Oral Literature and Moral Education among the Lakeside Tonga of Northern Malawi

David Mphande

Description

This is a book about the Tonga of Northern Malawi, sometimes called the Lakeshore Tonga to distinguish them from other ethnic groups with the same name further west in Central Africa. The Lakeshore Tonga were the first ethnic group to identify themselves with the Christian faith. The purpose of the research was to investigate the use of Tonga myths, folktales, proverbs and rituals for their role in Moral Education and assess and evaluate their contribution towards value formation for the youth. Each chapter in the book aims to discuss some ideas in the anthropology of religion and to illustrate them with specific case studies formed primarily through conversation with friends, both young and old, over some years.

Informations

• Publié par: Mzuni Press
• Date de parution: 25 octobre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9789990804041
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

ORAL LITERATURE AND MORAL EDUCATION AMONG THE LAKESIDE TONGA OF NORTHERN MALAWI

Copyright 2014 David Kapenyela Mphande All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers. Published by Mzuni Press P/Bag 201 Luwinga, Mzuzu 2 ISBN 978-99908-0244-3 Mzuni Press is represented outside Africa by: African Books Collective Oxford ([e-mail]) Printed in Malawi by Baptist Publications, P.O. Box 444, Lilongwe

Moral Education through

Myths, Folktales and Proverbs A Study of Tonga Culture in Northern Malawi David Kapenyela Mphande

Mzuni Books no. 13 Mzuzu 2014

Contents Foreword ............................................................................................. 10 Chapter One......................................................................................... 12 Oral Traditional Literature: A Survey .................................................... 12 Oral Traditional Literature in Malawi ............................................... 12 Oral Traditional Literature outside Malawi ...................................... 24 Oral Transmission in Biblical and Traditional Texts .......................... 30 Myth and other Genres in Folk Tradition ......................................... 43 Chapter Two ........................................................................................ 53 The Tonga People and their Culture ..................................................... 53 Kinship and Locality......................................................................... 56 Chapter Three ...................................................................................... 78 Forms and Nature of Tonga Oral Literature .......................................... 78 Introduction .................................................................................... 78 Tonga Artistic Expression................................................................. 78 Classification of Tales ...................................................................... 79 Stories about Animals ..................................................................... 82 Stories about People and their Ecology............................................ 83 Stories about Chiuta and Origins ..................................................... 83 The Concept ofNthanu................................................................... 84 Thematic Analysis of the Stories ...................................................... 85 The Oral Tale Performance .............................................................. 86 Chapter Four ........................................................................................ 93 Tonga Rituals and their Influence on Moral Education .......................... 93 The Cycle of Life .............................................................................. 93 Chapter Five....................................................................................... 107 Influence of Christianty and Islam on Tonga Culture........................... 107 Christianity and Tonga Customs .................................................... 107 Islam and Tonga Traditional Values ............................................... 131 Chapter Six......................................................................................... 141 Anthology of Tonga Myths and Folktales ............................................ 141 Introduction .................................................................................. 141 The Narratives and their Use in Moral Instruction ......................... 141 (1) A Legend about the Origin of the Tonga People........................ 144

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(2) Origin of Death (Chameleon and Lizard) ................................... 154 (3) Cursing the Birds ...................................................................... 158 (4) The Role of the Aged ................................................................ 160 (5) Quality of Friendship ................................................................ 165 (6) The Orphaned Millipede........................................................... 171 (7) The Head (Chimutu) ................................................................. 175 (8) Hare and the Well .................................................................... 182 (9) The Three Brothers .................................................................. 192 (10) The Blind and the Hunchback ................................................. 197 (11) Why Monkeys Live in Trees .................................................... 206 (12) Why Hyena does not Look at Wild Cat .................................... 206 (13) The Dumb Maiden.................................................................. 208 (14) Why the Hyena has Ugly Spots ............................................... 209 (15) The Wild Cat and the Rooster ................................................. 210 (16) Courage ................................................................................. 211 (17) Who had performed the best? ............................................... 212 (18) The Five Helpers..................................................................... 213 (19) The Three Wives .................................................................... 214 (20) Breaking the Promise ............................................................. 215 (21) An Eye for an Eye ................................................................... 217 (22) Rich Man and Poor Man ......................................................... 218 (23) Finders Keepers...................................................................... 220 (24) Kindness Pays......................................................................... 221 (25) Friendship .............................................................................. 223 (26) Friends for a time ................................................................... 225 (27) An Old Woman who did not Heed Advice ............................... 226 (28) The Lion and the Sparrow....................................................... 228 (29) Tupa and his Children............................................................. 229 (30) The Roan Antelope and the Lion............................................. 230 (31) Dishonesty ............................................................................. 232 (32) The Beautiful Proud Girl ......................................................... 233 (33) Someday someone may be better than you............................ 234 (34) The Wisdom of the Spider ...................................................... 236 (35) The Fox who Cost the Life of his Wife ..................................... 238 (36) The Lions and the Hare........................................................... 241 (37) Evil Returns to the One who Does it........................................ 243 (38) The Greedy Hyena.................................................................. 244 (39) The Warning that Went Unheeded......................................... 246 (40) The Two Hunters .................................................................... 247

