BAHIMA TRADITIONAL HOUSE - ANKOLE

MUSIIMENTA IAN11/U/3937/PSA

TRIBE: MUNYANKOLECASTE: MUHIMA

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURETUTOR: DR.NAGGENDA ASSUMPTA MUSANA

BAHIMA

Bahima are the Pastoralists of the Ankole Kingdom

Located in Western Uganda in current Districts of Kiruhuura, Isingiro, Ntungamo.

The Bahima were the Ruling people of ANKOLE, they ruled over the BAIRU (carried out crop husbandry).

BAHIMA HOMESTEAD

Each settlement is a finely balanced solution to a problem of habitation and needs to be seen as a physical reflection as a way of life of its inhabitants. Susan Denyer(1978)

Bahima settled on the hillsides, to ensure security of their cattle which would be grazing downslope.

The Homesteads have changed with time.

The Homestead consisted of sevaral houses ; ~Milk house ~ Family House ~ Cooking space. ~Kraal

The family house arranged the homestead that it had to be the central house and faced the homestead entrance for defence/security is from the head.

kraal

Calfkraalyar

d

Family HouseCookin

g area

Milkhouse

Sons’ house

BAHIMA HOMESTEAD

Houses Changed from Thatch houses to Mud & thatch houses.

Kitchens & toilet were built.

Bathing was done at their water bodies during cow watering.

kraal

Calfkraal

yard

Family Housekitche

n

Milkhouse

Sons’ house

toilet

BAHIMA HOMESTEAD

The milk house as a symbol for “obutungi” every homestead has had through the time.

Current homesteads of the Bahima have the milk house where the milk storage, ghee making, storage.

kraalCalfkraal

yard

Family House

kitchen

Milkhouse

toilet

HIERACHY OF SPACES

PUBLIC SPACES~Compound~Milk House

SEMI PUBLIC~Toilet & Bathroom~Unmarried son’s House

PRIVATE~Family House~Kitchen~Kraal

All houses were oriented facing downslope to The Kraal was near the Unmarried sons for the security of the cattle.

Ankole HomesteadEvolution

Ankole HomesteadEvolution

Ankole HomesteadEvolution

BAHIMA MILK HOUSE

Just like Homesteads evolved so did the Milk House.

It evolved from the Thatch house to Mud & Thatch house.

From an open plan to division of the space in the Mud & Thatch house.

BAHIMA MILK HOUSE

The Milk House is where most activities of the Homestead take place. Which include; ~Visitor Entertainment ~Milk storage ~Ghee making ~Story telling ~Family Gathering

MILK HOUSE INTERIORReed matting made of elephant grass was widely used in the interiors among Bahima and Tutsi . screen is used to partition off the platform used for keeping the sacred milk containers( ebyanzi). Susan Denyer(1978)

(Source:Denyer,1978:127)

BAHIMA MILK HOUSE

Click icon to add pictureThe Milk House is where most activities of the Homestead take place. Which include; ~Visitor Entertainment ~Milk storage ~Ghee making ~Story telling ~Family Gathering

It contains a raised platform(orugyegye) in one corner onto which milk pots, calabashes, wooden chatties are placed,

SPACES MILK HOUSEMainly divided into two spaces at the axis, Living space (omwiriro) & Bedroom (Endugu).

MILK HOUSE CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS

Click icon to add pictureThe Milk House is round in shape, with sloping cone-shaped roof of thatch with overhanging eaves.

Posts are first dug into the ground 20 or 30 cm apart.

Thinner horizontal pieces of lighter material (reeds/embingo) are fixed across the uprights, both inside and out.

ROOF CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS

Click icon to add pictureTimber pieces are put together to form a corn.

Banana fibres were used to tie different roof elements before adversement to sisal strings.

The roof is framed in lighter material(oburaba) which formed a framework called Orukanka.

Thatch of spear grass is used because of its availability in the region.

INTERIOR WALL DECORATIONS

The walls were smeared with Ash to achieve a white background onto which the wall designs were done.

Patterns & Cow hides of their favourite cows were painted on the walls.

(Source: Denyer ,1978:129)

VENTILATION

Space was left between the Wall and the Roof for ventilation.

Approximately 2.3m from the ground.

MUD Wall creates visual privacy within the house interior.

Space left between the roof and the wall, and the separating wall of the living space and bedroom hinders audio privacy.

SUSTAINABILITY

Walls of the house are re-surfaced every year (usually xmas time)

Floors are periodically touched up by smearing cow dung to cut down on dust.

Thatch is periodically replaced for every 4 to 5 years.

References. Susan Denyer. (1978), African Traditional Architecture: an

historical and geographical perspective, New York: Africana

John Tyman, (2010), John Tyman's Cultures in Context Series, http://www.johntyman.com/africa/11.html, (4/9/2013).