Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 170
during that earlier period slave raiding in the adjacent plains was perhaps a good reason for
uphill migration, in addition to cyclical climate change. The same presumably applies to the
intramountainous eastern plain, where the Wandala of Kirawa had exclusive access far into
late pre-colonial times. We do not know whether the inhabitants of the Gwoza hills already
had tribute arrangements with the Wandala of Kirawa during that early period, and neither do
we know whether they had a trade relationship with them. We tend to think that perhaps they
had one from quite early on, if we take into account Leo Africanus' report from 1589.
We finally want to bring our reader back to the initial phase of contemporaneity between the
populations of the Gwoza hills and the early Wandala of Kirawa during the initial phase of
extreme aridity during the early and mid-15th century (roughly between 1425 and 1475),
especially considering they are geographically so close to both Kirawa and the DGB area. It is
not inconceivable during this early period that not only DGB2 already existed as a ritual
place, but also Durghwe, both cosmologically linked to increasing the yield of sorghum. An
intensified form of husbandry was perhaps then developed for the systematic production of
dung, and became ritually connected to rainmaking and cornblessing. Considering that
Durghwe was not only the most northerly mountain shrine, but was also very close to the
Wandala of Kirawa, might have given it additional subregional importance, particularly
during periods of increased aridity. Chapter 3.17 shows an illustration (see Figure 27) of the
imagery our protagonists from Ghwa'a presented when describing the cosmographic structure
of Durghwe, consisting of three rock pillars as granaries reaching into the sky and rooted in
underground water where three bulls lived. We interpret this imaginary picture as
‘cosmological blessings from above and below’.
We will learn later that the ritual tasks of rainmaking and cornblessing were socially
expressed in the form of patrilineal descent from the same matrilateral 'kitchen' (kuɗige), or
even twins, which manifested themselves in specialist lineages (Chapter 3.7), but before that
we will present the Dghweɗe house of Mbra. By doing so, we will critically examine our oral
sources and aim to lay open the difficulties of constructing a sound version of a Dghweɗe
lineage tree. We will see how the different clan and lineage sections are all brought together
in one Dghweɗe tree of descent rooted in Mbra or Ngra, who was considered to be the apical
ancestor not only for the Dghweɗe but also for many other groups of the Gwoza hills area,
including the Wandala.
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