2.5 Ntumbuluko - the Christian practitioner's perspective
2.5.1 Igreja Uniao Baptista de Mozambique
2.5.1.2 The profile of Rev. Rafael Mangwele and his description of ntumbuluko
Rev. Mangwele is a retired senior pastor. He is 92 years old, and was born in Munyazilo and lives in Matimbine, Chidengele, Gaza Province.
Rev. Mangwele is not a Tsonga, he is a Muchopi, although the Chopi origin is Karanga/Shona. Since their immigration into the Tsonga area in the 14th and 15th Century they have assimilated much of the Tsonga ntumbuluko. Langa (1992) in his Guestoes Cristas a Religiao Tradicional Africana: Mozambique, studies the Chopi and the Shangaan. His first part is entitled "A Religiao Tradicional Africana no
Contexto Changano-Chope (African Traditional Religion in the Shangaan-Chopi Context)."
I am including Rev. Mangwele in the IUB for historical reasons. When I interviewed him he had already left the IUB and joined the Baptist Convention. The conflict I made reference to involved, among others, his son-in-law (a pastor) and his son (a lawyer) on one side, and the old church leadership on the other side. His son-in-law was expelled from the church and he joined the Baptist Convention in Maputo. His son, the lawyer and his daughter, among others, followed their brother-in-law.
His answer to my question about ntumbuluko was: 'Kunene mina ni tiva leswaku ntumbuluko inawu. [Ntumbuluko] ku tlhanganisa ka hikwayo munawu yi taka hi ka lava va nga hi beleka (Yes, what I know is that ntumbuluko is the law. It is the summary of all laws that come from those who gave birth to us)'. When I asked him whether he remembered some of those ntumbuluko laws he said: 'Ina yikona. Hiku, loko u fika lomu tikweni wu hanya, u fanele ku maha leswi va ku gwelako. Lava vanga hi beleka va hi byelile leswaku munga tsuki mu maha leswi himu byelaka a ku mu nga mahi. Swa yila (Yes there are. If one arrives in a country and settles one must do whatever one is told to do. Those who bore us told us never to do what they told us not to do. Swa yila (is taboo).'
One of the interesting things in his answer is the idea of coming and settling in a land or country and having to do whatever one is required to. I am not sure what he meant with coming to settle in a land. Could this indicate that the historic immigration of the Karanga/Shona who became the Vachopi is still in the memory and consciousness of the contemporary Chopis? His statement suggests the inescapable domination of territorial or communal ntumbuluko laws over everyone living in a given territory or community, including Christians like Mangwele himself. When I asked him to give me specific ntumbuluko taboos that he remembered and could explain, he said:
Hi tsundzukafa ku tsundzuka can mean to remember or to observe. I used it to mean to remember, but my interviewee meant to observe or respect] swi nyingi, hikuva a mhaka leyi ya ku xi tchava a xilo yi nkulu. I nawu wu nkulu lowo wa ku tchava a tchumu. Ku na ku tchava a bava wa wena na ku tchava a tchilo, va ku byela va ku, u nga tlangi hi xona xilo lexo xi ta ku dyaya. Loko u teka nsati, va ku layela va ku u nga mahi a swa ku kani, xi yila xo karhi, u nga mahi; u nga kuma ti mhangu (AC-
mu nga ni hlevela - RM- hahaha!!! A hi ku hleva ku vula ntiyiso]. A wa nsati a ni tsamela ga kwe, se loko gi fikile, a wu swi koti a ku etlela naye.
(Mangwele 2001, interview)
Translation:
We remember53 many things because, one must take it seriously when warned to fear something. It is a high law, the law of fearing something. There is fear for one's father ('fear' here is the deepest or ritual respect) and fear of something, when one is <
told not to joke with or have fun with that thing, for it will kill you. If one gets married, one is counselled and told what one must not do, something which is a certain taboo; one must not do, it will lead one to trouble (I asked if he could confidentially tell me what he meant). Hahahaaa....[laugh]. It is not secret, it is telling the truth. A woman has her manners/nature, when her nature comes [menstrual period], you cannot sleep with her.
