Ruganzu II Ndoli: A heavy crown and a spear of grief
Ancient pre-colonial Rwanda
On his revenge quest, King Ruganzu II Ndoli went on a rampage! Either be on his side or else💀!! Starting from the east in his territorial reclaim, luckily, he found that the bigwigs there and their followers were old loyalists to his late father, King Ndahiro II Cyamatare, which made his job easy!! All he needed to do was to show up, state his name (and royal credentials), and boom, everyone lined up behind him!!
As for the west? Of course, there was still pockets of loyalists to his dad, but they were under the crushing domination of the Bunyabungo Kingdom (South Kivu, DRC) as well as the usurper, Prince Byinshi, the son of the ULTIMATE SNAKE, Prince Bamara.
All he had to do was to gain a deeper foothold in the east, gather his western loyalists and attack the invaders’ stronghold.
Nonetheless, there was a bigger to fry — drum roll (pun intended😂😂), carving and enthroning a new sacred royal drum, the symbol of royalty in the land.
If y’all remember (it’s all good if you don’t, lol), the old sacred royal drum, Rwoga, was snatched away (R.I.P) by the Bunyabungo Kingdom, thus the revamped monarchy needed a new symbol: a fresh drum to reflect power and unity.
Though there was another drum, Nangamadumbu, under which King Ruganzu II Ndoli had been crowned, it was rejected by the court. Why? They deemed it not worthy of the throne, deciding to carve another. They also upped it a notch by creating not one but a trio of royal drums cut from the same sacred tree. That way, if the main one ever disappeared, one of its siblings would secretly take over and no one would notice! Genius right💡!!
The mission of the new King and his court was to avoid Rwanda becoming chaotic ever again!!
So how did they choose the “perfect” tree to carve the NEW royal drums?
The Tree of Destiny
One day, the King Ruganzu II Ndoli and his court summoned Minyaruko (remember the OG loyalist, super spy?). As one of the celebrated weatherman in the country (Umuvubyi), they requested him to identify a strong tree to carve the drums in. Being old, he delegated the task to his son, Nyamigezi, who ran across the country and reached Buberuka (modern northeastern Rwanda), which was beyond Rwanda’s borders at the time. There, in a place called Cyungo (named after the umwungo trees -polyscias fulva), he found the perfect tree🌳.
Chop chop! Him and his team sliced it into pieces, carved them into royal drums and smuggled them back into Rwanda disguised as innocent grain mortars (yep, like father, like son). All this was done secretly under the wise watch of the royal spiritual code keepers ( Abiru). From then on, Nyamigezi was honored to be the keeper/guardian of royal drums, an honor that was kept within the family until the abolition of the monarchy in 1961.
Back to the trees! the chopped pieces produced 3 sacred royal drums:
The base of the trunk was carved into a royal drum called Bariba.
The middle slice produced Kalinga, the Chosen One🥇. Kalinga means a pledge of hope. It is derived from the verb kuringa, an ancient form of kwiringira - to trust/to hope.
The top slice made the royal drum called Karihejuru aka Little high one.
Basically, Karihejuru was the Back-up Plan #1, then, Bariba, back-up #2. If Kalinga was to ever vanish, Karihejuru would slip in, still called “Kalinga”. No one outside the inner circle was to ever find out. Slick right??!
Meanwhile, the royal drum Nangamadumbu became a royal drum sidekick, symbolizing the feminine spiritual element until the OG Cyimumugizi was found😔!
Surprise Comeback: Cyimumugizi!
Once King Ruganzu II Ndoli had established his court in Mata (in the Southern province), something wild happened!! A goat wandered into a cave in Rutaka valley (Southern province), and guess what the herders found? A very old drum, covered in thorny branches‼️ The news reached the royal court!
The old wise men of the court (Abiru) rushed to the cave and immediately recognized it as the Cyimumugizi 👀. As we had seen it previously, the sacred royal drum, Cyimumugizi, was saved long ago during the Bunyabungo invasion by the brave Gitandura, one of the court ritualists (Umwiru). Though Gitandura had since passed away without revealing the secret, his ultimate act of loyalty saved the day‼️ As a gesture of gratitude, Gitandura’s descendants became eternal guardians of Nangamadumbu.
After its discovery, the royal drum Cyimumugizi was placed next to Kalinga, just like it had once stood next to the lost Rwoga — a mystical reunion, providing the feminine spiritual element to the enthroned Kalinga (look at that, our ancestors understood balance and harmony - Yin & Yang☯︎)!!
It’s Revenge Time
With the country pacified and united, King Ruganzu II Ndoli got down to BUSINESS! As his name suggested, kuganza (to dominate), he went into battle mode!! As a preparation, he assembled his top-tier avenger squads! Enter his personal royal guards, his peers (they were approximately the same age), the most loyal and war hungry, elite warriors, Ibisumizi ( meaning: close combat wrestlers)💪🏿. The Commander-in-chief of Ibisumizi was Muvunyi, son of Karema (Muvunyi wa Karema) from the Abanyiginya clan, house of Abaturagara.
The full list of King Ruganzu II Ndoli army units:
Ibisumizi – The Close combat wrestlers
Ingangurarugo – The frontline smashers (not to be confused with Ingangurarugo of King Kigeli IV Rwabugili)
Imisambi – The Crested cranes
Udusambi – The Little elegant crested cranes
Insambuzi – The Home destroyers (literally😂😂)
Abadakonja – The Cold-proof warriors
Abakonjabyuma – The Iron-benders
Abaganda – The hammer bros
Abaruhije - The Inflexibles
Nyantango - The Originals
Nyakare - The Precocious ones
Both the Abaruhije and Nyantango army units were led by none other than the fearless and loyal, Mpande-ya-Rusanga, the adoptive brother of King Ruganzu II Ndoli. The 2 forces (Abaruhije and Nyantango) were later paired with the Ibisumizi and fought under a shared command, until King Kigeli IV Rwabugili dismissed Nyamuganza (a direct descendant of Mpande-ya-Rusanga), breaking the chain. He then placed the Nyantango forces under a separate chief, marking the end of an era of unified command.
