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27-455: According to Magang-Ma-Mbuju and Mbumb Bwass the Punu people originated from the people called « Jagas » and came from Kasaï and Zambezi. According to them, it was the Punu people who had invaded the kingdom of Kongo in 1568 and they were known as Jagas . Claude Hélène Perrot said that before the publication of the work of these two authors (Magang-Ma-Mbuju and Mbumb Bwass), many studies devoted to

54-549: A N'Gaange in the kiLunda (kiyaka-kipunu) language. It was ruled over by a monarch called the Mwane-a- n'Gaange. One of these rulers, Ilunga Tshibinda , came from the nation of Luba where his brother ruled and married a royal woman from a nation to their south. Their son became the first paramount ruler of the Lunda, creating the title of Mwane-a-Yamvu (c. 1665). Other sources state the first well-attested historical ruler of Lunda

81-513: A Luba-speaking kingdom, but much larger than the various populations that existed in Kete and Sala Mpusa. The first major military campaign by Nawej was against Sala Mpasu. He is said to have built a major fortress in Sala Mpasu territory, but was not at this stage able to exert control over them. Nawej removed his troops from Sala Mpasu in response to an invasion of his territory by forces from

108-413: A title for the heir apparent. However these offices are only directly attested to by sources from the early 19th century. Perpetual kingship was practised, whereby the king 'became' his predecessor, adopting his name, kinship relations, and duties. Lunda started in an area where traditional farming and thus settled existence was only generally done in river valleys. Just to the north is an area where

135-523: Is now the Luapula Province of Zambia. The kingdom became a confederation of a number of chieftainships that enjoyed a degree of local autonomy (as long as tributes were paid), with Mwata Yamvo as paramount ruler and a ruling council (following the Luba model) to assist with administration. The strength of the kingdom enabled it to conquer the territory of other tribes, especially to the east. In

162-408: Is only danced with in the dark at night. Different from the other two masks, these masks are rarely found in a museum because they used to hide them very well, due to the belief that they are dangerous and they have an evil nature. The Punu believe in their God Nyambye , they feared evil spirits, they used to do chirurgical operations after someone death to find out the cause of the death however if

189-503: The Jagas had shown that this warrior group was of diverse origins, B.M. Batsikama and M. Ipari had concluded that the invaders of Mbanza Kongo in 1568 were populations of Kongo origin. The Punu people migrated into The Republic of the Congo in the 16th century and migrated into Southern Gabon in the 18th century. One of the well known Punu art objects are the white masks with nine dots on

216-765: The Yaka ethnic group. The Yaka had a reputation for ferocity and were said to come from the far interior. They inhabited the middle reaches of the Kwango valley, making them the eastern neighbors to the Mbundu and BaKongo. These particular "jagas" were constant victims of the Kongo slave trade and eventually invaded their western neighbor in 1568. This forced the Portuguese to intervene with some 600 matchlockmen on behalf of then king Alvaro I . Though forced completely out of Kongo by

243-520: The 18th century, a number of migrations took place as far as the region to the south of Lake Tanganyika . The Bemba people of Northern Zambia descended from Luba migrants who arrived in Zambia throughout the 17th century. At the same time, a Lunda chief and warrior called Mwata Kazembe set up an Eastern Lunda kingdom in the valley of the Luapula River . The kingdom of Lunda came to an end in

270-582: The 1960 a number of scholars proposed that oral traditions of the Lunda Empire , when compared with those of some Angolan groups, suggested that the Jaga invasion of Kongo and the Jagas of Angola were in fact groups of conquerors fleeing from Lunda in the 16th century. In 1972 Joseph C. Miller presented a review of the available evidence and argued that the group that invaded Kongo was completely distinct from

297-465: The 19th century, when it was invaded by the Chokwe , who were armed with guns. The Chokwe then established their own kingdom with their language and customs. Lunda chiefs and people continued to live in the Lunda heartland but were diminished in power. At the start of the colonial era (1884), the Lunda heartland was divided between Portuguese Angola, King Leopold II of Belgium 's Congo Free State and

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324-599: The British in North-Western Rhodesia , which became Angola, DR Congo and Zambia, respectively. The Lunda groups in Northern Rhodesia were led by two prominent chiefs, Ishindi and Kazembe Kazembi, with Ishindi establishing his kingdom in the north-west of the country and Kazembe in the north-east. Of the two prominent chiefs, Ishindi was the first born of Mwanta Yamvo which Kazembe was made King as

351-647: The Imbangala settled there, forming the kingdom of Kasanje on the Kwango River. Lunda Empire The Lunda Empire or Kingdom of Lunda was a confederation of states in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo , north-eastern Angola , and north-western Zambia . Its central state was in Katanga . Initially, the core of what would become the Lunda confederation was a commune called

