The lakes and floodplain of the upper Lualaba (lakes Upemba and Kisale).
In the Classic Kisalian period (about the tenth to thirteenth or fourteenth century in de Maret's dating) dense villages of fishers and farmers bury their dead with copper ornaments, iron ceremonial axes, ivory and fine pottery, and the graves show clear ranking: leaders, perhaps chiefs, whose names are lost. This is the deepest root of the later Luba kingdom, which is of the sixteenth century.
Who holds it
- Title
- Leaders of the Kisalian villages (rich graves)
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
How things stand that morning
Flourishing. West and north of the depression lies ground outside this sheet.
Customs
Burial with copper, iron and ivory regalia; fishing and farming on the floodplain.
Assemblies
Not known; the graves imply village leaders of high rank.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Through 1200No dated event is known.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Excavated cemeteries with radiocarbon dates (de Maret); no written evidence.
On the map: Drawn from modern language areas, physical geography and a few dated sites; the 1200 extent is a rough guess.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Upemba Depression
- de Maret, Fouilles archeologiques dans la vallee du Haut-Lualaba (1985, 1992) (cited from memory of the literature)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.