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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
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