378-631: The Kingdom of Kanyok. The Kanyok forces killed Nawej and established a fortress in Lunda territory. The next ruler, Muland, elected by the leaders of the state, was eventually able to drive out the Kanyok forces. The Lunda Kingdom controlled some 150,000 km by 1680. The state doubled in size to around 300,000 km at its height in the 19th century. The Mwane-a Yamvo of Lunda became powerful militarily from their base of 175,000 inhabitants. Along with this military strength through sheer numbers,

405-514: The Kwanza River. The actual name of these people was Imbangala . The origins of these people is still debated, but they are also believed to have immigrated from the Lunda Empire , rejecting that state's political changes. The Imbangala were known to be notoriously cruel and also ritually cannibalistic . They were used to good effect as mercenary elements in the Portuguese army during its conquest of Angola. Once introduced into central Angola,

432-533: The Lunda Kingdom also received Muslim military advisors and some dated weapons from the cities of Nyangwe and Kabambare . Through marriage with descendants of the Luba kings, they gained political ties. The Lunda people were able to settle and colonize other areas and tribes, thus extending their kingdom through southwest Katanga into Angola and north-western Zambia , and eastwards across Katanga into what

459-522: The areas between rivers can also be inhabited. In its early history Lundu struggled primarily with the Luba-speaking people who lived downriver, and thus north of it. These people are sometimes referred to with names such as Sala Mpusa or Kete, which make it appear they were organized single states. However in reality they were loose confederations of shifting alliances. It also early on faced off with Kanyok Kingdom , located to its north-west, also

486-575: The capture and return of enslaved runaways, known as 'Freedom Seekers', have uncovered a young, female member of the Punu community living and working in East London in the early 1700s. Her intricate scarification marks, described as diamonds on her forehead and temples are those portrayed on the Mukudj , female ancestor masks of the Punu community in Gabon. Punu carvers continue to model these masks on

513-428: The cause of the late person could not be found it was then the wizard (mulosi) from the family circle who should be held responsible. People were jealous of successful people and they believe that their jealousy would cause the successful person harm or death. Illness was always seen as a work of an evil spirit and the only way to heal was by a special ritual to cast away the evil spirit's work. Newspaper adverts, seeking

540-422: The first European discover the first white mask. Later in 1925-30 Europeans had more access to the societies and the secrecy was less than before. Black masks in Punu culture were worn by dancers as training masks, which perform first to announce the arrival of the white mask dancer which is more experienced. Sometimes when a misfortune happens to a group they take white masks and paint them black. This type of mask

567-410: The forehead symbolizing the nine Punu clans, now known as the Punu masks. The masks are life size, they can cover a person's face. They are worn by the dancers in south Gabon. When there is a major community event the dancers wear these masks, one major event would be a dance performed for a secret society. Europeans have been trying to discover the Punu society for a long time, but not until June 1865 did

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594-504: The group that invaded Angola, so that the second group should properly be called " Imbangala ". This distinction is now widely accepted among scholars operating in this field. The invaders of Kongo are thought to have originated from a province of Mwene Muji . The Portuguese first learned about a people they called "jagas" during Kongo's 1556 war with the Mbundu kingdom of Ndongo . Among Ndongo's regular forces were mercenary warriors of

621-436: The mid-1570s, they continued to be a force on the border. They later supplied many mercenary troops to Kongo during its civil war . The Portuguese intervention in the war with the Jaga increased their power in the Kingdom of Kongo. This led to increased trade in favor of Portugal and a seat for priests on the Kongo electoral council. The Portuguese also encountered another fierce warrior people, this time further south beyond

648-591: The night of Thursday 14th January 1706, taking advantage of the Captain's absence, she escaped her captivity, and was still free when the advert was printed three days later. Jaga (Kongo) The Jaga or Jagas were terms applied by the Portuguese to tribes such as Yaka , Suku , Teke , Luba , Kuba and Hungaan invading bands of African warriors east and south of the Kingdom of Kongo . The use of

675-645: The phrase took on different connotations depending on where it was applied. There were two groups of people, both known as fierce warriors, who were dubbed jagas or the jaga . Unbeknownst to the Portuguese who encountered these warriors, the two groups were practically unrelated. In the 17th century there were a number of theories proposed by missionaries and geographers that connected these two groups to other marauding groups operating as far afield as Somalia , Angola and Sierra Leone and ultimately to some great "Jaga homeland" somewhere in central Africa. While more recent scholarship dismissed these earlier claims, in

702-481: The women they consider most beautiful in the village. The features of the mask, although idealised, reflect the subject’s best features.  Women with scarification are admired for their strength in enduring this process and are considered particularly beautiful as a result. The girl, aged about 16, resided with Captain Henry Lumley and his household at number 18 Prescott street, Goodman Fields, Aldgate . On

729-472: Was Nawej, who begin his rule about 1695. His father was said to have come from Kalundwe, a Luba language -speaking state. It is unclear, though, how much of the traditions of the kingdom before Nawej are historically accurate. Nawej is said by tradition to have created the office of queen mother, called Rukonkesh. A key part of this role was to help determine succession. He also created the office of Swan Mulond, which he gave to his mother Ruwej, and Swan Mulop,

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