Inyambo, the royal cattle trained to 'parade and dance'

For the last four years, Emmanuel Nsabimana has dedicated his life to caring and singing for cows. But the joyous man only looks after the ‘beautiful’ long-horned Inyambo, a cow breed that was exclusively dedicated to royal ceremonies during the times Rwanda was a monarchy. Nsabimana, who hails from a family of cattle keepers, says he has herded cows since he was a child but it is not until he became the Inyambo caretaker that he felt the real sense of it.“Inyambo are special cows,” he says with a smile. In the traditional Rwandan society, a cow was and remains a symbol of prosperity and was a central element when giving names to new borns. But there was greater value attached to Inyambo, characterised by, among others, long horns. The Inyambo were kept, trained to parade and ‘dance’ in honour of the King during special ceremonies, including, among others, at the annual national harvest celebrations (Umuganura) or whenever the King was visiting his subjects. The cows were last seen in Rwanda around 1959, at the end of King Mutara Rudahigwa III’s reign, according to available records. But four years ago, the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR), re-introduced them partly to help enhance cultural tourism. “We wanted to showcase their significance in the Rwandan history and, of course, revamp cultural tourism,” explains Medard Bashana, the Manager of the King’s Palace Museum in Nyanza, where the cows are kept. The royal ‘dance and parade’ differentiates these cows from others. “Inyambo are different from other types of cows. You can train them on a certain set of behaviours and they will follow easily,” Nsabimana says. “You can name each of them and when you call a specific cow among them, they know which one you are calling,” he adds. Inyambo were usually selected through a rigorous process that involved a three-layer inter-breeding process between selected high-quality cows. The offspring were then given special attention and training as they grew up. It is during that period that the cows were given names and introduced to royal parade, dance, songs and poetry. They were also familiarised to public display and performances, particularly for ceremonies involving the King and his entourage. Special rituals were also performed on the cows in accordance with the traditional beliefs and practices. While on royal parade, for instance, the cows, that were draped in neckline beads, couldn’t drop their dung in public or move to chase flies, Bashana says. “They are accustomed to people and don’t fear them. They will comfortably keep on the parade even when people are busy taking photos,” he adds. The cows are also credited with natural beauty. “When they move together in a group, the natural and parallel movement of their long horns and body ‘produces’ a beautiful dance,” Nsabimana notes. From the time when Inyambo were re-introduced in Rwanda in 2010, they have played a key role in increasing numbers of tourists visiting the royal palace in Nyanza, thus bringing in revenue, according to officials.

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Inyambo, the royal cattle trained to 'parade and dance'