Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 227
Our table below presents an annotated version of bulama Ngatha's account, and afterwards we
will address some key aspects ensuing from it which we might not have discussed earlier. We
need to remember that table 5a and 5b was a true reflection of bulama Ngatha's oral memory
account, in which we have presented the sacrificial slaughtering of he-goats as being listed in
both the guinea corn and the millet year.
Table 5g: Bulama Ngatha's annotated field account about the bi-annual calendar
The guinea corn year (Hudimche 1995)
Annotated comments
There was no change in the time reckoning system done since it was
invented by the ancestors.
Is also a reference to the
method of crop rotation
At the end of the year, they clear the land and put manure (vara) on the
ground. After putting the manure down in a guinea corn year, they
plant eleusine (rata). This is at the end of a millet year. Now they wait
for the rainfall before they start planting the guinea corn.
Importance of manure =
vara as fertiliser
After planting the guinea corn they plant ground nuts. They don't plant
cocoyam in the rainy season, but only in the dry season. The ones they
want to eat they use and the other ones they plant at the same time.
Cassava they plant any time in the rainy season to harvest it in the dry
as well as in the rainy season. After planting cassava, one has to wait
two years before harvesting. Tiger nuts are planted in the 3rd lunar
month and harvested in the 7th lunar month.
Before any harvest, a he-goat needs to be slaughtered. They throw the
contents of the intestines into the crops. Every household who has
goats is supposed to do that. This ritual is called tswila.
Before eating the new crops only elderly men will do tikwa kupe. They
grind old guinea corn and always add some fresh guinea corn to grind
with it and then they put the flour into water and pour it over the three
religious stones in the granary area of the house. These three stones are
called kwir thala (kwire = stone; thala = house shrine). There are also
retired ancestor stones underneath the granary of the father of the
house but not everybody has those. After pouring the guinea corn
water over the three stones the person drinks it and he gives it to his
children and other people in the house. Now he can go and enjoy the
fresh crops.
The harvest starts after tikwa kupe. Regionally [in Dghweɗe] it is Taɗa
Nzige from Ghwa’a who starts the harvest. He is from the rainmaker
lineage Gaske but people might have already done their tikwa kupe or
they wait until they start the harvest.
The harvested guinea corn is taken into the temporary storage facility
to dry. This storage facility is called kavire. After it is dry they will
prepare a place for threshing. For threshing, they do the sacrifice hargwazgafte. They slaughter he-goats or a ram and throw intestinal
contents on the storage facility and they put the stomach on top of the
harvested guinea corn. The following day they start threshing. The
word for threshing is ɗaga.
After threshing the corn is taken into the granary. Now he starts
preparing towards har ghwe. He takes some guinea corn puts it into
water. The following day he takes it out of the water and keeps it to
germinate. After 3 to 4 days of germination, it will be dried in the sun.
Now they will grind the corn. Now it gets cooked for two days and
then it is kept in one jar for two days. On the 3rd day they will
slaughter a he-goat, but before slaughtering, the beer (ghuze) is put into
dedicated beer pots called tughdhe. They go around to invite people to
share food, meat and beer. The contents of the intestines and the
stomach contents are now put on the three stones and the remains of it
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Other plants are being
cultivated too...
Tswila ritual consists of
guts being thrown into
crops before harvest
Tikwa kupe ritual
consists of old and new
sorghum flour mixed into
water, being poured over
the three ancestor stones
= kwir thala
Harvest starts after tikwa
kupe
Kavire = storage facility
for guinea corn, put up
temporary in front yard
Har-gwazgafte =
slaughtering for God
Threshing = ɗaga
Har ghwe = slaughtering
a he-goat for deceased
father (dada)
Sorghum beer = ghuze
Ritual beer pot with small
aperture = tughdhe
Guts from he-goat is put
on three ancestor stones
and rests on potsherd for
