Biography:
The Bahima are Hamites and the leading class in the shepherd Kingdom of Ankole. They are a minority not exceeding 50,000 souls. Some believe they may be descendants of the mysterious Bachwezi people.
Rubanonzya, The Hero
7 years ago
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welcome please
Bahima origin
Research acknowledges that the origin of the Bahima has always been mired in controversy, with several theories trying to explain where the the group came from.
There is a school of thought, that believes that the Fulani of West Africa and Bahima came from Asia.
It notes that those who believe in this theory argue that the civilizations that the Europeans found in Africa could not have been built by Africans, but foreigners. So they believe Bahima were immigrants who came to Africa and civilized the indigenous Bantu.
Quoting many books written on the subject, there are others who believe the Bahima originated from Ethiopia, although many do not cite evidence to back up this claim.
The most persuasive argument in this view is one that links the Bahima to the Nilotic people.
There is increasing evidence that the Bahima are Nilotic people who moved into Uganda with their long-horned cattle from Bahr el-Gazel of Southern Sudan. Philip Gourevitch (1998) observed that Bahima are a Nilotic people who migrated from the north and east. Robert Young Pelton (2003) has added that the Hima are originally Nilotic herdsmen from the north and Prof. B. A.Ogot (1999) has written that the Bahima also known as Jo-Oma lived in the Agoro mountain area in southern Sudan.
The reason why they were referred to as Jo-Oma is because there is no ‘Bahima’ word in Luo language, hence the use of ‘Jo -Omo’ or ‘Oyima’ in other cases.
In explaining this linkage, the Bahima started their movement from somewhere in southern Sudan through Bunyoro, Ankole, with a branch crossing into eastern Congo between Lakes Albert and George in the western Rift Valley. The Bahima settled in the areas around Lake Victoria where they owned and herded cattle. their social status was considered low because some Bahima became cultivators, Through intermarriage, and later aristocracy soon lost its racial exclusiveness and became like the Bantu.
I was motivated into researching this particular subject because i had always had interest in studying our background with the major intentions of knowing where we came from, where we migrated to, where we reside know, and how we are interacting with other groups of people.
So ladies and gentlemen, here we are. UNITED WE STAND DEVIDED WE FALL”. As said by one great African leader. If united and know each other we shall solve our problems.
There is no need to hide ourselves, instead we should be proud about ourselves.
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