Baluba

The Baluba, also known as the Luba, are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group primarily located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They form one of the country’s largest populations, with communities concentrated in the Kasai and Katanga regions. The term Baluba is plural; a single person is called Muluba.

Language and names are notable features. The Baluba speak two major varieties of the Luba language: Tshiluba (often referred to as Luba-Kasai) in the Kasai region, and Kiluba (Luba-Katanga) in Katanga. Both are part of the Bantu branch of the Niger-Congo language family and are written and used in education and media in their respective areas. The languages reflect historical and geographic distinctions among Baluba communities.

Historically, the Luba established a centralized political system centered on the Luba Empire or Luba Kingdom, with a Mulopwe as the traditional ruler and a network of subordinate chiefs. From roughly the 16th to 19th centuries, the empire played a major role in trade, ironworking, and cultural exchange across central Africa. The advent of European colonial rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought administrative changes and disruptions to traditional authority, shaping later social and political developments.

Culturally, the Baluba are known for distinctive art, including wood carvings, masks, and metalwork. Social organization traditionally emphasizes lineage, clans, and age-sets, with ceremonial rites and initiation practices playing an important role in community life. Today, Baluba communities engage in agriculture, mining-related activities, commerce, and urban occupations, while continuing linguistic and cultural traditions.