Editing Ubantu:Contents:Religion:KidiniIntro (section)

====Msafu ya Mizimu - The Book of the Ancestors====

The Mizimu canon is the central text of Kidini. It describes 25 mortuary rituals for various types of people - warriors, chiefs, married women, children, criminals, priests, people killed by lightening, etc.  A large part of the rituals come from the Bakongo kingdom, simply because the Nganga cauldrons were the only means of reaching the ancestors while in the belly of Kodumodumo. In general, a body is buried for a year, then dug up and transferred to an urn and taken to the clan mortuary. A village will have a single church with attendent Mtawa and Mwaguzi.  The Mtawa position is hereditary and the priests have a fair amount of power. Wayombe techinically have no power - that is given to the spirits they channel, and are furthermore suspect as they can become possessed by the restless dead. Kidini preists build churches conduct the rituals that keep the ancestors happy. The Ancestors have their own country, Kuzimu, which is described in great detail. The preists also maintain VERY detailed geneologies in their Vitabu vya Mizimu (Books of the Ancestors). Furthermore, they christen babies, using their records to select names for the infants, and rituals which bind the namesake ancestor as a guardian spirit (Msomolezi). The Msafu ya Mizimu contains only the rituals necessary to go from a dead body to an ancestors properly eschonced within Kuzimu. The other rituals performed by Watawa are in a supplimentary text, the Msafu ya Maadhimisho, the Book of Rites.

The details of  the ritual for the death of prominant man with a family will serve as an example. First and foremost, the relatives of the deceased must be notified. Word of mouth is not sufficient - there is a specific ritual conducted by the Mtawa which magically conveys the bad news. Every known relative and associate of the deceased will experience a pall and a chill, and will simply know. These people are the Waguswa, the touched. From the time of this knowledge until the burial, these people are contaminated - they must not have sexual intercourse (for fear of giving birth to a monster) and they must follow specific food taboos. If they cannot attend the burial, after three days of mourning they may be purified by any Mtawa. The man's brothers, widows, children and grandchildren, to whatever degree through direct patrilineal descent, will shave their heads - this is the public indication that they are in mourning. They are called "Wasonona" and have special duties. The grave is dug by the man's brothers. If he has no brothers or they cannot attend, any of the Wasonona may, given the Mtawa's blessing. All of the deceased's possessions are contaminated and must be purified. The ritual cleansing includes a bit of osteomancy which determines whether each object will go to the eldest son (who redistributes them, he is allowed only one keepsake) or go into the grave. Cemetaries are extremely dangerous areas - one does not enter a graveyard without reason. The graves are shallow and lined with rock, and the barkcloth wrapped body is interred in a cairn of stones. All of the relatives and friends of the deceased bring stones, and there is great lamentation during this part of the ceremony. After the burial the man's hut is burned, which is followed by a dance of lamentation by the widows. Each widow will cut herself in the groin area and collect some blood in a calabash, which is mixed with palm wine and shared by the Wasonona, uniting them in grief. Thereafter there is a eulogy ceremony in which basically every mourner speaks a few words of encouragement, leading strength to the new mzimu. Afterwards the Waguswa (but not the Wasonona) are cleansed and may leave. On the next day the Wasonona gather at the grave and the Myombe attempts to contact the deceased. In most cases, this works. At this point, the deceased is Mkaburi, and is believed to be in a transitional state somewhat like sleep. The Wasonona will ask questions of the Mwaguzi to confirm that the correct spirit has been contacted,  then it is asked whether or not there was witchcraft or foul play involved in his death. If contact cannot be made, there is an investigation - it may be that the mzimu is angry, or that it has been killed or stolen by witchcraft or any number of things. The Wasonona will stay in mourning for a full year, meaning that the household basically stays intact. The cemetary (maziko) must be guarded - the Wakaburi are very useful to witches and necromancers, not to mention the dangers of hyeanas. After the year has passed, the mourners will disinter the body and assist the village Watawa in transferring it to an urn. This is a festive occasion with drinking and lovemaking. At this time, after the disinterment and before the transferal, the Mzimu is very close to the living and very powerful. It will often briefly possess the drunken revellers. Widows who have been faithful will have their youth and beauty restored for one night, and may make love with whomever they choose. If they become pregnant, the child is considered a legitimate offspring of the deceased. The urn must be taken to the clan mortuarty, carried on the back of a cow of a specific type which is given to the clan priests.