FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

money. If an initiate is alone, he will put the money on the ground and tell her to pick it
up, but ifshe is with a friend, the chiefwill give the money through the friend.
4.5 A SUMMARY OF THE TEACHING
In addition to the religious significance, initiation rites have a great educational purpose:
As Mbiti (1969:122) remarked: 'The occasion often marks the beginning of acquiring
knowledge which is otherwise not accessible to those who have not been initiated' and
who are seen as 'children.' The initiates must be prepared for adult life and are given
instruction on matters of 'sex, marriage, procreation, family, and community responsi­
bilities' (Anderson 1986:112) to help them cope with the new stage in life. The Chewa
initiation rites are, therefore, occasions where social, cultural and religious values are
taught to the girls.
The method of instruction is generally characterised by songs or sayings, actions (dem­
onstration, acting, or dancing), and instruction or explanation. Although the instruc­
tresses (anamkungwi) are responsible for the instructions, the initiates' tutors (aphungu)
and other young women are also involved in instructing the initiates to make sure that
they learn the important things that would identify them with the already initiated. The
following is a summary of the teachings extracted from the Chewa initiation rite for
girls, as described above and in the full documented text in Appendix A.
Vlemu (respect) to parents, adults, and especially to the chief, is a sign that one ndi­
ometa (had been initiated). It is a sign of good citizenship. Vlemu is shown in acts such
as kneeling and clapping hands when a chief is passing; kneeling when speaking with
an elderly person; helping an elderly person with house chores, or assisting to carry
heavy loads for them. In the parent's home, ulemu should manifest itself in the way a
girl speaks to her parents, in helping with house chores, and knocking before entering
the house. The initial instruction given to the girl on her first menses emphasised that
she must show ulemu especially when she is menstruating. She must make sure that her
menses linen are stored in a secret place where no one sees them, she should not use the
same bathroom as her parents, and she must not even come close to her father when she
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