Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 228
they put into a broken pot and place it underneath the granary of the
father of the house. (John adds that this is on the actual slaughtering
day. They also put some of the intestinal and stomach contents on the
chests and bellies of their male children).
retired ancestor stones
under father's granary,
while boys have it applied
to their chest and belly.
Har ghwe takes place in the 3rd month of the dry season. This is
traditionally the 9th month, til-tamba.
Har ghwe happens in 9th
lunar month = til tamba
Bulama Ngatha goes back to the time of harvest, adding that they now
release the animals (goats and cows) to the fields. There are also some
farm products they don’t need to do any rituals to consume. These are
for example sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, cocoyam, yams, cassava,
groundnuts, tiger nuts, sesame, maize and beans. Only millet, guinea
corn and eleusine need to be ritually treated.
At this point in time the
animals have already
been released to the fields
because the dry season
has already long started
Normally threshing and har ghwe take place in the 9th month.
The general Dghweɗe
word for ritual = tsufa
Most of the rituals (tsufa) are done before threshing the guinea corn,
while the corn is in the storage facility.
Taɗa Nzige from Ghwa’a starts with the harvest, followed by bulama
Mbaldawa from Tatsa. Then Parɗa Dzuguma from Gharaza does his,
followed by Var ga Ghuna from Gharaza. Now anyone can start with
the harvest.
Gaske rainmakers start
harvesting before Var ga
Ghuna of Gharaza
Apart from Var ga Ghuna all these harvest starters are from the Gaske
clan. The reason for that is that they are rainmakers and they care for
the crops because they protect the crops from insects and anything that
disturbs. For that, they use their dag mbarɗa (a mixture of plants and
insects).
Rainmakers protect crops
against insects by using
dag mbarɗe
Even before they start the harvest they get vavanza from Gaske to tie it
to some of the guinea corn plants to be harvested, at one end of that
particular piece of land. That means one might have quite some
vavanza to be tied. Everybody does this tying on his farm. They also
invite Gazhiwe people (from Gudule) to do it for them because they
are talented in increasing the yield of the crops. It is not a matter of
growing but yielding and sometimes they still do it during threshing.
The guinea corn is cut at its lower end and kept in bundles in the field
until it is dry. Now they get a basket and cut the head and put it in the
basket. The head is carried to the storage facility. They leave the stocks
in the fields until they are dry and now they carry them home to later
roof the houses.
After har-ghwe (that means after threshing they do har-ghwe) they
keep the ribs and chest (with flesh attached) of the goats they have
sacrificed for har-ghwe. The next ritual is har-jije (har = slaughter; jije
= grandfather) and again they slaughter a he-goat and keep the same
part of the meat.
Next ritual is har khagwa (this means the closing ritual). They take the
kept parts of the har ghwe and of the har jije meat, which will now be
cooked together.
Next ritual is ɗuf ɗala (ɗuf = to warm again; ɗala = sauce / soup).
Somebody who has not done har ghwe, har jije and har khagwa now
does ɗuf ɗala. He prepares lots of beer (ghuze) and invites all
neighbours and relatives to come and drink. Before taking the beer out
it will be given to the three stones (before others can start drinking).
Ɗuf ɗala is done any time after the three previous rituals and can even
still be done in the raining season. If somebody did har ghwe and har
jije, there is no ɗuf ɗala.
Next, after har khagwa is preparation for bull festival, har daghile
(daghile = bull). That means you roof your house first, then the whole
226
Locals get vavanza from
Gaske rainmakers to tie it
to sorghum before harvest
Locals invite the Gazhiwe
cornblessers even during
the threshing period to
still increase the yield
Sorghum stalks are being
kept in the fields until
needed to roof houses
Meaty parts of rib and
chest of sacrificial hegoat are kept for closing
ritual har khagwa
The ritual ɗuf ɗala is
carried out if someone
can't afford har ghwe or
har jije. It consists of
sorghum beer (ghuze)
only to be offered to the
closest paternal ancestors
of the extended family.
