The Wives of M’siri

Kupuna bugaraganza, Ngelegwa ali ni bakazi banga?

Mwene Kalasa Mazwiri nko ashyali musumba, alomerera kuswera mukazi we undi mu Bushyetu. Izina ly’oyo mukima ne Buseta, musurira umwa Ngelegwa kupuna buyanda lwabo. Kufik’eno mu kumwamiha, alaba N’ihanga, nge Mugoli Kapapa.

Wa kabili ali Namizi, mukima we mu Bufita, nge alasola itebe l’Ihozyo, nolo Kamfwa.

Wa Kasatu, ali mukima umwi we mu Bukonongo. Twamumanite tuhu kw’izina lye bu             Kamama, Nge shigeme.

We kane, alashigala myaka mingi eyone Bunyanyembe ne kuba ali mwamike mudone. Izina lyamwe Madayu. Aliza tuhu numa aho shikali shye Bwami bwamazire kusamira mu Bunkeya. Aliza hamwine ne banangwa Munshimba, Shigitwe (Kalasa Musukula),             Munilalo (Magabwa), Kusongololwa kone bandi abo balasungamwa ne             Mundeba Kayegere, ilumbu limwa Inamizi, wa kubuta Mwami Mwenda Kitanika. Oya Namizi n’awe ishye ne musumbwa muna Runzebe. Bero nina ne we mu shalo shye Bulungu (Zambia). Mbela mu abo bakazi bamwe ba mbele alabutamo bana banga? Ne umwine byololo. Mugoli Kapapa Buseta ali abushire kale mwana wamwe Nsamba-Kisusa ne mulume wamwe we mbele.

Mundeba Minga Mwene-Nakwiheha Musagali nolo Mwirwana we mu Bunyamwezi. Nge lero ba Ngelengwa mu kwihumbula n’oya mukima kwiza n’age Kadata, balabuta tuhu mwana mugoshya umwine nko bashyali mu kisungu wa Kananga, nahe alayaga muyandayanda. Izina lyamwe ali Mwenda-Bantu n’awene. Kupuna aho kulahera.

Mwa Namizi nge mulapuna Mwanangwa Kitanika oyane alamiha wa kasatu kw’izina lye Mwami Mwenda Kitanika Munzyalira Numa.

Bana bandi be mwa Mwenda Mushiri mulakubasanga ku mbele y’eya nsunsu yitu, bonane bali ne baninabo bana shyalo. Bamwi bali Baushi, Balunda, Basanga, ni Baluba.

 

From the Bugaraganza, how many wives did Msiri have?

While he was still a young man, Ngelengwa, the son of Kalasa Mazwiri, insisted on             marrying a young woman who lived in the Bushyetu. Her name was Busega, and she had caught the eye of Ngelengwa in previous years. It is only when he acceded to the throne that she became Kapapa, his wife.

The second wife of Ngelengwa was Inamishi (Namizi), a young woman from Bufipa, who became the second favorite of his, and who also adopted the name of Kamfwa.

His third wife was originally from the Bukonongo, and her birth name escapes us today. However, her name given to her by Ngelengwa was Kamama; a name that is still popular today.

The fourth of Ngelengwa’s wives stayed many years in the Bunyanyembe, due to her young age. Her name was Madayu. She joined Ngelengwa well after he acceded to the throne of Mwenda in Bunkeya. She came accompanied by princes Munshimba, Shigitwe (Kalasa Musukula), Munilalo (Magabwa), and others. They were greeted by             Kayagere, brother of Inamishi, who would be the mother of the future Mwami Mwenda Kitanika. Inamishi was from the Nyamwezi. Her father was a Musumbwa, originally from Lunzebe, and his mom was from Bulungu (Zambia)

 

How many children did he have with his wives?

