CHAPTER 56
ANCIENT WAY OF WORSHIPPING AS PRACTICED IN BUSOGA
Long ago in Busoga there was no particular religion for all the people; instead each one or each clan or each family had its own religion or way of worshipping which was followed and which others would protest against.
Religion was in the form of spirits or gods and idols and each creed worshipped according to the manner in which its spirit or god wished to be adored. Sacrifices wou1d be offered to such spirits and gods — cattle, goats, hens, food, drink or any other thing as would be demanded by such gods or spirits.
Anything which would be required by a god or spirit was never refused or delayed, for any requirements of the gods had priority over all other things. There were places where temples were built for these gods and sometimes the temples were adjoining the houses of the worshippers, while some were found in the banana plantations or in the jungle, according to the characteristics of the god they adored. In the temples, all the sacrifices favoured by that particular god were carried out. These temples were known as ‘Masabo’.
The times during which worship or sacrifices to the gods took place were unlimited. At any time the god would wish to be served, he was served straight away, especially during periods of an epidemic or disease, war or food shortage, drought when there was no rain, or just a prayer to the god for his providence in all kinds of aspects. Never-the-less, during happy days people would also pray to their gods in rejoicing.
How would people know what their particular god was required? There were people who were possessed by evil spiritualism known as ‘Abasamize’. These people lost the natural understanding and at the same time became supernatural by the power of their gods, so that they could even talk a languaage which was unusual. They dressed differently from other people, sung unusual songs, ate in an unusual manner and held sticks of unusual kinds. They were with servants performing special duties for them, who understood the language spoken by them and their ways of behaviour.
So a person, after he had become ‘god-spirited, was in a position of informing the gathering which god was before them or had come and for what reason. Then he would tell them what he wanted them to do for him in order that he could do what they wanted him to do for them. He could tell them if there was another god or spirit displeased because they had failed to do something, or to erect a temple for him, or that they had not pleased him in any way at all. He would inform them that something (usually sad) had happened because they had failed to do a certain requirement and he would ask them to comply with it soon. He could also inform them that a pleasant thing had happened or had been granted them and tell them why, and would ask them to offer thanksgivings to all their gods. That was how people knew what their gods or spirits wanted.
Among the gods there were two chief ones, namely Kintu and Walumbe. However, all the time all Basoga were aware that there existed one Almighty God who controlled other gods and whom they knew as ‘Kibumba’ or ‘Gasani’.
HOW ‘ ABASAMIZE’ CAME ABOUT
The actual way how ‘Abasamize’ came into being in the country is not known but it is understood that a very old ‘mutaka’ (a person who first came to settle in a village) was the one who used to start being ‘Omusamize’ or a seer. Other ‘Abasamize’ who followed later were obtained in five chief ways : —
a) There were people who would be born as ‘Abasaize’, i. e. when a woman gave birth to a male or female child, if she was assisted by another woman known as a ‘midwife’ who was ‘omusamiza’ or a seer, this other woman informed the mother whether the newly- born baby was bearing spirits or a certain god, and she would advise the mother not to eat things which were taboo for that particular god, such as fish, mutton, etc. A temple would be built for the god and other ‘Abasamize’ who worshipped that same god would come to perform a ceremony incorporating the new—born ‘Omusamize’ into their community. They then prepared for him ‘Olutembe’ (a long necklace usually made of wild banana seeds or shells of small sea snails) and also prepared for him all the other equipment required for ‘Omusamize’ so that when that baby grew up, he was for life.
b) When a child was born with an unusual mark on the body or extra flesh on the body, or born with something missing on the body, the mother’s midwives would say that the child was having some spirits or had a god who caused him to be so. They would advise that the child be promptly ceremonised. Then an old ‘Musamize’ would be called to come and certify what had been observed on the child. Normally the ‘Omusamize’ did not question what had been agreed by others as to the state of the child for he or she. would only consent that certainly the child had a god and the next thing was a ceremonial feast to prepare the child to become a ‘Musamize’ and also to mark the child’s incorporation into the ‘Abasamize’ group. After everything necessary for one to become ‘Omusamize’ had been done to the baby, then its mother became bound to refrain from or to observe all the taboos of ‘Omusamize’, even if she was not ‘Omusamize’ herself.
