The Tumbwe people are an ethnic group living mostly in Tanganyika District of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Tumbwe are a small group of about 100,000 people whose homeland is on the west shore of Lake Tanganyika.They take their name from a hereditary chief of the Sanga people.Other people in the region include the related Luba, Tabwa and Hemba. A Tumbwe chief will own a ceremonial staff, kept hidden when not in use, which indicates his rank and status.The staff is decorated with abstract design that tell of the chief's ancestry and is a residence for their spirits.