Fun fact: King Ruganzu II Ndoli’s own son and future king, Prince Semugeshi, was recruited by Abaganda army unit! They would later become his personal guard once on the throne.
First in the DEATH NOTE: the usurper Prince Byinshi, who was killed without a bigger fight. Nonetheless, it set in motion a bloody civil war between the 2 forces. After the vicious war and the defeat of the usurper’s side, next on the hit list was the Bunyabungo Kingdom, the homeland of his mortal enemy, King Nsibura Nyebunga!!
King Ruganzu II Ndoli and his army swept through the eastern shores of Lake Kivu like a thunderstorm, even took over Ijwi island. Then came the Bugara Kingdom, which had aided Bunyabungo Kingdom in their rampage and the killing of King Ruganzu II Ndoli’s father, King Ndahiro Cyamatare. He personally fought and killed King Nzira of Bugara (traitor #2), avenging his father's death🎯. His victory earned the permanent annexation of Bugara Kingdom to Rwanda.
After the satisfying revenge, he went on conquest expeditions. Cue- Bunyambilili (in the southern province). He fought and killed King Gisurera, but because his clan, Abasinga, were the sacred “curse-chanters” (Abavumyi) against famines and crop pests, they were spared and restored. King Ruganzu II Ndoli didn’t stop! He took over Bwanamukali (still in the southern province), eliminated chiefs Nyakarashi and Mpandahande and ended the reign of the Abasinga clan, the Abarenge dynasty by defeating King Nyaruzi, son of Haramanga of Burwi (still in the Southern Province).
Through his might, kingdoms and chiefdoms folded and Rwanda expanded into an empire.
A Legendary Bet
During one of the many conquest expeditions, King Ruganzu II Ndoli and his Commander-in-chief of Ibisumizi, Muvunyi, made a bet: whoever killed a king named Kamima, who ruled in the wild forests of Ngabo on the eastern shores of Lake Kivu (Western Province) first, would win bragging rights!!! No one remembers who won but the 2 guys (King Ruganzu II Ndoli and Muvunyi) went on a rampage and conquered the whole region around the volcanoes: Bugoyi, Byahi, Bwishya (Western province) and even Bufumbira (modern south Uganda)!!!
A Helping Hand
After proving that Rwanda was here to stay, her southern neighbor, Bugesera Kingdom, got bullied by Burundi’s King Ntare II Kibogora. Seeing that he was not in position to fight Burundi alone, the Bugesera King Rwagitare called onto King Ruganzu II Ndoli for help! He sent his Ibisumizi, led by his military chief Nyantabana, and they whooped the Burundian troops!! After the win, King Rwagitare of Bugesera offered cows as a thank-you, however, military chief Nyantabana refused until his boss, King Ruganzu II Ndoli, approved the gift! But King Ruganzu II Ndoli politely declined. "It was just a bro move, no need to feel obligated."
The Last Breath of Rwanda’s Avenger
On his way back from Kinyaga (western province), King Ruganzu II Ndoli walked straight into an ambush in Rusenyi (Karongi district). He fought bravely, but a barbed arrow shot by Bitibibisi pierced his eye😢. His Ibisumizi rushed him to Matyazo (southern province) where a family of blacksmiths pulled out the deadly arrow.
But it was too late. The king breathed his last there, at a place now known as Ku Gaciro, “the Place of the Last Breath” 😔. The blacksmiths family that saved him was honored as Abakuro (literal meaning: the Pullers, as they pulled the barbed arrow from his eye).
In his will, King Ruganzu II Ndoli requested that no one should venerate his spirit! Why? He wanted his spirit to live forever jointly with the sacred royal drum, Kalinga!!
There, he believed that he would share the offered honors and rituals with sacred royal drum. His final wish was respected and his cult was combined with Kalinga’s.
As Rwanda’s Avenger was laid to rest in Butangampundu (royal burial site of Kings who died in battle or by suicide, currently in Rulindo district), a legend goes on to say that his loyal Ibisumizi refused to be led by another King! They unanimously decided to follow their master in the afterlife! How did they do it? One night, they marched in silence, and just as dawn broke, they had arrived in a place now known as Butantsinda (southern province). There, they split into two camps and fought each other to the death ⚔️😔. When one side lost too many, they paused, re-divided, and began again. It was a bloody harrowing dance of honor and unbeatable loyalty💀.
Yet, the legacy of the Ibisumizi didn’t vanish with the collective suicide. Under King Cyilima II Rujugira, the regrouped members were tasked with a sacred duty: guarding the royal tombs on Mount Rutare (Rulindo district), where King Mutara I Semugeshi, son of King Ruganzu II Ndoli, was laid to rest🕯️.
Ladies and Sons of Ladies, like a storm, King Ruganzu II Ndoli rose from an exiled prince to become his father’s avenger, defeated his enemies and reclaimed the throne! He conquered lost lands, united kingdoms and chiefdoms under one banner, Rwanda.
Through his return, hope bloomed again! Rwanda stood proud, reborn from ashes under the loving, charismatic, and powerful gaze of the rightful King.
📜 NEXT:
Monday 16/6 - Ruganzu II Ndoli and the twilight of the usurpers.