 He was a member of the Tetela ethnic group and was born with the name Élias Okit'Asombo.His original surname means "heir of the cursed" and is derived from the Tetela words "okitá/okitɔ́" ('heir, successor') and "asombó" ('cursed or bewitched people who will die quickly').He had three brothers (Charles Lokolonga, Émile Kalema, and Louis Onema Pene Lumumba) and one half-brother (Tolenga Jean).