Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 450
Zakariya Kwire and dada Ɗga of Ghwa'a explain
The interview presented below begins by explaining the calendrical ritual order in which
obligatory sacrifices of the house were carried out. These rituals were followed by other
house, harvest and threshing-related rituals. These eventually led to the sacrifice at the lineage
shrine, and finally to Durghwe as the most important community shrine. The symbolic link of
Durghwe to water is prominent, and we also briefly discuss lineage affiliations of the
custodians (thaghaya) who over time had been responsible for Durghwe:
You first do your har ghwe, har jije and har khagwa [sacrifice to the deceased father and
grandfather and closing ritual]. After that you do har gude [sacrifice in the loft area of the room of
the first wife]. After gude comes har gwazgafte [slaughtering for God]. From there now you can
go to do har khalale [sacrifice to lineage shrine] and har durghwe [sacrifice to Durghwe].
Since the beginning of the people of Ghwa’a it was always somebody from the Btha lineage who
was responsible for har durghwe. Sometimes they do it with he-goats and sometimes with a bull,
meaning alternating one year he-goat, one year bull [for harvest festival during millet year and
bull festival during guinea corn year].
There was one occasion in the past they sacrificed a white bull and the people were dancing at a
place in front of Durghwe called tar durghwe (tar = flat land on the hill) [Tar Durghwe]. When
they were dancing, water came out of the ground where people were dancing.
People believe that Durghwe is a place that has its roots in the water. There was the belief that
under the rocks of Durghwe, deep inside the mountain, is a flat rock. On this flat rock sits a big
toad and when this toad is croaking the water under Durghwe moves into the streams and sources
where people can now fetch the water. Underneath the three tall rock columns are also three big
bulls. One is white, another is black, while the third one is ash colour, meaning grey. Normally in
the night they come out and eat grass at tar durghwe. Not all people have seen these bulls, since
somebody might die.
Zakariya Kwire and dada Ɗga even thought that I myself might have seen these bulls. At this
point in the interview, we started talking about water and bulls, like bulls appearing out of water in
the night which belong to the water spirit (khalale). Somebody might have used dung to throw it
on these bulls so that the water spirit could not take them back.
Zakariya and Ɗga now mentioned four Bature [Europeans or white men]. Two climbed Ndololo
[highest top of the Zelidva spur] and two had tried to climb Durghwe. While the two at Ndololo
achieved their goal, the two at Durghwe could not because Durghwe constantly pushed them back
down.
John said that it is also believed that no aeroplane could fly directly over Durghwe. Zakariya
Kwire asked John to ask me what I had seen at Durghwe since there was the traditional belief that
a white person can see things in Durghwe a [local] black person cannot see. Unfortunately I had
not seen anything different from everybody else.
Zakariya and Ɗga claimed that the origin of guinea corn was from Durghwe. They said that
Durghwe brought guinea corn. The three stone columns of Durghwe are called 'granaries of
Durghwe' (kavere durghwe). If someone went close to these pillars he could see cracks on them,
just like on a granary. The guinea corn came out of these cracks in the rock pillars. 1
For sacrifices to Durghwe they pick the contents of the intestines of the slaughtered he-goat or
bull. It is a group of people who now throw the intestines, but they only pretend to want to throw
them. However, one person will finally let go and it is said that this person will die. They throw
towards the rock columns. It is a group of elders who does this.
The person to do the sacrifice was normally too old to go up to Durghwe. Therefore before any
slaughtering takes place at Durghwe this very old elder will take some ashes from his hearth fire
and will throw them in the direction of Durghwe. Then, before the sacrificed and prepared animal
1
John remembered a millet year when people found guinea corn stock at Durghwe and explained to me
that the people were very surprised and thought that Durghwe had given it. According to John, the next
guinea corn harvest was very good, a result the local people apparently attributed to the miraculous find
of guinea corn stock at Tar Durghwe during the previous millet year.
448