c) If someone caught a very serious chronic disease or sometimes simply a serious disease, his relatives went to a seer (‘Omulaguzi’) and enquired the cause of the disease or who had bewitched the person. Then the Omulaguzi would deal with his or crafts and when he observed that a certain god willed to use that person or wanted to speak through that person, or wanted to make him his office bearer or disciple, his relatives went and called ‘Kabona’ (head of ‘Abasamize’) who invited many of his other ‘Abasamize’. They came with drums and all their equipment and started the ceremony of officialising the person who was to become a new member of their group. They walked round him while they sang songs of the gods and at the same time they would stop and fall upon him. They dressed (Lubaale) him in the clothes of professional ‘Abasamize’ known as ‘Abasweezi’. When a god or a spirit (‘Omuzimu’) came on the head of that sick person, he started shaking vigorously in every part of his body, at the same time seeming to go mad. Then he would stand up shouting violently in the language of professional ‘Abasami Abasweezi’, which would encourage his professors to sing in higher voices than before and beat their drums vigorously. Then everything would be quiet and the ‘Lubaale’ or ‘Omuzimu’ in the form of the sick person would start to speak thus ‘I am so-and-so.. I have come to inform you that I am going to kill this person for disobeying me’. He would then state what he required to be done for him in order that the sick person could recover from his illness, etc., after which he went off.
Later his requirements would be fulfilled and sometimes the sick person recovered from the illness, but from then on he became and remained professional ‘Omusamizi Omusweezi!
d) Sometimes a grown—up person would be ascended on by a ‘Lubaale’ or ‘Omuzimu’ without first having any defect; he would seem to have gone lunatic, talking in a senseless manner and sometimes he would run aimlessly. He would go into the forest and remain there; he would do unusual things or his body would have big spots as those of a leprosy disease. When his relatives saw this state, they went to a seer (‘Omulaguzi’) to enquire into the cause of their relative’s state.
‘Omulaguzi’ would advise them, after finding the cause, to go and invite a professional ‘Musamize’ to come and put the person in order. When ‘Omusweezi’ came with all his professional crafts and with several of his fellow ‘Abasweezi’, they surrounded the person while they sangand danced around him and made him wear ‘Entembe’ while they also handed him official staffs. This usually took four to five days before they succeeded in having him ascended upon by a god or spirit and it was on the final day that their efforts resulted in changing him to a supernatural being. He shivered and spoke the language of very ancient ‘Abasweezi’. Then he would introduce himself as so— and— so (a god or spirit) and say that he had selected the bearer to be his slave, so from that day that person was incorporated into the community of ‘Abasweezi’.
e) There are people who become ‘Abasamize’ only, through inheritance.
For instance, if a person’s parents were ‘Abasamize’ when they died or when one of them died, his god or spirit which he served would come and choose that person or another of the deceased’s children to serve him as he wished, provided the person selected was his servant’s or his bearers child.
These were the ways through which ‘Abasamize’ (in other words ‘Abasweezi’) became so and they were the directors (‘Bakabona’) of the ancient Kisoga worshipping. They used to be paid well for their work. Every person, chief or peasant, had his particuliar form of worshipping which was honoured with humility. Any instruction or request which was made by a ‘Kabona’ was immediately complied with. A Kabona was never taxed; his property was never attacked or taken away from him. He would not be chased away nor harmed because he was able to call a curse down on the country, which is on account of him.
There were people who were not ‘Abasamize’ but who were seers ‘Abalaguzi or foretellers who were able to forecast what would be going to take place and what were the causes of certain misfortunes. The ‘Abalaguzi’ were of many categories. The skill of becoming Omulaguzi was acquired by learning from the experienced ones in that work or by inheritance.
In the first group of ‘Abalaguzi’, their skill was composed of the following
: —
Normally a mvule or musita tree was cut and prepared very neatly, about 6 to 12 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches deep. After that another piece was prepared, measuring about 3 inches long and 1 to l- inches wide and to 11/2 inches thick. This stick, which was called ‘Nkutwa’, was cut from a root of a tree which grew on the road or way. This being done, then the person would be ready for service. The first piece of wood mentioned was sometimes engraved and took up a space of about 4 to 6 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide and 1/ 8 of an inch deep, but sometimes that was not made. Then a person would come to the ‘Omulguzi’ when he wanted information or came for consultation such as a sick person, or a person who had lost his property or had it stolen, or who wanted to know the forecasts about his coming travels, or why he produced no children, or the reason why his crops were not yielding, or whether he was going to war and what were his shortcomings whether or not he would return safely, or even when the person was troubled.
