Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 229
of the Gudule people start putting guinea corn into water and process
the beer. On the day they put the guinea corn into water, every
household who has a bull gets the drum out for the bull festival (this
drum is called timbe). Now they start beating the drum daily. It starts
with Gudule, then Hembe, then Vaghagaya (comprising Korana Basa,
Korana Kwandame, Hudimche and Gharaza) followed by Ghwa’a and
then Kwalika. After that, it moves up to Ngoshe Sama [Gvoko].
Tokweshe does it together with Vaghagaya. (Tatsa we forgot to ask.
Also Kunde we forgot, but John thought it was after Ghwa’a and
according to John, Taghadigile was after Kunde.)
After har khagwa comes
the bull festival = har
daghile. It travels all
across Dghweɗe, before it
moves after Ghwa'a and
Kwalika on to Ngoshe
Sama
Immediately after the bull festival, the preparation for planting starts.
On arrival in Ngoshe Sama the bull festival can lead into the new year.
Preparation for planting
starts straight after the
bull festival
About one month before the rainy season they start putting the manure
on the fields. When it rains they start planting. They put the manure
mainly on the fields they have been using and not the ones they didn’t
use in a particular year. They believe that the ones they have not been
using, sometimes for several years, regain fertility. Now the ones they
have not been using they will clear, arrange the terraces and do some
hoeing before planting.
The millet year (Hudimche 1995)
About a month before the
rainy season starts, the
manure is put on the
infields. Outfields which
have not been manured
may stay empty to regain
fertility after some years.
Annotated comments
The dry season before the millet year will last almost seven months
before it rains.
The active part of a millet
year is the shorter one
The rain will start falling at the 8th month of the dry season. Exactly
this happened in 1994. This means when there was enough rain to start
planting (according to John this was in June).
Table 5b is linked with
1995, my very first field
session in Hudimche
They plant the millet later than the guinea corn because the ripening
period of the millet is shorter. The flowering of the heads should start
after August because they don’t like much water/rain. If there is too
much rain it won’t give fruit. Guinea corn needs more water for giving
fruits. The same thing with beans. It doesn’t take a long time before it
gives fruit. Therefore beans are planted together with millet.
Ripening period of millet
is shorter and it doesn't
like much rain following
flowering after August
Although the solar year has 12 months the lunar millet year is only 11
[meaning 7 active months] and the lunar guinea corn year is 13
[meaning 8 active] months. Because the guinea corn takes longer. This
is the reason why the guinea corn year is about 1 month longer.
There are no specific names for the months. They only count the
numbers but for the days they have specific names.
There is no specific person to start planting millet. If the rain is heavy
enough everybody can plant as he likes.
In the millet year, they plant millet first. After the millet reaches about
20 cm they plant the beans. The sacrifices for millet year are the same
as for the guinea corn year. If you don’t have anything to sacrifice you
just start harvesting like that. The harvest starts from the same place
and person first.
There is one difference between millet and guinea corn and that is a
certain flute (filaka = flute; zambaɗa = blowing the flute) played during
the ripening period of a guinea corn year. Also for millet, they attach
vavanza. The millet is cut on top and put on a drying roof specially
prepared and covered by a mat. The name for that roof is gamake.
The millet is cut on its upper end and bundled together and
immediately put on the drying roof. The stocks and roots are left
together in the field, but later in the dry season they are normally
227
The active part of the
guinea corn year is about
one lunar months longer
The Dghweɗe name their
lunar months by number
No ritual planting during
a millet year
Beans are planted when
millet about 20cm high
Harvest of millet follows
same sequential rules as
harvest of guinea corn
Flutes not played during
ripening period of millet
Vavanza also attached to
millet
Millet is cut on top and
bundled up before put on
special drying roof
Millet stalks later get
