Bantu was the general term given to the blacks of Southern Africa and is derived from the word "people" common to many of the Bantu languages.
Speaking communities Bantu they were divided into different clans, say independent groups of a few hundred to thousands of people.
The smallest unit of the political structure of the organization was the household consisting of a man, woman or women, and their children, as well as other relatives.
The families, who lived in the same valley or on the same hill in a village were also an organizational unit, managed by a sub-chief.
The Bantu-speaking communities of South Africa were successfully classified into four main groups: Nguni, Sotho-tswana, Vhavenda and Shangana Tsonga, with the Nguni representing the largest group.
The Bantu in Cuba
To talk about the influence of Bantu In Cuba, we must go back to the times of the colony and slavery, when many of the inhabitants of these South African territories were transferred to the Island.
Here, of course they added their culture and religion to the already important Creole mix that existed.
Numerous researchers have coincided in pointing to the bantu peoples as one of the African areas with the greatest presence and contribution in the Cuban transcultural process, along with yoruba and the carabalí.
Although it is said that the greatest human and cultural contributions in Cuba are fundamentally from the territory of present-day Nigeria, the fact is that anthropologists and researchers such as Fernando Ortiz point out that the influence is also great. Bantu originated from the early days of the colony.
It is also indicated that the popular language of today includes numerous ethnic denominations to designate the slaves Bantu in Cuba, and the term Congo is the most frequent and most recognized.
Bantu, Afro-Cuban contribution of religion and dance
The Bantu, Above all, they contributed to the cultural development of Cuba, their music-dance practices related to African ritual or recreational functions. Its mystique is above all related to the religious expression of the Rule of Palo Monte.
Many of their dances have religious beginnings and have today been incorporated into the Afro-Cuban ritual, such as the palo, the makuta or the garbato.
They are characterized by pantomime, strong and abrupt gestures and complicated jumps and turns, as well as a violent and erotic expression when dancing and numerous colors representative of sensuality and human feelings.
The Bantu congos They also instilled in Cuban culture their belief that every natural element was inhabited by a spirit and their ceremonies that revolve around a nganga, a receptacle of spiritual forces.
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