FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

interpretation as referred to by Bourdillon (1990:317). Turner also pointed out that tran­
sition rites pass through three stages. The first stage is that of separation, which stresses
the structure before the ritual takes place. In Chewa society the uninitiated are regarded
as 'children.' The 'children' are therefore cut off or separated from the 'profane world'
and placed within the 'sacred parameters' of chinamwali. The second stage is what
Turner calls anti-structure in which the initiate is put in seclusion for a period of time.
He calls this sacred stage the 'liminal' state. The third stage emphasises the restored
structure, whereby the initiate is incorporated back into the normal life.
It is the 'liminal' stage of seclusion which gives chinamwali its sacred significance.
Chinamwali is a stage of 'sacredness' in which the uninitiated are separated from the
'profane world' and brought into the world ofthe ancestors to be instructed, intensively
for five days, in the miyambo ya makolo (ancestral customs).
It was mentioned in section 4.2 above that Chewa girls, after the first menses ritual, can
be initiated at any ofthe four ceremonies - a funeral, funeral commemoration, chikudzu­
kudzu (quick-quick), or at mkangali. It must be noted that all these ceremonies, except
chikudzu-kudzu, are to do with the dead, where nyau play a vital role as representatives
of the mizimu. Hence, kumeta anamwali (to shave initiates or to initiate girls) at these
functions is to bring them in the presence of the ancestors. All the rituals performed
during the ceremony undergird this spiritual incorporation ofthe girls.
The presence of nyau throughout the chinamwali ceremony, signifies the presence of
the ancestors, therefore intensifies the mysterious nature of the ritual. Nyau are indeed
the 'symbolic representation of something powerful and frightening' as described with
features such as 'bad spirit,' 'cruel spirit,' 'wicked spirit,' or 'angry spirit' (Van Breugel
2001: 157-166). This reinforces the girls' coming to an understanding of and respect for
the spirit realm. The vigil of the initiates with the nyau on the fourth night emphasizes
to the girls the fact that they are no longer children, but are in transition to adulthood.
Burying the girls into the ground, entering the nyau structure, or dipping into the water,
signify dying to the past childhood behaviour. Other activities such as dragging the
girls, or any other punishment reinforce the secrecy required which emphasizes the
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