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CHAPTER TRHEE CONTINUATION

Twadeta kongwa (song 23)

We say thanks

    For the Bafuliru, the marriage is some how rare, there from, the young Fuliru boy /girl who happen to realize such an achievement is  much thanked either by the church in which he belongs to or by his/her family. On this occasion, they thank their Youngs for the endurance, the patience, behaviour and kindness.  Example this phrase:

            “twadeta kongwa komwatukumanya,                                                                                                      kubwitonde bwinyu mlwagira,                                                                                                                                                                                                                kubwitegereze bwinyu mwatuyereka”

              “we say thanks for you together us

               For your kindness you shown us

               For your carefulness you shown us

           By this, they try to show that to realize this is some  how as a surprise, so to express  their great fullness attitude, they thank them  in the way of not only considering them as  miracle but also to advise the other and encourage them to feel the fiercy of being in front of people exposing their behviours.  As usual, when some one is thanked for one step of his/her travel he/she is encouraged for the rest.  For the Bafuliru, as the first step  of the household life begins by the union. On this concretization day they sing this:

 Twakuhanula ukunde yibalo/ mukawe kubyoshi

Mango wamujandagiza ugalumuka

Umukunde nomutima gwoshi , ndaye gundi ugalonga halind’okufwa

We  advise you , to love your husband/ wife for all

When you neglect him/her you will blame yourself

Love him/her with all your heart, any other one you will get up to your death.

              Here they frash the new wedded’s minds, telling them that apart from the union, they must love one another  at any circumstance, or difficuilty, and not thin,k that they can  trouble, neglect one another up to the dissolution of the union thinking that they are allowed to marry other partners; when it is impossible. But they must work, walk in total close relation, collaboration , contribution. With the phrase: “ugalumuka” “ you will blame yourself”, For the Bafuliru as it is known, when a woman leaves her household or divorces, to get an other husband is very difficult that why they try to wash her mind and tell her to hold her husband with much force. This is explained by the following song:

  Yuvwa tukuhanule ( song 24)

Listen we advise you

         Through this song the phrases:

          “wayituma wengwa kwo uyangage/ uyangagwe

            Ee bulibwija

            Haliko ubimenye kwobiribikayu

             You decide yourself to get married, yes it is good

              But know that it is difficult.

This explains how some one who determines to get married should know that it is not a slice of cake, but an initiation, formation, a brewing period he/she is starting to undergo. Despite all these problems they are going to face, they simply advise them of not deceiving, not thinking of the change of the position, or of the rest, but to be courage, determined, and objective. Most of young people think that the marriage is a pleasure, is something one can wake up and just decide on that as they are not informed about it.  That why at this moment they tell them the truth of the marriage and  put them out of their confusion.  The following expression says:

“ utwano muliro atayoboha ekyusi”

“who lights the fire cannot be afraid of the smoke”

          To mean that once some one decides to do something, he/she must bear or be ready for any consequence. In this same song , the refrain:

 Ndaye gundi waye kisime/ waye kiyange

Rurema abagashanire murambe norukundo

Any other one you will love/marry

May God bless you and live in love.

The message of these phrases is similar to the song 23; it means that the marriage as union through which the wife and the husband are united and there is any other person who can separate them apart from the death. They let  them  know that they must love, hold one another up to the end of their life, and no one will leave the other  and love or marry  an other person. After, they recommend them in God’s hands and let them be guided or protected by the almighty. After leaving them in God’s hands, they encourage them through the following song:

Kamat’orukunga lwanamanenge tunenge nenge (song 22)

Take the labour of the dancer so that we may dance

       Through this song, the Bafuliru show how they consider the married in their household according to their way of working. For example the verse:

 Kamat’orukunga lwanamanenge tunenge nenge

take the labour of the dancer so that we may dance

     In this phrase, they encourage, recall them on the work, they invite them on the labour. The only key of success. This is not a kind of invitation but it is some how an order addressed to the new married. By “kamata” “take, hold”, this word is from Kiswahili origin with the same value as the Fuliru word “gwata, kania”,  having a look at Fuliru activities, this word “kamata” “hold”, is used in some particular circumstances like: in the hunt, when encouraging , or ordering the dog to attack, to cutch the victim in the purpose of killing it. In this context, the word “gwata”, expresses: to take courage, to cross an obstacle; to endure; to patient,

