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93 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
TACI MPUNGU = the almighty primeval speaker.
XIKAFA = of the leader, in the end of a fishing rope.
XUNGU = pottery.
MPANZA = mandioca (the river of giving).
MPANANA = abundant reciprocal giving.
MWAKUNI = division.
LUECI = concerning the primeval being.
XILU XINKUKUBA = of the weaving of heaven connected with MPUKU NYAMBI.
As the mind's eye of the writer wanders over this beautiful land of the BAVILI and rests
on these sacred groves dotted about the country, and lingers on woods and rivers, the
names of which represent some spirit, teaching the people some lesson, and hovers over
every town, the name of which for some good reason has been given to it by its founder,
he wonders how such a people can have fallen to so low a moral level. And yet the
answer is not far to seek, for the wars waged by ambitious princes causing disruption
and anarchy in the Kongo, the wars waged by M'Buku and the BACILONGO against
Makongo whom they dethroned, causing anarchy in KAKONGA, and the slave trade have
affected LUANGO-where children refuse to submit to their parents, the young to the
wisdom of the old, the people to the inspired voice of their NKICINI. Tradition and
religion are lost in the rotten sea of NDONGOISM and vice, and all the higher teaching of
NKICI-ISM swamped and nearly lost. And yet in trouble the BAVILI still look to their
NKICIci, and after having placed their petition before him, on leaving his presence clap
their hands three times and exhort him to "hold the seven49 well in hand."
See XILUNGA, on p. 113. Pére Visseg in his interesting dictionary Fiot-Français, 1890,
gives the word "nkadia-mpemba" (and so does Mr. Bentley) for the Devil; and Pére
Dèrouet in his very complete dictionary Français -Fiote tells us that "Bulunji" stands for
Hell among the Bavili, which Mr. Bentley spells BILUNJI.
As to "nkadimpemba," the word strikes me as unsatisfactory; not that I mean to say the
word is not used to translate the Christians' Devil in the Kongo, but because it seems to
me to have been coined exactly for that purpose by the Fjort of some four hundred years
ago.
I can imagine the missionaries of old impressing upon Fjort their ideas of that prongtailed
fire-loving monster they called the Devil; and I can picture the Fjort (as their wont
is) discussing the proper position of this personage in their mythology. Fire and evil the
49 Himself and the six
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