The people of Kole, and for tens of kilometers around the town, belong to a subtribe of the Nkutu (or Okutshu) known as the Elembe (also called Ohindu or Ohendo).
Inhabitants of Kole and its surrounding communities are members of a distinct subgroup within the broader Nkutu ethnic group, referred to as the Elembe, with other names including Ohindu or Ohendo.