Chorus: (Repetition o f 1)
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
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Maloonga moodi-moodi, e yddya
[These] are children with prohibitions Chorus:
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya Eh! We have given birth to them [twins]
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya Ah! I was given them
The dishes must be set out two'by two, yddya Eh, yddya! We rejoice
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya Ah! We are playing [we dance]
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya Ah! When I saw them [the twins]
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya Ah, yddyal In our water
must be set out two by two, yddya As you have given birth to them [twins]
The dishes must be set out two by two, yddya All, yddyal That is what we like
8 The dishes
Song IV ,6: Ku Mayeenga (In the deeps)
Solo: 1 Ku mayeenga e
Yeka tunienginina maarna na map as a e
Chorus K u mayeenga, e yddya Nsiimba ye Nzuzi e 2 Ku mayeenga e
Yeka tukembidila taata na mapdsa e (Chorus)
Solo: 1 In the deeps
Let us welcome and praise the mother o f the twins
Chorus: In the deeps, eh yddya Nsiimba and Nzuzi 2: In the deeps,
Let us praise the father o f the twins (Chorus)
Song IV ,7: Baana beeto ban ’loongo (Our children are children with prohibitions)
Solo: 11 Baana beeto ban’loongo, e yddya!
Chorus: Mbila ku mayeenga!
2 Baana beeto bddboodi, e mddma! (Chorus)
3 Sukula Nsiimba, sukula Nzuzi, mu kyeese (Chorus) 4 Diika Nsiimba, diika Nzuzi, mu kyeese (Chorus)
5 Baana beeto ban’loongo, e mddma (Chorus)
6 Kabila Nsiimba, kabila Nzuzi, mu kyeese (Chorus) 7 Nata Nsiimba, nata Nzuzi, mu kyeese (Chorus) 8 Viika Nsiimba, viika Nzuzi, mu kyeese (Chorus)
W eediel Eh eh!
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Solo: 1
You must feed Nsiimba, you must feed N zuzi, joyfully
Our children are children with prohibitions You must make a gift to Nsiimba
you must make a gift to Nzuzi, joyfully You must hold Nsiimba, you must hold Nzuzi, joyftilly
You must dress Nsiimba, you must dress Nzuzi, joyfully
E yibddwu bobo 4 We are trying to be generous
Oh, mother! There are two children about ten and six years^^35* They followed Zoomba with their eyes closed. The three o f them turned around the baby twins and their mother. These actions indicated to the
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Zoomba inhabited by the spirit o f the Twins speaks in their name to assure their mother that she w ill be healed.
The two little girls (with their eyes closed) are also
“ inhabited’' by the spirit o f the Twins. (26 May 1995 at Nseki).
assembly that these three persons had been inhabited by the spirits o f the baby twins;
the inhabited persons were their mediums. Zoomba conducted the ritual into its second phase.
4.1.2. Kuboonda
This episode marked the beginning o f the ritual kuboonda since the spirits of the twins seemed to be “present” in the assembly. Another mother o f twins, A Budyoongo (senior expert in bankita and bansiimba rituals) acted according to her status as Kinkolo k i Mpoongo (see the chapter on bankita) to introduce the ritual. She
addressed the twins and said:
Kinkolo; “Beeto ka batuldkdd ko
Beeto ka tukweendddngd ku n *kisi ko Ka tukweendddngd ku zimpuungu ko Beeto ka tukweendddngd kit biteki ko N ’siku tuna ye myddwu.
A bu beno ba ydd Nsiimba ye ydd Nzuzi Buu maama kuulu bu kutolokele,
Mu nki kdlengila?
A mu nkikdtekUd masa ma beeno?
A bwe kdluyemikina?
Tuzolele lubuka maama yu ubeenu, Mbasi katelama. Nditundu ...
We, we cannot be bewitched
We, we cannot have recourse to n ’kisi We, we cannot have recourse to zimpuungu3
We, we cannot have recourse to the statuettes of witches You, Nsiimba and Nzuzi
Look at your mother’s leg, it is broken4 How can she walk?
