The other day I was watching a Talk Show on ZTV where
students in high school were asserting their rights. Some of them agreed that
they should not be forced to engage in religious activities that they do not
like and for example being touched by Men of God and then falling down. Another
example was participation in Kurova Guva
ceremonies. The main bone of contention
was that they then have to take some traditional beer or be sprayed with it. It
got me thinking that indeed there is part of the ritual where we visit the
grave of our dearly departed and we have a mukombe (gourd) full of beer going
around for everyone (including children) to take a sip. Well, well, well, we
once got an opportunity to discover that this high school kid had started on
alcohol. This process is done early in the morning which is hangover time! If
you had been indulging, when mukombe gets to you, you do not take a sip but a
very good gulp. So, watch out for children lingering with mukombe.
Kurova guva/Umbuyiso is at the heart of Chivanhu/Isintu as it symbolizes the concept of life after
death and the integration of the living with the deceased. If you hear someone
say “Kwedu hatiite zveChivanhu, hatirove makuva/Ngakithi asiyenzi imikhuba
eyeSintu efana lombuyiso”, they probably
do not appreciate how accurate they are.
In African Traditional Religion, it is believed that after death, the spirit wanders around in the
wilderness and has to be united with the living and the other ancestral spirits through a ceremony or
ritual called Kurova Guva/Umbuyiso. The
ceremony is carried out at least a year after death. If it has to be sooner, the ceremony is
carried out after rains have fallen at the location of the grave. The ceremony
is conducted for both male and female adults who had children (or even a
miscarriage) although this might differ from place to place.
The actual procedure also differs, but suffice to say a
certain ritual is performed to re-integrate the deceased with the living and the ancestors. A dead person
is not a mudzimu/indlozi. This ritual is the one that transforms the dead
person into a mudzimu. Of interest therefore is what would happen if the family
or relatives do not carry out the ritual:
The Offence
Not only family spirits are offended but clan, regional or
national spirits called mhondoro are offended. It is an offence in the same
class as incest, marrying in November etc.
Lost Opportunity
Ancestral spirits are allocated tasks to do and therefore if
a dead person is not turned into a mudzimu, they will not be able to perform
that task. It is most important for a grandfather who has the general task of
being a guardian spirit to his grandchildren.
The Widow
This ceremony doubles as the date when the widow is
“cleansed” from her mourning and is free to remarry. If she remarries or has a
sexual relationship before the ritual, she is branded as some “akapisa guva”
literally “burnt the grave”. This is however within reasonable limits of one or
two years.
Other Ceremonies
During the transition between death and Kurova
Guva/Umbuyiso, other ceremonies such as marriages or biras are put on hold
because “musha mutema” which has its own consequences.
Avenging Spirit
With all the support of the other ancestral spirits, the
neglected spirit can come back and haunt its own family or it can be encouraged
to do so, manually by other people, as a form of witchcraft. Neglecting to
conduct the ritual is like labeling the deceased as an unwanted “black sheep”
of the family, left alone to wander.
Goblins
The spirit can be used to create goblins.
April is a good month to plan Kurova Guva, so get on with
it.
