Sacred Kingship and Political Power in Ancient Rwanda

Abstract

This article revisits the sacred kingship in ancient Rwanda. The existing literature presented it as either obvious or doubtful. Using local sources and exploring theories related to sacred kingship, we argue that the kingship in Rwanda was sacred. We also identify the role that this sacred kingship played in the processes of unification the territory of Rwanda, creation of material culture, origins and consolidation of the kingship and the kingdom. The most important role of the sacred kingship appears to have been mainly the legitimization of the King’s power. We use documentary research and the historical method to present and discuss the following narratives related to the Rwandan kingdom: the tale of origins or the myth of Kigwa, the royal ideology during the reign of Mibambwe III Sentabyo, Gihanga seen as the Incarnation of the Sacred Kingship, the sacrality of Power as source of legitimacy of King Ruganzu II Ndori, and the role of the sacred kingdom through the rituals of the royal court known as Ubwiru.

Key words: Rwandan sacred kingship, power rituals, Rwandan history