      There fore, “kamata” “hold”, encourages more, and tells the new married to refer to other Bafuliru. On this point turn a series of questions: is the life a struggle?, Is it not the work the only mean to struggle against the life?,  Is the whole human’s life turned around the work?, Is the received education not turned around this great term called “work”?. That why the Bafuliru say:

 “Utaloba lushando ataloba akanwa”

“Who ever does not have his foot waited by the morning warm, does not have his lips waited/ have some thong to eat”.   In this perspective, the work is considered as the foundation, the pillar of the human existence.  This is the idea in the Baoulé expression, according to RUHARURA (1987: 52):

 “Quant on te reproche ta pauvreté, on te demande de travailler pour t’enrichir”

‘’ when they reproach you for poverty, they recommend you to work in order to enrich     

    Yourself”.

       In fact, the moving to the negation in this same song through the morpheme “ndaye”,” here is not” , is a kind of a negative verbal form expressing the absence of  a quality. For this verse: “alenyumba ndayo” “there is no house”. The household being constituted  or made up with “ mushosi” “husband” and “mukazi” “wife”, who both in this situation do not exist although there are present, it  is because they are  lazy, they do not work, and “ alatugaye byoshi” “let detest all”, show  the complementarity which characterizes the married.  These expressions precise how in Fuliru society, the lazy people are considered, and do not have a place in the society. At the end, this song tries to recall the new married on the work, labour, courage as the unique way of succeeding in the life.   

III.2.3. Married songs

III.2.3.1. Wives’ songs

        To extricate the young lady’s fear and to pouch her to go straight her effort, or objective, the wives sing this song:

Yija, yija, yija nawe uyikobere (song 27)

Come, come, come also surrender

         Every young girl aspires on the marriage. She therefore answers on the joyful sound, this invitation is addressed to: “yija, yija, yija nawe” “come, come, and come also”. Apart from this invitation, does she understand the fully meaning of “yija, yija, yija nawe”?, is it  for the happiness or for the misfortune? Is the happiness not an ambiguous notion?, understandable?. Up to now this invitation remains unprecised. When they say: “yija nawe uyikobere kera nyehe nga kobwa” “come also; surrender for I have already surrendered”. What is the attitude to adopt?. A mufuliru practices, concludes that it is not good to give away this occasion, when they say: “keranyehe ngakobwa” “for I have already surrendered”. Can some one call the other for the misfortune?. This song exalts the joyful attitude of being married apart from difficulties the young lady alludes to. They encourage her, to go straight that” tortuous way”, “un known future”, because without living the reality one cannot get the experience.

        In this perspective, the marriage becomes for the wife a reality which can be analyzed individually, being   out of it, it becomes understandable. And “yija, yija nawe” “come, come also”, means “come and share the same experience with us. You will discover the meaning and the content of the marriage”.  The metaphorical phrase: “al’omulozi atamutola yagaloga” “look the sorcerer in killing, he does not choose a person to kill”. At the Bufuliru, the sorcery is a current reality. The sorcerer believes firmly in his action, his power. H e is a “man who treats by means of witchcraft, predicts the future, explains what is beyond human intelligence”. He is much dreaded because people are not a ware of the level of his knowledge and his power.

His extreme kindness, the way of attracting victims, towards him. Related to the every day realities,  a man like a woman  while wooing, being lazy, rude, bandit, etc. always hides his /her behaviours . All the most the young boy having such characteristics, he usually wants to select a beautiful girl. In this case, the Bafuliru want to show the young ladies that they have to pare much attention with the young boys , as they do not know them apparently. One can see a boy being very smart, while he wears clothes he lent from some one else, now a girl seeing that she  is immediately attracted without knowing what is the evil behind that smartness. Such a boy always prefers beautiful girls. Therefore, when a girl is married with such a boy, it is the house where the girl will discover that what she was thinking is now different from the reality she is living in that household.  Hence, these boys are compared to sorcerers. From this reality come the following questions:  after the marriage; what shall we become?, Do we catch sight of happiness?, or unhappiness?. By calling the young girl “yija, yija” “come, come”, without telling her what to come for, the women keep quiet not because they miss what to tell, but because, the experience is not universal. If a sorcerer does not choose a victim however, he does not kill every one.

