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The Kinga
The Kinga people are the ninth group (there are ten total) in my “Mbeya People Groups” series. Click on the “Mbeya People Groups” link under categories to see the rest. This information is taken from www.thetask.net.
The Kinga
The Kinga people live high in the mountain ranges to the northeast of Lake Malawi. A Kinga New Testament was published in 1961. It is not easily readable by this generation and also no longer available. So their desire to have the Bible in their language is very strong, especially for the younger generations.
Geography and Climate: Savannah and gallery forest
Population: Approximately 140,000. It is estimated that there are about 55,000 Kinga speakers in the Kinga speaking area and up to 140,000 Kinga speakers in the whole of Tanzania.
Cultural Information: Even though many Kinga are subsistence farmers, the Kinga are business people who travel extensively. They can be found in all the bigger towns and cities in Tanzania and are known for their good business skills. Due to the altitude they farm cold-resistant crops such as potatoes, wheat, peas, maize, and other crops. There is also a large wood industry in the area.
Diet and Health: The health situation in the Kinga speaking area is generally good. The temperate climate and the high altitude mean that people have sufficient nutritious food and little problems with malaria or other tropical illnesses. However, the water supply is not always good and HIV/AIDS is a very big problem due to the extensive traveling.
Economic Status: The education level is relatively high. Many Kinga who are farmers or work for the government or the church still have some business on the side.
Religion: Christian, traditional religion
The Kinga Church: The churches in the area are very open to the idea of Bible translation into their language. The Lutheran church even has started a “Kinga day” where the worship services are held in Kinga. Other churches are the Catholics, Baptists, and some Pentecostals. In the Mbeya cluster project the different denominations are working together to develop the Kinga language and translate the Bible into it.
The churches have requested a new meaning-based translation of the New Testament, which uses a new orthography and modern Kinga, and the translation of the Old Testament. The Kinga (together with Bena) is also the closest language and have the vision to help with the next related Bantu Cluster: Pangwa, Manda and Kisi languages, for which we already have received requests from some of the church leaders.
History: The Kinga were reached by Lutheran missionaries over a hundred years ago and as a result, most call themselves Christian.