DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0329
THE WAYAO OF NYASALAND
313
nor is he “ God the creator/’ of man or earth. He, however, receives the spirits of the
dead. Should he refuse to do so, a man continues to live. When a man has recovered from
some commonly fatal disease, the natives say, “ Mulungu wakanile (refused him)! ” or if
he has been very near to death and then recovers, they say “Mulungu wasunile (spat him
out) ”.
It would thus appear that among the spirit hosts there is a regular law of precedence,
and presiding over all is a supreme being, but all this is so remote as to have little impor-
tance for the living. The vagueness concerning Mulungu, I must admit, has given rise to
some doubt in my own mind as to how far he was a deity with an entity of his own in their
religion of a little time ago.
Ancestors tend to be forgotten in proportion to the length of time which has elapsed
since their death, unless they played some important part during their lives: then some
particular one may be remembered to the exclusion of others, and to him prayers of inter-
cession are offered. In the case of chiefs, the names of a long line of rulers may be remem-
bered on occasions when all else about them has fallen into oblivion. It seems possible
originally Mulungu was the oldest ancestral chief who was raised up as a supreme being
but who, in the process, has lost all other attributes. On the other hand, the word often
refers only to the place where the spirits dwell; this may have been the original meaning.
There is no religious worship in the proper sense of the term but only propitiation,
prayer for intercession, and return of thanks for favors granted. The keynote of this an-
cestor worship, the sum total of their religion to the exclusion of the belief in a supreme
being, is fear. We have seen at the funeral that everything is done to lay the spirit at
rest. The people wish never to hear of the spirit again. It is chiefly with a view of avert-
ing some evil that worship takes place or with a view of expiating some crime that sacrifice
is made or to alleviate some suffering that communication is sought with the spirits. It
is a question of, “Do us no harm, do not vent your wrath upon us for what we have left
undone,” rather than “ Keep us from doing evil, save us from being our own enemies.” It
would appear to be a religion of spite, not of love and kindness, though there are glimmer-
ings of a search after “a hand to guide and protect,” as in the prayer given below and also
in the action taken when removing a village.
As a corollary of this system of ancestor worship, there is no real priesthood. A man
asks for favors for himself; the head of a family petitions a deceased father or some more
remote ancestor of greater importance; the headman intercedes on behalf of the village
with the spirit of a predecessor; a chief takes the place of high priest on the occasion of a
tribal supplication to a former ruler, though he may be replaced by some one of his wise
men who acts as intermediary.
Some form of sacrifice is offered with the prayer, and often some omen is sought as a
sign that the prayer is granted. For this purpose, flour made from millet called mbepesi
(nsembe, Chin.) is commonly used. The word mbepesi probably includes any sacrificial
offerings.
313
nor is he “ God the creator/’ of man or earth. He, however, receives the spirits of the
dead. Should he refuse to do so, a man continues to live. When a man has recovered from
some commonly fatal disease, the natives say, “ Mulungu wakanile (refused him)! ” or if
he has been very near to death and then recovers, they say “Mulungu wasunile (spat him
out) ”.
It would thus appear that among the spirit hosts there is a regular law of precedence,
and presiding over all is a supreme being, but all this is so remote as to have little impor-
tance for the living. The vagueness concerning Mulungu, I must admit, has given rise to
some doubt in my own mind as to how far he was a deity with an entity of his own in their
religion of a little time ago.
Ancestors tend to be forgotten in proportion to the length of time which has elapsed
since their death, unless they played some important part during their lives: then some
particular one may be remembered to the exclusion of others, and to him prayers of inter-
cession are offered. In the case of chiefs, the names of a long line of rulers may be remem-
bered on occasions when all else about them has fallen into oblivion. It seems possible
originally Mulungu was the oldest ancestral chief who was raised up as a supreme being
but who, in the process, has lost all other attributes. On the other hand, the word often
refers only to the place where the spirits dwell; this may have been the original meaning.
There is no religious worship in the proper sense of the term but only propitiation,
prayer for intercession, and return of thanks for favors granted. The keynote of this an-
cestor worship, the sum total of their religion to the exclusion of the belief in a supreme
being, is fear. We have seen at the funeral that everything is done to lay the spirit at
rest. The people wish never to hear of the spirit again. It is chiefly with a view of avert-
ing some evil that worship takes place or with a view of expiating some crime that sacrifice
is made or to alleviate some suffering that communication is sought with the spirits. It
is a question of, “Do us no harm, do not vent your wrath upon us for what we have left
undone,” rather than “ Keep us from doing evil, save us from being our own enemies.” It
would appear to be a religion of spite, not of love and kindness, though there are glimmer-
ings of a search after “a hand to guide and protect,” as in the prayer given below and also
in the action taken when removing a village.
As a corollary of this system of ancestor worship, there is no real priesthood. A man
asks for favors for himself; the head of a family petitions a deceased father or some more
remote ancestor of greater importance; the headman intercedes on behalf of the village
with the spirit of a predecessor; a chief takes the place of high priest on the occasion of a
tribal supplication to a former ruler, though he may be replaced by some one of his wise
men who acts as intermediary.
Some form of sacrifice is offered with the prayer, and often some omen is sought as a
sign that the prayer is granted. For this purpose, flour made from millet called mbepesi
(nsembe, Chin.) is commonly used. The word mbepesi probably includes any sacrificial
offerings.