The person seeking information came with something to pay to the ‘Omulaguzi’ and this was usually a cock or hen, bark cloth, money (in the currency of that time, or any kind of food which was available. Then ‘Omulaguzi’ would take out his crafts (wooden ones) and also bring some water, instructing his client to break five or ten pieces of small wood. Then he took up the engraved board prepared in the form of a small manger and which was known as ‘Oluserya’; he put it down before him and filled it with water and placed his stick (the piece of root) on the water in the ‘Oluserya’. Then he asked the client to take hold of one of the sticks which he had broken and to spit on it while calling the particular thing which he wanted to be sorted out to present itself, and then to give that stick to him (‘Omulaguzi’).
Therefore the troubled one would do according1y on the piece of stick and utter words relating to his trouble, such as ‘The one who is charming me, if you are, so-and-so, present yourself or - ‘The journey which I am intending to make, tell me if you will be of benefit and in whatever way he wanted to know about. He would then hand the stick to the omulaguzi who placed it underneath the upper part of the ‘Oluserya’ and repeated the same words as uttered by his client. ‘If you are the one charming this man, come and show yourself while he moved the piece of wood to and fro on the surface of the water in the ‘Oluserya’. If the stick refused to float about, he would utter the same words again while pushing it to float; if he did that three times without success, it meant that the person alleged was not the one charming him, or that his suspicions about anything else were wrong.
Then the ‘Omulaguzi’ would ask the person for another stick and after he had done the same as on the first stick, but this time uttering another suspect, he would hand it to him as before. The ‘Omulaguzi’ would also repeat the same words and place it a the first stick. As he mentioned the name of the suspect, at the same time propelling the stick to move, it would stop and he would repeat the action for the second time. If it moved freely, he would make sure by repeating the words and name, pushing the stick so that on the third time it floated, thus surprising the spectators, who then came to the conclusion that the suspected was the real person causing the witchcraft or harm to that person; or if luck was intended, then it was certain that he was going to have it or if he had enquired about the fortunes from his coming journey, it was true that his journey was going to be successful or unsuccessful, according to the reading of the apparatus, in which case he would not proceed on his journey at all. That was the way of fore telling fortunes.
There are other ‘Abalaguzi’ who use cattle skins. He cuts equally two skins, each one to the size of a shoe sole, about 6 to 12 inches long and approximately 6 inches wide.
Now he is ready to be consulted. Those who come to consult him in any matter come with something known as ‘Omukemba’ to pay him in return for his service.
The procedure is exactly the same as in the first case, including, the breaking up of five small sticks. After the ‘Omulaguzi’ has been handed one of the sticks, he takes up his pair of soles, spits on them ad throws them down with force. If they lie apart, i.e. one here and one there, or if they fall and one lies upside down and the other on its back; it means they have not succeeded. Then ‘Omulagzi’ asks for a second stick, on which he spits again, and utters the words, dropping the soles as in the first instance. When they fall together on their backs it means the matter has been solved, the same as in the manger’s case.
There is another kind of ‘Omulaguzi’ who uses four cowrieshells (‘ensimbi’) and with these he does everything in the same way as above. He has a piece of barkcloth or a skin on which he puts the ensimbi and after he has been handed one of the five sticks by his client, he places it under the upper part of the bark cloth or skin. He then takes up the ensimbi from the spread and spits on them, announcing the wish at the same time. Then he drops them with force on the spread. If they fall the first time as the soles did originally, it means a failure; but on the second occasion if all the four of them fall and lie facing upwards, it signifies that what is being wanted is alright and he says so to the consulter. He then advises him what step to take in order to get cured or to acquire riches or either to cancel or to proceed on his journey. Any advice which ‘Omulaguzi’ gives to a person is the only thing to be done.
Normally the advice which ‘Omulagazi’ may give is to ask doctors (those who provide traditional medicine) to come and fix medicines (fetishes) which drive away bad fortune from that person’ s house, or which would make thieves return stolen goods. He can also advise the person to call ‘Abasweezi’ to give treatment to the sick, or he can advise to offer sacrifices to a certain dead person, or to build fetish huts for titulary dieties, spirits or gods and they must be fulfilled.
