The Songye Tribe Of Africa

The people of Songye are very well known because of their tribal African art including the Kifwebe mask. The Songye people migrated to what is now the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the land of Shaba. The history of these people is very closely related to the Luba’s through a common ancestor, Kongolo Mwamba, who can be traced back to the 16th century. For a while the Songye and Luba were common war enemies until the two merged together to fight against the Arab people. After migrating to the Congo they made their home on the Lualaba River. There were over 150,000 Songye people divided into at least 35 different subgroups. They were ran by a chief, also known as the Yakitenge, who was helped by various different secret societies such as the Kifwebe association. It is believed that “the creator god of the Songye is Efile, although sacrifices are not made directly to him. Much attention is focused on familial ancestors, to whom sacrifices are made to encourage the well-being of the individual and the family” (“Songye Tribe of Africa”, 2015).

The Songye people built a powerful empire “in Katanga ruled by a dynasty called the Kongolos” (Birmingham, 1965). This empire flourished for several centuries before its decline and the migration of the Songye people to Democratic Republic of