Kilemba

Kilemba was a royal centre of the Luba kingdom, in the lake country of the upper Lualaba. Its rulers drew authority from traditions that linked sacred kingship to a wide network of subordinate chiefs. Lake Kisale and the marshes of the Upemba depression formed part of the landscape in which communities had long fished, farmed and worked iron. The Luba state grew from this region and extended its influence through political and ritual ties across the surrounding interior.