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49 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett " 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. MWECI XELO the smoke cutting. " 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. MWECI smoke or the revealer. " 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. MBOTA MAULA the star MAULA. " 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. LUBACI LUASEKA of the custom of the people of corruption. " 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. MENE NGWALI (early partridge) morning. " 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. TANGA MBATA to count the stroke, to throb. " 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. MBUKU LUBWICI the birth of the falling. " 4 P.m. to 6 p.m. TANGA MACIKA to count the sinking. The night they call the deep of the heavens, BUILU; the day, LUMBU, of the custom of the deep. There are four days in the week. (1) NDUKA, the day when palavers are finished. (2) NTONA. The day when women do not plant, and burials take place, followed by the dance MASUKU. (3) CILO. The day when the family fetishes MPUMBU, NGOFO and XIMPUKA are consulted about death palavers, and Manioc is taken out of the water. (4) SONA. Perhaps short for SUNGA virtue. The day when no one is allowed to pass the NKUMBI tree save women going for water. Man's day of rest, the women's market day. Only women sell in the market. Thus there are seven weeks in the Bavili month. His year is composed of thirteen months, which he divides into three great divisions, one of one month, one of four months, and one of eight. MAWALALA, XICIFU, and NVULA is the beginning and end of the year, the dry season and the rainy season. And there are three great Zinganga presiding over these three divisions of the year. NGANGA NVUMBA the King, NGANGA BUNCI, who doctors sterility in men, and NGANGA FUNZA, who doctors barren women so that they may become fruitful. MAWALALA is also a season. The other twelve months are then arranged into six seasons as under:- The season MWICI (smoke) produces as food the pea, NKASA and the names of the two months in this time are BULU MACI MAVOLA (the deep of rain water), and BULU MACI MBU (the deep of the sea waters). The next season is BUNJI (literal meaning mist) producing the new green grass called MBUNDUBUNDU. The two months in this season are called BIKA LI MUANDA XICIVU (to leave the valley of mist) and MUANDA XICIVU (the valley of mist). During the season Mwici the men hunt and fish while the women gather FUBU leaves for their mat and basket work. The season BUNJI is devoted by the men to the burning www.globalgrey.co.uk
50 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett of the grass, hunting, and cutting down of the forests to form new plantations, while the women busy themselves in the making of mats and baskets. The season of drizzling rains is called MVUMVUvu, and it produces BUKU or mushrooms. The names of the months are KUFULu NKACI and KUFULU NUNI (negative and positive burning or desire). This season is occupied by the men putting new roofs on their houses and repairing them generally, while the women sow their seed and prepare to plant manioc and sweet potatoes. It is now that the BAVILI'S thoughts turn lightly to love and marriage, and as a great deal of false modesty is to be noticed in the writings of some authors of books about the Kongo, and as it leads to a good deal of misunderstanding, 24 it may be well to state clearly what the ideas of the Bavili are on this subject. The great power BUNZI objects strongly to unmarried women; increase and multiply are his standing orders. Virginity therefore after one has come to the age of puberty is almost unknown, and is not a state which a woman can be proud of When speaking of the virgin earth the Bavili say ANCI I BUNA I BUTICI XIMAKA, "the earth as yet has not brought forth anything," but speaking of a maiden they say XINKUMBI I BUNA KU NETA XIVUMU KO, "the maiden's stomach has not yet carried anything." A child before it arrives at the age of puberty is called XINKUMBA, but when she has arrived at that age and is still a virgin she is called XIKUMBI XIMBUILA. A woman who has lost her virtue is called NDUMBA. The name for an ordinary wife is NKACI, a royal wife NKAMA. The next season is that of the WAW WAW WAW rains, and it produces the KUSAFU or NSAFU, a small green fruit something like a date in shape. KACI MBANGALA and NUNI MBANGALA, i.e., the negative and positive witness, are the names of the months. The name of these rains is also an exclamation used to express "listen! look! as it was, so it is again, the thief!" MBANGALA carries with it the idea of exposure and the fear that causes one to run away (WANGALA). KUSAFU means the exhibiting or the sprouting of the tree. The next season is that of the female rains NVULA NXENTU, and this brings forth fruit MAKUNDI. The months are BIKA LI MUANDA SUNJI and MUANDA SUNJI. During the month of BIKA LI MUANDA SUNJI the female rains hurry on all fruit to a state of ripeness, so that when they cease in the next month (the little dry season) the people can gather in their harvest. It is said to leave sufficient moisture in the ground to last over the month of MUANDA SUNJI. Just before the new moon that heralds in this last month (the seventh month of the Hebrews) the Bavili gather the large leaves of the herb LEMBELEMBE, and with them cover up their fetishes; this they call KUBATA BAKICI. These then remain covered until 24 I mention this because in one translation of the Gospels the Virgin Mary is called NDUMBA www.globalgrey.co.uk
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