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How can she fetch water for you?
How can she breast-feed you?
Our wish is that you will cure our own mother, So that tomorrow she can stand up. Ndiiundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
[She sprinkled palm wine, kola nut, luzibu and toondo (mushroom o f love) in the four directions o f the yard, on the baby twins and on the participants]:
Kinkolo: Here are matoondo5 (mushrooms o f love) for Nsiimba and N zu ^ zi. We offer them on behalf o f your mother who cannot walk.
[Zoomba, the woman inhabited by the spirits o f the twins began singing in a call- response style with the assembly]:
Song IV,9: Nza Iwiisa baana (Come children [ - twins])
Solo: 1 Oh! Come children Here are [your] kola nuts
Chorus: Eh, eh, Qh Nduundu eh!
2 Oh! I insist, come children
Here are kola nuts we love (Chorus)
3 I insist, oh, come children
Here are kola nuts (Chorus)
4 Oh! I insist, come children
Here is luzibu6 we love (Chorus)
5 I insist, come children
Here are [your] kola nuts (Chorus)
6 Oh! come children
Here is some palm wine (Chorus)
7 Oh! I insist, come children
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Luzibu is what they love (Chorus) 8 I insist, come children, come
Kola nut is what they love (Chorus)
9 Oh mother! Come children
Here is mushroom o f love (Chorus)
[While she sang, she jumped and danced without any regular rhythm. This was interpreted as being led by an invisible power. People in the assembly moved to make space for her. When she felt breathless Kinkolo took over to lead the singing]:
10 Anyone who has not died the death of nkita7 Cannot touch our Nduiindug her stomach, so that the medium could dyaatila on her back, her shoulders, and the back o f her knees, in the same manner as it was done to Makyeesi during the ritual
Nyokd-133
Zoomba performing kudyatila (massage with feet) to heal the young mother o f the Twins. (26 May 1995 at Nseki)
N ’kdwu. While the medium proceeded with kudyaatila, Kinkolo ki Mpoongo
[From now, several songs succeeded without interruption]:
Song IV, 10: N fkeenda Nsoni (A story o f shame)
[This song is performed to show the contradiction of the situation: the fact o f having given birth to bansiimba (the twins) should be a joyful event especially for their mother.
On the contrary, in this case, the mother is suffering. This is a story o f shame. The song describes the way the twins’ mother suffers]:
(Chorus)
Solo: 1
The nkita from the water does not sleep I, when I [try to] sleep
I do not sleep
Oh, mother! She groans endlessly The mother o f twins
The mother of twins, how can she sleep!
Oh, mother! She groans endlessly The mother o f twins
The mother o f twins, how can she sleep I [try to] sleep, I [try to] sleep
When he/she sleeps or sits down ...
Ydd Nsiimba,
[The assembly continued singing, when suddenly it was interrupted by a dialogue between Zoomba, the medium, and the assembly]:
Zoomba: I did this. Nduundu ... [She imitated a special manner o f walking]
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: This is the way I was walking [laughed]
Kinkolo: Are you [the twins] or not?
Zoomba: Whether us or not, it does not matter. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: [clapped] We will let you know later. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: Let us pray. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: [started singing, the assembly joined her]:
Song IV,11: Lukwiika mwiinda (Light your lamp) [All the assembly sang together]
Light your lamp
May they light their lamps
These children do not like darkness, bayadya, ah, ah Our children
[Are] the children with prohibitions
Our children, you must be the children with prohibitions These children do not like darkness, bayadya, ah, ah Light your lamp
Light your lamp
These children do not like darkness, bayadya, ah, ah Nsiimba and Nzuzi
You must be children with prohibitions
These children do not like darkness, bayadya, ah, ah.
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[The people uttered joy fill cries to express gladness, and to praise the twins].
Zoomba: Give me some lemba-lemba. Look at Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeM baka
[She received a piece o f lemba-lemba leaf. She held it between her lips so she could not sing properly with the assembly; she only murmured the tune. Then she said]:
Zoomba: She [the twins’ mother] will be healed. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: Perhaps she got an infection. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeM baka
Zoomba: She will be healed. Look at Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeM baka This can be a lie!
