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British East Africa 21 rica] RACE AND LANGUAGE

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( 1 ) The forest-dwelling. Pygmies are found in very small numbers in the Semliki Valley and in the forests

in the extreme south -west corner of the Protectorate. Connected with these racially are several other tribes, such as the Buhiga of Ruhiga, who probably represent a mixture of Bantu negro and pygmy. The same name, . Batwa, is given to the pygmiesor semi-pygmies ofthe Mfumbiro forests and to a degraded race in Ruanda.

( 2) The Bahima belong to a Hamitic stock which occupied the highlands east of Victoria Nyamza at least400 years ago, and enslaved the Bantupopulation

which they found there. They are still found as a ruling pastoral people in Ankole, Mpororo, and Karagwe. The other branch of the race , the Batussi, are still the dominant race in Ruanda and Urundi .

The Bahima speak the Bantu Nyoro tongue, or one of its dialects .

( 3 ) The Bantu . - The most important of the Bantu peoples are the Baganda. Their language, Luganda, is much spokenin the Protectorate . The Basoga closely resemble the Baganda, and speak a similarlanguage.

The Banyoro ,with whom are allied the Batoro, are a much less civilised and intelligent race than the Baganda, although they possess a larger infusion of Bahima blood . Their language, Urunyoro, is spoken in various dialects throughout the Western Province, and across the frontier in Ruanda and Urundi .

The Bairo form the agricultural population of Ankole , and , like the Bahutu of Ruanda, occupy a semi servile position under the Hamitic ruling race. They speak dialects of Urunyoro.

Three important Bantu tribes are found in the Bukedi district north of Busoga . The Bagweri are closely allied to the Basoga ; their language is now beingsuperseded by Luganda. The Bunyuli represent an intermediate type between the Bagishu and the Basoga. Their language is also tending to give way before a dialect of Luganda.

The Bagishu are the most important people of the Bukedi district. Among the sections of the tribe who

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