Lake Mai-Ndombe (French: Lac Mai-Ndombe, Dutch: Mai-Ndombemeer) is a large freshwater lake in Mai-Ndombe province in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lake is within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe area, the largest Wetland of International Importance recognized by the Ramsar Convention in the world.
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👉 Lake Mai-Ndombe in the context of Boma Kingdom
The Boma Kingdom, Ibar, or Giribuma was a polity in the Congo Basin of the Boma people, around Lake Mai-Ndombe. It split from Mwene Muji in the early-17th century, with tradition holding its founder as Maluma Bieme. It maintained close relations with the Tio Kingdom. In the 1640s, the Boma Kingdom was said to control fifteen "kings" and to be one of the "mightiest kingdoms in Africa". By the end of the 19th century, Boma surpassed Mwene Muji to become the major power in the Lower Kasai region.
According to tradition, the Ngeliboma (Boma king) was elected by the spirits. The Ngeliboma embodied divine virtues and surrounded himself with a royal court. He had to be a mage to become the chief of the community, however he could not remove any village chiefs. Villages north of Lake Mai-Ndombe were run by councils of elders. The Ngeli became the dominant class of the kingdom. They could only marry the Nkumu class, also located in the elite of the kingdom. Free men could also marry the Nkumu, but never the Ngeli. They traded ivory, wood and slaves.
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Lake Mai-Ndombe in the context of Mwene Muji
Mwene Muji was a polity proposed by John Thornton, located around Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Congo Basin, likely stretching south to Idiofa. It bordered the Tio Kingdom among others to its southwest. Mwene Muji dominated the region of the Lower Kasai. It was ruled by the BaNunu, holding the titles of Ntote. Its unity crumbled in the early-17th century, with the Boma Kingdom, Yaka Kingdom, and Bozanga breaking away. Mwene Muji entered a further severe decline in the 19th century and was surpassed by the Boma Kingdom, on the eve of Belgian conquest in the early-20th century. Its 'empire' status is pending on further archaeological research.
The first written record of Mwene Muji came in 1591 by Italian humanist Filippo Pigafetta. The name Monemugi was erroneously applied to Unyamwezi in modern-day Tanzania near Lake Malawi.