Nyabyinshi: The warrior virgin princess, her journey

Although African history is slowly being suppressed, distorted or ignored by the ungrateful modern world, some African traditions are persistent and have vowed to crush the power of deception that the Western academic establishment holds about our own culture. Nyabyinshi, known all over the world by different name, including Nyabingi or Nyabinghi is a daughter of King Ruganzu Ndoli, begotten to him from a servant while in Karagwe. This lady, who died a virgin was born in Karagwe, Tanzania, grew up in Uganda. For having served Ethiopians while fighting the British army, it is possible that she also lived in Sudan and Ethiopia. Virgin ladies in the African history are known to have done great things for their nations. We all remember the Nubia, Kush, Axum and Sheba. These were kingdoms governed one time by a virgin queen known as QUEEN OF SHEBA. This lady whose story has survived into our generation has remarkable tradition recorded by our elders. Since her reign, her glory was used by many warriors in Africa to fight against colonial occupation. However, Sheba’s real history is not known as it was distorted by colonial historians and that is why today when you are talking about her, it appears to many that she was a devil, named so. As if that is not enough, recently as I was discussing with my wife about my next article being on “Nyabingi”, she couldn’t believe that I could write a story about that ‘devil’. It took me time to explain to her that “Nyabingi’ was not what history has branded her. Nyabingi is believed to have fought for his father who was still in Karagwe in the northern part of Rwanda and Ndorwa (from Bukiga to the Northern Uganda). Her struggle becomes an awakening signal for others, including Ethiopian warriors fighting the British. It is also said that Queen Matamba of Angola who died in 1663 fought the Portuguese in her name while Ugandan Queen Muhumuza conquered in her name too. In Southwestern Uganda, Nyakishenyi caves are one of the most important spiritual sites for many years. It is believed that Nyabingi settled there on her way to Rwanda. From the late 18th century onwards, many of the local religions were substituted with worshipping Nyabingi, the goddess. Nyakishenyi became one of the central sites of Nyabingi worship. In 1917, Nyabingi worshippers even used the caves to launch a rebellion against British colonial rule. The rebels burnt down the nearby administration buildings, before killing a number of the worshippers involved. Today, she is the inspiration of Reggae musicians in Jamaica. Nyabingi in KarangweKing Ndahiro, the father of Ruganzu Ndoli had brothers among them, was one called Byinshi and another one called Bamara. Byinshi had a plan to be his brother’s successor as Bamara was to his brothers’ side. Knowing that Byinshi wanted to kill his brother, before his death, Ndahiro sent his son Ruganzu, who was a little boy to live at Karemera’s residence. Karemera was the husband of Nyabunyana was Ndahiro’s brother in law. I will get back to this story when am writing about Ruganzu’s story. Ruganzu lived in Karagwe and grew in to a big boy until he came back to Rwanda. When Ruganzu was in Karagwe (in today’s Tanzania), he had a love affair with Nyabunyana’s servant and from that love affair, Ruganzu made this servant pregnant. Nyabunyana asked the servant to tell her who was the author of the pregnancy; the servant told her that it was Ruganzu. At that time, he was called Ndoli. Ruganzu was his Kingship name. In Kinyarwanda’s tradition, it was prohibited for a future King to have sexual intercourse with any woman while in exile (Kubundu). Kubunda was a tradition done when a King had enemies and thought that they may kill his successor; in order to protect the future King, he was taken from the King’s palace to another place. That place could be at his aunt’s home or his uncle, somewhere far from Rwanda, where nobody would discover him. That happened to Yuhi Musindi, Sabigabo and Nyirarucyaba’s sons were against Gahima. Gahima took his son to Ndorwa away. It happened to many Rwandan Kings. That is how Ruganzu left Rwanda when he was still a little boy and grew up in Karagwe. Nyabingi leaves Karagwe to NdorwaAfter Nyabunyana knew that her servant was pregnant and that Ruganzu was the author of the pregnancy, she became very sad. In Karagwe, there were two people who were aware that Ruganzu was the future Rwandan King. These people were Nyabunyana and Kavuna. Kavuna was Ndahiro’s