Pre-colonial Period

The Kiga people are believed to have originated from Rwanda. It is even in one of their folk
songs - Abakiga twena tukaruga Rwanda, omu Byumba na Ruhenjere, - meaning that all of
us Bakiga, we came from Rwanda in Byumba and Ruhenjere (called Ruhengeri in Rwanda).
Both Byumba and Ruhengeri are Rwandan cities. The Bakiga are believed to be the descendants
of Kashyiga, who came to be called Kakiga son of Mbogo from the small Kingdom of Bumbogo
in Rwanda later. He came to form the present community of the Bakiga of Kigyezi or Kigezi as a
result of Immigration.

Before the year 1700 A.D., Rwanda is believed to have been occupied by the Twa people as the
first group to occupy it, and then was later on occupied by the second immigration of the Hutu
people, and the third was the Tutsi. Rwanda was organised in small states and chiefdoms but
under one ruler called the Mwami. Originally, he was also known as Omukama. Among the
Bakiga, the ruling person was therefore named Mukama, equivalent to Mwami in other parts of
Rwanda.

Originally, the name Mukama was not a name, but rather the title of a Ruler. But later on it came
to be recognised as a name, implying to one ruling man. In the Bakiga culture, the name was
later attributed to God as Lord. Among the Bakiga, the name Mukama is not a female name.
There are not many Bakiga called by the name Mukama. It is a name that was reserved to be
used in the family of the ruling clan, the Bamuhutu, who possess the inheritance powers. If there
is any person bearing the name Mukama, he must be a Bamuhutu, specifically a
Mungura/Mwitira, or belong to the royal clan of the Bamuhutu. Not even in Rwanda among the
Tutsi who took over the Kingdom after Mbogo had been defeated, did they dare to use the name
Mukama because it signified a more fundamental power than they had assumed. Similar names
could be like Byamukama, Kyomukama, Womukama, Kamukama, Bainomukama and so on.
Therefore, the title for the King in Rwanda remained Mwami (Omwami), whereas in the Rukiga
(the Kiga Kingdom) they continued to use the title Mukama (Omukama).

In the first stages of the formation of the Kingdom of Rwanda, the major states were Bumbogo,
Buriza, and Rukoma (These areas kept their names, and are located in central Rwanda near the
capital city of Kigali). Each of these states was represented by a clan chief. The first Mwami was
Mbogo of the small state of Bumbogo. At that time, the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa ethnic groups were
all present in Rwanda, living side by side. Though these three major groups stood out, their
indigenous clans remained as the point of reference due to their totems. Mbogo, who belonged to
the Abungura clan, today known as Abahitira clan, is believed to have been conquered by his
friend Kirima (Cyirima) of the Abanyiginya clan. Kirima accused Mbogo of mistreating the
people, and Kirima promised he would be a better chief, though he could not claim to be a King
or Umwami. He asserted that Mbogo was using testicles of men to decorate his royal drum,
Kamuhagama, the symbol of his kingdom. Kirima is believed to have made progress, but his
time was short lived by the first invasion of Bunyoro, led by Cwa I son of Nyabwongo. (It
remains to verify, whether Nyabwongo is same as Labongo, the first Babiito king of the
Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom in Uganda.)

Until now, Mbogo, the King, is not identified with any tribe, but rather with the clan of the
Abahitira (Abungura). He was very old and did not want to fight Kirima. His son Kashyiga
(Kakiga) fled to the north, trying to regroup so he could come back and fight. The departure of
Kakiga left a big wound to the state of Bumbogo. Because Kakiga fled with the royal drum
Kamuhagama, Kirima could never claim to be King. The newly established Kingdom was taken
over by sympathizers of the Tutsi king Kirima. But then came the first of two invasions of
Banyoro (People of Bunyoro) under Kirima's successor Mukobanya.

