KONGO FIGURE Congo Beheading scene Wood H: 21 cm NOTE The Kongo people, also known as Bisi Kongo, EsiKongo, or Musi Kongo, are a Bantu ethnic group primarily recognized as speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They historically inhabited the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, where the Kingdom of Kongo thrived as a centralised and well-organised entity by the 15th century. Today, their highest concentrations are found in the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Gabon. They are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of the Congo and a significant presence in the other countries. In 1975, the Kongo population was estimated at 4,040,000. The Kongo people were among the earliest indigenous Africans to interact with Portuguese traders in 1483 CE, and they began converting to Catholicism in the late 15th century. Despite early protests against slave capture, they ultimately became entangled in the slave trade, supplying slaves to European colonial interests in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Kongo people were deeply affected by slave raids, colonial wars, and the 19th-century Scramble for Africa, which divided them into Portuguese, Belgian, and French spheres. In the early 20th century, they played a significant role in the decolonization movement, contributing to the liberation of their nations.