Mahale Mountains National Park | Summary of Resource Base

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where he may be seen in the whirlwinds that cross the Katavi plains, and from which small-pox is cast upon human populations. Occassionally Mkungwe’s children visit him, and at such times his head is shrouded in clouds, and muddy torrents of water descend his slopes. The Wabende people, who occupy the ‘hinterland of Karema’, so fear Katavi that they supply him with a virgin girl as a wife. She grows up respected by other members of her community and infertile women present her with cloth to ‘please her lord and obtain conjugal blessing’. Kirchstein (1937) claims that Mkungwe is perceived as profoundly evil, but he does no harm provided people continue to perform sacrifices to him on his summit. This practice contiuned until the National Park was formed in 1985, and the place of Mkungwe remains very important in the beliefs of local people. Mountain peak names From north to south along the ridge: Pasagulu, Mhensabantu, Humo, Nkungwe, Sibindi, Mfitwa, Sisaga, Tambila. 46
Tongwe culture Tongwe people believe many of their ancestral spirits are found in the various mountains, rivers, and wetlands of the Mahale region. In the past, they used Nkungwe, Mwesabantu, Mswabantu, Lubugo, Sibwesa, Kasunga, Mgelwa, Lubadyu, and Syahe mountains as sites for prayer and sacrifice to ancestral spirits. Sacred rivers included Kitu, Karungu, Mahatwe and Nkungwe. With the exception of the Katavi pool or swamp located in Katavi NP, and Lubadyu Mountain found in the DRC, all of the scared sites listed are located inside MMNP. Traditionally, lands were set aside for preservation within all sacred areas. Only individuals on official prayer or sacrificial visits were allowed to enter. This included the river watersheds, which effectively established water catchment protection areas. Information gathered by MEMP (2003) during interviews with Tongwe people living close to MMNP showed little evidence that the cultural histories recounted by Kirchstein (1937) survive today, if they ever existed. Interviews with surviving traditional Tongwe leaders suggest that the stories told to such researchers were possibly concocted at the time to hide cultural secrets, or to frighten strangers away from sacred lands. It is also possible that some of these old tales have been gradually forgotten as a result of cultural change and the erosion of oral histories. The current religious beliefs of the Tongwe people appear to be rapidly eroding (Kinyau, pers. comm.). This may be due in part to the loss of sacred grounds following their inclusion within MMNP. Several traditional Tongwe leaders believe that a number of recent natural disasters (e.g. sicknesses, drought and poor agricultural harvests) are a result of the discontinuation of prayer and sacrifice within the park. However, despite the fact that TANAPA rules do not prohibit the practicing of cultural traditions within park boundaries, traditional leaders have never formally applied to MMNP management for a permit to visit their traditional lands. The park-adjacent communities today Eight villages, contained within three wards, one division, one district, and one region, border MMNP. These villages are (north to south): Rukoma, Igalula, Buhingu, Nkonkwa, Kalilani, Sibwesa, Kalya and Kashagulu. All of these villages are located on the lakeshore, five to the north of MMNP and three to the south. Nkonkwa and Kalilani are located in Buhingu Ward, Igalula and Rukoma in Igalula ward, and Kalya, Sibwesa and Kashagulu are in Kalya ward. All three wards belong to the division of Buhingu, and the district and region of Kigoma. According to the 2002 national census, 39,176 inhabitants populate these three wards (National Bureau of Statistics, 2002). The wards also contain villages outside the MMNP periphery, but as the current census data are only categorized by ward, this count should be considered generous for MMNP-adjacent communities. Kigoma Region has the highest population growth rate in the country at 4.8%, compared to the national average of 2.9% (National Bureau of Statistics, 2002). The area to the east of MMNP is largely uninhabited. However, small hamlets and subvillages have recently started to appear in this area, possibly due to the government’s plans to construct a road linking the southern villages of the Mahale peninsula to Kigoma. Subvillages to the south-east of MMNP are part of Kashagulu 47
Page 1 and 2: MAHALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK SUMM
Page 3 and 4: Galagos (bushbabies) Galagonidae Gr
Page 5 and 6: Banded Mongoose Mungos mungo White-
Page 7 and 8: Comments • The current (2008) MMN
Page 9 and 10: Wahlberg's Eagle Aquila wahlbergi T
Page 11 and 12: Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx aud
Page 13 and 14: EURYLAIMIDAE - BROADBILLS African B
Page 15 and 16: Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta S
Page 17 and 18: Brown-capped Weaver Ploceus insigni
Page 19 and 20: • Large numbers of migratory bird
Page 21 and 22: Brown House Snake Lamprophis fuligi
Page 23 and 24: showed that it was not this species
Page 25 and 26: Order Family Scientific Name Perch-
Page 27 and 28: Comments • All these aquatic moll
Page 29 and 30: Asclepiadaceae Ceropegia nilotica C
Page 31 and 32: Celastraceae Maytenus heterophylla
Page 33 and 34: Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia R
Page 35 and 36: Moraea schimperi Lamiaceae †Leuca
Page 37 and 38: Ochna sp2 Olacaceae Ximenia america
Page 39 and 40: Mussaenda monticola Oldenlandia hoc
Page 41 and 42: Violaceae Rinorea brachypetala Rino
Page 43 and 44: 3. VEGETATION AND HABITAT TYPES Gro
Page 45: 4. NEIGHBOURING COMMUNITIES AND ANT
Page 49 and 50: REFERENCES Anderson, S. J. & Baker,

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