The Sunday Mail
Laiton Mkandawire – Leisure Correspondent
One of the most aesthetically appealing, cherished and enduring artistic items to come out of Kariba, in particular, and the Zambezi Valley, in general, is the iconic Nyaminyami Walking Stick.
It has become so ubiquitous that it would be odd not to find it at curio markets along the Zambezi Valley.
It also makes a very good present.
When I presented one of these walking sticks to a long-time friend for a landmark birthday present, she gladly accepted it.
In this case it was for decorative purposes; so the present does not suggest the age of the recipient, just in case one is tempted to think of it as a walking aid only. She went on to embellish it with beads, bangles and threads to enhance its look on her lounge wall. It was a valued present.
Then she was visited by another friend who expressed shock upon seeing the Nyaminyami Walking Stick having pride of place in a Christian’s house.
The “history” of Nyaminyami was then related to her, which led to the end of the esteemed place in which my present was viewed.
The Nyaminyami, it was explained to my dear friend, is a snake-like god which the Tonga prayed to.
As you can imagine, my Christian friend later returned the Nyaminyami Walking Stick and has held, since then, a mistaken view of both the Nyaminyami and the walking stick.
As someone who has previously published work on the Nyaminyami which has been drawn upon by other writers and researchers, I felt duty-bound to correct this misconception.
The Nyaminyami is a Tonga spirit medium, not a god. Various literature on the Nyaminyami describes it as the Zambezi River god or Zambezi snake spirit. This is a mistaken view which should be corrected forthwith.
The Tonga believed, like most African tribes, that their ancestors lived with God and that they would share with God misfortunes of the family left behind.
They did not speak directly to God; they spoke through spirit mediums.
Nyaminyami was one of the prominent spirit mediums of the Tonga people who, until the damming of the Zambezi at Kariba, lived along the Zambezi River banks in present-day Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Tongas did not pray to the Nyaminyami; they prayed through the Nyaminyami. The Nyaminyami is, therefore, an intercessor, not a god.
The Tonga did, and still do, believe in one omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God, just like most Africans.
Another widely held misconception is that the Nyaminyami has the head of a snake and a fish’s tail.
This cannot be true as Tonga folklore is very clear that no one has ever seen the Nyaminyami in his full glory.
It is also doubtful whether what the people cut off their meat after performing traditional rites to the Nyaminyami was the Nyaminyami itself or something sent for their benefit by the Nyaminyami.
Jama Kutendwa, as the gift from Nyaminyami was called, would expose a portion of its body for people to cut meat in times of need. It never exposed itself in full.
It would then submerge and move on to the next recipient village to offer its life-sustaining benevolence.
As a spirit medium, the Nyaminyami is revered and no Tonga would carve an image of it.
The Nyaminyami Walking Stick is not a Tonga creation but an artistic impression created by a gregarious and extremely talented carver named Rainos Tawonameso who is not a muTonga. He hails from Bikita.
The walking stick has no relevance or role in Tonga culture, save as an artistic representation of their lifestyle.
Clearly, whilst the Tonga can lay claim to the Nyaminyami as their spirit medium, they have not claimed the Nyaminyami Walking Stick as their own or as part of their tradition.
Rainos Tawonameso has been careful enough not to accord his creation any religious or cultural attributes.
He calls it a “historical stick”, detailing the Tonga way of life as he perceived it, based on their mythology and way of life. His stick, which he launched in 1986, is registered with the Patent and Designs Office in Harare.
Since the misconception affects both the sales of the walking stick and perpetuates a mistaken view of the Tonga and their belief in the Nyaminyami spirit medium, it is only fair for those in my position of having lived among the Tonga and got a good grasp of their culture, to disabuse others of the misconception.
It is a small favour to the Tonga for having allowed me to live amongst them, study their culture and work in their territory.
The author is an incentive travel organiser, Kariba destination planner and a certified ZimHost who has written extensively about and promotes tourism into the Kariba and Zambezi Valley areas. He can be reached at [email protected]