Zoomba: We, we never tell lies. Look at Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: Do you think this is bandokVs intervention? N du u n du ...
Assembly: Ye Mbaka
Zoomba: No, it is not bandokVs intervention. She will be healed. Look at Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeM baka
[She kept dancing around the twins’ mother, and introduced the following song which she performed with all the assembly]:
Song IV, 12: Toonda Yeezu (Love Jesus)
1 Love, love, love Jesus Love God, o my soul If you do not do it
Who else can fully praise [God] the Father?
2 Love, love, love Jesus
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Chorus: O ydd Yeezu Love God, o my soul Chorus: O my soul!
If you do not do it
Who else can fully praise [God] the Father?
3 Follow your fathers Reflect on it, my soul I f you do not do it
Who else can fully praise [God] the Father?
[Before starting song IV, 11, Zoomba invited the assembly to pray: " Tusaamba” (let us pray). The song has been sung following the same theme o f prayer. The song itself belongs to the local Christian Churches repertoire, especially Dibuundu di Mpeeve a N ’loongo (the Church o f the Holy Spirit), but the author o f many songs in the society is unknown. The prayer can be interpreted as an invocation in order to ask for assistance o f the invisible powers, as we have seen in section 3.4.2. before Tad Mfumu applied medicines to Makyeesi. Although these two songs Lakwiika mwiinda (Light your lamp) and Toonda Yeezu (Love Jesus) do not originate from the repertoire of songs of praise for the twins, they are part o f the ritual. They were introduced without breaking the general flow o f the ritual. For the participants this is a form o f expression only.
Flexibility and openness to change in African rituals have been pointed out by du Toit, B.(1985) as an important characteristic o f indigenous therapeutic practice. To him, this is related to the mode o f transmission, which is oral. The ritual, as well as many o f its songs are not written. Everyone learns by listening during the performances. In certain more recent cases, the songs can be written, but the mode of performance remains flexible; each participant feels free to introduce a new theme or a variation o f tune. This ensures the vitality o f the rituals.]
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Song IV, 13: Baana ban ’loongo (Children with prohibitions) (Variant o f Song IV,7)
Solo: 1 Oh yddyal
To you, mother o f the twins
Chorus: [These are] children with prohibitions Nsiimba and Nzuzi
2 Oh yddya!
To the mother o f twins (Chorus)
3 My two children
Let us welcome and praise
The mother o f the twins (Chorus)
4 My two children Do not accept division
[They are] children with prohibitions (Chorus) 5 Oh! My two children
Oh yddya! To you, mother o f the twins (Chorus) 6 Oh! My two children
there is no division [between them]
Oh! Mother o f the twins (Chorus)
7 Oh! Two children
Oh yaayal To you, mother o f the twins (Chorus)
[Without break she went on singing the following song]:
Song IV,14: Nyengi, nyengi (Variant o f song IV,2)
[This song is an expression o f welcome and praise for the twins and their mother. It is accompanied by an appropriate dance o f the same name. The woman-medium introduced it, followed by all the participants, whether standing or sitting on the mat placed on the floor. The dance is performed from the waist down, in a circular action].
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Solo: 1 Ah, nyengi', nyengi, yddya!
Chorus: Nyenginina 2 Let us welcome and praise our children (Chorus)
3 Let us strengthen our children (Chorus)
4 Let us strengthen our mother o f twins (Chorus)
5 Ah, yddya! Our children (Chorus)
6 Nyengi, nyengi, yddya! (Chorus)
7 Ah, yddya! Our children, yddya! (Chorus)
8 Nyengi, nyengi, yddya! (Chorus)
[The leader introduced other songs without interruption]:
Song IV ,15: Kweketdldldd ko (Do not be difficult)
Solo: 1 Do not be difficult
Eh, do not be difficult, mother o f the twins
Chorus 1 :Do not be difficult
Eh, do not be difficult, o mother o f the twins 2 Oh, mother o f the twins, do not be difficult
Eh, do not be difficult with our children (Chorus) 3 Oh, mother o f the twins, oh, mother of the twins
Do not be difficult, mother o f the twins (Chorus) 4 Grandmother of the twins
Always have an amiable expression, not a sullen one Chorus 2: Make gifts, yddya
Make giftsto our children 5 We know you, mother o f the twins
Always have an amiable expression, not a sullen one (Chorus 2) 6 Mother o f the twins,
Do not be sad, o mother o f the twins
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Chorus 3:Do not be sad, mother o f the twins Do not be sad, mother o f the twins 7 Mother o f the twins, do not be difficult
Oh, be happy with the two children (Chorus 2) 8 Oh, children ...