        The marriage a fact of two incomes or possibilities: either the death (unhappiness), or the life (happiness). Is it possible to suggest that the success and the failure are due to the stroke of luck? It is to Saint-EXUPERY to add that: “l’homme se decouvre quand il se mesure devant un obstacle” “man discovers what he is, when he undergoes un obstacle”. The marriage being an individual experience, which every one lives differently, the singer has the difficult to express clearly the reason of her invitation. It is difficult to show some observations.

        Nevertheless, when the experience becomes negative, the wife sings the following song to express her misfortune:

 Namatenda (song 27)

When I am to groan

        The title of this song is very signicance: “namatenda” “when I am to groan, to complain”.

A household life is a plaintful life, in which either  the wife complains against her husband  who does not take care of her like: to wear, to nourish, …or the husband complains  against his wife who does not take care of the household duties, or satisfy him,…,but with the first verse:

“Ngayiyangirwa mawe nakomeresa”

“ I will mother marry a businessman “, we notice that it is a woman complaining against her husband. She is living a miserable life; and wants to escape it by needing a business man who will make her happy. With the first stanza:

Ngayiyangirwa mawe nakomeresa

Komeresa mawe we mirondo

Uganyambika mawe kira namuna

Kira namuna ye mirondo, mawe aina ngofula

I will marry mother a businessman

A business mother of clothes

Who will wear me mother every kind

Every kind of cloth, kind of ngofula.

          We understand that the wife is complaining of not being worn by her husband and went to see her mother telling her that she wants to marry a businessman, especially the one who is selling clothes. According to the women believe, they know that a woman who is married with a cloth businessman wears every kind of cloth she wants; that why she preferred him also. When she precises the kind of cloth: “aina ngofula” “ kind of ngofula”; this  was informer time considered  a s a loincloth of higher  rank at Bufuliru, and the woman whose husband was unable to buy it for her, has been considered as unmarried woman.

   In the second stanza:

          Mikibanye mawe yekatuma ndagabuta

          Mukumbereza mawe inyama ye nzobu

           Nabamwitu batalya nzobu

           My co spouse mother has deceived me

           She caused me mother not to give birth

          When she gave the nzobu meat

          When at ours they do not eat such a kind of meat

                   The main idea is the expression of the consequence of polygamy.  For the Bafuliru, the polygamy is normal, but here this second wife is complaining a against her co spouse who gave her “nyama yenzobu” “the nzobu meat”; it is a kind of meat forbidden to women to eat because it causes some consequences and it was a taboo meat for the Bafuliru women. The fact of eating that meat without being informed caused her not to give birth. Therefore, the fact of not giving birth caused her husband of not taking care of her, as in Bufuliru a wife who does not give birth is always rejected, despised and not even well served. Being in this state, the wife can decide to leave that household and look for an other husband. The main concern of this stanza is the great attention put on the power of the culture through this nzobe meat. By the last stanza:

 “naliriri mawe ngayilengera nanagwanana mawe umushoferi

Kukilalo kya shange anambereza mawe inoti yani yagatanu

Nanabwir’owitu mawe angulir’ekitambala na wagisi

Wagisi mawe aina ngofula

I was  passing by mother, I  met a  driver

At the river shange, he gave me mother a bill of mine

A bill mother of fifty

I told my partner mother to buy me a silk kerchief and wax

Wax mother kind of ngofula

         We see the behavioral change in the wife vis-à-vas to the attitude of her husband, she is seen as a materialist, capricious, may she be; this is noticed by the fact that she is exposing to passengers who most offer her some thing.  Wondering up and down with any control, it is the sing of unfaithfulness; considering her bodily image, we understand that she wants to be well taken care of.  The wearing of “kitambala” “silk kerchief” on the head and having other parts of the body covered  by “wagisi” “wax”, a cloth of higher value; which is an easy task to be fulfilled by the driver or the businessman , brings us to mind the idea of civilization. Because informer time Fuliru women were not wearing these clothes, but with the modernization  every  woman wants to wear them. The introduction of “kitambala” “silk kerchief” , and “wagisi” “wax” to Bufuliru lets us identify the presence of strange culture and  these  elements express the idea of superiority, force, and the value  attributed to  a woman  wearing them.