Based on his expressed view about female cycles, I told him of other churches which have a doctrine prohibiting women in their periods to partake of the Holy Communion. Then I asked if such prohibition existed in our denomination or not. He answered:
Hi swona na ha ha kula hina, a swi hi kona. Loko a hi masikwini a a yila [a wa nsati], a a nga gi xilalelo. Hambi swi nga hi leswo, loko wu vulavula hi ku ti tsona, ku ti tsongahata, na ku kombisa a ku a meza lowu hi yako ka wona wu nkulu, wena Mfundisi a wu nga yi a ndlini ya nsati wa wena. A bandla a hi nga li byeli a ku mu nga yeni a ti ndlini ta n'wina, a vo swi tiva vona [so obvious that no teaching is needed], na wena u yaka u ya khoma a meza lowuya.
(Mangwele 2001, interview)
Translation:
Yes, when we were growing the church had this prohibition. A woman having her period was impure. She did not partake of the Holy Communion. Besides that, if one speaks of depriving oneself (fasting), humbling oneself, and demonstrating that the table that we are going to is high (holy), the pastor did not go into his wife's house [bedroom, meaning sexual abstinence]. We did not tell the congregation not to go into their houses, but they knew that they shouldn't, and this was the general rule for whoever would touch that table.
After his explanation of the female impurity and Holy Communion restrictions, I changed the subject to the issues of different deaths, burials and funerals. Concerning the burial of a person with tuberculosis, Rev. Mangwele explained: 'For a person who
In Tsonga kutsundzuka can mean to remember or to observe. I used the term to mean remembering, but my informant understood and answered it in the sense of the "observance" of a ritual.
has died of tuberculosis they use murhi (medicine). Those who touch the corpse are given this murhi. They get mud and grass from the lagoon. Then they put the medicine, mud and the grass in the grave and lay the corpse over these elements'.
According to the informant, if this is not done the family of the deceased will continually be struck by tuberculosis while the entire community will see no rain, for the land is polluted. He then said that Christians who do not know the truth in their hearts do these things and that they even announce that the deceased is suffering cold, let us bring him/her home. They slaughter chickens and go to the grave to pour libation saying: 'Let us go home', thinking he will be a protection for them against the invisible powers. He then made the following comment:
A mhaka leyi ya ntumbuluko ya karata. Loko hiya ku lahleni-va hi kombela a ku hi khongela; se hi khongelela a ndawu na va tirhi a ku va tirha kwatsi. Kambe hi ndzaku, la vo lava a ntumbuluko va teka kumbe swi faki va khumuzela se a swi hangalasa a phahla a ku: 'N'wina va ka mam. na n'wina va ka mani, "a khuza va ka vona," amukelani a munhu wa n'wina loyi hi la ku mu veka lahaV Se ni ku tsee!, se la va nga khongela va tirnile y ini ke loko va hi va ka mani na va ka mani va faneleke ku ran gel a a ntirho lowuya?!
Lava va hanyaka ka ntumbuluko na va hi Makriste nizwa guwa. Loko munhu a vabya, va ta landzelela a mavabyi se u twa a ku a ka khombo legiya, a va swi mahangi kwatsi. A va ha hlanganangi kwatsi va hangalasa khombo [ritual sex]-se a tekile a tchilo xa mufi a ngenisa a ndlini ya kwe, se a ngeneliwa hi khombo, a ta fa.
Wa yi vona mhaka!
SWILERISO- Loko hi ku hlawula, wena, ku la ku ti hlawula, u suka a ka mahanyelo ya ntumbuluko. A hi ku kwalaho hi nga ku hlawula kona, u tsama kwalaho, u landza ntumbuluko. A Ivangeli leyo yi nga ta famba, hikuva, a tiko la ku vona, li hlamala; liku, kasi leswi a ngo khoma seno a khoma seno! A ni tsembi leswaku wena u nga hundzula a vanhu va tiya a Ivangelini loko wena u nga ti hlawulangi ku sungula.
