Nyau

Late 20th century wood, paint, feathers, metal and wool mask from the Chewa people in Malawi, at the British Museum

Nyau (also: Nyao meaning mask^[1] or initiation) is a secret society of the Chewa, a tribe of the Bantu peoples from Central and Southern Africa.^[2] The society consists solely of men who have to be initiated to be a part of the Nyau. The word Nyau is not only used for the society itself, but also for the men who form this society, their ritual dance, and their masks and animal structures used for the dances. Nyau societies operate at the village level, but women and children are not supposed to have any knowledge of Nyau and often rush into the houses when a Nyau performance is put on.^[3][4] Increasing westernization has led to a decrease in Nyau.

History

A cave painting in Zaire depicts Kayisa Maliro, a type of Nyau mask that dates to 992 CE^[5]. The Nyau cult continued during the time of the Ngoni colonists, remaining unchanged until after the First World War. Due to heavy punishment for talking about the Nyau cult (e.g. who are the men dancing) the origin of Nyau could not be clarified by the first missionaries and colonialists arriving in Maravi.^[6] Penalties went as far as the person revealing secrets being killed by members of the cult.^[7] The arrival of missionaries during the 1920s had a growing influence on Nyau at the village level, which produced open conflict.^[3] Though Christian missionaries banned Nyau in Chewa communities, the society and its practice survived under British colonial rule through adaptation that included some aspects of Christianity. Presently, it is still practiced with Chewa men belonging to a Christian church and a Nyau society.^[8] Although some other tribes have developed similar secret societies and dances, such as the Ngoni, Yao and Mang'anja,^[9] the Nyau cult of the Chewa can be considered the origin of the secret societies and dances in areas around Lake Malawi.^[10]

Belief system

The Chewa believe that life exists within their ancestors and those not yet born, as well as the living.^[11] The Nyau beliefs include communication with those who are dead, or their spirits, calling this act pemphero lalikulu ("Great Prayer").^[8] The spirit world's symbolism is presented at the Gule Wamkulu ("Big Dance"), which incorporates mwambo ("traditions"), masks, song, dance and rules. Nyau incorporates sophisticated reverse role-playing. Primarily the Nyau perform their masked dances at funerals, memorial services and Puberty rites (for girls: Chinamwali). Each dancer represents a special character relating to the mask or animal structure he wears. The zilombo ("dancers" or "wild animals") are representations of animal or ancestral spirits. The secrecy behind Nyau incorporates coded language, riddles, and signing. Viewed with suspicion by other cultures, Nyau has been misunderstood and misrepresented by others, including the Christian church.^[12]

Initiation of men into the secret cult begins with residing in a cemetery for a week. Particularly in Zimbabwe, Nayau’s who migrated from Malawi and are now part of the Shona Culture are practitioners of this cult. They perform dances in the suburbs of Mabvuku, Highfield and Tafara. They attempt to scare away people who wish to interview them saying "Wavekutamba nemoto unotsva" (you are now playing with fire you will get burnt).^[13]

Women and children are not supposed to have any knowledge of Nyau and often rush into the houses when a Nyau performance is put on. However, during the funeral period, women are said to joke with the Nyau in a practice called kasinja whilst brewing beer, and women and children may also sing songs for the Nyau as they dance, even though many may avoid them.^[3] In Zambian villages, boys may participate in groups called kalumbu who join a group from as young as five or six.^[3] However, they must pay a joining fee (often around 2 kwacha in 1993) which they raise by hunting and selling birds, or the fee is paid by their parents.^[3] Upon joining the novices are often beaten with branches before learning the discipline.^[3] The minimum age of boys joining the Nyau itself is usually around ten years of age.^[14]

Dances

A Gule Wamkulu mask depicting a wild animal.

Nyau dances involve intricate footwork coupled with waist-wriggling. The dancers, described as "fleet-footed or nimble-footed", appear in scary masks representing a human being or animal; the weak-kneed run away from sights of such dances.^[13] While it may be considered in many places to be a folk dance, this is certainly not the case; Nyau should rather be considered a religious dance, as its function is to communicate with the ancestral world.

