FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

When they are buried in the ground, it symbolizes doing away with the old childhood
life. The shaving of the hair at the end of the seclusion symbolizes that the initiated
should not enter the parent's home with the old behaviour. The girl is now a new crea­
ture whereby the old person has gone and the new one has come. The women's erotic
dance and the miming ofthe sexual activity symbolise the woman's new role ofbearing
new life.
If in Chewa society a young couple remains childless after marriage, something must
have gone wrong either on the wife's first menses, in which case blame is directed at
either her mother for failure to observe the necessary taboos, or on the girl's china­
mwali, in which case the chief becomes responsible. This agrees with Oduyoye's
remarks:
Rituals for women, whether positive or negative, are related to procreation. The survival of the
human race is dependent on its female component. .... Most African religious traditions have
placed procreation at the center ofthe woman's universe; multitudes oftaboos and rituals have
evolved to direct her life and to keep her safe for procreation.
(Oduyoye 1992: 17)
When the sacred period is over the young women are incorporated back into normal
life, 'confirmed in their belief that the norms and values of their society must be main­
tained' (Bourdillon 1990:315-321). The feasting and drinking of beer by the whole
community symbolize fellowship and solidarity. After the shaving ritual at the end of
the fifth day, the instructresses perform a 'home-taking' ritual and the 'entry into the
parents' house' ritual. The girl is not supposed to look back as she enters the house, sig­
nifying that the past life is gone. The re-incorporation is actually a process, for it takes
another week for the girls to be fully incorporated after the second shaving ritual. The
period extends even beyond the two weeks when the initiates continue to be tested by
those already initiated to check whether they understood the instruction. It is like a tra­
ditional process of 'conversion' experience.
The various colours used on the girls also carry symbolic meanings. Red colour sym­
bolizes danger. So when the girl is menstruating, she is in a dangerous state, and there­
fore should not have any sexual relations. However, the dangerous condition begins
when the blood is very dark in colour, symbolized by the black colour. As the flow of
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