FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

name of a person or his title to denote respect (Mangoche 1990:18). The Chewa of
Lilongwe sometimes add the prefix '0' to names or titles ofpeople instead ofthe prefix
'a'. A general title of 'abambo' (father, or equivalent ofMr) is added to address an eld­
erly male while 'amayi' (mother, or equivalent of Mrs) is used for elderly female. It is
also common to call people by their titles such as 'abusa' (pastor[s]); 'amayi busa'
(pastor's wife); 'anamkungwi' (traditional instructress[es]); or 'alangizi' (the church
instructress[es]) when addressing the person. Thus the Chewa people are courteous and
have a 'sense of protocol' (Mangoche 1990:21). Most of these titles will frequently
appear in this study.
2.4 SOCIAL ORGANISATION
The Chewa are matrilineal and trace their descent from an ancestress. The social struc­
ture of the Chewa people begins at the family level. Several family units are ruled by a
chief, called the village headman. The machembere (elderly women) and the mandoda
(elderly men) of the village are an influential force in choosing and advising a chief.
Usually a man of good character is chosen as a chief. On a rare note one is chosen
because he is a mfiti (witch) because people fear that akutha anthu (he will finish people
by bewitching them because he is jealous). A Group village headman is chosen to head
a group ofmore than ten village headmen. The office of traditional authority is a senior
position for a chief with a larger area ofjurisdiction. At present there are twelve Tradi­
tional Authorities (TA) in Lilongwe district - Chadza, Mazengera, Kalumbu, Kalumba,
Tsabango, Maliri, Khongoni (female), Kalolo, Chimutu, Chitikula, Chiseka, and Masula
(see Map B).13 The general title for all the chiefs is amfumu (chief). The chiefs are both
political and spiritual leaders oftheir communities. Apart from the traditional hierarchi­
cal structure of the chiefs, there is also a hierarchy related to power among the Chewa
chiefs. Thus those who have undergone mkangali initiation are regarded as senior for
they possess more mystical power than the non-mkangali chiefs.
Included in the eldership group is the leader ofthe nyau institution called wakunjira (lit.
'from the path') and anamkungwi, the female leader and instructress of initiation rites.
17