Since 2005, Gule Wamkulu has been classified as one of the 90 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, a program by UNESCO for preservation of intangible cultural heritage. This dance form may date to the great Chewa Empire of the 17th century.^[15] Gule Wamkulu, or big dance, is the best-known and longest dance of the Nyau. It is also known as pemphero lathu lalikulu la mizimu ("great prayer to our ancestors") or gulu la anamwaliri ("dance of the ancestors"). Prior to the Gule Wamkulu dance, Nyau dancers observe a series of secret rituals which are associated with their society, a secret brotherhood.^[16] The dance is mainly performed at funerals and memorial services but also at initiations and other celebrations. The masks worn by the dancers on such performances are in the form of animals or "beasts". The purpose is said to be a way of communicating messages of the ancestors to the villagers.^[17] Since it is also adopted to scare people to extract money, it has been used as a connotation to describe the dancers: "He dumped the whole Christian thing these days, he's gone back to his roots and joined Nyau" or "Behave yourself, stop acting like a Nyau".^[18]

Attire

The variety of masks, resembling ancestors is huge and ever growing, unlike the animal structures. Some mask carvers are professionals while others are occasional artisans.^[15] Over 400 masks which are associated with the Nyau society and the Gule wamkulu ritual are exhibited at the Chamare Museum in Dedza District, Malawi.^[5]

Masks

Malawi face mask

Nyau masks are constructed of wood and straw. and are divided into three types.^[19] The first is a feathered net mask, the second is a wooden mask and the third is a large zoomorphic basketry structure that envelops the entire body of the dancer.^[19] Wearing the latter, dancers tend to turn around and around in a motion known as Nyau yolemba.^[19] They are representations of a large variety of characters, including wild animals such as antelope, lions and hyenas.^[4] With names such as Bwindi, Chibano, and Wakana, the masks portray a variety of traits and types such as the philanderer, a helpless epileptic, lust, greed, foolishness, vanity, infertility, sorcery, and ambition.;^[12] even a helicopter.^[15]

There are a variety of mask types, some of which include:^[2]

• Bwana wokwera pa ndege/pa galimoto (Mister in a plane/in a car) is representing a "white" person. This mask shows how those who already had money and power in their lifetime, will keep this even when they have passed in the ancestral world.
• Chabwera kumanda (the one who came back from the grave) is a character who misreads people and resembles an ancestor who hunts people in their dreams in order to get attention and offerings (e.g. beer, meat, etc.). While his dance, Chabwera kumanda chases people around which underlines his evil character.
• Kasinja or Kamchacha is the messenger of important ancestors. He partly plays some kind of moderator and tells which mask or animal is coming next to perform its dance.
• Kondola which originated as Msakambewa ("Mouse Hunter"), then changed into To Ndola (a man in a copper mining town), and then changed again, to Chizonono (someone afflicted with gonorrhea), is an example of a mask that has undergone transformation because of changing pressures and societal influences.
• Maliya (eventually from Mary) represents a kindhearted female ancestor. This dancer will sing and dance together with the people.
• Mfiti (witch) is wearing a very nasty mask and has in general a very demolished and shaggy appearance. The outer shape resembles its evil character, since witches are believed to kill people with their juju.
• Simoni (eventually from Saint Peter) wears a red mask, resembling an Englishman with sunburn. Therefore he is further wearing a suit made of rags. This character might be a caricature on the English colonialists.

Animal structures

The Nyau members wearing animal structures resemble wild animals or nyama za ku tchire, which are responsible for the death of people and therefore feared. There is some kind of hierarchy between the different animals, with some very respected animals (such as njobvu, the elephant) and some less important. Highly respected animals are also believed to resemble very important ancestors such as chiefs or members of the Nyau cult. Most animal structures usually have a barrel-like shape, with an entry hole at the bottom. Inside the structure, bars are mounted to be able to carry the structure around. All structures completely cover the dancer, only his feet are to be seen. In the following some structures are explained in order of their importance.^[2]

• Njobvu (the elephant) is the most important figure of all. Four Nyau dancers are needed to move this structure. Njobvu resembles an important chief, since the elephant is the most important animal for the Chewa, because of its size. Therefore, this rare structure is only seen at funerals for chiefs.
• Ndondo (the snake) is the second-most important structure and is carried around by up to twelve men. It also resembles an important ancestor and is often seen at funerals for members of the Nyau.
• Mkango (the lion) resembles the evil spirit of an ancestor, which attacks and even kills people. Therefore, women run away as soon as they see mkango approaching. The figure Mkango illustrates that ancestors must not be annoyed, just as a lion must not be annoyed, since it might attack people for their disrespect.

