Matunde - THE YELLOW BISHOP BIRD (Lines 176-181)  176 Matunde kwo (tsho) dzula thenyama. The little yellow bishop bird (Euplectes xanthomelas) sits up straight (taking up little space) (= A girl who has never had intercourse).  177 Vhapfuli vha pfula hani? How will the marksmen shoot it? (How are boys going to make love to her?)  178 tsha thinya-misevhe. The bird which dodges arrows.  179 Vha () kona nga (u) pfula Iurumbu. (Vha pfule lurumbu). They (will) do it by piercing the side of its body.  180 I a lema i ya , Its horns curve and spread open (= the girl opens her legs and is ready),  181 Kholomo ya Tshiendeulu. The beast from Tshiendeulu.   The beast in line 181 refers, in the minds of some masters of initiation, to the rite the small beast from Karangaland, and also to the exchange of women for cattle in marriage. While these and other words of domba are sung, the novices in turn must stand up straight on an upturned alto drum. Each one is supposed to sing lines 176 to 181, but I never heard this done satisfactorily.     Milayo for Matunde: Lesson: One master gave the astonishing explanation that this teaches people not to shoot at a person during intercourse, for fear that two people might be killed at the same time! The common explanation is that this rite warns people of the dangers of intercourse during menstruation.   325 Ri tshi ri, "Matunde kwo dzula thenyama: vhapfuli vha pfula hani? When we say, "The little yellow bishop bird sits up straight: how will the marksmen shoot it?" Ri khou amba zwauri zwino hafhu i : ri pfula hani hafha fhethu ngauri kule-kule nga We are saying that a girl's sex is there outside: but how will we reach it, because it is very far away?  326 Mutei u tshi hwela ha murumba When a novice climbs up on to the alto drum: e kha musidzana a youth on top of a girl (more literally appropriate, since matunde is generally the male bird)  To return, click 'Back' in the browser.