts short shadows of the giant indigenous Emitooma (bark trees) in the forest.
Far off, the glistening waters of Lake Nakivale and the green papyrus are calm in the hazy afternoon sun. Ishanje is a marvellously chosen retreat for the departed kings.
Retired Bishop Amos Betungura, who is also an Ankore elder, says, “Upon a king’s death, his body would be dumped in Ishanje forest and left there. It was believed that the departed king would be reincarnated into a lion.â€
The departed kings buried in Ishanje include Nkuba ya Rurama, Nyaika, Ntare I, Rushengo and Ntare II. Others are Ntare III, Kasaasira, Rumongye, Mirindi, Macwa, Kahaya I, Rwebishengye, Gasyonga I and Mutambuuka.
Bishop Betungura explains that Ruhinda, the first Mugabe of Nkore, who reigned in the late 15th century, was buried in a Tanzanian forest called Muzaire-otaakwa-mwana. This was at a time when the frontiers of Nkore extended up to present-day Tanzania.
He cites tales of dead kings who regain life as monsters that mercilessly hunt and devour their former loyal subjects.
We follow a footpath in the deep forest, wondering if I could catch sight of disintegrated noble human frames. Just then a serpent slithers past, killing our urge of progressing further.
Other Bagabe are buried elsewhere in Isingiro district. They include Kiteera, Rwabireere and Mukwenda, who are buried in Kabaiginya.
Ishanje forest bears no hallmark of a royal burial place. Rather, logging and cultivation of sorghum and maize have taken over.
Joseph Ndiyizimana, a Rwandan refugee living in the neighbouring Nakivale settlement camp and who cultivates by the lakeshore, says, “For all the time I have cultivated here, I knew nothing about this place’s cultural importance.â€
On my sojourn, I discover that Ishanje is not an archetypal burial site for royalty and is devoid of sacredness.
Nkore kingdom traces its origin in Wamala, the last king of the Chwezi demigods who migrated from Bunyoro, settled at Itaaba in present-day Rwampara and founded the kingdom.
It is from Wamala’s lineage that the ruling clan of Nkore descends, with Ruhinda having been the first Mugabe.
However, the kingdom has not been restored and the cultural sites are abandoned. The Ishanje sacred forest with the royal tombs are one of the few relics. Equally, the Gasani (royal tombs) in Nkokonjeru, Mbarara municipality, where modern-day Nkore kings Edward Sulumaani Kahaya II, the first Christian Mugabe and Sir Charles George Gasyonga II were laid to rest, has been swallowed up by a bush (Kahaya II reigned between 1897-1944 and Gasyonga II between 1945-1967).
“We do not have resources and are losing money from tourists who would come to visit the cultural sites such as the royal tombs and the king’s palace,†says Betungura.
He says plans are underway to set up a cultural museum in Mbarara to house Nkore’s cultural artifacts such as the royal drum (Bagyendanwa), paintings, spears, shields and other regalia currently in the Uganda Museum.
Betungura also says that Nkore cultural elders have embarked on a programme to organise their fellow tribesmen in their respective clans.
“We are not after Obugabe but as Banyankore, we need to unite. We actually have a programme aimed at educating people on clans and their formation,†he says.
IT may pass off as an insignificant lake shore, but it is where the departed kings of the ancient Nkore kingdom rest in eternal slumber.
It is in the sacred forest of Ishanje that the remains of about 14 Nkore kings are strewn in the marsh by Lake Nakivale, over 50 kilometres outside Mbarara, in the new district of Isingiro.
Isingiro is one of the five districts that constitute Nkore kingdom. The district also holds cultural importance in Nkore history.
Legend has it that Isingiro is where the Abagabe of Nkore (kings of Nkore) often fled whenever inter-kingdom wars broke out during the pre-colonial era. ‘Isingiro’ is thus derived from the Kinyankore word ‘Okusingirwa’, which is translated as ‘where to run and seek refuge’.
Today, the major administrative centre of Isingiro district is Kabingo, a sprawling village town with dust-spattered buildings and rusty roofs.
It is at Kabingo that I find Julius Musinguzi, my guide to the sacred forest of Ishanje. Perched on a boda boda, the only convenient transport means here, we head for our destination, past scorched pasture and underfed cattle.
The stifling noon sun and trails of thick dust stirred by passing vehicles stifle my breathing. In Ishanje, the sun casts short shadows of the giant indigenous Emitooma (bark trees) in the forest.
Far off, the glistening waters of Lake Nakivale and the green papyrus are calm in the hazy afternoon sun. Ishanje is a marvellously chosen retreat for the departed kings.
Retired Bishop Amos Betungura, who is also an Ankore elder, says, “Upon a king’s death, his body would be dumped in Ishanje forest and left there. It was believed that the departed king would be reincarnated into a lion.â€
The departed kings buried in Ishanje include Nkuba ya Rurama, Nyaika, Ntare I, Rushengo and Ntare II. Others are Ntare III, Kasaasira, Rumongye, Mirindi, Macwa, Kahaya I, Rwebishengye, Gasyonga I and Mutambuuka.
Bishop Betungura explains that Ruhinda, the first Mugabe of Nkore, who reigned in the late 15th century, was buried in a Tanzanian forest called Muzaire-otaakwa-mwana. This was at a time when the frontiers of Nkore extended up to present-day Tanzania.
He cites tales of dead kings who regain life as monsters that mercilessly hunt and devour their former loyal subjects.
We follow a footpath in the deep forest, wondering if I could catch sight of disintegrated noble human frames. Just then a serpent slithers past, killing our urge of progressing further.
Other Bagabe are buried elsewhere in Isingiro district. They include Kiteera, Rwabireere and Mukwenda, who are buried in Kabaiginya.
Ishanje forest bears no hallmark of a royal burial place. Rather, logging and cultivation of sorghum and maize have taken over.
Joseph Ndiyizimana, a Rwandan refugee living in the neighbouring Nakivale settlement camp and who cultivates by the lakeshore, says, “For all the time I have cultivated here, I knew nothing about this place’s cultural importance.â€
On my sojourn, I discover that Ishanje is not an archetypal burial site for royalty and is devoid of sacredness.
Nkore kingdom traces its origin in Wamala, the last king of the Chwezi demigods who migrated from Bunyoro, settled at Itaaba in present-day Rwampara and founded the kingdom.
It is from Wamala’s lineage that the ruling clan of Nkore descends, with Ruhinda having been the first Mugabe.
However, the kingdom has not been restored and the cultural sites are abandoned. The Ishanje sacred forest with the royal tombs are one of the few relics. Equally, the Gasani (royal tombs) in Nkokonjeru, Mbarara municipality, where modern-day Nkore kings Edward Sulumaani Kahaya II, the first Christian Mugabe and Sir Charles George Gasyonga II were laid to rest, has been swallowed up by a bush (Kahaya II reigned between 1897-1944 and Gasyonga II between 1945-1967).
“We do not have resources and are losing money from tourists who would come to visit the cultural sites such as the royal tombs and the king’s palace,†says Betungura.
He says plans are underway to set up a cultural museum in Mbarara to house Nkore’s cultural artifacts such as the royal drum (Bagyendanwa), paintings, spears, shields and other regalia currently in the Uganda Museum.
Betungura also says that Nkore cultural elders have embarked on a programme to organise their fellow tribesmen in their respective clans.
“We are not after Obugabe but as Banyankore, we need to unite. We actually have a programme aimed at educating people on clans and their formation,†he says.