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General Comments on Tonga Myths and Folktales ........................ 249 Chapter Seven.................................................................................... 252 An Anthology of Tonga Proverbs ........................................................ 252 Sources and Authority of Proverbs ................................................ 252 An Anthology of Tonga Proverbs ........................................................ 257 1 Abaya chiwanda ......................................................................... 257 2 Abaya soro cha ........................................................................... 257 3 Amunkhwele asekana viphata .................................................... 258 4 Boza liwele mweneko................................................................. 258 5 Changa epa wamko ku mchira wataya ........................................ 259 6 Charu mbanthu .......................................................................... 259 7 Chigau ndi ku mupozwa.............................................................. 260 8 Chikumbu chimoza chituswa nyinda cha..................................... 260 9 Chingana nyoko wawi ndi nyivu ndi nyoko mbwenu ................... 261 10 Chiuta wamto........................................................................... 262 11 Chiwele vuli chingubaya Tungwa .............................................. 262 12 Cho chingukwezga Pusi, chingukwezga Munkhwere ................. 262 13 Cho chituza chitumba ng'oma cha............................................. 263 14 Cho utanja ndichu chipunduwa................................................. 264 15 Garu yiruma mbuyake .............................................................. 264 16 Jenda-yija wangukukurwa ndi maji ........................................... 265 17 Juwani lapa mchenga nkhwambiya pamoza.............................. 266 18 Kanda apa nani ndi kandepo..................................................... 266 19 Kanthu kekose kendi nyengo yaki ............................................. 267 20 Kayuni ko kaja pauta kalasika cha ............................................. 268 21 Kufumba nkhuwona nthowa..................................................... 268 22 Kujikama uryengi kanthu ndi wala, kusoka uwengi waka .......... 269 23 Kukana kwa mutu wa garu........................................................ 269 24 Kukanda pa moto ..................................................................... 270 25 Kakuza kija kasikuwa ................................................................ 270 26 Kulinda malinda-linda............................................................... 271 27 Kumuzi waku ndi kumuzi waku ................................................. 272 28 Kupaska nkhusunga .................................................................. 272 29 Kusewe ndi chirwani mbuzereza............................................... 273 30 Kusewe ndi lezara la uyi kosekose ............................................ 274 31 Kuwezga janja or, Kase ruta kase weku ..................................... 274 32 Kuyambiriya nkhugona pakati................................................... 274 33 Kwambiriya maji gheche mugongono ....................................... 275

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34 Kwawiyako Chiuta .................................................................... 276 35 Kwe karakato............................................................................ 277 36 Likhwechu lamunyako payika, mawamle pako.......................... 277 37 Lilime lenge moto..................................................................... 278 38 Limphezi liweliyamo cha mu chimiti ......................................... 278 39 Maliro nkhuliyana..................................................................... 279 40 Malo gho utanja kusambapo ndigho patachikukole mng'ona .... 279 41 Manda ghawole pa khomo ....................................................... 280 42 Mata gha mula ghatuwa pasi cha.............................................. 280 43 Matako ghawi ghaleka cha ku kwenthana................................. 281 44 Maungu tikumwa, matali tikurya, kwajanji so? ......................... 282 45 Mawala ghatuswa vyaka........................................................... 282 46 Mazua ghasintha ...................................................................... 283 47 Mazua nganande, weya wang'ombe ngumana.......................... 284 48 Mbawa kume masengwe nkhuwambala lisito........................... 284 49 Mlamba ndiyo watunga ............................................................ 285 50 Mlendo ndi dungwi................................................................... 286 51 Mlendo ndiyo wabaya njoka ..................................................... 286 52 Mnthenkhu waryiya pa chipando.............................................. 287 53 Moto walimbuni utocha lisuwa likuru ....................................... 288 54 Mtiti ungamugolore cha pa mazila ghake.................................. 288 55 Mtonga nchigumbuli ................................................................ 289 56 Mu moyo ndi sitolo................................................................... 289 57 Mukucha nkhazunguliyanga chulu ............................................ 290 58 Munthu wambura kuvwa wabuchira mbavi ye mu mutu waki ......................................................................................... 291 59 Munthu wamtimba kuwi .......................................................... 291 60 Munthukazi wakuja pa khonde watuba vyaweni, po anyaki alima yiyu cha 292 61 Mwana kopa kazimu nkhumuluma ........................................... 292 62 Mwana mranda wasambira vyo wanthu wakamba pa mphara .................................................................................... 293 63 Mwana ndi chola ...................................................................... 293 64 Mwana wakuti kaya kuti wachila cha ........................................ 294 65 Mwana wambula kuvwa wangume masengwe ku masu ........... 294 66 Mwana wamunyako ndi samba m'manja, wako ndi ryangako  295 67 Mwana wangu wakana marangu yiku yimulange ndi Njovu ...... 296 68 Mzimu ndirinde ........................................................................ 296

