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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 www.globalgrey.co.uk
94 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett Fjort connected at once with the burning of witches, and then with lightning. But the fire burnt the witch entirely, and his ashes were cast to the wind; his nkulu nobody desired, so that the Devil could hardly be said to be a witch. The white man's Devil, then, not being a witch who perishes, could only be a personage attached to the white man's lightning. He was not Nzambi Mpungu, the owner of the fire of heaven; what then was he? Nkadi is an attendant on the nkici NZACI. It is the word which the guardian of "Nzaci" uses when addressing the people about her. "Nguli nkadi tambula malavu" means, as we should say "Companion, have a drink." But NKADI is a black personage, and the white man's Devil was not black, for he was a personage the white man feared, whereas white men do not fear black men; so they called him "NKadi ampembe," the white companion of the guardian of the lightning. As to the word BILUNJI it is in XIVILI the plural of XILUNJI or intelligence, spirit; while BULUNJI, the deep of the spirit, is the word the natives use for grave Both words are derived from LUNGA to blow. It is true that when one man is vexed with another he may remind him they will both meet in the grave, this being a nasty reminder of the general fate of mankind. But when a native wishes to send his "best friend" to a very nasty place he says YENDA KU BUMBA, go to Bumba, and this certainly is a very hot place indeed, for it is the spot upon which an NDOXI is burnt. Note that the family of Maluango may not intermarry with that of XIBANGA. See Page 38. Personally I should say NDONGO is nearest in meaning to our word devil.] www.globalgrey.co.uk
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE CHAPTER I
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