Likewise, the Rangi use the endonym Kilangi to refer to their language, but most people in Tanzania use the Swahili exonym of Kirangi instead.

[1] Sources differ on when the Rangi became a distinct ethnic group, with some suggesting approximately 300 AD and others say around the range of 1500-1700.

Despite being a Bantu ethnic group, most Rangi do not believe that their ancestors came from the West, and that they actually came from the North and East (Ethiopia and Sudan).

When the Rangi arrived in the Dodoma region they began assimilating surrounding Cushitic peoples, primarily the Alagwa and Burunge.

The Rangi also assimilated the neighboring Nyaturu people, another Bantu ethnic group.