Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 571
Luwa
Settlement; earth (refers more to the mountains than the plains); see
Figure 25 about luwa as key word for cosmographic mirror worlds; the
term luwa for this world has a strong pre-Copernican dimension, with
ghaluwa as an image of the world above and luwa mbarte an image of
the next world below this world; see Chapter 3.16 for ethnographic
details.
Luwa haya
Settlement of the adjacent plains (haya = a flat place); see Chapter
3.16.
Luwa mbarte
Alternative expression for the next world (see Chapter 3.16); powerful
rainmakers could travel inside luwa mbarte (mbarte = rectum, bottom,
beginning, east) to collect 'the roots of the sun' to increase their local
efficacy in controlling rainfall (see also the legend of Zedima in
Chapter 2.1); luwa mbarte was also where the ancestors lived, which
was considered to be a mirror world of this world (luwa).
M
Madza
Fence of thorny shrubs as Fulbe defence against the Wandala in the
western plain; consult interview with Chika Khutsa of Kwalika about
oral history of the late pre-colonial boundary between Madagali and
the Disa foothill (see Chapter 2.1).
Magrata
Iron sword carried by ngwa yiye during dzum zugune (see Plate 59l).
Magulisa
Clan medicine used by Gaske rainmakers to increase the yield of crops;
consisting of Cissus quadrangularis (vavanza), Urginea maritima
(huɓa), quarz (changwithe) and charcoal (ghuvare); see photographic
illustration in Plate 20a (Chapter 3.10).
Mahide
The milk of this euphorbia variety was used for a specific ritual
treatment (skwe) to cause or cure diarrhoea; see Plate 64 (Chapter
3.23).
Ma'ira
Bull's feeding place (Plate 34b); was used for pagh yewe ritual as part
of the bull festival (Chapter 3.13).
Malga malga
Corner or foundation stone of a traditional house (see also ghar
malga); malga malga was where the father of the house sat when he
sprinkled ritual water (yewe fstaha) over the future wife of his son, to
bless her as a new member of his patriline (Chapter 3.20).
Man skwe
Handling (man) ritual treatment (skwe); one aspect was the
maintainance of the regularity of rituals in order to avoid bad luck;
another aspect was the ownership of certain ritual treatments (skwe) by
specialists to regulate good and bad luck in the community; Cissus
quadrangularis (vavanza) in this context had a particularly high density
regarding the variety of ritual applications (Chapter 3.23).
Mandatha
'Calming down'; vavanz mandatha was used for divination and healing;
see photographs of this in Plates 62a-62e (Chapter 3.21); it was also
used calm a potentially vicious bull before its ritual release as part of
the Dghweɗe bull festival (Chapter 3.13).
Matatala
Rope used to tie a sacred bull to a tree after he had been ritually
recaptured as part of the Dghweɗe bull festival (Chapter 3.13); see also
Chapter 3.10 about rope making (Plate 16a) as a task for males only.
Mbart luwa
East; literal meaning: 'bottom of the world' (Chapter 3.16)
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