Muvhudziso - THE INTERROGATION At the madomba which I attended, muvhudziso was not done until shortly before their conclusion, and then it was performed three times in a week and also on the last night. I understand that this was normal, and that muvhudziso is not generally done during the earlier stages of the school. It is not like the other milayo, either in style or in content. The master of initiation tells a story in sentences, which the novices then repeat in unison with sing-song voices. The theme of the story is that if a girl becomes pregnant before marriage or by a man who is not her husband, she must reveal his name to the old ladies who ask her (-vhudzisa). She must not have an abortion, even if her parents want it for the sake of their reputation; and if she does not reveal the name of her lover, her baby will fall sick and die. The story is told to emphasise the value of legitimate procreation and institutionalised motherhood, rather than mere fertility. Divination has an irresistible fascination to the Venda, and its inclusion in the story heightens the drama. Consult the Venda divination dice Marriage and subsequent child-birth are, legitimised by the exchange of gifts between contracting families, and in particular by the payment of thakha to the girl's family. An illegitimate birth, particularly when a girl is already betrothed, reduces the 'value' of the bride and can upset the whole transaction. If, however, the name of the genitor is known, his family can be approached. If he has no intention of marrying the girl whom he has made pregnant, his family can pay the girl's family some compensation, and the settlement of the matter will at least improve her chances of marriage to another, who may even want to adopt her illegitimate child. Thus there are very good social and economic reasons for revealing the name of the lover, refraining from abortion, and making sure that an illegitimate child is healthy; and the purpose of muvhudziso is to emphasise these facts. The sections into which muvhudziso is here divided are those observed by the master at Thengwe, Tshimbiluni Makumbila. In between each section they performed the domba song. 251 People are saying, "That's right! That girl is pregnant: she's already five months gone." Alack, alas! Why do her family lie about it: and say she's only missed one period? People say she played with boys: and they came out inside her. They did not withdraw. Now that girl had said to herself, "Everything's going nicely". But when the new moon says, "Here I am!" she no longer sees it [i.e. her monthly]. She finds that time passes: she no longer wears her tampon. Now she stops spending the day with the other girls: because she is afraid of being mocked. Why should she be mocked? Because [shouting] she is pregnant. But people say her G-string was pulled off: and her snake [i.e. period] no longer comes. People say her family lies: you can see her stomach getting bigger: in a few days, you will see that she won't come to domba. And now she has run away. Who is the father of that child? Tshikope, a maize cob [i.e. which you can pick up anywhere]. Don't have anything to do with it: a penis is not a plaything. 252 Now they are talking about another girl. As soon as the sun rises, she leaves home: and stays in the bush until sunset. People say that her stomach: is three months big. Her family says, "You lie: there is nothing. You just hate her: we have seen how she is when washing by the river." They said, "This child is contrary." They asked her outright who had made her pregnant. When they asked her: she just wept: she kept on refusing to eat. They said, "Her navel has already swollen: what has it eaten?" It is through playing with boys: who have come out inside her. Now people say that that girl had an abortion: and that her mother helped her abort. Her family says that she is sick. They say, "We do not know whether she will live or die. People say that she does not raise her head: and that she is dead. Her family says, "Why do you lie about her?" They say, "We found her just squatting: and the flies were going into her mouth" [i.e. she was too sick to drive them away]. This girl did not listen to her teacher at domba. Otherwise she would have refused to take the medicine: given by her mother. 253 They say that that girl: is getting big: as far as her stomach is concerned. They charged her to reveal the father's name: but she says nothing. She just weeps. They say that it is done by her mother: and her older sister: who say, "Don't speak about it! Just die like that!" But the girl goes on weeping all the time: she does not eat her food. People say that she is already three months gone. But her family says, "They are lying. She only has a month to go. In fact, she already has a baby. A boy." A child born out of wedlock is a boy. People said that she had an abortion: but her family said, "They lie. She bore her child." But she would not reveal the father's name: then the baby would have been happy and well. She ran to the doctor: but it was too late. People say that the baby died: because the mother would not reveal the name of its father. People say that she would not talk: because she is obstinate. They say that the doctor spoke. He said that her boy friend had silenced her by rubbing medicine: red medicine: on her mons veneris: and had warned her not to mention his name. So that whenever they asked her the name, she just wept. And so her baby died because of this. The baby just died. Yaaa! Yaaa! [all join in the wailing for the dead baby]. 254 [During this section, the master plays the role of diviner as well as story-teller. He sometimes asks one of the married women present to act as the girl's mother. There are sixteen different ways in which the divining dice can fall, and each has a meaning (see |Stayt 1931:287-90 and van Warmelo 1932:198-99). Although he throws real divining dice during muvhudziso, the master either calls out the names of combinations that fit his story, or he calls out every combination but only discusses those that are relevant. The novices do not repeat what he says, but instead call out "Si a vuma!" (we agree).] The parents of that girl go off to see a diviner. They say, "Hurry up and throw your dice, as we want to go home. Let us see what has eaten up our grandchild". [Throws dice.] "Muhuluri!" (a good omen). "Tell us what has eaten our grandchild." [Throws dice.] "There! Tshilume!" (sorrow, especially connected with marriage payment: a child may become sick if the father has not paid). "Tell us what has eaten our grandchild." [Throws dice.] "Murubi! (connected with the mother of the child). Your daughter knows everything, but won't tell: she keeps it under her armpits." "Tell us what has eaten our