NSAKU ne VUNDA
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Nsaku ne Vunda (a title in use in about the 14th century) was not only the title of a chief, but also the name of a clan living around Mbanza Kongo (later San Salvador) when Ntinu Wene established the Kongo kingdom sometime before 1400. As Nsaku ne Vunda, whose other title was Mani Vunda (chief of the Vunda), or Mani Kabunda, the individual holding this office had a powerful ritual association with the land.
When Ntinu Wene arrived in the area of Mbanza Kongo, he found it occupied by the Vunda clan, which was part of the larger Ambundu ethnic group. The Nsaku ne Vunda’s sphere of supernatural influence was very extensive, reaching south to Ndongo, located east of what is now Luanda, Nsaku, as chief of the soil, ensured the land’s fertility, made hunting and fishing fruitful, and gave children to the women.
Although originally the holder of the office of Mani Kabunda had exercised political power, under pressure from Ntinu Wene, who came from Bungu (located north of the Zaire River), he lost this political authority. Tradition describes this transition by reporting that Ntinu Wene, who may have been the same as Lukeni, married Nsaku’s daughter. This incorporated the Mani Kabunda’s power into, and linked his descendants to the new political system imported from Bangu.
Remaining linked to the supernatural forces, Naku’s subsequent duties consisted of giving the Mani Kongo a special benediction in order to ensure a calm, and prosperous reign and to keep the spirits favorably disposed to him. Ritually, the Mani Kabunda’s functions were expressed when he presided over the Mani Kongo’s ceremony of investiture. The ruler in return, paid tribute to the chief who had once reigned supreme in the land.
Most likely, the Mani Kabunda would only participate in the installation of a royal candidate who was acceptable to him. Thus, in later years, he became one of the principal electors of the ruler of the Kongo. Since his voice was crucial in the choice of a new monarch, the Nsaku clan was considered the “eldest” of the senior clans in the kingdom.
After the Christianization of the Kongo, the Mani Kongo Mvemba Nzinga (Afonso I) designated the Mani Kabunda as the Catholic priest responsible for safeguarding religion. This new role merely continued, in Christian form, the Mani Kabunda’s traditional functions as the main ritual guardian of the Mani Kongo.
NDAYWEL è NZIEM