In the Rwandan history, Kirima is known as Cyirima I Rugwe. In contrast to the classic
chronology, modern historians dispute that his successor, Kigeri I Mukobanya, was his son. They
rather insist that he was son of the king of Bugesera, a kingdom located south of Kigali ruled by
the clan of Abahondogo. Cyirima stole his wife, and it is assumed that she was already pregnant
with Mukobanya. Already at the reign of Cyirima, Mukobanya became a great worrier because
he could annex Bumbogo, Buriza, and Rukoma among others, expanding the Rwandan territory
from a few hills to a large territory. During his own reign, he inflicted a strong defeat to the
mighty Banyoro army, and it had to withdraw from Rwanda. They attacked again during the
reign of his successor and defeated him. Mukobanya was the first true expansionist king of
Rwanda, but his acceptance as king seems to have been a result of his bravely.

In the mid-eighteenth century, the Rwandan kingdom became far more centralized. It expanded
continuously, reaching the shores of Lake Kivu. This expansion was a combination of military
conquest with a migration of Rwandan populations spreading their agricultural techniques and
social organization. All these factors extended the political control of the Rwandan king, the
Mwami. Once this was established, camps of warriors were established along vulnerable borders
to prevent incursions. Only against other well developed kingdoms such as Gisaka, Bugesera,
and Burundi expansion was carried out primarily by force of arms.

Under the Tutsi monarchy, the economic imbalance between the Hutus and the Tutsis
crystallized, a complex political imbalance emerged as the Tutsis formed into a hierarchy
dominated by a Mwami or 'king'. The King was treated as a semi-divine being, responsible for
making the country prosper. He adopted the sacred drum Kalinga as the symbol of the King. He
also hung the genitals of conquered enemies or rebels on Kalinga. This treatment will later on
define the relationship between the Tutsi, the Hutu and the Twa peoples. Originally, the Hutus
were among the nobility. They made up 82–85% of the population, and were mostly rich and
simple. But later on they were made to live a poor peasant life. With the centralization of the
political power, the Tutsis took the show, monopolized all privileges of the kings, and came to be
the ones called the Mwamis. Before the nineteenth century, the Tutsis held real military power,
while the Hutus possessed supernatural power.

The newly self-proclaimed Kings changed the nobility of the Hutus to Abiru. In this capacity, the
Mwami's council of advisors (abiru) was exclusively Hutu and held significant sway. By the
mid-18th century, however, the Abiru became increasingly marginalized. However, as the Tutsi
ruled, they were constantly remembered that Kakiga was to return, which made them nervous,
but also motivated them to increase their defence system. As the kings centralized their power
and authority, they distributed land among individuals rather than allowing it to be passed down
through lineage groups, of which many hereditary chiefs had been Hutu. Most of the chiefs
appointed by the Mwamis were Tutsi. The redistribution of land, enacted between 1860 and 1895
by Mwami Rwabugiri, resulted in an imposed patronage system (ubuhake), under which
appointed Tutsi chiefs demanded manual labor in return for the right of Hutus to occupy their
land. This system left Hutus in a serf-like status with Tutsi chiefs as their feudal masters. Under
the Mwami Rwabugiri, Rwanda became an expansionist state. Rwabugiri did not bother to assess
the ethnic identities of conquered people and simply labeled all of them “Hutu”. The title
“Hutu”, therefore, came to be a trans-ethnic identity associated with subjugation. While further
disenfranchising Hutus socially and politically, this helped to solidify the idea that “Hutu” and
“Tutsi” were socioeconomic, not ethnic distinctions. In fact, one could shed his Hutuness
(kwihutura), by accumulating wealth and rising through the social hierarchy.

The Tutsi monarchy was paralysed by the colonisation through Germany followed by Belgium.
It was ended by Grégoire Kayibanda shortly before Rwanda's independence. He founded a
political party known as MDR-Parmehutu (Mouvement démocratique republicain Parmehutu;
French: "Parmehutu Democratic Republican Movement"). Kayibanda overthrew democratically
the Tutsi monarchy of Mwami Kigeri V in 1961, and appointed a government of Hutus. After the
independence, in July 1962, Kayibanda became the first president of Rwanda. In the general
elections of October 1963, MDR Parmehutu won all seats in the parliament. In the coup of July
1973, Kayibanda was ousted by Major General Juvénal Habyarimana, and the Parmehutu party
was dissolved. Habyarimana was a Hutu from the clan of Abungura (Abahitira). It is said that his
father migrated to Rwanda from the Bakiga of southern Uganda. He installed himself in the
northwest part of Rwanda, where Habyarimana was born and raised. Habyarimana was killed by
his presidential guards, who fired missiles at his plane in order to start the genocide, planned in
advance by the Akazu. President Paul Kagame was accused by France of this crime.
Interestingly, Kagame is a Tutsi who grew up in Uganda as a refugee. He is from the Abega clan,
which accounted for many queen mothers in the Abanyiginya dynasty of Rwanda.