(Mangwele 2001, interview)
Translation:
This issue of ntumbuluko is a difficult one. When we go to burials, they ask us to pray. We pray for the burial site and for those who will dig die grave that everything should go smoothly. But those who want ntumbuluko to prevail, they take maize and spread it men and pour libation or say a ntumbuluko prayer: 'You, die paternal family and the maternal family, "praising his clan," receive your person that we are bringing here'. Then I wonder what the Christian prayer was for, if die ancestors of me two clans are the ones to lead die work?! Those who live in ntumbuluko, being Christian, there is a lot of problems. If someone is ill, mey will investigate die illness [tiirough divination]. Then one is told that the recent burial or funeral was not properly done.
They did not meet and scatter the misfortune, then the one who is ill took sometiiing belonging to the deceased and introduced it inside his house, thus bringing the misfortune to himself. He will surely die. Do you see tiiis problem?!
As an advice, if one is set apart by the church, s/he must set apart her/himself, transferring oneself from ntumbuluko. Do not stay in the same place we found you, following ntumbuluko. That sort of gospel will not advance, because the people see you and are disillusioned that you touch here and there. I am not sure if such a person can convert people to become firm in the gospel without first setting oneself apart.
I wanted the informant to explain what he meant by 'touching here and there'. The answer was: 'Ku patsela. Ku patsa ntu na ivangeli (It is mixing. It is mixing ntumbuluko and the gospel)'. Then I asked him whether mixing ntumbuluko arid the gospel was an issue at all in the church, to which he answered:
Xi tave xi karato lexo a kerekeni ke?-xi karato, xa ni xanisa; ni sungula ku twa a ku ni tirile mahala. A vanhu va hina a va yingisangi, vaha landzelela leswiya. A le ivangelini, kambe a vanhu va mu tiva. Se a vanhu va ta tsikisa ku yini loko u ku a hi tsikeni leswi, kambe wena u swi maha. U ta mu hundzulisa ku yini, na yena uta maha hikuva a vona wena. Va n'wani va li a ninga tsiki ntumbuluko wa hina-swa ni xanisa. A vana va swi tiva leswaku bava a a tirha a Ivangeli, kambe a a maha leswi.
(Mangwele 2001, interview)
Translation:
It is an issue, it is a serious one which pains me. I start having a feeling that I laboured for nothing. Our people did not listen, they are following those things.
They are in the gospel, but the people know his life. How can other people abandon things if the leader is doing them? They will also do the same. Some people even say: 'I cannot abandon our ntumbuluko'. This pains me...
Rev. Mangwele views ntumbuluko as the law or the summary of all laws. He recommends the respect and observation of these laws, especially those related to women's impurity (menstrual period) and the laws of the land. His language on the laws of the land is that of someone whose clan or family has no ritual connections or ownership of the land. When it comes to the point of the realtionship between ntumbuluko and the gospel, he becomes very personal.
When speaking about funeral rites, he sees them as annulling the importance of the Christian faith. However, he says one cannot force people to believe; therefore he has never confronted such practices. He does not also become involved at the family level when the funeral rituals end disastrously. Without being specific, Rev.
Mangwele makes a general accusation that Christians mix the gospel with ntumbuluko.
It is on this point that he becomes more personal, saying he feels that he has worked for nothing and that this mixing causes him pain. Here, his complaints about the relationship between ntumbuluko and the gospel are similar to the complaints made by Rev. Matsombe. Although they do not go into specific detail, they reveal that there is a serious gospel and culture relationship problem in the Baptist denomination. Rev.
Mangwale calls for the church leadership to set itself apart for the ministry as a solution to this relational problem.
If this is what the two clergy say, what does the next informant, a lay person, have to say?
2.5.1 J The profile of Mr. Filimone Josayi Chitlango and his comments on