The untold story of Buhanga, the coronation ground

Sitting on a lush, green and serene ground, Buhanga hill is most known in ancient history as a place where Rwandan kings reigned before they were enthroned.Buhanga is located in Bukora Cell, Nkotsi Sector, in Musanze District.The kings, historians say, would spend an unspecified number of days here in company of Abiru – the traditional historians in the king’s court – who performed different rituals aimed at sanctifying the king’s reign.It is a green 12-hectare forest with a relaxing atmosphere shrouded by a breathtaking breeze.Joseph Hategekimana is an employee at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and serves as a tour-guide as well as a story teller for those who come to visit the place.Trailing after him, he easily describes the place, its significance and the different rituals that took place here, probably centuries ago, at the coronation of the kings, who were the titular heads of the Rwandan Kingdom.“The full name of this place is ‘I Buhanga Kwa Gihanga’ and it draws the name from the first king of Rwanda, called Gihanga, who is believed to have lived in this area,” said Hategekimana.“There was once a palace here...and it was perched between two big trees,” he says as he points fingers to where the trees stood.“It was a thatched traditional house that was never destroyed by anyone; it simply succumbed to time. Every would-be king would enter it to be blessed by the Abiru and all rituals happened before he took over the kingdom,” he narrates.“The house had three main rooms,” he says “the one where the king used to sit, where his possession were kept and the other one was a waiting room for visitors. The latter is the same room where Abiru sat during rituals,” he addsThe rituals to enthrone the king took days, and during such rituals, the new king was given a cocktail of herbs which would ‘protect’ him from different omens (Imitsindo) during his reign.Other key features related to the history of the place is a water source, volcanic rock, trees and objects found in this cultural forest.There is also the Icyuhagiriro, a place where a king was taken and washed, with the ‘purified’ water from this source, which was also aimed at protecting him against the enemies from within and outside his kingdom.“Immediately after washing, he would preside over a meeting with his top aides, in the presence of Abiru, and he told them of his plans during his reign,” he says.During Icyuhagiriro, the ‘pure water’ was mixed with herbs.The other significant features include different varieties of big trees; and one such is a tree, or rather trees that are intertwined that you may think it is one.“As you can see, you may think that this is one tree, but they are three trees; one is Umuvumu, the second is Umusando while the third is Igihondohondo, and the trees symbolised the unity that characterised Rwandans before the colonialists came and divided Rwandans,” he said.Interestingly, the nearby well where the King’s water was fetched is still used by the locals, but according to Hategekimana, as a measure to preserve the site, people have been stopped from collecting firewood from the forest.What historians sayAccording to Prof Déo Byanafashe, a lecturer in the history department at the National University of Rwanda, the place is of a great historic importance and should be properly preserved and publicised so that Rwandans know about it. “The place should be taught about in schools and should be part of the documented national history,” said the don.The futureIn 2006, the government attached the site to the Volcanoes National Park as an eco-park and the plan to develop it as a cultural tourism site is underway, according to Rwanda Development Board officials.The project, which will be modified into a cultural site, will be developed by RDB in partnership with Ministry of Sports and Culture together with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. “We are planning to have a buffer zone to minimise human encroachment,” said Prosper Uwingeli, the Chief Park warden in Volcanoes National Park. “The area is also rich in biodiversity such as birds, small cats and a variety of trees and therefore, nature tourism can be done. Trails have already been developed,” Uwingeli added.With the place already on the tourist catalogue, Uwingeli said, what remains is to market this unique heritage site as part of cultural tourism.The Government has requested RDB to demarcate the area of the eco-park that will be considered for tourism development, and consider expropriation of local communities with land adjacent to the site.Over 80 individuals with land adjacent to Buhanga will be compensated for the land next to the ecopark