Ganda people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (6,270,195 (2015)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Uganda | |
| Languages | |
| Luganda | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, African Traditional Religion, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Bantu peoples |
| Ganda | |
|---|---|
| Person | Muganda |
| People | Baganda |
| Language | (O)Luganda |
| Country | Buganda |
The Ganda people, or Baganda (endonym: Baganda; singular Muganda), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 tribes (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are officially recognised), the Baganda are the largest ethnic group in Uganda, comprising 16.9 percent of the population.
Sometimes described as "The King's Men" because of the importance of the king, or Kabaka, in their society, the Ganda number an estimated 5.6 million in Uganda. In addition, there is a significant diaspora abroad, with organised communities in Canada, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Traditionally, they speak Luganda.
The early history of the Ganda is unclear, with various conflicting traditions as to their origins. One tradition holds that they are descendants of the legendary figure of Kintu, the first human according to Ganda mythology. He was said to have married Nambi, the daughter of the creator deity Ggulu. A related tradition holds that Kintu came from the east, from the direction of Mount Elgon, and passed through Busoga on the way to Buganda.
A separate tradition holds that the Ganda are the descendents of a people who came from the east or northeast around 1300. According to the traditions chronicled by Sir Apolo Kagwa, Buganda's foremost ethnographer, Kintu was the first Muganda, and having descended to Earth at Podi is said to have moved on to Kibiro, and having reached Kyadondo in Uganda's modern-day Wakiso District have formed Buganda there.
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Wikipedia