WHO ARE THE BATOORO AND WHAT ARE THEIR TRADITIONAL NORMS?

Each tribal group in Uganda features a unique historical and cultural background and so are the Batooro! The Batooro people reside in the districts of Kabarole, Kasese and Kyejonjo and they belong to Toro Kingdom, led by the Babiito dynasty whose origins date 14^th century. Unlike before, today the Batooro community has been invaded by most migrants from various places especially from western part of Uganda and Bakiga have kept on migrating to this area. The eastern side features mainly Banyoro while the north inhabited by the Bamba and Bakonjo, the southeast and west thrive the Banyakole and to the east are Baganda. The Batooro are Bantu speaking people and they mainly speak Rutooro.

However, like most tribal groups, different legends have different history which is a case with the Batooro too. One legend puts it that the Batooro are Toro natives and that they came from the Batembuzi and the Bagabu who are believed to have been the ancient occupants and leaders on planet. Other traditions believe that the Batooro being of the Bantu origin came from the Congo area where the other Bantu groups are believed to have also existed from.

The Batooro society was classified into the Bahuma and the Bairu. The relationship between these two was however more of a caste than class differentiation. The Bahuma were mainly pastoralists and the Bairu on other hand were farmers. Based on economic and social life, a symbolic linkage between the two existed as they transacted together and it was from this that the Bairu had access to cattle products (milk, meat, hides and others) while the Bahuma had access to beer and other agricultural products from the Bairu.

Culturally, marriage plays a great role to Batooro man as he can’t be referred as absolute person in the society not until he gets married. Previously, parents were the ones to plan for a boy’s and girl’s marriage with/without them knowing. At the time of planning, the consent of the girl had to be sought and it was the work of the middle man to do so for the boy and his work was largely noticed socially and rewarded. That person was referred as Kibonabuko. His duty was to investigate more on the girl’s behaviors, her family background and ability to perform family duties. After background check, the Kibonabuko was free to continue with his duties in ensuring that the girl is secure from her parents on the side of the boy’s family.

His work was to wake up one morning and visit the girl’s family and declare his intentions to marry their daughter. He could make the statements like ‘Sir, I came to you such that you could build a house for me. I would like you to be part of my clan; I have come to ask for a wife, the builder of the house.’ And the usual response on the girl’s side could be ‘I don’t have any child.’ The Kibonabuko could then insist that the child was available and up on being questioned about the exact the person he was interested in, he could name the girl there and the. In case the father allowed, the Kibonabuko could thankfully kneel down as way of respect and appreciation. The following step could be for the boy’s family to take beer to the girl’s parents for the bride wealth to be fixed. The bride wealth usually came in form of cows, and this was different from that of the Bahuma and the Bairu where the Bahuma range from 6 to 20 cows and the Bairu the maximum was 8 (eight) cows. The payments also included goats and hoes. The entire or part of the bride wealth when it is due could be got at the party called Okujuka. This was a significant ceremony that mainly comprised of eating, drinking and merry making. After the boy’s family would send bark cloth and some skins for the bride’s dress and the other formalities could be completed at the wedding.

The wedding day was another huge party for people to celebrate. The bride could be picked at 6:00 or 7:00pm and prior leaving, a ritual could be performed where she will sit on her parents’ laps. This was called asokubukara. After, she could be taken to the bridegroom’s home and up on arriving, she could perform a ritual of being carried on her parent’s in law laps. It was at this point that she could be sprinkled with some herbal water as way to welcome and bless her. Prior the feasting is started; the bridegroom could go to bed with the bride to perform yet another ritual called Okucwa amagita. The visitors could then offer coffee berries, smoking pipes, beer and after food. In case the girl was got when she is still a virgin during the Okucwa amagita, a gift of a cow or a goat could be sent to her mother as way of congratulating her up on raising her daughter properly. On the 3^rd day, the bride’s friends and relatives could offer her gifts from home. They could come to see where she had been taken. The bride could spend some days in confinement and at the end of it all; another elaborate party could be conducted to get out the girl and introduce her to the art of cooking and house keeping. In case of divorce, bride wealth could be refunded and part of it could be kept in case she had children with the man.

A side from their family names, every Mutoro has a pet name known as Empaako and it is a must for that name to be mentioned away of greeting. And if the relatives are greeting, the younger has to sit on the lap of an elder while for the royal clans, the younger could touch the forehead and chin of an elder prior announcing their Empaako.

Economically, the Bairu largely depended on crop cultivation and the major crops grown included sorghum, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, vegetables, millet and others. The Bahuma mainly reared cattle for milk, meat and hides. They supplemented their activities with blacksmithing where spears, axes, knives, arrowheads, hoes were made. They also had potters who produced household utensils like water, beer and sauce pots. Women had skills on weaving and produced an assortment of basketry like plat baskets, bags, harvesting baskets, winnowing trays and many other baskets for household chores. The men on other hand built houses, cleared bushes and hunted wild animals and hunting and house building activities were communally done. The Batooro constructed circular huts with grass thatched roofs.

Politically, kingship was hereditary and the king had to originate from the Babitiito dynasty the ruling clan in Bunyoro. He was helped by a hierarchy of chiefs and an army and during war times, all able bodied men had to be called to fight for the kingdom. The chiefly regalia comprised of drums, wooden spoons, chairs, crowns, beads, axes, knives and spears. Mwenge County had a school of political education when Toro belonged to Bunyoro. The son of the kings went to Mwenge to explore the art of government and special tutors were available for the king’s daughters and sons. By the time it split off from Bunyoro, Toro still kept this practice.

The Batooro also practiced exchange of blood as way to strengthen their relationship while in ceremonies known as Omukago. This comprised of coffee berries, knife, a new bark cloth, 2 branches of fig trees and grass known as ejubwa. Towards the end of the party, one person could volunteer to cut his or her skin under the navel, scoops his blood with coffee bean and offers it to his friend to eat and a friend also does the same. The 2 blood brothers had to take oath to behave as true brothers.

Based on religion, the Batooro had a concept of a supreme being Ruhanga who was believed to be the creator of all things.

In conclusion, the Batooro like any tribal group has a different and interesting cultural and traditional believes and a story that is worth exploring while you are on Uganda cultural safari. If you are planning for your next vacation to Kibale Forest National Park then never miss to include a cultural experience in Batooro community that will supplement your primate adventures at the park.