Banyala
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Uganda | |
| Languages | |
| Lunyala | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Bantu peoples |
| Banyala | |
|---|---|
| Person | Munyala |
| People | Banyala |
| Language | (O)Lunyala |
| Country | Uganda |
Banyala (ethnonym: Banyala; singular Munyala), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. They stay in an area called Bugerere in Kayunga District, an area that Buganda captured from Bunyoro Kingdom more than 100 years ago. They share a common ancestry with the Baruuli.
The history of Banyala is traced to the wars of Buganda against Bunyoro before 1900.They are a result of intermarriages between Banyoro and Baganda supported by the British Empire. Namuyonjo, Bunyoro's late King Kamurasi's son, rebelled against his father in the late 1800s and allied with the then Kabaka of Buganda, Mwanga II.
Mwanga welcomed him because Buganda was at loggerheads with Bunyoro. As a token of appreciation, Kabaka gave Namuyonjo control over the captured county of Bugerere, which was predominantly occupied by Banyoro. Namuyonjo did not occupy Kayunga at the time because the area was infested with dangerous flies known as "embwa". It was not until Buganda, helped by the British, flushed out the flies, that people started living in Kayunga. Namuyonjo proceeded to Budali, Bugembo, Kitwe and Bbale villages. At Misanga, he met Koojo, a self-imposed leader.
Since Koojo was not from the royal family, he was forced to surrender his leadership mantle to Namuyonjo without any resistance.
The Banyala were under Bunyoro. They had no kingship. They were organised under the clan system. Each hill was headed by the head of a clan. The clan heads chose amongst themselves someone who would lead them. The person they chose was called "omugabe". The "omugabe" is the one who represented the Banyala in Bunyolo.
The Banyala were initially called "Bagele". They were porters and builders. One day one of them was roofing Kablega's house, and to ensure that it did not leak, he urinated on top of it to see whether his urine would sip through. The king's guards saw him, arrested him and published him. The "Bagere" became the "Banyala", meaning those that urinate.
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Wikipedia