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69 Mzinda unyenga ....................................................................... 297 70 Mazu gha wala ghawe pawaka cha ........................................... 298 71 Ndakana Chiuta mkali............................................................... 298 72 Ndakukambiyanga kuti ndi nyanga cha kwene mheni ndi tiringanenge 299 73 Ng'ombe yo yadanjiya yitumwa maji ghakutowa ...................... 300 74 Njifwa ye pose .......................................................................... 300 75 Njovu yitufwa ndi mivwi yinande.............................................. 300 76 Nkhombo atamba kusuka mkati ............................................... 301 77 Nozga kapasi mwakuti kapachanya kasike ................................ 302 78 Nyoko ndi nyoko chingana wapunduki...................................... 302 79 Nyoli yizirwa ndi mavungwa ..................................................... 303 80 Palima mphamoyo.................................................................... 303 81 Po pe josi pe moto .................................................................... 304 82 Pundu waruwa cha po wangurya chiwanga............................... 304 83 Pusi wakukota atimuliska wana wake ....................................... 305 84 Somba yakuvunda pamumphika yiziwa kuvundiska zonse ........ 306 85 Sonu awiya ose pa msana pe, ndikuti manja pu! pu! Pepa, pepa! ....................................................................................... 306 86 Sunga khose mukanda wazamuvwara....................................... 307 87 Ubwezi wa mbavi wanbura kurumba mbuyaki .......................... 307 88 Uchiwinda ukamba wako.......................................................... 308 89 Uku-vyanowa, uku-vyanowa, Pusi wanguwa chagada ............... 309 90 Ulemu ubaya ............................................................................ 309 91 Uyu ndi Chimbwi ...................................................................... 310 92 Vimiti vyo vyepamoza vileka cha kuchita ng'wema ................... 311 93 Vitotoka vigona mu chikutu chimoza cha .................................. 311 94 Vya mzinga ............................................................................... 312 95 Vyotikamba vya mng'ombe ...................................................... 313 96 Wabila pa chandi mutu uwoneka.............................................. 313 97 Wakozga kwa wiske.................................................................. 314 98 Wakuya ku muzi ukuru ............................................................. 314 99 Wamuchontha muguto............................................................. 315 100 Wavituta................................................................................. 315 101 Wawona masu gha chulu ghatema ......................................... 316 102. Wazamukumana ndi aweya wa mujino, mumphunu ulimu kale .......................................................................................... 317 103 Wendi jisu la nkwazi ............................................................... 317 104 Wendi mzimu uheni ............................................................... 318

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105 Wendi mzimu wamampha ...................................................... 318 106 Yo pamuko pa moyo ndiyo wajura kukhomo........................... 319 107 Yo waswela mviheni wariyengi ............................................... 320 108 Yo watenda ndi mnkhungu nayo wawengi mnkhungu............. 320 109 Yo watondo wasunga, yo wataya waliya ................................. 321 110 Zeru yimoza yibayiska............................................................. 321 111 Zeru zakuwija zibayiska........................................................... 322 112 Ziulikanga zikumpoka mahomwa ............................................ 322 113 Zua limoza kuti liwozga nyama ya Njovu cha........................... 323 114 Zunguliyane, ine ndizunguliyengi uku tikumanenge kurweka ................................................................................... 323 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 325 Recommendations for Application ..................................................... 327 On the Use of Folklore in the School Curriculum............................ 327 Creation of Tales and Proverbs ...................................................... 327 Status of Tonga Oral Literature in School ....................................... 328 Story-telling and its Alternatives.................................................... 329 Recreation of Venues for Moral Instruction ................................... 330 Inculturation of the Gospel............................................................ 331 Additional Tonga Proverbs for Study and Reflection ........................... 333 Bibliography....................................................................................... 339

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