Nkole, a people of the Interlacustrine Bantu-speaking group who occupy the area of southwestern Uganda between Lakes Edward and George and the Tanzania border.
Numbering about 1,500,000 in the late 20th century, the Nkole were traditionally divided into two quite distinct social groups: the pastoral Hima, who made up about one-tenth of the population, and the agricultural Iru, who constituted the remainder. Both groups spoke a common Bantu language. Though marriage between Hima and Iru was traditionally prohibited, each borrowed extensively from the culture of the other. Both groups were traditionally divided into patrilineal clans and groups. Polygyny has been general.
The differing economic pursuits of Hima and Iru gave rise to different modes of life. The Hima lived traditionally in scattered kraals about a mile apart, each with a number of different families. They subsisted almost entirely on the products of their herds. The Iru were sedentary hoe cultivators, for whom the staple crop was millet. They lived in settlements of from 40 to 100 homesteads.
The Nkole maintained a centralized state, headed by the mugabe (king). Hima were bound to the mugabe by an oath of fealty. Iru headmen were appointed over communities of their fellows, and through them Hima chiefs collected tribute.