Poetry of the Kuba People

The Kuba Kingdom is a pre-colonial Central African kingdom that existed in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). This kingdom was formed when the Kuba people from northern regions of Africa migrated to the area bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua and Kasai rivers in the 1600's. There they integrated with the many tribes already living in the region and formed a thriving multicultural kingdom. The Kuba brought with them an organized social and political structure which helped them gain power in the region and build a thriving kingdom that lasted for over 270 years (1625 to 1900). The kingdom included about 20 distinct tribes, each of which had a representative that participated in the governing of the kingdom.

The Kuba oral tradition is so accurate that when measured against Western estimates of how long the kingdom had been in existence the dates were spot on. The Kuba people still live in the southeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The following is a poem of the Kuba people.

~Death~

There is no needle without a piercing point.

There is no razor without trenchant blade.

Death comes to us in many forms.

With our feet we walk the goat's earth.

With our hands we touch God's sky.

Some future day in the heat of noon,

I shall be carried shoulder high

through the village of the dead.

When I die, don't bury me under forest trees,

I fear their thorns.

When I die, don't bury me under forest trees,

I fear the dripping water.

Bury me under the great shade trees in the market,

I want to hear the drums beating

I want to feel the dancers' feet.

Sources:

Humanities in the Ancient and Pre-Modern World: Wendel P. Jackson (General Editor)

History of the Kuba Kingdom: University of Kansas: http://bit.ly/oZbPyi

Kuba: Encyclopedia Britannica: http://bit.ly/o7pYti

Kuba Kingdom: Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/pUHIET

Photo by Kelene Blake: Display of African Masks including two Kuba Masks (lower left and center)