Getting back to the Bakiga, it is now clear that Kakiga was responsible for the formation of the
Kiga Kingdom, its clans and sub-clans, and all the direct descents of his children. Each clan was
identified by a totem and also by what they were forbidden from eating. For example, the Ba-
Mungwe’s totem was the bushbuck and they were prohibited from hunting it for food. All these
measures were intended for the protection, sustenance, and well-being of the clans as they were
not competing for the same food. There are many clans and sub-clans in the Kiga tribe, but the
major ones are: Ba-Mungura (the Royal Clan in which the Mukama was supposed to be born),
Ba-Musigi (the clan that was supposed to keep the defence of the King or the Mukama), Ba-
Mungwe, Ba-Kinyagiro, Ba-Mugiri, Ba-Muhutu, Ba-Mugera, and Ba-Mugyesera, Ba-Mugyeyo.
Each of these clans has sub-clans.

The Abukuru b-ekika was a committee of elders chosen by the clan to issue rules and administer
justice. If a case was particularly serious and involved more than one clan, the cases would be
heard publicly. An Omukuru, ideally a wise elder who knew the customs and traditions of his
people, and who could be trusted to give fair advice and justice, was elected to preside over this
expanded court.

Kakiga, the son of Mbogo from the state of Bumbogo and of the Abahitira (Abungura) clan,
made his move towards the west and settled in the forests of Kagarama, the mountains of the
present border of Rwanda and Uganda in Kigezi district. In around 1700, Kakiga established his
own community and wished to initiate a new Kingdom, but wanted to go back to fight the Nyoro
invaders, first. Kakiga found out that the new land was very fertile and had good grass for the
cattle. Together with his friends, they made a deal to stay. These became a new group of people
called the Abakiga or Bakiga.

As time went on, the population grew and Kakiga wanted to expand his localities. He started
sending groups to search and conquer. He sent the first group towards the east in the parts of
Karweru, where the group of the Abasigi was supposed to conquer. This group was under the
leadership of Rwandeme. This was believed to be the strongest group that was to fight the forces
of Ankore. Unfortunately, Rwandeme lost the Royal drum. Since the Kingdom could not stand
without a drum, Rwandeme never dared to return to Kagarama. He remained in the mountains of
Karweru and his group intermarried with the Ankore people. This explains why most of the
Abasigi are found in these parts of the region. It also gives the reason to why there are many
different accents, intonations, and spellings in the Rukiga language.

Out of anger at his father, Mbogo, Kakiga ordered obligatory circumcision of all male children.
Many did not support this, but he maintained that every Mungura shall have to be circumcised,
and that Kings must be circumcised too. This is why the Abungura is the only clan in the entire
Kiga tribe that undergoes circumcision. The circumcision was to be taken at the eleventh (11)
age. The rest of the Bakiga do not circumcise under cultural obligation. But these days, some
take it for other reasons, but not because they have to. Kakiga also left the Kiga legacy of the
system of naming. The Kiga people take the family name after their grand father, or after their
father has died. That is why, it is very hard to trace the lineage of the Bakiga through family
names. But among different clans, they still hold the norm of the founding father. For instance,
Mbogo could be the son of Rwambogo. But in like a seventh generation, Mubangizi could be the
son of Mubanga. All in all, the same names would be revolving around in the same family. But
nowadays, many educated Bakiga find it useful to use their parent names, even if they are still
alive. Even the Royal clan does it. This separation and rebellion will mark the complexity of the
Kiga community, letting it look as though she never had a political system.

