| Nande | |
|---|---|
| Yira | |
| Spoken in | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Region | Nord-Kivu province |
| Native speakers | 900,000 (1991) |
| Language family | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nnb |
Nande, also known as (Oru)Ndandi and Yira, is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Nande of Congo and the Konjo people of Uganda are a single ethnic group, which they call Yira (Bayira). They trace their origins to the Ruwenzori Mountains between the two countries. The languages are close enough to be considered divergent dialects. Nande has a number of dialects of its own: Nande proper, Kumbule, Mate, Tangi, Sanza, Shu, Songola (Songoora, Nyangala), Swaga / Kira (in Nande, all of these are prefixed with eki-).
Some of the Nande of Congo have a patron–vassal relationship with the Efé Pygmies.