African Kingdoms

Vou-Kpata (Clan State) (Africa)

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The pre-history of Africa covers a long and uncertain stretch of unrecorded history. Much of this involves a great deal of uncertainty which can only be understood through archaeology. Even the more recent prehistory is shrouded in uncertainty, requiring analysis and archaeology to help define it.

The Bantu people originated in West Africa before they migrated across sub-Saharan Africa, generally helping to spread the African Neolithic as they went. Bantu languages come from a proto-Bantu language which was spoken in the area of today's Cameroon. Bantu-speakers are part of the Niger-Congo language family which forms the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid group of languages.

Central Africa was poorly defined as a region until the creation of colonial-era territories in the eighteenth century. Before that at least parts of it appear to have been virgin territory, with no recent occupation. A collection of sultanates emerged across the area which today is partially covered by Central African Republic (or CAR), as well as Chad to its north and the edges of South Sudan to the east. Prior to that there were almost two centuries of gradual, increasing movement into the area.

The people responsible for this gradual inwards migration were generally Adamawa-Ubangi-speaking peoples such as the Banda (or Bandia) and the Zande-Nzakara (or Azande and Nzakara) in eastern CAR, along with Bantu groups to the west and south, and Sudanese influences from the east. More Sudanese joined this melange a little later, driven out by the Shilluk and the Dinka of Bahr-el-Gazal. The initially-dominant Vou-Kpata (or Avapata) were related to these two groups.

Originally they were from the north-east of modern CAR. Seemingly only newly-arrived along with large numbers of other inwards-migrants, in the eighteenth century they dominated a large part of later Nzakara country, and began to unite the region's disparate populations. Their supreme chief, Koudou, established a capital on the sacred hill of Mbounguia, about twenty kilometres to the east of the later city of Bangassou (in today's CAR), to the north of the River Ubangi.

That domination did not last for long, however. By the end of the eighteenth century the Vou-Kpata had been defeated by the Nzakara who had formed their own tribal state. Then the Nzakara went about uniting the region's disparate populations to form their own Nzakara-majority population group in what today is southern-central CAR.

(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Richard A Bradshaw & Juan Fandos-Rius, by Doctor Jean Kokide (University of Bangui), from Monographie du Dar-Kouti-Oriental, Edmond A J Boucher (Typescript, 1934, copied and updated from the original by Pierre Claustre), from Dar al-Kuti and the Last Years of the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade, Denis D Cordell (The University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), from Un ancien royaume Bandia du Haut-Oubangui, Eric de Dampierre (Plon, Paris, 1967), from Central African Republic, Pierre Kalck (Praeger Publishers, 1971), from Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic, Pierre Kalck( Third Edition, Scarecrow Press, 2005), from Un explorateur du centre de l'Afrique, Paul Crampel (1864-1891), Pierre Kalck (L'Harmattan, Paris, 1993), from The New Atlas of African History, G S P Freeman-Grenville (Rex Collins, London, 1991), from Times Atlas of World History (Maplewood, 1979), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Central African Republic (World Statesmen), and Anne Retel-Laurentin et les Nzakara, Jean-Noël Biraben (Cahiers d'Études Africaines, Vol 27, Notebook 105/106, Démographie Historique, 1987, pp 187-197, and available via JSTOR).)

c.1700

Largely freshly-settled territory along the River Ubangi in what today is eastern Central African Republic (CAR) has been occupied during the seventeenth century by the Bandia people (direct ancestors of the Nzakara).

Along with the Bandia, the Zande, the Nzakara, the Bati, the Benge, and the Mbudjaare were all producers of small but highly-recognisable wicker shields which carried elaborate handle boards

These Bandia have been pushed westwards by Nilo-Hamitic Sudanese peoples, at least partially of the Funj sultanate which faces its own disruptions. The Bandia form a tribal state by about 1700 along the River Ubangi.

c.1750 - 1780?

Bantu peoples have also been arriving from the west and south. Others, under pressure from the Ngombe, have been arriving from the south-west. More Sudanese join this mix a little later, driven out by the Shilluk and the Dinka of Bahr-el-Gazal.

The Vou-Kpata are part of this later group, originally from the north-east and with relations to the Shilluk and Dinka. In the eighteenth century they dominate a large part of later Nzakara country, starting off the process of uniting the region's disparate populations. The Vou-Kpata chief, Koudou, establishes his capital on the sacred hill of Mbounguia to the north of the River Ubangi.

Bangui lies on the northern banks of the River Ubangi shown here, which serves in part to divide the modern states of Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo, but in the eighteenth century was the home of several clan states

? - c.1800

Ruler of the Vou-Kpata. Defeated.

c.1780 - 1800

The northern areas of Central Africa have recently become increasingly drawn into larger states, mainly sultanates which are influenced by Sudan and the sub-Saharan Islamic holdings.

The earliest-recorded Nzakara have begun appearing as descendants of Bandia folk and other admixtures from the recent tribal influxes. The Nzakara settle to the south of the River Ubangi, along the lower Bili and Ouelle rivers where they form states of their own: the Nzakara of the Ubangi and the Nzakara of Sinango.

Under the leadership of their chief, Ndounga, the Ubangi Nzakara begin to invade Vou-Kpata territory, and Koudou and his allies are seemingly soon defeated. After this the Nzakara begin to settle the region in stages, driving back some tribes, subduing or enslaving others, and expanding into territory which will become Central African Republic.

Central Africa in 1897 was a land of uncertain, shifting borders, with small states expanding to incorporate previously stateless tribal societies (click or tap on map to view full sized)