perception of life and death
The Rwandan conception of the universe, life and death is expressed in recounting stories and in common narratives. Rwandans believe that the Universe is three worlds superimposed on each other:
. Right at the top of the canopy of heaven is the supreme being and beings dotted with extraordinary forces; a perfect world where death is unknown. The supreme being, the creator of the universe is almighty, benevolent and transcendent; he rarely intervenes in moo's daily life.
.Under the earth's crust is the world of shadows and forgetfulness, where the dead people's souls disappear ( abozimu ). It is inhabited by souls and supernatural forces which can influence the course of men's lives and that of other living beings. Sorcerers have some human power over these forces and can use them to harm living beings. This is why a world of human beings is full of unforeseen dangers, mysteries and fear.
. At the centre, is the earth. The existence of living beings in this world is limited; it revolves between two irrevocably fixed days at each extremity, the day of birth and that of death.
This overall vision of the existence of invisible life forces institutes rituals, creates myths, dictates the conducts towards whatev er is forbidden and incarnates man's relationship with the three worlds. In the traditional Rwandan concept, man is composed of a body ( umubiri ), which is visible element and a shadow ( igicucu ), which is the non- material and invisible element. These two elements put together combine intelligence and willingness. At a point of death, the body disappears. The shadow transforms into ( umuzimu) and it continues living in the world of spirits of the dead or the gone ancestors. Nevertheless, it stays in close touch with the descendants, who are still living on this earth. Ancestors continue to look after their descendants and the prosperity of their siblings. They pay visits to their living parents and these relatives to honor and to consult them. They make sure that ancestral traditions are respected. Those who disobey are punished; the punishments can be in form of illness, sterility, bad luck in business etc. Sterility is the most terrible of all sanctions, since total ha p piness and the most precious wealth for a Rwandan is the ability to perpetuate life on this earth through ones descendants. A man or woman sterile, is not respected by the society and when death calls him/her, he/she is buried with an extinguished piece of wooden charcoal signifying an extinguished memory, for ever. On the contrary, a funeral procession of one who leaves behind his siblings is preceded by a lighted torch symbolizing the perpetuation of his/her life.
SUPERNATURAL AND DIVINATON
The diviner or "divine intermediary" ( umupfumu ) is or old man or a woman capable of entering into contact with the invisible world. It is believed that he/she has powers to enable him/her to interrogate the ancestors, interpret their wishes, obtain their help to attain success, push away dance ' and cast off misfortunes: He uses varied divinatory techniques to come into contact.
Divination using a candle made from animal fat ( kuraguza urugimbi )
Small spindleshaped candles are made by mixing fat from o bull, goat or a sheep with flowers of the ( ubujyuri ) plant.
One of these candles is moistened with the client's saliva in order to put him into contact with the invisible world. The diviner fixes it on a candle stick made of cloy ( igicunga ) and invokes the spirits, recounting their former successes. He lights the candle covered with a container made from clay to protect the flames from wind. He interprets the wishes of the ancestors, or the spirits according to the direction the flames take when going off. If the answer is favorable, the spir i t who causes illness or other disturbances will ree stablish order, on condition that the client honors their demands. The half consumed fat is recovered by the diviner to make of an amulet.
. Divination using young chicks ( kuraguza inkoko ) The diviner asks the client to spit his saliva inside the beak of a chick; if the client is unable to be there personally, the diviner introduces the client's saliva ( imbuto ) brought to him in a small saliva jar ( akagen za ). Having recited the formula in the chick's ear for a positive answer, he places the chick on a banana leaf, he splits the abdomen with awl blade used in basketry ( uruhinda ) and extracts the intestines and examines them carefully to evaluate whether they are favorable. If the aspect is favorable, he keeps the intestines aside, to be re-examined the following day. If the result is again positive the second day, then the diviner smears kaolin on the client's forehead and shoulders.
He repeats the same gesture with the intestines wrapped in leaves of the ( erythrina) , a sacred tree. The talisman made from this parcel will be carried by the client for his protection. Supposing the assessment is negative, the diviner starts the process all over again using other chicks.
Divination through bull calves or sheep ( kuraguza inka cyangwa intama ) Divination through a bull's calf is the privilege of the king and the prerogative of ritual specialists, ( abakongori ) who reside in the royal court. It is performed according to the some customs as those applied in divination through a chick.
Divination with an edge of a piece of wood
The diviner uses a board, or a wooden plate ( imbehe ), on which he rubs on the other edge of wood ( igikondo ) covered with a liquid from the plant ( umugimbe ). If the edge of the wood sticks on the plate when being turned, then it is indeed, a good augury. If it falls, it is a bad omen.
. Divination using butter ( kuraguza amavuta )
The diviner pours boiling water in the swallow part of a ceremonial stool. The client spits on two butterballs and passes them to the diviner who places them inside the stool. The butterballs which melt moving on the same direction is of favorable augury, while the opposite direction is a bad omen.
. Divination using tokens ( kuraguza inzuzi )
The diviner disposes of a divinatory shelf board ( impinga ) and ten tokens preserved in a case made of bamboo: there are four flat metal pieces tokens representing women, five tokens made from bones of a sacrificed bull representing men, one token mode from gourd or churn that symbolizes: the 'king': The client must hold these tokens in his hands and moisten them with his saliva; this is to establish con tact between the client and the divination device. In case he is unable to be there personally, he confides his saliva, put in a little jar to the person going to consult the diviner on his behalf. The diviner then throws the tokens on a long curved board. At the issue of the consultation, the diviner asks the client to perform rituals according to the cult of ancestors and at times, to be initiated to the cult of Ryangombe or Nyabingi according to the region concerned.