        Nevertheless, was considered inferior, womanless, a woman whose husband was unable to purchase them.  It also symbolizes a certain social consideration , and richness reffered to a bill of fifty “ inoti ya gatanu”; with which one can buy a silk kerchief and the wax. If a muliru woman a grees willingly that bill of fifty given by a driver, a strange; a sum to wear her, it is not an act symbolizing not only her pride but also her sadness?, through this question came an other one: what is Mufuliru woman”s condition?

             It is worth marking that, if a mufuliru woman wonders up and down, she is not well entertained by her husband. But  for those who are courageous, the refrain shows their attitude:

 Ee mushosi wani vyuka tugende tugafwira kumbinga

Data  na mawe bgula imikeke balya banyimas

Aupi/3 kutenda

you my husband, wake so that we may go  we are to die in the streets

my father and mother have bought salmons, they ate and deprived me

aupi/3 to groan

        Infront of such a situation, a wise mufuliru woman, when she sees that her husband is unable to buy her these clothes, does not put her hands together; but she knows that life is found on the work.  The analysis of this word” kufwira kumbinga” “ to die in the streets”, explains how the wife  understand that  the husband and the wife must help one an other for the happiness of the their household. The progress in the household is the contribution of each other, the courage of each one .

As there are lazy men, the wife through this expression: “vyuka tugende” “ wake up so that we may go “, tries to negociate her husband to go on working, take the labour.  I n this context, the Bafuliru always say  the following:

“omushosi agirwa nakazi” “ tha husband is found on the work, is appreciated through his way of working”, and the other  to add: “ umwij”olihano alya ni shige” “ the beautiful one who is here eats and anoints”. This is to mean that without eating and anointing, one’s  body cannot be smart. When all this is the fruit of the work.  By the phrase: “bagul’emikeke balyabanyima” “ they have bought salmons and deprived me”, the woman is thinking about what her parents are eating , the way they are getting money, without remembering her, but she convinced herself concluding that she should not be depending either on   her parents or her husband totally, but she decides to work when she invited her husband to complete one an other by roaming in different activities of the nature; each doing what is of his capacity fro the common happiness.

      In “kufwira kumbinga” “ to die in the streets”, it requires the work, (intensive, painful, far from hers), the patience, and endurance. But all this is some how complicate as at others nothing is good.

If the relations between the married are complementary relations; of mutual aid; in door, to get happiness. The most  difficulty to reach is the relation between the young married woman  and her family in-law, when they start rejecting what ever she does as it is demonstrated in this song:

 Kanamarondo ( song 25)

Slanderous

      The question is to know why is this song expressed by the present? When  for the young woman all is  projected fro the future? The reason is that, the young woman is undergoing these  difficties even sough she is working for the future.  At the others “ many mountains”, sung the young lady, it is a calvery. The  most terrible is the mother in-law. The “kanamarond” “ slanderous”.

In fact, through  the experience most of the mother in-laws are not satisfied of the services, works of their daughter in-laws. This unsatisfaction is explained by “ balimudeta” “ they talking”, there is always a reproach,  a sulk, a talk,… all this is spoken in her absence, when she went to work ” agweti agafwira kumbinga” “ she is dying in the streets” i.e.  roamed in different activities:“ Kushenya” “to cut fire woods” ,“ kuvwoma” “to fetch water”, “ kudeka” “to cook”, … in the purpose of satisfying her mother in –law, but not satisfied.

      With the morphem: -ba-“ they” , they  introduce the opposition between the narrator and the people who are talking about her. It also indicates the young woman’s position versus her mother in-law. Not only it is her  who is struggling against  every day life activities such as: to go to the field, to collect fire woods, to fetch water, to pound, to cook,… but she is not appreciated; by the contrary “balimudeta” “they are talking”, “they are slandering”.  We notice that although she continues living at her husband, she is always strange in that family. Through this  song executed during unpleasant , sorrowful moment, the young woman denounces her mother in-law’s defaults: slander, hypocrisy, calumny, unfaithful,… she is also exalting her own merits and treading her misfortunes, distresses.

