Defeat Is the Only Bad News: Rwanda under Musinga, 1896–1931

Glossary of Rwandan Terms

xxxvii G  R T akazi. Forced labor, usually done, with little or no pay, for the colonial administration baja (sing., muja). Servants, slaves, captives of war barungu (sing., murungu). Employees of the Europeans, often distinguished by their foreign dress basemyi (sing., musemyi). “Those who speak”; interpreters basumbwe (sing., musumbwe). Traders, generally from East Africa batora (sing., mutora). Agents of the Court who collected bananas for beer and animals for divination guhakwa. To pay court gutora. To select, choose-out; used especially to refer to the White Fathers selecting people who would have to take religious instruction ibihunikwa (sing., igihunikwa). Provisions; the part of a harvest that was given to the munyubutaka ibisimba (sing., igisimba). Wild beasts; used to refer to Europeans ibituku (sing., igituku). Red things; used to refer to Europeans igikingi (pl., ibikingi). The smallest unit of command granted by the Court; includes the right to control use of the land igisonga (pl., ibisonga). Representative of a notable ikizungu. Ideas and things of the Europeans ikoro. Tax collected by the batware for the Court, a recognition of royal sovereignty imana. The divine essence that shaped the universe inama. Councils of leading Christians Inkemba. “The Destroyers,” or “The Predators,” warriors of the Court who attacked the Bakiga of the north itolero. The elite corps of a military regiment inyangarwanda. Haters or repudiators of Rwanda, often used to describe Christian converts Kinyarwanda. The language spoken by Rwandans mugaragu (pl., bagaragu). The weaker person in the clientship agreement marked by the exchange of cattle mugome (pl., bagome). A rebel muhinza (pl., bahinza). The royal Court term applied to the rulers of the small states within the Rwandan kingdom; usually seen as having control over the elements or the fertility of the soil mukarani (pl., bakarani). Clerks, or chiefs or sub-chiefs who began their careers as clerks munyubutaka (pl., banyabutaka). Officials named by the Court to control the distribution of arable land and to collect a return on its use munyumukenke (pl., banyamukenke). Officials named by the Court to control the distribution of pasture land and to collect a return on its use mupfumu (pl., bapfumu). Diviner mutware (pl., batware). Commander of an ngabo mwami (pl., bami). The supreme ruler of a kingdom mwiru (pl., biru). Guardian of royal traditions, ritual specialist ngabo. A military organization, a regiment; used also as a tool of administration by the Court ntore. A young warrior; a member of the elite corps of itolero shebuja. The patron and protector in a clientship agreement marked by the exchange of cattle ubuhake. A clientship agreement whereby a powerful person undertakes to protect a weaker one; marked by the grant of cattle uburetwa. Labor done in return for the use of land, originally within the framework of clientship ubwiru. The ritual code of the kingdom, prescribing the rituals to be performed by Court umuganura. The formal ritual ceremony during which the first fruits of a harvest are presented to the mwami xxxviii Glossary D I  O B N ...