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Luba people

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Also known as Baluba

Central African ethnic group

Wikidata facts

Instance of
ethnic group
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Lunsenzu-Africa Museum.jpg
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Commons category
Luba people
topic's main category
Category:Luba people
has works in the collection
Museum aan de Stroom
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via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

The Luba people or Baluba are a Bantu ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in Katanga, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï-Central, Lomami and Maniema. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups or clans.

The Baluba developed a society and culture by about the 400s CE, later developing a well-organised community in the Upemba Depression known as the Baluba in Katanga confederation. Luba society consisted of miners, smiths, woodworkers, potters, crafters, and people of various other professions. They found relative success over time, but this eventually caused their gradual decline with the Portuguese and Omani empires led or influenced invasions.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Luba people” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.