African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 905
disappearance of illness as the moon gets smaller each night (Wagner 1976). Similarly,
most of the Luhyia communities believe that they can treat mumps (tsindendei), a
common childhood illness, by throwing miniature bundles of firewood onto the mutembe
or elitembe tree after dancing around it. As is the case with throwing sticks at the moon,
the mumps patients do not heal if they look back in the course of running back home.
The western Kenya Bantu consider the sight of a comet to be an evil omen. In most
cases, it is viewed as a sign of imminent war with a community that lives in the direction
of the comet. Defeat in the foreseen war is prevented by offering sacrifices.
Among the rainmaking communities, certain people can prevent hailstorms and make
rain when there is need. The rainmaker is a person with the foreknowledge and power to
avert the harmful effects of rain, and to make it when there is a shortage of water. The art
of rainmaking among communities such as the Abanyore is an inheritable property
(Akong’a 1987). People send petitions to them and pay tribute to guarantee that they use
their knowledge to bring rain. The participants in rainmaking perceive the process as real
and true, although this may be based on false notions. The expert can also stop the rain
when it is undesirable, using medicines and spells, especially when the people think there
has been too much or when it interferes with essential activities or ceremonies. The
rainmaker will petition for rain, or for rain to stop, if he is pleased with the tribute paid to
him. In popular Bantu superstition, nonexperts can also participate in controlling rain or
hailstones. For instance, it is common among the Abaluhyia and Abagusii for people to
scatter ash and fix an axe in the ground to prevent or stop hailstorms. The Abaluhyia also
believe that the rainbow is an instrument that God sends to discontinue the rain. The
rainbow is therefore generally perceived as malignant and dangerous.
Other superstitions associated with cosmic rhythms are those related with dawn, dusk,
night, and other times of the day. The break of the day is a sign of prosperity. In most of
the traditional communities in western Kenya, the elders would offer prayers for their
families by spitting in the direction of the rising sun (ivwagwi, or ivugwi in Luhyia).
When a death occurred in the family, the elder would throw an egg to the east at night to
inhibit its return. In most of these communities, dusk symbolizes the end, especially of
unfavorable events or experiences. Community members in traditional Bantu cultures say
prayers for the end of misfortune by beseeching the setting sun to “sleep” with the bad
luck. The night represents evil, and activities that the people relate to bad omens are
reserved for the night. Such activities include burial of people who commit suicide or are
struck by lightning. Among some western Kenya Bantu, responding to a call by an
unknown person at night is taboo, because it is believed that it could be from an evil
spirit. The people suppose that if one responded to such a call, it would result in death or
illness in the family. Similarly, rituals that are meant to cleanse the society of impending
evil are done at night or just before dawn. In most of these cases, the west—the direction
of the sunset—is believed to be capable of arresting all evil forever. Therefore in magical
spells to ward off evil, the west, which is coincidentally the direction of Lake Victoria, is
believed to be the recipient of exorcised evil.