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97 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
NKONDI is the province on the South-east of BUALI where the sisters of Maluango
reside and have children from among whom the king's successor is chosen. The word
means a hunter and this connects the province with fruitfulness (see P. 103).
MBUKU is the province to the East of BUALI and northeast of XIKAMBA, where
MAMBUKU resides and guards the Eastern gate of the kingdom-the province where the
sun rises. MBUKU means explosion.
These six provinces surround BUALI, the centre province in the middle of which
MALUANGO has his XIBILA or sacred grove. The meaning of BUALI is the deep of
breathing life.
The sea is called MBU, the deep, an enclosed space. It is at the mouth of the river, where
whirlpools are created by the meeting of the fresh and the sea waters that the deeps of
maternity exist, which they call MBUNGU NTWALI.
The KUILU, is the principal river of the kingdom of Luango, the word means to and from
the sky. Into this river the tributaries LUICI, LUKULU, and the LUALI run.
NYANGA is the name of the lake and means the repetition of the four, and it is here that
the NYARI, the name by which the KUILU is known in its upper reaches, has its source. 51
The Sacred Rivers and Provinces and Contents of Sacred Grove.
Rivers.
BUKOIO
(Contents of the grove.)
1. KUILU. MACI (rain water).
MBU (salt water).
2. LUICI. XIVUNGA (seed).
MTI (tree).
3. LUKULU. NZO (house).
XINKONKOLO (oyster shell).
4. LUALI. XINIOKA (snake).
XAMA (snake).
5. NYANGA. MBIZI or NFU (fish).
51 The meanings of these words are: Kuilu, to or from heaven; Luici, primeval essence; Lukulu, of the spirit, of
the departed, or of the ray of light; Luali, of the breathing life, Nyanga, continuance of being; Nyari, of the road
of being
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