The Suku people or Basuku are a group of Bantu origin who traditionally inhabit the south-western Democratic Republic of the Congo and north-western Angola. As of 2017, there are believed to be about 200,000 people that identify as Suku, many living within the Congo’s Kwango Province. They deliver gifts and other provisions to the deceased by other elders.
A ceremony and therefore the housing of the deceased are held within the clearing of a forest which is termed yipheesolu. Males primarily attend the funeral; they ban women and outsiders from being present. The Suku, also observed because the Basuku sleeps in Angola and therefore the Republic of Congo. They speak kiyaka; a Bantu language that’s derived from the Niger-Congo dialects.
The Suku society is matrilineal, although Chiefdom is passed right down to men. They relegate women to cultivate cassava and groundnuts; they also collect roots, nuts, and berries. The boys hunt. History passed down orally suggests that the Suku and therefore the Yaka, a neighboring tribe, invaded the Kongo Kingdom within the 16th century.
After the downfall of the Luanda-Chokwe empire within the 19th century, the Suku was ready to gain some independence. The Suku people have many similarities in their culture to the Yaka people. Men and ladies each have their own tasks and roles that they are doing. The lads hunt either individually or along with other men.
Hunting involves high prestige and that they hunt with a bow and arrow or an antique rifle. The ladies are the cultivators. They harvest yams, beans, peas, pineapple, and peanuts. They also collect and forage fruits, berries, and roots. They’re the originator of life and death and also the explanation to all or any occurrences and unanswerable questions.
However, there’s not a cult following, nor are there depictions or representation of them. The Suku and Yaka have a diviner called a ngoombu. They cater to clients that have had a misfortune, strange event, sickness, or death. They require nziimbu shell money, coin, or piece of fabric of the victim to reveal where these problems are coming from.
