| Nyanga | |
|---|---|
| Kinyanga | |
| Native to | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Region | Kivu Province, Walikale Territory |
| Ethnicity | Nyanga people |
Native speakers | (150,000 cited 1994 census)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nyj |
| Glottolog | nyan1304 |
D.43[2] | |
TheNyanga language (native nameKinyanga) is a language spoken by theNyanga people inKivu province, north-easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo. Speaker estimates range from 27,000 (Biebuyck & Matheene 1970) to 150,000 (1994 census). Many of the Nyanga speakCongo Swahili, the dominant regional lingua franca, as a second language. Nyanga is aBantu language. Most of the (scarce) linguistic research conducted on Nyanga has been based on the materials published by Biebuyck and Mateene.
Nyanga literature is best known for the tales recorded by Daniel Biebuyck in 1956 and published in 1969 and 1970, including theMwindo epic. This epic is titled after the main hero,Mwindo, a miraculously born Pygmy-like human being who possesses not only a magical sceptre but also the power of the word. It centers around Mwindo's travels and encounters during the search for his father.In other Nyanga tales, thedog often plays an important role as a mythical animal, reflecting the importance of hunting dogs in Nyanga society.
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