Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 563
see photographs in Plate 41a, Plate 41b and Table 8 (Chapter 3.12).
Durghwe
Mountain shrine in Ghw'a (no literal meaning is known); had an interethnic function with the Chikiɗe and Guduf, and also played a role as a
subregional rain shrine for neighbouring groups further south (consult
Chapter 3.17 for a detailed description of the role of Durghwe).
Ɗutsa
Iron bar; in the past ɗutsa served as currency for obtaining cows for
dung production as part of the pre-colonial subsistence economy; since
colonial times chemical fertiliser has led to guinea corn increasingly
losing its ritual significance and millet and beans becoming socioeconomically more important; we hypothesise that this was a result of
the modern market economy (Chapter 3.10) impacting on the bi-annual
ritual calendar of the Dghweɗe (Chapter 3.8).
Dzadza
Leaves from freshly-germinated shoots of the wurighe tree (fan palm)
used for body adornment during dzum zugune; leaves were also worn
on necks and foreheads of former and new parents of reborn twins;
dzadza was also the name for the lower leg covers made of fresh palm
fronds worn by keen young men who had not yet started dzum zugune;
see photograph of a dzadza lower leg cover in Plate 58a (Chapter
3.14).
Dzar dva
Ritual cutting of cake-like solid food (javda) during marriage
ceremony after the three days seclusion of the woman to be married;
see also illustration of zalaghwa ritual in Figure 32 (Chapter 3.20).
Dzibuwa
Term for 'god the thief' who is responsible for death; also seen as a
singularity in the sense that he is perceived to be a childless old man
(dnugwe); see oral accounts in Chapter 3.16.
Dzum zugune
Adult initiation; it consisted of four stages ideally performed over a
period of seven years; dzum zugune stopped being performed in
colonial times and we had to reconstruct this important communal
Dghweɗe event from the memories of our Dghweɗe friends who could
remember it (see Chapter 3.14); we interpret dzum zugune to have been
a means of crisis management for avoiding chronic food shortage in
the semi-arid environment of the Gwoza hills, being the most northern
extension of the Mandara Mountains.
Dzura
Space above the door between lower room (batiw tighe) and upper
room (batiw daghara), where tughdhe kule was ritually deposited
overnight (Chapter 3.12); see illustration of it in Figure 20b.
F
Fstaha
Initiation ceremony carried out during two stages of dzum zugune; was
also the general word for adult initiation in Chikiɗe (see Chapter 3.14);
see also yew fstaha (ritual water) as part of initiation of a bride into her
future husband's patriline (Chapter 3.20).
Ftsukwe
West; see discussion about Dghweɗe cardinal points in Chapter 3.16.
Fug giɗa
Moonlight dance; was traditionally performed after harvest period.
G
Gabajuwala
Keen young men, married or unmarried, who had not yet started dzum
zugune; Chapter 3.14 explains their important role as future candidates
for the ritual cycle of adult initiation.
561
