Going down memory lane

The Uzumba clan had migrated from the top part of Africa, close to the red sea and moved down southwards and had settled in the West African region. Their initial plan had been to settle in the southern corner of Africa but they had gotten wind of the tribal wars that had ravaged the region and were forced to find an alternative that would cater for the unique abilities. The West African part they had decided to settle in was close to a rainforest that made it perfect for the ceremonial gatherings, be it a wedding, funeral, celebration of a birth or giving thanks to their Gods. The clan had also escaped from another war that had promised to wipe out their entire existence from the continent. They had lost a number of their brothers in the war and only a hundred of them managed to gather their belongings and ran for their lives in the middle of the night. Of those that survived, a few had wounds that needed nursing along the way, the wounded had suggested they be left behind as they felt that they were delaying the rest of the clan, but the chief refused and insisted that no one was to be left behind. They painfully passed through the Arab part of region, making sure to avoid the merchants who had been rumoured to be selling off strong black men for a few coins. The rumor went on to describe the torture and pain their fellow brothers were going through. What made the whole story more heart-breaking was the fact that families had been destroyed and things were never going to be the same.

The chief of the clan was the son of the great hunter of the north by the name of Uchirai. The name was befitting as everyone would literally clap every time he would appear whenever there happened to be a gathering of people. His father Tongai had gained his reputation after fighting off a lion at a young age that had almost killed his mother at night whilst asleep in her room. Tongai was then invited to join the clan's hunting party and as they say the rest is history. Tongai slowly rose through the ranks, as he proved to have a knack for hunting, he would know which parts to cover and lay traps for particular animals and they always went back home with food for the village. Tongai was chosen by the village elders to lead the clan; at first he had refused as he believed there were more deserving young men within the clan but the elders would not hear of it. The elders had held a meeting had decided to elect one individual who would act as their leader, and with their guidance that individual would act as a link between them and the people of the clan. The elders had broken tradition as they had been leading the Uzumba people for centuries as a single entity. The elders were representatives of the five different tribes that made up the clan.

The five clans included the Moyo Rozvi tribe, the Wasu Manyika tribe, the Mwaisabeni Batonga tribe, the Ndiweni Matebele tribe and the Aphiri Brandai tribe. Each tribe had an elder in terms of ancestoral link, who in turn spoke directly with the ancestors and was indeed an elderly person who had lived for more than a hundred years. Each of the tribes that made up the clan were known for a particular activity that made them unique, they combined as a clan made them stronger than ever. The Rozvi were hunters, the Manyika were healers, the Batonga were fishermen, the Matebele were good at raring cattle and Brandai were farmers. The clan had been formed as a way of protecting themselves against other tribes, each of the tribes' weakness was the other's strength and that gave them an advantage over individual tribes. Tongai was of the Rozvi tribe but once he became the chief he made sure besides having the elders by his side, he elected an individual with outstanding skills to form a council of the young. The council of the young had at first been frowned on by the elders as they believed they were the only wise ones but Tongai managed to show them the benefits of having them by his side. The young would bring in new ideas whereas, the elders would act as the parent that would correct the child and keep that child in line.

Tongai went on to form an army of young men so as to protect the women and children of the clan. The years went by without any form of disorder amongst the tribes or external forces. The clan flourished and started trading with other tribes as a way to maintain good relations, through this the introduction of tribal wear was introduced. Each tribe elder was asked to select a piece of cloth that represented their beliefs, their trade and the animal or symbol that was unique to them. The Rozvi being Moyo which meant heart decided to use the red colour with a heart with a crown made of thorns as their tribe's symbol; the Wasu then chose the colour yellow with pistol and molten with a snake swallowing its tail to represent them and their trade, the Batonga as fishermen went for the colour blue with a fish and small boats decorating the edges of the material, the Brandai chose green because of their green fingers and a basket overflowing with harvested produce was their emblem lastly the Matebele chose the colour brown with horns of a cow crossing each other in the middle of the cloth for their tribe. The clothes were to be kept by the elders and to be taken out during special occasions as a way of symbolizing the coming together of the different tribes.