See also

• Religion in Africa
• African mythology

References

1. ^ D.D.Phiri: History of Malawi - From the earliest times to the year 1915. in: CLAIM, pp.31 (2004)
2. ^ ^{a b c} Breugel (2001), pp. 125–168
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Linden, Ian; Linden, Jane (1 January 1974). Catholics, peasants, and Chewa resistance in Nyasaland, 1889–1939. University of California Press. pp. 117–. ISBN 9780520025004. http://books.google.com/books?id=JP6HrSjDzJcC&pg=PA117. Retrieved 19 June 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Ottenberg, Simon; Binkley, David Aaron (2006). Playful performers: African children's masquerades. Transaction Publishers. p. 223. ISBN 9780765802866. http://books.google.com/books?id=o3o_-JwBwW4C&pg=PA223. Retrieved 19 June 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Bell, Deborah (10 September 2010). Mask Makers and Their Craft: An Illustrated Worldwide Study. McFarland. pp. 36–. ISBN 9780786443994. http://books.google.com/books?id=l6SMwQoawgoC&pg=PA36. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
6. ^ R.S. Rattray: Some Folk-Lore Stories and Songs in Chinyanja, London: Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (1907), pp. 178–79.
7. ^ J.W.M. van Breugel: Chewa Traditional Religion Kachere Series (2001), pp.125-168
8. ^ ^{a b} "Gule Wamkulu". Embassy of Malawi. 2007. http://www.malawiembassy-dc.org/gule.html. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
9. ^ J.M. Schofeleers: Symbolic and Social Aspects of Spirits Worship among the Mang'anja, Ph.D. Dissertation (1968) Oxford, pp. 307–415.
10. ^ Hodgson, AGO (Jan–Jun, 1933). "Notes on the Achewa and Angoni of the Dowa District of the Nyasaland Protectorate". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 63: 146. JSTOR 2843914. 
11. ^ Sitshwele, Miliswa (June 21, 2010). "The Elephant has Four Hearts: Nyau Masks and Rituals :a book review". The Origins Centre is an initiative of the University of the Witwatersrand. http://www.origins.org.za/news/entry/the_elephant_has_four_hearts_nyau_masks_and_rituals_a_book_review/. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b} Curran, Douglas (Autumn, 1999). "Nyau Masks and Ritual". African Arts 68 (3): 68–77. JSTOR 3337711. 
13. ^ ^{a b} "Zimbabwe: Demystifying Intrigue of Nyau Culture". The Herald of the Government of Zimbabwe. 2010. http://allafrica.com/stories/201006020093.html. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
14. ^ Morris, Brian (14 September 2000). Animals and ancestors: an ethnography. Berg. pp. 135–. ISBN 9781859734919. http://books.google.com/books?id=pwWUUqApcj8C&pg=PA135. Retrieved 19 June 2011. 
15. ^ ^{a b c} "Gule Wamkulu". UNESCO. 2005. http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/22afr_uk.htm. Retrieved 19 June 2011. 
16. ^ Kalusa, Walima T.; Mtonga, Mapopa (2 January 2010). Kalonga Gawa Undi X: a biography of an African chief and nationalist. African Books Collective. pp. 104–. ISBN 9789982997256. http://books.google.com/books?id=cDMp_rdE_d8C&pg=PA104. Retrieved 21 June 2011. 
17. ^ Breugel, J. W. M. van; Ott, Martin (2001). Chewa traditional religion. Christian Literature Association in Malawi. p. 167. ISBN 9789990816341. http://books.google.com/books?id=MpLXAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 21 June 2011. 
18. ^ "Nyau". Urban Dictionary. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nyau. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
19. ^ ^{a b c} Harding, Frances (2002). The performance arts in Africa: a reader. Routledge. p. 291. ISBN 9780415261982. http://books.google.com/books?id=ua79p6OIBggC&pg=PA291. Retrieved 19 June 2011. 

Literature

• Gerhard Kubik: Makisi nyau mapiko. Maskentradition im bantu-sprachigen Afrika. Trickster Verlag, München 1993
• W.H.J. Rangeley: Nyau in Kotakota District. The Nyasaland Journal No.2, 1949