Whoever was ‘Omulaguzi’ was paid a lot of things by his clients who consulted him, however, there was another unusual party which belonged to ‘Abalaguzi’ group but which foretold happenings in advance, and that group was also known as ‘Balubaale’. These would foretell what was going to befall one or what was going to happen to certain people or to the whole country but they were not paid for this job because their knowledge of such things was through gods and was not natural.
However, they were paid when they would perform the ceremonies of incorporating a new member into their community.
Every chief had his ‘Omulaguzi’. He could have as many as he liked or as few. He also had his own doctors who treated him in every way or who treated his family and who also gave him medicine which enabled him to stay firmly in his career and to preserve it in any respect. The ‘Abalaguzi’ were respbnsible for advising the chief in matters concerning his future luck, danger to himself or to his whole country, and also to give him advice as to how he would solve such problems.
Some of the chief’s ministers were ‘Abalaguzi’ and doctors.
1. The ‘Abalaguzi’ did not deal with only one or two particular matters but dealt with everything happening on earth — for instance sickness; luck, present and coming danger, production of children, war, rain, animals, winning of wars, marriages, crops, houses, visitors, the inhabitants of that place or village, servants, women, stolen property, etc. They were paid for each of the matters dealt with according to how long it took them to deal with such. The more matters one had presented to ‘Omulaguzi’, the more things one paid, and the more complicated the matter was, the more money was paid for the job.
2. When a doctor would come to one’s home where thieves came frequently to steal property, or where bad people came to harm the person, he dug small holes inside the person’s enclosure and in the paths leading to the house and buried some magic known as ‘Mayembe’ in them.
He would also give to the person a fetish to retain, with information that such was going to guide him by keeping away the thieves, not to return.
3. When a doctor would come to one’s place to make him obtain luck, he covered plenty of medicine into the ground of the courtyard and put some into an earthen water pot. After that, if it was necessary, he also covered in the ground heads of slaughtered sheep or goats or of killed dogs, and then would give to the person some fetishes telling him that they were going to guide him against all danger or in all danger.
4. If a doctor came to cause one’s wives to be able to produce children, he gave them medicine which was to be included in meat which they ought to eat alone with their husbands, but with nobody else. He also gave them some instructions to observe. Sometimes he would give them some fetishes which were meant to drive away all trouble which hindered them in becoming pregant or from bearing children.
5. If a doctor came to find what had been stolen or a wife who had disappeared, or a child or anything that had disappeared without the knowledge of the owner as to where the same went, he prepared certain medicine and sprinkled it in the house or in the courtyard or on the bush, and the remainder he mixed with some of the things which were left by he thief which he did not take. Or else he mixed it with the bark cloth of the woman or child who had disappeared or mixed it with the dung of the cow or goat which had n stolen. After he had done that, he prepared a sausage-shaped medicine known as ‘Mumbwa’ mixing it with a clay or he prepared out of such a fetish which afterwards he buried in the ground or threw anywhere he liked, signifying that let the one who stole the thing die or return it. Sometimes nothing was ever heard again about the things which were stolen or disappeared and dealt with by a doctor’s skill. Or sometimes such things were returned by the thief because he learned that a magician had been consulted and immediately he worried about dying, and so returned the things.
6. If a doctor came to put a whole journey in order, he acted in the same way as we have seen. It was the doctors who always put in order the journeys of all rulers and also who charmed wars so that the enemy’s side became unwilling to continue fighting.
The doctors were also covering fetishes into the ground for brave soldiers and gave some away to them when they went to war to keep them from becoming wounded, killed or for staying brave.
Doctors used to solve quite a number of matters according to the demand. However, although they solved all that, they regarded these solutions as being conducted through the power of god (‘Lubaale’) who wished such to be so. There was a particular group known as doctors. Sometimes this group was quite different from other groups of worshippers and seers. Sometimes some of them were the Abasweezi’ or ‘Abalaguzi’. Therefore, there were three kinds of doctors: Abasweezi, Abalaguzi and healers who dealt only with medicines.
The duty of a doctor was not only to give healing and safe medicines; they were also able to detect a harmful doer or a witchcraft doer, things stolen and hidden, or they were able to cast a spell on the thief who stole the things and cause him to die; and also to do their magic which brought luck or victory.