grandchild." [Throws dice.] "Thamba-dzivha! (refers to crocodile, usually a good omen). "Throw again! Tell us what has eaten our grandchild." [Throws dice.] "! (Very good sign. No more trouble.) Your daughter has her mat outside (i.e. she has a lot of boy friends). There are other problems. Let's see. [Throws dice.] Mahe-mavhili! (good omen) [Throws dice.] Muhuluri! (good omen) [Throws dice.] *Tshitangu! (good omen for travellers) Your daughter has long legs (i.e. goes all over the place after boys). [Throws dice.] Thwalima! (very bad omen connected with fire and redness) There! Red medicine: that's bad. [Throws dice.] Mufhirifhiri! (quarrelling) Did you not quarrel with your daughter? Did you never make a lot of noise quarrelling amongst yourselves when you came back from a beer party one day? You quarrelled about your daughter: you even wanted to fight in your own home. [Throws dice.] All this trouble stems from your quarrelling: while you were arguing, that lad was standing outside the fence of your home. When you went to bed, your daughter slipped out to see him. You thought she was just sulking. But in fact she went out to her boy friend. Now let's see! [Throws dice.] ! You daughter is a wanderer, a flirt. [Throws dice.] Nothing left! ! (in a dispute between a man and a woman, the woman is at fault) [Throws dice] It says Muraru muhulu! (good omen) Tsha muraru tshi mavaleloni a tswinga - that of the three is at the point where the poles close the courtyard" [part of the praises for this fall of the dice]. [The following passages were given at great speed.] "Don't think that you are blameless. You saw what went on after you had shouted at your daughter, when she slinked off. Where did she think of going? She thought of going to that place: where she knew he was. Now today: we have all this trouble. Your daughter: is also one who has made things difficult for herself. She's a two washbasin-woman. Now what does this mean, to have two washbasins? It means that she brings washing water to this man and she brings it to that man. That's how these problems arose. That's why she did not say anything, and did not reveal the boys' names (i.e. she did not know who was the father of her child). She should have revealed the names of all her boy friends, and then her child would be alive and kicking: she would now be lifting him on to her lap. But because she was too inhibited to talk: her child is now dead, because she did not reveal her lovers' names. [Throws dice.] Let's see! [Throws dice.] There! Now don't blame it on sorcerers: there are no sorcerers involved. It's just that a woman has failed to live up to the responsibilities of motherhood: a mother has not revealed the names of her lovers. [Throws dice.] Tshilume! (young man) Trouble with boys! She could have had her child. You must always reveal the names of your lovers! Her parents say she was seduced (lit. pierced): when she was given some meat. Come on, tell us (the name of) the beast of prey! Why don't you speak up?" [A woman speaks.] "Tell us why our little grandchild was eaten up." [Throws dice] "Murubi! (trouble connected with the mother's side of the family) It's under your daughter's armpits: your daughter is hiding things: she does not speak. [Throws dice.] Speak up! Murubi again! Speak up! [Throws dice.] Tshilume again! Don't you see? She must speak up, man [sic, in English]; she must reveal the name of the culprit. [Throws dice. ] Hwami! (old man) There, I have revealed the name of the culprit." [At this point, two old ladies commented: "Young people today do things even if you tell them not to." "They are fools not to listen; they will surely drive themselves mad"] Now sing up as loud as you can!  1. Ndi a laula I explain the meaning of the dice.  2. Ndi a bvumba I reveal what is hidden.  3. Ndi matasheme I am a great talker.  4. Ndi nga mungome I am a diviner [who works without the dice].  Chorus: ndi matasheme the diviner [who works without the dice]. 255 [They have now come back from the diviner, and are telling their friends and relatives all about it.] He said the child died because of boys. His mother did not reveal her lovers' names: she kept to herself: the names of those with whom she had slept. Now if you don't speak up, your child will die: and if you do speak up, your child will live. That child of hers never ever walked: because she never revealed her lovers' names: because she refused. Goodness me! If I had been that girl, I would certainly have spoken up. Alack, alas! Yaa! Yaa! Yaa! [wails as before] My poor dead child! A child has died because a mother would not reveal her lovers' names. [They all sing again ndi matsheme.] What did that boy say? "Don't you say anything about me! If you tell a soul about me, you will die." And so when he said this she was very frightened: she did not dare to speak about the child: which she was carrying. Notice that the responsibilities of parenthood, as well as motherhood, are emphasised. While an initiation school is being held, people in the district concerned are expected to refrain from fighting and quarrelling. The emphasis on the role of the doctor/diviner as mediator is significant. Many masters of domba today are also experts in this kind of divination, and I believe that before domba was nationalised, it was exclusively run by such men. Divination without the use of dice, bones, etc., was, and is, practised by the neighbouring Shangana-Tsonga, and the word mungome refers to an expert in such skills. On the last night of the 1958 domba at Thengwe, at 10.30 pm on November 8th, muvhudziso was done with an enormous crowd of over two hundred novices, and their families and friends. The master, Tshimbiluni Makumbila, was in great form, and played for laughs. For example, he said: "They asked her who had made her pregnant, and she said, 'It was Tshimbiluni. He threatened to punish me at domba if I did not sleep with him'. They asked her again and she said, 'Khangale (the master's assistant) made me pregnant. He said that I need not collect wood for the domba fire if I made love to him'. They asked her again, and she said, 'Those cameras made me pregnant'. [Tshimbiluni had before commented on the phallic properties of my camera, especially when slung in front at waist height] ... They asked her the name of the boy and she said, 'Tshimbiluni and Khangale both slept with me: they made love to me at the same time'." All this kind of banter was greeted with gusts of laughter. Furthermore, it was the opposite of a common pattern, in which an older man is guilty of seduction, but a young lad is persuaded to admit guilt. The lad is forgiven and acquires a reputation for virility, and the older man secretly pays the expenses.  To return, click 'Back' in the browser. Next