Queen Kapapa Busega bore one child whose name was Nsamba Kisusa before her marriage to Ngelengwa. She had this child with her previous husband, to whom she             was married without her acquiescence. He was probably a Musagali or a Mwirwana from Bunyamwezi. She bore one male child with Ngelengwa, who was born in Katanga, shortly after their union, while they were still guests of King Katanga. Unfortunately, the child died at a very young age. His name was Mwenda Bantu. And Ngelengwa never had any other children with Kapapa.

With Madayu, he had one male child who was born in Bunkeya. This child was not well known, and he too was named Mwenda Bantu. From Inamishi was born the Mwanangwa Kitanika, who later became the second successor of Mushiri, known as Mwenda Kitanika Mabumba Munzyalira Numa.

The other children of Mwenda Mushiri (Ngelengwa) are listed below. They were all borne by autochthonous women from Kadata (Katanga for the Bayeke). Among them we find the Baushi, Balunda, Basanga, Baluba, and many others. And we pay homage to each and every one of them.

 

 

 

 

From the neighborhood of  Kapapa IHANGA
Names of Mothers	Tribes of Origin	Names of Children
MUKUNTO	Rhodesia/Luapula	–       Kalasa Mukanda Bantu –       Muya Usonsa
INAMISHI	Rhodesia/Mulungu	–       Kitanika Nasolya*
KAKOLA	Rhodesia/Mulungu	–       Nkulu Mihambo
NAMWIZILE	Rhodesia/Mulungu	–       Makande –       Kiamasengo Mutipula
KAKUMBI	Musanga	–       Kanombe –       Kalasa Kisundi
From the neighborhood of  Kamfwa IHOSHO
Names of Mothers	Tribes of Origin	Names of Children
MONGA	Muluba	–       Mushinkula Kalasa –       Minsozi
NKWEBA WAMASONGOLA	Musanga	–       Kalasa Mushikamina
KAPWASA	Muluba	–       Kambilombilo
KALOMBO	Karunda	–       Mwant Yav
MUBALO	Musanga	–       Rodia Makanda
MANGELE	Musanga	–       Mazwili Kalasa
KAPONGO BUTEMBO	Musanga	–       Makande
MUSWABANTU	Rhodesia/Luapula	–       Kipamira Makole
From the neighborhood of Sigene KAMAMA
Names of Mothers	Tribes of Origin	Names of Children
LUKANGA	Musanga	–       Masuka Kipampe Kya Mukuba –       Makibya Kalasa
KIPAYA	Mulamba/Katanga	–       Malemo
KIPEMBA	Rhodesia/Luapula	–       Kisenge Balele
KYEMBE	Muluba	–       Kisengwe
MUTALI KABONDO NGOY	Muluba	–       Munongo Kalasa –       Mutampuka Munongo*
From the Neighborhood of INAKULWA
Names of Mothers	Tribes of Origin	Names of Children
INAKULWA	Muluba	–       Malemo Soko
MUYELE	Muluba	–       Musashya Kituli
KASHAMO	Muluba	–       Kitumba
DISUMBA KIKWE	Muluba	–       Malembeka

*These are the sons who succeeded Msiri. (This list was compiled in Bunkeya on March 19th, 1943).

 

 

Epilogue:

The Mwami Msiri had many children, boys and girls. Those we have mentioned in this table are all males; we know of 28 (Twenty-eight).

The most contradictory figures surround the number of Msiri’s wives. What is certain is that he had many, and sharply more than anybody within his kingdom. But it is also necessary to make the distinction between wives who were enthroned and those who had a political motivation, or those who by their sheer beauty had caught the eye of this valiant warrior. Many of the young princesses, daughters of neighboring leaders, who were sent to Bunkeya to build alliances, did not necessarily become Msiri’s spouses. They simply became women of the Court or helpers of the aforementioned prominent queens. For them, this was the ideal place to become acquainted with the customs of the Court, and to attract favors to their territories of origin. As is expected, some were more skilled at this game than others and knew how to attract Msiri’s attention.