A doctor would come after being invited to do so by the one in need, who had been advised to do so by ‘Omulaguzi’, who also advised him as to the type of doctor who was approriate for his need. Then the person would go and look for that kind of doctor.
Then a doctor would come, he brought all the things necessary, fetishes packed in his bag, people to assist him - these included his chief wife or son whom he was coaching to practice the job. When they arrived the doctor made all necessary enquiries about the matter for which he had been summoned. He would then declare the amount of reward he was to be given for the job and would instruct his host to get ready all the necessary equipment he needed to assist him in his undertaking. After all that had been arranged by the host, the doctor would commence with his task.
If he was concerned with treating a sick person, he would give to that person medicinal herbs plus some fetishes, some of which would be buried in junctions of roads or in the house or courtyard. These were meant to keep away the one charming the sick person from continuing to do so, or to prevent the charm working on the rest of the family.
There was a group of doctors known as rain-makers. Even some of the chiefs used to make rain in certain places where it could rain. Some times the landlords or heads of clans used to make rain for themselves, while some chiefs had people to make rain for them. Nevertheless, success in producing rain depended largely on the spirits or gods for, although a doctor did everything of his craft to produce rain, yet he would first offer to his god or spirit a cow, goat, sheep or a hen, followed by arrangements of the temples and building of fetish huts for his gods and spirits. After that he would start work.
In order to be able to make rain, the rainmaker collected all sorts of earthen water Spots of other countries, such as Buvuma Islands, Buganda, Kavirondo and from other parts of Busoga; in addition to these he also took one earthen cooking pot and horn of the following animals; a marsh antelope, a hartebeest, a cobus cob, a sheep, a goat and a cow. Then he put in each of them severe kinds of medicine according to his skill in producing rain, then he cooked the horns. Next he prepared some fetishes, sausage-shaped medicinal clay, etc and also some other medicine prepared from roots which he ground, and arranged everything according to what he believed caused rain. In addition, he prepared many other sorts of medicine, after which he selected a safe place where he could put his apparatus, normally in a banana plantation under a wellshaded tree. There he transferred all the things comprising the water pots, a cooking pot, horns, etc.
Then he had to get some glimmering white stones which used to be obtained from Mount Elgon, after which he asked the chiefs to give him a sheep and hen with some butter obtained from a spotless black cow. On receipt of these, he boiled the medicine in the pot and when it formed a sort of foam, that indicated that it was going to rain. After the medicine was properly boiled, it was removed from its cooking pot and poured into each of the water pots and the medicine which remained in the pot was splashed all over the place, under the tree and even beyond its area, while he uttered words at the same time, such as ‘All the gods and the spirits I invite you to draw here to listen to what I implore you to provide with rain to your servants who have also offered you with this food to which I also invite you to come and eat’.
The doctor continued ‘I also implore thee that if there is any anoyance caused to thee by thy servants, I request thee to have mercy on them. If there is any one who died with a disappointed heart towards anyone still surviving so that now he is revenging by means of this sort of trouble let him stop the grudges now. If there is on this earth any other person who triess or wants to do malicious things to people by contradicting rain to fall let thee attack him because he wants to ruin thy country. After that the rain-maker left for his home and when he arrived there he took out of his house all his horns, fetishes and medicinal sausage-shaped clays (‘Mumbwa’) and cleaned them with water and smeared them with butter which was obtained from a pure black cow. He fixed them into a banana stem and put them on a sheep’s skin, at the same time uttering the same words as said at the place under the tree where he left the pots. Thus the whole process of his rain-making was accomplished.
When it rained, he recovered his fetishes, horns and the mumbwa from the banana stem and skin and stored them in his house, but the other apparatus under the tree was left there for good, with the exception of one water pot which was removed and brought home, after the marbles obtained from Mount Elgon were put into it. The pot was then covered nicely with something to serve as a lid and stored with all the fetishes in a separate room belonging to his chief wife, to which no one had access except he himself and his chief wife, who was forbidden to disclose the private parts of her body in that room at all times.
Whenever rain was wanted, the rain-maker acted in the same way as before, using the same pots except for the medicine, which he had to prepare anew. A sheep, hen and butter were given to him on every occasion that he went to make rain, a job which he was restricted to make only once a year. A doctor of this sort was known as ‘Mugimba’, meaning a rain producer. He would be found in each village and as much respected for his work. However, it is remarked that it was not through such process that it rained but it was because the rainy season had come!