Let us now deal with the
Wahuma since they crossed the Nile and founded the kingdom of
Kittara, a
Large tract of land bounded by the Victoria N'yanza
and Kitangule Kagera or River on the south, the Nile on the east,
the Little Luta-Nzige Lake[FN#15] on the north, and the kingdoms
of Utubi and Nkole on the west.
The general name Kittara is gradually becoming extinct, and is
seldom applied to any but the western portions; whilst the north-
eastern, in which the capital is situated, is called Unyoro, and
the other, Uddu apart from Uganda, as we shall presently see.
Nobody has been able to inform us how many generations old the
Wahuma government of Unyoro is. The last three kings are
Chiawambi, N'yawongo, and the present king Kamrasi. In very
early times dissensions amongst the royal family, probably
contending for the crown, such as we presume must have occurred
in Abyssinia, separated the parent stock, and drove the weaker to
find refuge in Nkole, where a second and independent government
of Wahuma was established. Since then, twenty generations ago,
it is said the Wahuma government of Karague was established in
the same manner. The conspirator Rohinda fled from Kittara to
Karague with a large party of Wahuma; sought the protection of
Nono, who, a Myambo, was king over the Wanyambo of that country;
ingratiated himself and his followers with the Wanyambo; and,
finally, designing a crown for himself, gave a feast,
treacherously killed King Nono in his cups, and set himself on
the throne, the first mkama or king who ruled in Karague.
Rohinda was succeeded by Ntare, then Rohinda II., then Ntare II.,
which order only changed with the eleventh reign, when Rusatira
ascended the throne, and was succeeded by Mehinga, then Kalimera,
then Ntare VII., then Rohinda VI., then Dagara, and now Rumanika.
During this time the Wahuma were well south of the equator, and
still destined to spread. Brothers again contended for the crown
of their father, and the weaker took refuge in Uzinza, where the
fourth Wahuma government was created, and so remained under one
king until the last generation, when King Ruma died, and his two
sons, Rohinda, the eldest, and Suwarora, contended for the crown,
but divided the country between them, Rohinda taking the eastern
half, and Suwarora the western, at the instigation of the late
King Dagara of Karague.
This is the most southerly kingdom of the Wahuma, though not the
farthest spread of its people, for we find the Watusi, who are
emigrants from Karague of the same stock, overlooking the
Tanganyika Lake from the hills of Uhha, and tending their cattle
all over Unyamuezi under the protection of the native negro
chiefs; and we also hear that the Wapoka of Fipa, south of the
Rukwa Lake are the same. How or when their name became changed
from Wahuma to Watusi no one is able to explain; but, again
deducing the past from the present, we cannot help suspecting
that, in the same way as this change has taken place, the name
Galla may have been changed from Hubshi, and Wahuma from Gallas.
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