Traditional Perspective

The hot springs are surrounded by the local community of the Bamba people who live in the low lands whereas the Bakonzo live on top of the mountains. This is where the area derives its name as Bwamba county and Semuliki forest was formally known as Bwamba Forest.

Tradition holds that the people who owned the land where the hot springs are were Bamaga clan of the Bamba ethnicity, and their chief was also known as Bamaga. It is believed that one day, Bamaga had gone to hunt and suddenly disappeared from the forest. His men tried to look for him but in vain, all they found were his attires, spear and the dog in the pool of very hot water and they thus concluded that their chief had disappeared from there and that he made the cold water hot as a sign that he left behind, and from then on, this place is referred to as the male hot springs.

When the men went back to the Chiefs’ home, they told his wife- Nyansimbi of the incident. She couldn’t believe it, and so in disbelief, Nyansimbi picked up her spear and shield to go look for her husband. Unfortunately, she never found him and also disappeared from the forest, the clan men tried looking for her, only finding her spear and cloths in another pool of extremely hot water and they held it that she had as well disappeared from the water and made it hot.

The Bamaga do not believe that their ancestors died, but they know these two (Bamaga and Nyansimbi) manifest themselves in these hot springs one as male while the other as female. They therefore carry out rituals at the hot springs in the month of November each year and they offer their prayers to the ancestors. For example, the pregnant women pray for safe delivery of their children, while the male pray for blessings in their toils and work.