FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
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9. Mkanda de, mkanda wa mkamwa<br />
Ndatola mkanda de, mkanda wamkamwa<br />
10. Taonani wanga mkanda<br />
Mkanda wamkamwa<br />
11. Ndatola, ndatola, mphande<br />
Ndatola mphande<br />
Beads, de, mouth beads<br />
I have picked beads de, mouth beads<br />
Look at my beads<br />
Mouth beads<br />
I have picked, picked money<br />
I have picked money<br />
Songs 9, 10 and 11 mean that this money (mkanda and mphande) is my gift for my mouth (speaking).<br />
Then proudly one woman shows the money ('beads') to her friends to signify that the<br />
girls are all well. No one is pregnant, they sang.<br />
In the following song they mentioned the names of the surrounding chiefs and each<br />
girl responded by pointing with her finger. But when the host chiefs name was<br />
mentioned, each girl dropped her finger, showing that the ceremony is being held in<br />
this village.<br />
12. Kalombo 5 , kalombo, walombola<br />
Kwa a Kalumbu<br />
Kwa a Phata<br />
A small beast, small beast,<br />
At Kalumbu<br />
At Phata<br />
After this song the girls were uncovered and seated upright.<br />
Somebody mentioned that the drums were needed at the ground, and so the two<br />
drummers, together with some women, left for the ground. Only a few of us<br />
remained behind. A young girl brought mealie flour in a plate and a cup of water.<br />
As she came she covered herself with a cloth so that on one would see what she was<br />
carrying. She handed them to the kneeling women. One woman held the cup and<br />
poured water into the plate held by another woman, while two women made flour<br />
paste. These two women (one each) worked on the faces of the girls with the white<br />
mixture (kulocha, or kutheka). They started with a ring around the upper arm, then<br />
one dot on the forehead with three dots on each side ofthe face. They continued with<br />
two dots on the chest nearer the neck, two at the back nearer the neck also, and ended<br />
with a dot on the paliombo (upper forehead).<br />
The girls were taught many songs and sayings at the tree by their friends to be said or<br />
performed before the instructresses. Some sayings are in the form of secret codes<br />
called mikuluwiko or kamzunguze (to go round), such as the following:<br />
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