Oh, mother of the twins (Chorus 2)
9 Make gifts, mother o f the twins
Be happy with our children (Chorus 2)
[Dialogue between Zoomba, the medium and the assembly]:
Zoomba: Keep singing! Look at Nduiindu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: We are proceeding to cure the twins’ mother. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeM baka
[She sang for the second time the song Nyengi, nyengi, (IV, 14).]
Zoomba: Tukulukidi. Look at N du u ndu ...
Assembly: YeM baka
Zoomba: [Looking at the twins’ grandmother, who is also mother o f the twins, she said]:
You, mother of the twins, since you came here, you did not greet us. We did not hear you saying: “mbdie, mbote, mbote (greetings). That is not the way we do it. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Grandmother: I greeted you, bayadya/ Didn’t I?
I greeted all o f you, bayadya!
Zoomba: To you mother Kinkolo. Look at Nduundu ...
Assembly: Ye Mbaka
[For the second time Zoomba sang the song IV,8: Waya-Waya (Be generous), with some additions]:
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Solo: 10 Since I gave birth to the two [children], I will not give birth any more
11 Since I gave birth to the two [children]
I will not travel [= I stay at home]
Chorus: Be generous, be generous
(Chorus)
Zoomba: Weedi e I (It [the song] is over) Assembly: Eh eh! (Yes)
Song IV ,16: Lusaamba n ’kulu eno (Evoke your own ancestor)
Solo: 1 Oh, mother! Evoke your ancestor Do not evoke the children’s ancestor
Chorus:Evoke your ancestor
Do not evoke your neighbour’s ancestor 2 Evoke the twins’ ancestor
Do not evoke your neighbour’s ancestor (Chorus) 3 You, the twins, evoke your ancestor
Do not evoke your neighbour’s ancestor ■ (Chorus) 4 Oh, mother! You, twins, evoke your ancestors
Do not speak to other people’s ancestors (Chorus) 5 Evoke your ancestors
Do not evoke other people’s ancestors (Chorus) 6 Oh, Nsiimba and Nzuzi, evoke your ancestors
Do not evoke other people’s ancestors. (Chorus) 7 Nsumba and Nzuzi, evoke your ancestor
Do not evoke your neighbour’s ancestor (Chorus) 8 Evoke your ancestors
Do not speak to your neighbour’s ancestors (Chorus)
[Zoomba produced a sound similar to that made by goats: hum-hum-hum, then said]:
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Zoomba: Tukulukidi. Nduundu ...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: It is us. N duundu...
Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: We are Nstimba and Nzuzi. We came on visit to our mother. Nduiindu . Assembly: YeMbaka
Zoomba: [Produced the same sound as at the first time, and sang]:
Song IV, 17: Luyuuleti (Ask questions)
Solo: 1 Ask where is he/she from Chorus: A yddyal
2 Ask me where I am from (Chorus)
3 You, ydd Nsiimba, where are you from? (Chorus) 4 He/she is not dead yet, put again to death (Chorus) 5 You, Bankita, keep him/her in your mind (Chorus)
6 Oh, Nkita N ?ziinga, release them (Chorus)
7 Hum, hum, hum, hum (Chorus)
8 Nkita and Nsiimba, where are you from? (Chorus)
9 We, the twins, where are we from? (Chorus)
10 We live at bisiinsa (Chorus)
11 We sleep in mayeenga (the deeps) (Chorus)