FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

the other being 'cutting' one's throat with the second finger and pointing toward
heaven. Thus they vow to keep everything as a secret.
After the swearing in ritual, the women give monetary gifts to the girls while exhorting
them to behave well. The tutors collect the money, and then the tutors leave with the
initiates for washing at the stream.
The fourth day is called the chingondo or thimbwiza (head crown) day, for that is the
main event for the day, ending with another vigil for the girls with the nyau or zirombo.
On this day the beer is also ready for drinking, although the following day, being the
last day of the ceremony, is the official beer-drinking day. In some cases the zirombo
dance during the day, after the girls perform the chingondo ritual.
Chingondo 51 is an animal moulded from good quality soil (the type used to make clay
pots) which stands for the chiefs nyau. The elephant figure is worn as a head crown or
helmet by the leading girl, only at the mkangali ceremony or at the death ofsuch a chief
(see Plate 3). The other girls wear cattle like mouldings. One or two anamkungwi fetch
the soil from a nearby dambo, hide it in a piece ofcloth and bring it to the initiates' tree
(mtengo). They also bring red brick, white maize flour and charcoal. Each element is
made into fine paste. The thick mud paste is moulded like a hat or crown on the girl's
head. Then the animal figure is moulded on top of the hat. The first girl wears an ele­
phant animal, while the rest ofthe girls wear chinyau (cow-like nyau). Both the hat and
the moulding are painted with the white paste, so that no one recognizes it as clay. Then
they are decorated with red and black dots (kulocha-locha).52 Similarly the girls are
decorated on the upper chest. They wait for the crowns to dry before going to the bwalo
to perform.
When the crowns are dry the girls and their tutors walk in a line to the bwalo (ground).
Closer to the ground the tutors carry the girls on their shoulders and enter the ground
while singing, Taonani phwiti maye! Phwiti wasewera! (Look at phwiti (name of bird)
mm! Phwiti has played!). Still on their tutors' shoulders, the girls dance in front of the
chiefs, making sure they do not drop the crown. After performing for about fifteen min-
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