The chief had his own unique cloth that combined all the five tribal emblems, his cloth was kept by his wife and mother as alternated, only the two of them knew where it was hidden and only took it when necessary. If the chief's mother was to pass away, the chief's sister would then take her place and if the chief's wife was to pass away as well then his eldest daughter would take her place. In the event that all four are not available for duty, the elderly elder of the clan takes over and manages the affair up until the chief marries.

Tongai ruled over the clan for decades, he saw over different generations, assisted in a number of ceremonies including births and weddings, it was however the duty of the Wasu elder to preside over funerals as they held the secrets of life and death. They upheld their traditions; they draw their strength from celebrating the coming of the new moon and ensured they offered their tribute after every harvest. Each tribe was expected to bring offering that represented their tribe's trade, a bonfire would then be lit in the middle of the village and music would be played using drums and shaking of oval shaped dried out fruit shells known as hosho. Tongai fell ill just after the new moon; he had been sick but had managed to hide it from his council of the young and elders. It was one afternoon whilst sitted with the elders, discussing the list of new council of the youth leaders, when he abruptly stood up, clutched his chest and fell to the ground, grasping for air on the ground, the Wasu elder quickly pointed to a tree a few metres away, and ordered one of the royal guards to go and pluck out the leaves from it as well as the fruit but only the purple ripe ones.

The guard turned his back and started running as if being chased by a hundred hungry lions, the elder then asked the remaining guard to help him lift the chief and take him to his residence so that they can lay him on even ground and away from prying eyes. The guard arrived back with the leaves and fruits just as they laid the chief on the rukukwe, the chief didn't look good at all, his skin had started to look a bit pale and his lips were slowly turning blue, his eyes were closed and it looked like he wasn't breathing at all. The Wasu elder his name being Mutape took the fruits and leaves to the fire close by together with a pot and a bit of water, mixed it all up placed it on the fire so that it could boil for a few minutes. He kept a close eye on the chief and pot, at one point he started looking like a chameleon with his eyes darting all over the place. He quickly removed the pot from the fire and placed the mixture in a cup for the chief to drink, the smell alone was enough to chase away all the creepy crawlies that usually bother people during the night. At first the chief refused to drink and Mutape had to hold the chief's nose which then forced him to open his mouth, once the liquid had been poured into his mouth, Mutape would then release his grip on the chief's nose, Mutape had to repeat the process until all the mixture had been drank and finished.

As the chief drank the last sip, he opened his eyes, looked at Mutape, smiled and fell asleep. It took the chief a few days to fully recover, he shuddered to think that had Mutape been far away he would have lost his life and he made sure to thank Mutape for the good deed. During the next clan meeting with both the elders and the council, the chief announced that he would be stepping down as he felt that the new chief needed time to adjust to the new role whilst he was still alive. The elders and council unanimously voted for the chief's son Uchirai to replace his father. The clan had set a law that only father and son would watch over the clan then the next tribe would be chosen to watch over the clan. Uchirai knew that the burden had been shifted to him; it scared him beyond his own imagination. He had been groomed to take over from his father since birth but he hadn't even imagined that it would be this soon, he had always assumed that his father would remain chief until kingdom come. Him falling meant that death could come knocking on his door any time from now. He had overheard Mutape talking to Ammara the Aphiri Elder that his father was gravely ill and it was just a matter of time before the spirit that had caused his illness the other day to take hold of him again. 'This time I don't think I will be able to heal him, I think his heart is becoming weak from old age' as Mutape told Ammara.

It only took a few moons and the great Tongai of the Rozvi tribe, chief of the Uzumba clan to answer the call of the ancestors. The day had been quiet; the chief had been strolling about the village as usual, seeing what the villagers were up to and playing with the kids. He had also promised to tell the children a story and they were to wait for him under the big baobab tree that provided enough shade for all the children in the village. The tree itself was unusual, the Wasus and Brandais had combined forces and managed to produce a tree plant that was so unique to the point that it was the only one of its kind in that area in fact in the whole region! As the chief walked past the kraal, he felt a hot burning touch on his shoulder which then spread to his chest; he started looking for a log to sit on that was close by. As soon as he sat down, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been splashed onto his body, he let out a sign of relief and shifted into a more comfortable position. As he sat there he started admiring the nature around him and the small group of children that were playing further down the path. After a few minutes he leaned his head against the pole behind him and closed his eyes.

