Haya

The Haya (also known as Ekihaya, Ruhaya, Ziba, and Kihaya) constitute one of the dominant ethnic and linguistic groups in Tanzania, the largest being the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi. The latter occupy the region to the southwest of the Haya. Originally from West Uganda, the Haya people migrated from this region to Tanzania to escape endless wars. They currently live along the shores of Lake Victoria in the Bukoba District of the Kagera Region in the extreme northwest.

The language of the Haya people is also known as Haya and is one of several Niger-Congo languages spoken by the people of Tanzania west and northwest of Lake Victoria. It comprises a number of dialects, including Bumbira, Edangabo, Ganda-Kiaka, Hamba, Hangiro, Mwani, Nyakisisa, Ekiziba, and Yoza, which are spoken by several Haya subcultures. With an estimated population of about 1,200,000, the Haya people make up about 3.2% of the entire population of Tanzania.

Largely an agricultural people, the Haya are known to grow bananas and coffee, which they traded long before the arrival of Europeans. Throughout history, Haya women have also produced excellent handicrafts.

Like other ethnic groups in Tanzania, the Haya people have their own unique set of rituals, some of which share common characteristics with rituals performed by other ethnicities. Their traditional religious activities often center on role-specific deities, ancestral spirits, ways to defeat evil, and rites of passage, providing a channel for the seeming paradoxical expression of both righteousness and evil. Deities and spirits are known to possess worshipers at various stages of rituals. Animal sacrifice and masked dancing—a common medium for spirit possession—play an important role in the overall belief systems of the Haya. Dancing is also prevalent as a key part of their ceremonies and celebrations, as in popular cleansing rites and coming-of-age ceremonies for young people.

Although the names of the Supreme Deity, Mungu and Mulungu, are widely used throughout Tanzania and East Africa as names for an all-powerful God, the Haya also recognize Ishwanga, who they believe is another form of the Supreme Being, the almighty and ever-present creator; the ruler of the heavens and earth that rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

In a sense, the religious practices of the Haya, like those of many other Africans, reflect a pantheon of deities, spirits, and ancestors who serve as the practical daily governors of human lives. Like many traditional African religions, the Haya do not display any rigid orthodoxy in religious performance and mythological belief. This also implies the lack of heterodoxy because there are several moral and ceremonial paths to an end despite the presence of accepted ritual items and the existence of a hierarchical structure of supernatural beings.

As part of a religious experience that exploits both good and evil, a part of the Haya belief is that there is a human element to evil. It is not simply something that is spiritual; it is real, physical, and visceral, and it is often borne in the person of another human being. The evil influences are known to cause epidemics, floods, and drought, but beyond perpetrating evil, they are believed to possess the power to halt such catastrophes. Thus, when misfortunes occur, culpable persons are typically sought and punished after a system of divination is carried out by qualified diviners. Sometimes retribution is meted out in the form of death. Women are most likely to be considered the bearers of evil. If the weather is bad and there is a downturn in the economy, men would often seek out women to be sacrificed. This appears to be directly related to gender inequities that are pervasive throughout Tanzania.

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