In Search of the Mbangala

Revisiting Colonial Sources and Historiography in the Seventeenth Century and Beyond

Abstract

This article discusses the composition of Mbangala warrior bands who inhabited West Central Africa between the 17th and 18th centuries, distinguishing them from other groups of nomadic warriors, such as the Jagas, who invaded Kongo in the 16th century. The article seeks to problematize the various uses of the term “Jaga” by Luso-Africans and its adoption by Mbangala leaders as a military and nobility title. Finally, the paper analyzes oral traditions about the “exodus of Kinguri” and its downfall as a historical narrative about the “imbangalas of Kasanje”, seeking to differentiate them from other Mbangala groups of scattered throughout the interior of West Central Africa. The fall of the “exodus of Kinguri” left a significant gap in the historiography and compromised the previously established chronology for important political units in Central Africa. This episode serves as a warning to Africanist historians about the risks of validating oral traditions as historical events without a deep understanding of their genesis.