IDNO

LS.139254.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: Uganda. XLIX. Uganda. 51 48.29 - 31.
Kibuka, the War God (2 slides)
- Kibuka's Stool (in the Museum.)

Head-dress with cowrie shells placed on wooden stool alongside leather and cowrie shell shield and waist ornament. Displayed on leopard pelt. Reliquary of Kibuka, the War-god of Uganda.
To the right of the pelt is "The Mulongo or Umbilical cord of Kibuka, the great warrior chief of the Baganda. It is enclosed in an egg-shaped leather case, decorated with cowries and the oldest known kind of glass beads. Transferred to the Uganda Museum, Kampala, 1962." [Description from record E 1907.265 (1)]
On the right is "Lower jaw-bone of Kibuka, the great warrior chief of the Baganda. It is stitched up in a leather case, dressed with the fur, cowries and copper beads. Transferred to the Uganda Museum, Kampala, 1962." [Description from record E 1907.265 (2)]
On the bottom right is "Small pointed leather case containing part of the genital organs, probably the penis of Kibuka, the great Baganda warrior chief. It is decorated with a single row of cowries and glass beads. Transferred to the Uganda Museum, Kampala, 1962." [Description from record E 1907.265 (3)]
On the bottom right is "Small oval leather case covered with cowries and a few glass beads. It contains part of genital organs, presumably a testicle of Kibuka, the warrior chief of the Baganda." [Description from record E 1907.265 (4)]
At the front of the group of relics is a "Goatskin bag in which relics (all 1908.623) of Kibuka, warrior chief of the Baganda, were kept. The skin has been taken whole from the animal, and has been dressed with hair on it." [Description from record E 1907.265 (5)]
In the middle is the "Carved wooden stool with four legs springing from a circular, shield-shaped base, and a basin-shaped seat provided with a tall, inner, upright rim, forming the receptacle in which the relics were kept." [Description from record E 1907.265 (6)]
The shield on the pelt is "A model of an oval shield, part of Kibuka relics and described as the priest or witch doctor's shield. Made of decorative wicker-work with hide bound margin and a central oval plate of wood with two small bosses. Decorated on the face with a marginal line and bands of cowry shells. and an iron bell." [Description from record E 1907.265 (7)]
The shield at top right is a "Small model of oval shield, used with Kibuka relics. Made of decorative wicker-work, wide hide-bound margins. It has a single large conical boss of wood, and a bow-shaped handle made of twig."[Description from record E 1907.265 (8), JD 10/11/2022]
To the right is "A knife with wide straight-edged iron blade rounded point and bold central rib, part of the relics of Kibuka, on either side are decorative markings apparently done with the edge of a chisel." [Description from record E 1907.265 (9)]
The leopard skin pelt is "the emblem of royalty, on which rested the relics of Kibuka, (1908.623) the Baganda war-god were kept." [Description from record E 1907.265 (10)]
All of the above objects were transferred to the Uganda Museum, Kampala, in 1962. [JD 10/11/2022]

Place

E Africa; Europe British Isles; Uganda; United Kingdom; East Uganda; England; Cambridge; Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology

Cultural Affliation

Buganda

Named Person

Kibuka

Photographer

?Roscoe, John R.; ?Museum Photographer

Collector / Expedition

Roscoe, John R.

Date

circa June 1907

Collection Name

Teaching Slide Collection

Source

Roscoe, John R.

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Similar image published in 'Roscoe, J. (1907). 95. Kibuka, the War God of the Baganda. Man, 7, 161–166. https://doi.org/10.2307/2788113', and captioned: "Fig. 1. Shield. Stool. Bell. Shield. Leopard Skin."
Related text on pp. 163-164 notes, "When the civil wars broke out in Uganda in 1887-90 the Mohammedan population, having gained the ascendency for a time, tried to destroy the old temples and other historical places. The temple of Kibuka was burned down, and the deity was supposed to have been burned too. After months of careful search it was discovered that Kibuka had been buried by one of his priests, and in this way the relics were preserved. It was difficult to induce the man to part with the god, personal fear, as well as the dread of being discovered selling what was still looked upon by many as a real deity, made him hesitate. Upon being assured that no indignity would ever happen to the deity, that he would be housed, and would be kept in safety, and also that no one should ever know who it was who had parted with the god, the man began to consider the question; he was very much pressed by debt, and at length, after naming what seemed to him a great sum, he consented to come to terms. He stipulated that the deity should not be examined in the country, that the bearer of him should not come to the Capital by the direct road, but go a roundabout way, travelling early in the morning, or late in the evening, so as not to attract the attention of the people. The bearer carried out his instructions and wrapped the god in barkcloths and mats to look like the usual bundle of a man on a journey; he took a circuitous route, spent a month on the journey, and arrived at the Capital late one night. The bearer seemed afraid, and fled directly he had deposited the bundle, requesting it might not be opened, and that Kibuka might be taken out of the country as soon as possible. His request was complied with, and the bundle containing Kibuka's remains was sent unopened to England and deposited in the Ethnological Museum at Cambridge. There the bundle was left in the museum awaiting inspection until June 1907, when the result of the purchase fully justified the faith reposed in the priest." [JD 01/07/2024]

Biographical Information: "Kibuka is the war god of the Buganda tribe of East Africa. According to legend, the king of the Buganda asked Kibuka's brother, the great god Mukasa, for assistance in a war. Mukasa sent Kibuka to help but told him to be sure the enemy did not know where he was stationed. He also warned his brother to avoid contact with the opponent's women. On one occasion, Kibuka stayed hidden in a cloud, where he killed the enemy by shooting arrows, winning the battle for the Buganda. Afterward, Kibuka became interested in a woman taken as a prisoner and took her back to his hut. When she discovered who he was, she escaped and told her people about his hiding place in the cloud. During the next battle, the enemy's archers shot arrows into the cloud where Kibuka was hiding and killed him." [Source: Enotes.com, http://history.enotes.com/myths-legends/kibuka, JD 6/12/2006]