For the Bamaga people, the hot springs are their living area to which they carry a belief that their ancestors are not dead but do live in these hot springs.
It is believed that the Batooro women who were married to Basaiga clan went to Mungiro falls to fetch water. On their way, they met a stranger dressed in a bark cloth with a dog and a spear moving around staggering. This stranger looked hairy in appearance and this frightened the women so they decided to rush back home and inform their husbands of what they encountered on their way to the falls.
History and Belief Around the Hot Springs
On hearing the information, their husbands did not waste any single minute but decided to collect themselves and rush to see what they had just been told. The husbands too could not recognize the man’s identity who happened to be the stranger. The husbands then decided to take him to the neighboring community to find out who he was.
The Bamba clan later nick-named him ‘Bakamwbire’, meaning, the unknown (stranger). The Basaiga clan later decided to adopt the stranger and renamed him ‘Bamaga’, which was related to his movement style. He was later given a daughter of one elder, Nyansimbi. Bamaga stayed with Nyansimbi for a long while, giving birth to his children.
As a hunter, one morning Bamaga went hunting as usual, but did not return. After three days, this made Nyansimbi to go and search for him in the neighboring community, to trace his whereabouts. The whole community decided to go and look for him in the forest since he was a hunter. Eventually they landed on his spear on the Nyabahuku hot spring – which happens to be the present day male hot spring, with a pool of boiling water.
On seeing his bark cloth, they knew Bamaga had died and the sons named this spot ‘Bitente’ which means ‘he has gone’. This is how the male hot spring got its name Bitente. The sons of Bamaga decided to carry the spear, the bark clothe and the dog back home.
On hearing about the news of her husband, Nyansimbi also decided to disappear away and get lost in the forest. This called for another search by her sons in the forest which lasted for three days. On the third day, they found her bark cloth at the present female hot spring which made the female hot spring to be named Nyansimbi.
Present Day Celebrations By Bamaga People
The Bamaga people believe that their male ancestors live at the male hot springs (‘Bitente’) and the female ancestors do stay at the female hot springs (‘Nyansimbi’). Because of that, they usually hold annual celebrations and carry out cultural rituals at the two spots. These celebrations usually include a lot of sacrifices and take place in the month of November, annually.
The sacrifices include money, food crops, wildlife and drinks, with a belief that the spring cures various disease, causes fertility among women and brings wealth.
The spear has been kept to date and is being used to perform various rituals within the community. Men always first make their sacrifices and celebration at the male hot springs and later join their female counterparts at the female hot spring. Here they dance and rejoice together in harmony under one common goal, to give back to their ancestors as they seek for their different personal needs and blessings from their ancestors. However, the female counter parts are not allowed to visit the male hot springs.
In addition, to visiting the hot springs, visitors can complement this with a chimpanzee trekking safari in the nearby Kibale National Park. Or else, go for a memorable wildlife safari and game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park.