servant. Ndahiro sent him with his son to Karagwe. Kavuna’s mission was to protect Ruganzu in Karagwe. Nyabunyana called Kavuna and told him about the mission. It is said that Kavuna advised Nyabunyana to let the servant have the baby and then chase away the servant with the baby, because it was going to be a shame to see a King in “exile” having a baby. Nyabunyana agreed to this suggestion, and soon as the girl was born; she was shaded away with her mother. Nyabunyana and Kavuna named the girl Nyabyinshi. They also requested the servant to tell everybody that the girl was Byinshi’s daughter. The servant agreed and left Karagwe with gifts from Nyabunyana that will help her raise the girl and instructions of where she will go and how she will reach their destination. Kavuna followed Nyabunyana’s instructions. He took her daughter Nyabyinshi (meaning daughter of Byinshi) out of Karagwe, travelling for several days. They arrived at Ndorwa, probably at a place known today as Nyakishenyi cave in Uganda. This place is still visited by the Bacwezi and other people who continue to honour traditional religion today. From Nyabyinshi to NyabingiThis fascinating warrior lady today is known to Sudanese as Nyabongi or Nyandingi; she is also known in Uganda and Rwanda as Nyabingi. Rastafarians or Nya men – linking themselves to the anti-colonial Ugandan movement, Nyabingi, which called for “Death to White Oppressors” call her Nyabinghi. As we have seen above, her original name was Nyabyinshi. She was called Nyabyinshi in order to hide the fact the Ndahiro had sexual intercourse while he was in exile. It was a crime for a King in exile to fornicate. How did she become Nyabingi and how did she become a symbol of warriors? We have seen that her struggle becomes an awakening signal for others, including Ethiopian warriors fighting colonialism. This made Ethiopia the only African nation that was not colonized by European colonial forces. It was briefly occupied by the Italians between 1936 and 1941. In the name of Nyabingi on March 1, 1896, at the Battle of Adwa, General Oreste Baratieri leading 14,500 Italian troops on a poorly organized attack were defeated by Menilek’s well-armed fighters. It is also said that Queen Matamba of Angola who died in 1663, almost two hundreds years before Ethiopians war against Italians fought the Portuguese in her name. Near us in Uganda, just in Kabale, we have another woman who fought the British Government in the name of Nyabingi. Her name is Queen Muhumuza. It is said that a clan elder of the Bakiga land had a magical drum called Mahinda, which was made of gold. (Here not that Bakinda lived in that time in both part of Rwanda and Uganda). This Mukiga leader who had this drum lived in the today Ugandan side. It is said that the sticks to beat the drum were made out of ivory. When that elder died, nobody knew were the drum was. People used to say that it was hidden in Kigezi.A queen from the today Rwandan side known as Muhumuza heard about the story of that drum. In the year 1911, she went to look for the drum in the hills of Kigezi. She told people that she wanted to search for that drum Ihanga (near today’s Kabale), where it was supposed to be hidden in a cave. The drum belonged to a man called Rugoga of the Bagabira clan. Muhumuza claimed that this drum would make cows come out of the ground, and it would be possible for each person belonging to her army to amass as many cows as he wished. The possibility of gaining riches made many people join the army of Muhumuza. Many clan leaders came to pay homage to her, because they wanted to have a share of the underground cows. But some called the woman a usurper. Among them were Rwagara, Kiyundo and Mutambuuka. They refused to accept Muhumuza and her army fought with them. The strength of Muhumuza’s army created Mutambuuka troubles and he asked British to help him fight against Muhumuza. Of course, her army feared the British guns, but Muhumuza told them that in the name of Nyabingi, bullets would turn into water. It was finally the British cannon, which dispersed the army of Muhumuza. She was arrested and taken to Kampala. However, her army continued to fight in the name of Nyabingi. The name Nyabyinshi became famous and today, the entire world knows this great daughter of Ruganzu Ndoli as Nyabingi. Those warriors who fought colons made her famous. But why did they choose only her and not another woman to be a symbol of warriors? In the next article, we shall see Nyabyinshi and the Rwandan first liberation war.Ends