Bagisu / Bamasaba of Eastern Uganda

This project seeks to document the families in the Bugisu sub-region in Eastern Uganda, in the following districts:

• Bududa
• Bulambuli
• Manafwa
• Mbale
• Namisindwa
• Sironko.

The Bagisu are a Bantu-speaking people living on the western slopes of the now extinct volcano called Mount Elgon in the Bugisu District of eastern Uganda, some 50 miles north of Lake Victoria. Although the Gisu call themselves Ba-Masaba -- Masaba being their reference for Mount Elgon, the term is also commonly used to refer to all the people living on this mountain. Strictly speaking, the name Bagisu originally applied only to the people of the northern part of the territory, but by extension is now used as the name for the people who speak Lugisu in contradistinction to the other mountain peoples such as the Vugusu and Sebei.

In common usage the plural prefix "ba" preceding the tribal name means "people"; the prefix "bu" refers to their "country"; while "lu" preceding the name refers to their "language" (LaFontaine, 1959, 9).

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

1. Create a profile for yourself on geni.com. You do not need to pay to use Geni. If you need to do something that requires payment, ask a curator for help.
2. Create your tree. (Use birth surnames if you have them, otherwise, use First Name, Middle Name (if applicable), and Last Name. If your family does not have hereditary surnames, uncheck the "Suggest surnames" checkbox
3. Include sources, dates, and places as best you can. Use circa if you are estimating a date.
4. Invite family members to participate by creating their profiles and adding their e-mail addresses. (EACH PERSON MUST HAVE A UNIQUE E-MAIL ADDRESS.
5. Request to join this project (Actions > Join Project)
6. If you are helping someone else in the area create a tree, create their tree as an island (Research > Create a Branch)
7. This project is currently assembling a list of clans of the Bagisu. If your clan is not yet in the project, please add it to the "Clans of the Bagisu" discussion.
8. If your clan already has a project, add the earliest ancestor from each clan in your tree to the project for the clan, (e.g., https://www.geni.com/projects/Uganda-Bagisu-Tribe-Namulembwa-Clan/4498661). Go to the clan project page and then join the clan project. Then go to Actions > Add Profiles to add the ancestors. Make sure to do this for both parents' ancestors and in-law branches.
9. At the beginning of this project, finding a match is unlikely, but should you find that a sibling or cousin has already created a branch of your tree, request to merge. (Ask me for help if prompted for payment, Benjamin Schoenbrun (Geni Curator))
10. Have fun.

BUILDING AND SOURCING YOUR TREE

1. Your records and those of your living relatives are private and visible only to you and your family. Please make records of the deceased public to enable other branches of your family to find you.
2. If you have access civil records (birth, marriage, or death), enter the information from them and upload a digital photograph (if possible). In this area of Uganda you may not be able to find civil records.
3. If you are in the area and your family belongs to a local church, ask the church if they have baptismal, marriage, or death records.
4. Access the records for your family and help others in your community with their trees.
5. Use this as an opportunity to talk to the elders in your community. They knew your famly and they can help the later generations understand how you are related to one another.
6. If you have people in your community or clan who were notable in some way (e.g., prominent business person, clergy, political figure, local hero), write about them and help to document your local history (Research > Create a Branch)