. The cult of Ryarryombe Ryangombe was a legendary hero who had led an amusing life in the company of friends during his life on earth. He particularly enjoyed hunting. It was during one of those hunting venture that he was accidentally killed by a buffalo. His body laid under the shadow of the erythrina tree ( ummurnci ), then disappeared beneath with his friends who did not wish to abandon him. But instead of remaining in the underworld, where the souls of the dead are denied the pleasure of eating and that of the flesh, God gave Ryangombe and his friends a more agreeable afterlife, on the summit of Karusimbi volcano, in the North-western part of Rwanda. Since then, they have been propitiated by the cult Kubandwa. The initiated (imandwa) are protected by Ryangombe on earth and after death, they are integrated into a group of Imandwa, the initiated ones look for protection against diseases, from terrible influence of bad omen hitting the bereaved and sterility.
. The cult of Nyabingi or Biheko
Nyabingi, at times also known as Biheko was a woman considered the Imana's (God) most privileged creature. Her spirit was supposed to be incarnated into those of her "ministers" or priests, men or women, who acted as mediums; they were also called Nyabirgr: Her cult was first of all practiced in the Northern Rwanda and in Ndorwa; it spread later on to other regions. Contrary to the cult of Kubandwa, the cult of Nyabingi did not carry out initiation.. The name Nyabingi is practically called upon to be able to give birth without complications, to be blessed with a big family, a good harvest, but also invoked to caste out those who have adopted attitudes or behavior disapproved by the society.
. The cult of the ancestors ( guterekera )
In order to live harmoniously with the ancestors and win their favor, a hut is built in their honor ( indaro ) Symbolic offerings of a few drops of beer and/or milk were brought to them regularly Rwandans consulted the spirits of their ancestors who gave them indications on the conduct they had to follow throughout their lives, on the altitudes they had to adapt and actions that were be taken to avoid bud luck.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PRACTICES
The divination also intervened in traditional medicine. Disease was considered as the rupture of a harmonious stability between the functioning of different parts of the body and the elements surrounding it. It was therefore, a breach on a physical or moral being of a person. The causes of diseases were physical and mystical. Traditional healers recognized and treated parasitical, dermatological psychosomatic diseases, poisoning and fatal ace/-den b.
Poisoning was considered as the origin of many diseases whose causes were not known. Sorcerers supposedly used poison or evil spells to cause diseases. The preparation of a poison consisted of mixing together bones, animal skins, and remains of a person poisoned pharmacological substances, very active and just a tiny dose, could cause death.
The poison was introduced in food or into drinks. There was also a belief in someone being poisoned or bewitched from a long distance.
Isubyo or kamaramahano A portion extracted from a trunk of a shrub, iraba orgubyo uruzira ( Gerbera arnoiqua, Notonia abyssinica ), cut out with some of its roots, then rubbed on a piece of grinding stone containing water. It was used to cure bewitching, or for protection against evil spells. The healer made the patients drink the lustre water through a special straw; a sort of pipe ( umuheha ). The root of the shtub iraba orumuzi w'i'aba was pounded as well, diluted in water and administered to patients suffering from tape worms to evacuate the parasite.
Ihembe ry'inzobe
An amulet worn around the neck as on ornament and for protection from injury in case of a battle, accident, or eventual enemies, in case they were called lbyinzo. The composition included of an antelope horn found in marshland and a tiny bit of the elephant's tusk. Inside the horn, a lion's hair (ubwoya bw'intare), leopard 's (ubwoya bw' ngwe), and the otter(ubwoya bw'igihura) as we as tiny bits of a special plant called umusibya (Pauriantha I)ewevrei) were pasted inside the horn.
Ihembe ry'inyemera
A horn of a large topi antelope (Damaliscus lunatus, big antelope) It contained various magical herbs and was carried on the body to cure pneumonia.
Ihembe ry'impongo
The antelope horn worn by hunters as an amulet to avoid injuries.
Inkondo, igihakiro
A calabash amulet which protected women and cows from having miscarriages. Expecting mothers carried this amulet (igiheko). They also made their young children wear it to protect them from diseases and death The neck of the calabash was cut on both ends and filled with varied ingredients, then blocked carefully
.Imana yeze
Art amulet mounted on u chain made of gross from marshland, urukangaga (Cyperus latafilius). It was worn around the neck. It was given to a client by the diviner when the divination by butter had good augury.
.Imana yeze, umurishyo
A stick made from erythema wood (umurinzi) coated with kaolin. An end was scooped out in order to fill it with the entrails of the chick used in divination.
Irango
An amulet used to discover cattle rustlers. It consisted of sculptured wood wrapped in straps, with rows of delicate white beads, reinforced by a piece of wood with an osselet on top, filled with ingredients.
. Detective horns
They helped to discover stolen objects, identify thieves. Others were instruments used by the divinershealers: and again, still others may have been made for the use of evil spelling.
.Irago, diviner's horn used to track down thieves and discover stolen objects. This is a cow's horn cut with four drilled lateral holes at the orifice and reinforced with hair from a cow's tail. It contained various magical ingredients, such as, some flesh from the muzzle of a hyena and a dog.
. Ihembe ry'impongo was an antelope's horn which was used to detect and treat resisting evil spells. They contained sprigs of a forest tree impeho; sorghum grains which had halfway germinated; moss removed from a rock, ubunyinya; soil picked up from crossroads; soil brought back on the crossroads.