Gihanga
Sign in to saveGihanga I ("The Creator," "The Founder") was a Rwandan king. He is noted in Rwandan oral tradition as both a cultural hero and ancient king credited with founding the Kingdom of Rwanda. He is said to have descended from a divine lineage of god-kings (Ibimanuka), headed by Kigwa. He is remembered as the introducer of foundational elements of African Great Lakes civilization, including fire, cattle, metalworking, hunting, woodworking, and pottery.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Place of birth
- Northern Province
- Place of death
- Kingdom of Rwanda
- Position held
- king
- Notable work
- Kingdom of Rwanda
- Image
- King Gihanga.png
Show 3 more facts
- date of birth
- 1000-00-00
- date of death
- 1100-00-00
- name in native language
- Gihanga I
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Reign
- Legacy
- Notes
- References
Gihanga I ("The Creator," "The Founder") was a Rwandan king. He is noted in Rwandan oral tradition as both a cultural hero and ancient king credited with founding the Kingdom of Rwanda. He is said to have descended from a divine lineage of god-kings (Ibimanuka), headed by Kigwa. He is remembered as the introducer of foundational elements of African Great Lakes civilization, including fire, cattle, metalworking, hunting, woodworking, and pottery.
The precise dating of Gihanga’s life and reign remains the subject of much debate, often clouded by conjecture and anachronism. Colonial-era interpretations of oral tradition typically placed the reign of Gihanga and the founding of the Kingdom of Rwanda in the 11th century.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gihanga” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.