Someone let out a scream, to Uchirai it sounded as if it was coming from close to the kraal, deep down he felt it, like a piece of him had vanished left him completely naked, he felt like the sun had set and yet it was still day. He ran like his life depended on it but he knew that his father was gone and even as he reached the spot where the royal guards were laying him on animal skins so as to take him back to the palace, he just looked on in shock and sadness, he wasn't even able to say good bye for the last time. The women were sitted on the ground crying, his mother who had heard the scream, arrived a few seconds later and almost collapsed, had Uchirai not been there she would have hit head on the ground, she started crying, short burst of sobs that sounded like a wounded animal. His father had been the love of her life and she had not set her eyes on anyone else besides his father. They had built a family together made up of three children and now she was all alone without her husband by her side.

Tongai having been the village's and clan's first chief, the funeral rites had to be different from the ordinary rites for the rest of the clan. The Rozvi were in charge of organising the final resting place of the chief, the Wasu tribe was there to guide them on what the ancestors wanted them to do and in the carrying out the program for the burial. As per tradition, each tribe as lead by their respective elder was to prepare food and gather by opening which was in the centre of the village, they had to wear the cloth that represented their tribe, the elder in turn had to wear the black cloth with the emblem of their tribe. Under normal circumstances, when a tribesman had passed on, the elders from the other tribes would only be able to attend the funeral together with the bereaved tribe. Only one funeral ceremony and procession would be carried out for the tribesman as a way of saying goodbye. At exactly dawn, the elders would ask the senior army men to carry the late to the burial ground of the tribe, the family of the bereaved then walks behind the body up until they reach the burial area, then they are asked to sit down at the entrance and cry for the late. If there are any daughters or sons in law, they are asked to lead the way and form a circle around the grave whilst holding containers of water and branches. The eldest daughter has to enter the grave yard with the late's worldly belonging that is a cup, dish, cutlery and favourite chair.

These items are then thrown into the grave after the body has been laid inside. Once the grave is covered, the daughter in law is asked to sweep around the grave and pour blessed water so as to ensure that the deceased rests in peace. At midnight, a week after burial, a bira (wake) is held as a way of remembering the late. Seven day old beer is distributed around, everyone in the village is allowed to attend, drums beating and a fire is built in the middle of the village, dancers from each tribe are the entertainment of the next few days.

For the chief, the elders agreed that he deserved a proper send-off, having been the first chief of all the five tribes, chair of the council of the young as well as being the representatives of the people at the council of the elders, each of the different wings within his administration was to be in charge of their own day of celebration. The council of the young were first on the list to celebrate the life of the chief. They were grateful to the chief for recognising their potential and developing a wing for the young. The whole clan as being led by the elders were to be second and were in charge of the events of the wake that was to be carried out after three days. As he was a Rozvi, his tribe was in charge of the final days of mourning. His tribe would then conduct their own rites as per their traditions and beliefs. For this funeral, the whole clan was allowed to come through and mourn their chief, on the last day however, the Rozvi tribe was to be left with their deceased and mourn him as well as bury him according to their customs. Each tribe had its own unique burial rites though all of them were similar but it all came down to the hour of burial as well as place of burial. Tribesmen were buried at dawn, elders at noon but women and children were towards sunset. For Rozvi men, biras were to be held as they were hunters, Wasu men were to have wakes for twelve hours that is from dawn to dust, as for Batonga, water dances were carried close to a body of water and their deceased would be place on a boat and float to places unknown, the Matebele would have a three day feast as a way of celebration, lastly the Brandai would host an event they call Sadaka were they would play drum music and dance throughout the night. A animal would be slaughtered for the event and cooked over open fire without any salt. Everyone was expected to eat it like that.