The major factors that led to the failure of the formation of the Kiga kingdom to the fullest were,
mostly, a lack of trust and fear of Kakiga, the lack of a military strong enough for a successful
invasion, the sudden prosper and discovery of fertile lands. Kakiga, though he lost the royal
drum, he continued to be strong. He sent another group to attack further in the north. This was
the group of the Abaromba and the Abahimba. These diffused to most parts of Muko, Rubanda,
and Kihihi. Other groups went to Kakore and Mparo, and proceeded to Nyakishenyi and
Nyarushanje. We still find a mixture of Ankore and Kinyarwanda accents and intonations in
these areas. Kakiga attempted to make another drum, but he could not get testicles of brave
enemies to decorate it. He only made declarations that his sons and daughters should not marry
any foreigner, because he believed that the pure King should be from Rwanda.

He made his shield out of cattle skin. He promoted agriculture and his tools were mainly the
panga, the spear, and the hoe. He enjoyed wrestling, dancing, hunting and keeping cattle. The
most common figures of the few known Bungura Royals include: Muhanga (Mubanga),
Rwabutare, Kamboji, Kabogo, Katumba, Katamujuna, Kahigyi, Bakunzi, Mbogo, Rwakasole,
Mungura, Rwambogo. The Abungura, though few as they may be, are still the recognized Royal
clan of the Kiga tribe and most of them live in outskirts of Kabale town, and still enjoy their
hereditary wealth. They are not wealthy in the strict sense of the word. They are renowned for
their love for research and education. The Bungura were also known for their tough leadership,
and at times, they are referred to as arrogant, and aggressive.

There has been a variety of experiences in the life of the Bakiga, such as interactions with other
Kingdoms, religions, and many other cultures. The bakiga are very hospitable and enjoy the
privilege of having a mixed language. Rukiga, as a language, is a combination of the influence of
the accents and alphabets from Rwanda, Ankore, Toro, Bufumbira, and Swahili.

Before the Bakiga were educated about Islam and Christianity, they believed in one God. The
Bakiga understood God as creator who is neither male or female, known as Ruhanga. God is also
known through many attributes. As the supreme elder and the ruler of the universe, he is called
Mukama. When associated with the power of the sun, he is Kazooba-Nyamuhanga. In his aspect
as the one who makes things grow, he is called Biheeko. Many Bakiga with the influence of
Christianity adopted 'theo-phoric' names. These names are eschatological (Turya-guma-nawe)
meaning we will be with God for ever.

While the Bakiga would later be classified as Hutu, originally they considered themselves an
entirely separate people. In modern Rwanda, the Hutus of southern Rwanda are
called Banyanduga, while the Hutus in the northern Rwanda are collectively referred to
as Bakiga.

Colonial Period

The Bakiga communities defended their independence until the collaboration of German colonial
forces and the royal troops of the Mwami or Mukama succeeded in incorporating the region into
the Rwandan colonial state at the turn of the twentieth century. The region remained a hotbed of
discontent against the central authority for many years. One of the strongest influences upon the
character of the Bakiga was the anti-centrist cult of Nyabingi.

After the death of the Rwandan King, Kigeri IV Rwabugiri in 1895, one of his wives called
Muhumuza fled to the mountains of Kiga and proclaimed an anti-colonial rebellion in 1911. She
was captured the same year and her resistance taken up by Ndungutse, generally recognized as
the son of Muhumuza and Rwabugiri. Ndungutse was killed, though sporadic rebellions sprang
up until the advent of Belgian rule after World War I. The conditions for these rebellions were
created by the system of forced labor tribute (ubareetwa) imposed on the Bakiga by their new
colonial masters. P.T.W. Baxter noted that, "The proud boast of the Kiga is that they were never,
as a people, subjugated by either Tutsi or Hima." However, this resistance was, paradoxically, in
large part led or inspired by disaffected members of the Tutsi elite.

The Bakiga became one of two major forces, along with the hill-level tensions of Hutu peasants
and Tutsi chiefs, in the formation of "Social Revolution" of 1959. In the pre-colonial system,
land usage was controlled by chiefs who owned land (bakonde) or controlled access to it
(bagererwa). With the onset of colonial rule, these chiefs were technically replaced by southern
Tutsi and Bakiga who agreed to work for them. However, the old order was never entirely
erased, resulting in tensions between the two. While the older bakonde yearned for a return to
their old status, younger generations of bakonde were able to merge their claims into that of the
anti-colonial/Tutsi revolutionary movement.