III.2.2.2. Men’s song

   The wishes and recommendations of the young lady’s family could be reduced, when the lady has not been well educated?.  But if she is weel educated, this is a great joice. When she is able to fulfil her task, duty, this  is a kind  of satisfaction for the husband and praises her through the following song:

Kirokondo wa mwizo ngamugond’ehirinda( song 26)

Kirikondo of uncle I endowed her 7 millions

     As a Mufuliru has an idea of observation and appreciation, this song describes the level of the appreciation and with “kirikondo wa mwizo” “kirikondo of uncle”, a young girl ( wife) with a big navel. The navel  symbolizes the fecundity, the beauty, as we can see”  kirikondo”, is not each ever girl. There fore,  is called “kirikondo wa mwizo” “ kirikondo of uncle”, a beautiful, kind, appreciated  either of  her physical or  moral traits i.e.  kirikondo is a wife of great value,  of good  charractors, on which every young boy is ready to offer every thing, to die for in order to get her.  The syntagm” ngamugond’ehirinda” “ I endowed her seven millions” , emphasizes much on her value. The dowry as symbolizes an alliance, becomes the proof of the love, of the capacity to take care of the spouse.

        Theanthroponym: “ kirikondo wa mwizo” “kirikondo of uncle” in association with “ hirinda”  “ seven millions”, allows us to suggest that: the dowry is the young lady’s value. To show the effort, that the man managed to get her; he introduces the following expression:

“kirikondo wa mwizo akangora” “ kirikondo of uncle made me suffer  before I could get her”

By the phrase:  “ kirikondo akajamba ndaye mwan’ ohuba nyina”

                            “ kirikondo has got thinner any child can confuse his/her mother”

                            “although your mother has got thinner, it is impossible for the child to con

                              Confuse her”.

    This matches with the following expression:

   “ such a mother, such a daughter”, “a woman has any other school  apart from her mother”. Through this  proverb, the Mufuliru wants to say that the child must inherit  from his/her parents, i.e. his  education always reflects the one of his parents. It is  normal that the mother’s behavior  to the reference, the important condition of marrying her daughter or the father’s behavior to be the condition of accepting the young boy.  In short, at the Bafuliru, the choice  of the young lady  or the young boy is based on two elements:  the young lady’s or boy’s behavior, and the family  social conditions.  With the two  first phrases, the young boy is expressing his joyful attitude and his satisfaction having got a beautiful  and kind wife. But in the two last phrases, with the image of “kuhira” “to burn”, this destruction does not totally mutc; because “ umilyango gwasigala”  “ the door  is  left ”. The door is the  symbol or the element which stands for the whole song: “ umulynga” “ the door”, is the boarder between the inside and the outside( secret); the symbol no communication  between the outside and the household symbolizes by the “inyumba ya hira” “ the house is burnt”, expressing the difficulties in the household. Here it is about a discration which must characterize the husband and spouse, do not spread out the conjugal secret.

       The contrast between the image noticed from “kirikondo wa mwizo” “ kirikondo of uncle” and her behavior  (difficulties in the household), could lead to a certain hypocrisy. But the mufuliru says:

                       “ umwija ulihala mwegere umukobe”

                       “ the beautiful one who is far meet her/him and woo her/him”

                        “ all what shines is not golden”

         This means that it is impossible to appreciate far from you i.e.  it is after the experience that one can judge of a convenient ( kind) spouse.

III. 3. PARTAIL  CONCLUSION

       Thanks to this chapter, we happened to discover how much wedding songs are considered with the highest value in Fuliru community. How they are related to social realities; the way they guide people in the society through the messages they contain , they enterven as a behavioral code which every one must follow because they are considere as  laws through which Fuliru people are required to interiorize and hold with much attention. This has been remarked through the fact that Fuliru tradition has for senn different categories of songs a mong them wedding songs are maintained for they convey educative instruction such as: wisdom, cultural secret, guidance, education, which are the main cultural customs.

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