Mpongwe

a people inhabiting the region of the middle and lower courses of the Ogooué River in Gabon. The Mpongwe and related tribes (the Orungu, Galoa, Adjumba, Nkomi, and others) number more than 10,000 (1970, estimate). A small number of the Mpongwe also live in the People’s Republic of the Congo. The language of the Mpongwe belongs to the northwestern group of the Bantu family. The people retain their traditional religious beliefs (worship of the forces of nature, ancestor worship). Agriculture (manioc, millet, and yams) is the principal occupation. Fishing is important along the coast.