Introduction

Bunia is the chief town of the Ituri region, part of the Northeast Zone of Zaïire, situated at 1°35′ N and 30°15′ E, at an altitude of 1250m on a hilly, fertile plateau. It has a humid, tropical climate, warmest in April–May and more temperate in July–August. Average humidity is 87%, with a rainfall all through the year of between 1200 and 1400 mm, heaviest in August–September, and drier in December–January. Originally a forest area, it was gradually transformed by slash-and-burn into short grassland. At present, sweet potatoes, cassava, beans and various vegetables and fruits are grown, which make up the main staple foods of the area. The herding Hema provide beef; goat, sheep and pig meat are also consumed. Fresh and smoked fish come mainly from nearby Lake Mobutu (formerly Albert Lake), where fish are abundant and local and industrial fishing is practised. Lately, more meat and fish has been shipped by road to the cities of Kisangani, Beni and Goma, and flown to Kinshasa. These exports, together with gold-panning in the area, have driven up prices, and many town people deriving their main income from wages have a hard time coping with inflation.

The original inhabitants of the region were Lendu farmers and Hema herders. They are now a minority among later immigrants, who come from three distinct ethnolinguistic groups: Bantu (Bira, Nande and others) from the south, Sudanese (Lugbara, Lendu, Ngiti and Lese) from the northwest, and Nilotics (Hema, Alur) from the northeast (see Vansina, 1965.)