Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 197
some of which are across the border in Cameroon. Many of those who have managed to start
a new life, particularly the middle-aged and older generations, are deeply traumatised by their
loss as far as I understand. The younger generation seems happier but they have already
forgotten the Dghweɗe language. It would be difficult now to go and ask for clarification on
many of the relationship terms introduced in this chapter. I therefore apologise in advance for
the inaccuracies of my interpretations, but hope that future generations of Dghweɗe historians
will nevertheless find my efforts useful.
A provisional list of social relationship terms
Below is an annotated list I produced in 1996 together with my friend and Dghweɗe mentor
Zakariya Kwire of Ghwa'a. I compiled and expanded it based on clan and lineage-related
terms I had collected the previous year in Korana Basa. The list is provisional and so are the
attempted definitions. This becomes obvious when discussing the technical meaning of the
lineage terms ksage and kambarte in the light of our lineage tree data from Ghwa'a and
Korana Basa. Firstly, here is an overall list of social relationship terms with attempted
explanations that were helped by John and his father in 1996 while in the field:
Gwalghaya: Extended as well as nuclear family and household compound. Consists of
father, wives and children. Thaghaya (seventh-born son) will inherit and stay in the
house together with his wives and children. Any son who leaves the household
compound will have his own gwalghaya. A wife is counted with the family of her
husband. If she dies the husband will bury her. If no children are born he will still bury
her. He cannot ask for dowry back just because she did not give birth to children.
Kuɗige: The literal meaning is 'kitchen'. From an ego-centred perspective, the sons of
different mothers but the same father. The first wife of a husband always represents the
most important 'kitchen' (kuɗige), and was also often regarded as the starting point of an
ancestral lineage section.
Ksage: Patrilineal descent group in terms of branches or sub-groups. It means something
classified as a group of people by descent, but can also mean certain birds or anything
classified into sub-groups.
Kambarte: Patrilocal descent group in terms of origin or beginning. The word mbarte
means anus or 'the ground level' in terms of beginning or roots. For example, in Ghwa'a,
kambarte is their ancestor Thakara in terms of descent of all the branches that lead
genealogically back to Thakara. The branches themselves, such as Btha or Washile, are
ksage of kambarte Thakara.
Mbthawa: Refers to all those who live in Ghwa'a (including Kunde and Taghadigile as
well as Gaske for example) with whom somebody from Ghwa'a can intermarry.
Gwagha: The group within your agnatic descent group with whom you cannot
intermarry. For example, all Btha are considered one gwagha, meaning exogamous
lineage group. Gwagha is the complement of mbthawa.
Zbe: This also refers to people with whom you cannot intermarry, on the level of the
daughters with whom you have already been marrying. You cannot marry your mother's
sister's daughter (MZD) because you are zbe to her. In the past this applied as far back as
four generations. After the death of the great-great-grandchildren of this daughter, you
could intermarry again. Today it is only two generations. Zbe is also used to designate the
female kin on your father’s side (e.g. father's sisters' and grandfather's sisters' children).
Skmama: Generational group of sons of different fathers of a local descent group.
Ghulibe: Means guests or visiting strangers. John says that he is ghulibe in Tatsa. It
means somebody who only comes to visit and not to settle.
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