George Bonga

George Bonga (August 20, 1802 – 1880) was a fur trader of African-American and Ojibwe descent, one of the first African Americans born in what is now Minnesota. He was the second son of Pierre Bonga and an Ojibwe mother.

George was schooled in Montreal, Canada, becoming fluent in French as well as Ojibwe and English. He later became a fur trader and interpreter. He was noted in Minnesota for being, as his brother Stephen claimed, "One of the first two black children born in the state." Stephen also described them as "the first white children" born there, as the Ojibwe classified everyone who was non-native as "white".

In 1837 George Bonga tracked down a suspected murderer, an Ojibwe named Che-Ga Wa Skung, and brought him back to Fort Snelling. The ensuing criminal trial was reputedly the first in Minnesota, and the Ojibwe man was acquitted.

George Bonga was described as standing over six feet tall and weighing 200+ pounds. Reports said that he would carry 700 pounds of furs and supplies at once. He served as an interpreter, and was believed to have acted as a guide for governor Lewis Cass. Well respected in the region, Bonga and his wife opened a lodge on Leech Lake after the fur trade declined. George Bonga died in 1880.

Bonga

Bonga is a town and separate woreda in south-western Ethiopia. Located southwest of Jimma in the Keffa Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region upon a hill in the upper Barta valley, it has a latitude and longitude of 7°16′N 36°14′E / 7.267°N 36.233°E / 7.267; 36.233Coordinates: 7°16′N 36°14′E / 7.267°N 36.233°E / 7.267; 36.233 with an elevation of 1,714 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by Ginbo woreda. Bonga is the administrative center of the Keffa Zone, with a major market on Saturday and lesser ones on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Note that there is another town in Ethiopia named "Bonga", near Gambela.

Overview

The neighboring area is known for hot springs, caves and waterfalls. There are fourteenth century ruins associated with the former Kingdom of Kaffa. As part of the extensive road-building program started before the Italian invasion, the Ethiopian Transport Company built a large steel bridge at Bonga. The all weather road from Jimma south to Bonga was completed around 1962. The road to Mizan Teferi and Tepi was improved in 1966 by the Highway Authority. The Apostolic Prefecture of Jimma–Bonga is based in this town.

Bonga (Tanzanian ward)

Bonga (Tanzanian ward) is an administrative ward in the Kongwa district of the Dodoma Region of Tanzania. According to the 2002 census, the ward has a total population of 9,748.

References

Bonga (disambiguation)

Bonga is a town in Ethiopia.

Bonga may also refer to:

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