Bangala

a people living in the central region of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the People’s Republic of the Congo. Population, together with related tribes (the Babangi and others), about 1.1 million (1967 estimate). They speak the Lingala language (of the Bantu language family), which before the European colonial-ization was used intertribally among the peoples of the northern Congo. The language is written in the Latin alphabet. The majority of the Bangala have retained their local traditional religions; some are Christians. The basic occupations are fishing and, to some extent, agriculture and hunting, with seasonal labor in the cities.