DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0379
THE WAYAO OF NYASALAND 363
Trapping and catching of animals is pursued with great glee by small boys. They
make many of the traps, particularly the two kinds of liliwa, chipoto, chijumba, chitawa,
liwano, and nyau. Lilesa is set in rat runs and the rats are driven into them (Pl. XX, fig. 6).
Digging-out rats is a favorite amusement for the boys and brings meat to the pot. May
is the best month for this sport. They are adepts at recognizing burrows which have rats
inside. Digging is commenced at one entry to the rat-warren, the escape holes being closed
with tufts of grass. As they get nearer the rat chambers, they smell the earth and so know
when they are quite close to the rats. A bunch of grass is then put in this hole, lighted, and
kept aglow by blowing on it. One of the rats will try to bolt and is knocked on the head.
His head is then squashed to kill him effectually, and the skin of the tail of the first rat is
always pulled off for luck, “ so that they may catch many.” They will try to guess how
many there are going to be, “ ten and ten and five and two! ” Each rat when caught is
buried under some earth, so that the hawks will not swoop down and carry it off. When
they have finished one warren, one of the party is appointed to carry all the rats. He ties
a string round his waist, and the rats are slipped underneath it and so secured. They then
go on to another; the carrier will bear the whole catch for the day and may, before they have
finished, have several strings of rats round his body, one above the other.
Digging-out crabs, ku-kopa ngala, is another favorite amusement for children; (ku-kopa
is to dig up anything like mud which makes a squelching sound). Crabs are never eaten
with flour, but always with masete, the grain husks, “ crabs and brown-bread! ”
Youths and girls fish with a rod, line, wire hook, and worm, ku-loposya somba, to pull
up fish. They also catch fish, using the fish poison, mtutu. Birds are killed with a bow and
a blunt-pointed wooden arrow.
A small boy, seeing a girl or a younger boy with a cob of maize and wanting it himself,
will say, “ Let me make a path to the coast! ” He will then remove, say a couple of rows
of maize grains for himself, much to the interest of the owner; or “Let me make ilemba”
(ilemba is a shaved band on the scalp), or “ Let me make the crab’s eyes! ” when two
solitary grains are left, surrounded by a simple ring of other grains, as the girl’s portion.
Children are taught a little saying about their fingers which reminds one of the “This
little pig went to market ” of one’s infancy. Starting with the little finger, they say:
“ Akaka kangateka kangateka! ”
“This little one (is) the one which cannot draw water!”
Pointing to the ring finger,
“ Kankulugwe njunyundo! ”
“ This little one’s brother (is) the one that picks the nose!”
To the middle finger,
“ Njunyundo mmala wandu! ”
“ (The brother of) the one that picks the nose (is) the one who finishes men!”
Trapping and catching of animals is pursued with great glee by small boys. They
make many of the traps, particularly the two kinds of liliwa, chipoto, chijumba, chitawa,
liwano, and nyau. Lilesa is set in rat runs and the rats are driven into them (Pl. XX, fig. 6).
Digging-out rats is a favorite amusement for the boys and brings meat to the pot. May
is the best month for this sport. They are adepts at recognizing burrows which have rats
inside. Digging is commenced at one entry to the rat-warren, the escape holes being closed
with tufts of grass. As they get nearer the rat chambers, they smell the earth and so know
when they are quite close to the rats. A bunch of grass is then put in this hole, lighted, and
kept aglow by blowing on it. One of the rats will try to bolt and is knocked on the head.
His head is then squashed to kill him effectually, and the skin of the tail of the first rat is
always pulled off for luck, “ so that they may catch many.” They will try to guess how
many there are going to be, “ ten and ten and five and two! ” Each rat when caught is
buried under some earth, so that the hawks will not swoop down and carry it off. When
they have finished one warren, one of the party is appointed to carry all the rats. He ties
a string round his waist, and the rats are slipped underneath it and so secured. They then
go on to another; the carrier will bear the whole catch for the day and may, before they have
finished, have several strings of rats round his body, one above the other.
Digging-out crabs, ku-kopa ngala, is another favorite amusement for children; (ku-kopa
is to dig up anything like mud which makes a squelching sound). Crabs are never eaten
with flour, but always with masete, the grain husks, “ crabs and brown-bread! ”
Youths and girls fish with a rod, line, wire hook, and worm, ku-loposya somba, to pull
up fish. They also catch fish, using the fish poison, mtutu. Birds are killed with a bow and
a blunt-pointed wooden arrow.
A small boy, seeing a girl or a younger boy with a cob of maize and wanting it himself,
will say, “ Let me make a path to the coast! ” He will then remove, say a couple of rows
of maize grains for himself, much to the interest of the owner; or “Let me make ilemba”
(ilemba is a shaved band on the scalp), or “ Let me make the crab’s eyes! ” when two
solitary grains are left, surrounded by a simple ring of other grains, as the girl’s portion.
Children are taught a little saying about their fingers which reminds one of the “This
little pig went to market ” of one’s infancy. Starting with the little finger, they say:
“ Akaka kangateka kangateka! ”
“This little one (is) the one which cannot draw water!”
Pointing to the ring finger,
“ Kankulugwe njunyundo! ”
“ This little one’s brother (is) the one that picks the nose!”
To the middle finger,
“ Njunyundo mmala wandu! ”
“ (The brother of) the one that picks the nose (is) the one who finishes men!”