Gakondo

The Myth of Kigwa

I. The Birth of Sabizeze in a Milk Jug

"How will that come about?" Gasani replied. "I have been childless for many years now!"

"You will have your baby, and I shall get my reward!"

"What reward would you like?"

"All I ask is that you take me into your household, as a servant, and give me clothing and food, and lodgings, so that I can be on hand to give you further advice"

Gasani took Imhamvu in her service.

Now, it so happened that at that particular time, King Shyerezo was planning to extend his empire, by annexing some of the outlying areas, by annexing some of the outlying areas. He convened his Advisors, and asked them to hold a divination session, in order to indicate the best way of achieving this goal.

A divination bull was selected and prepared. The diviners collected the royal saliva, as divination seed, fed it to the bull, and whispered the divination question into its ear. Then they put it to sleep, opened it up, and proceeded to check the inner organs for signs.

When the diviners had completed their readings, they went into the palace to give their report to the King. At that moment, the lady Imhamvu told the Queen, "Go to the consultation area, take the heart of the divination bull, and place it in the milk jug you have prepared. But make sure nobody sees you."

Gasani did as she was told. She brought the heart over, dropped it into the erythrina milk jug, fitted some woven netting around it, and suspended it above the churning gourd table.

Imhamvu then recommeded that that the jug should be hidden away at all times, and the Queen should never let anyone come near it. She was to add a little warm milk every morning and evening, at milking time.

Nine moons elapsed. In the tenth moon, Imhamvu told Gasani to open the jug. And lo and behold! A baby boy was found floating on milk the curds. The whole household was alerted, and all shouted out joyfully, "Gasani yabyaye! Gasani's baby is born! Let all rejoice and make sounds of ululation!"

Gasani named her son Sabizeze, short for "Saba Imana zeze": pray to the Gods at their moment of favour. Little Sabizeze was indeed a gift of the Gods, having been born of the heart of a divine bull, which had swallowed the seed of the King of Heaven. He was a very beautiful baby.

When Gasani and her servant, the Wise Imhamvu, heard that King Shyerezo wanted the baby eliminated, they resolved to hide him away. Whenever the King would send his people over, the Queen would be secretly informed, and she would hide the child.

As the child grew up, he became more beautiful and intelligent, was loved and admired by all.

News of the child's loveliness eventually reached King Shyerezo. "Lord", people would say, "your son is the most beautiful boy in all your kingdoms! None like him has ever been seen!" But he persisted in denying him. "Did I not order that child to be killed? Why is he still alive? Take him away and kill him! I don't want him", he said. But none consented to killing him, for he grew more and more handsome, and began to look more and more like his father.

The Queen called the boy in. When the Elders saw him, they marvelled at his looks and demeanour, for by then he was the spitting image of the King of Heaven Himself. They went to the King, and said to him, "Lord, we know you have ordered your son to be killed. However, the boy is so wonderfully like you that killing him would be like killing Your Majesty."

The Elders were so convincing that eventually the King consented to go over to Gasani's place and see this little boy for himself. As soon as he set his eyes on little Sabizeze, all desire of killing him suddenly left the King, and instead, he recognised him, took him into his arms, lifted him high up, then set him on his knee, and gave him a name: Imana, Divinity.

II. The Revolt of Sabizeze

Years later, however, Gasani's mother came to see her, and enquired about her son's birth and the strange rumours she had heard. Then Gasani resolved to tell her the full story.

While the Queen was recounting Sabizeze's "processing", one of his companions happened to overhear the whole story. He ran to his friend, and blurted the whole story out, "Son of my Lord, now I know why you are so different from the rest of us! You were born in a different way! You actually developed in a milk jug, from the heart of a sacred bull which had swallowed your Father's Seed! Your mother found you swimming about in milk curds! I heard her tell the story to your grandmother! Very strange indeed!"

When Sabizeze heard that, he became very angry with his mother, and said, "Ubonye Gasani ngo arambyarura! How can my mother disown me in this manner! What a shame! I cannot stay here any longer!" And he resolved never to return to her mother's house, but instead, to leave home and go and settle as far as possible, to the farthest end of his Father's Empire, and beyond, if possible.

Then Sabizeze went to the royal stables, pens, and hen houses, selected a couple of each of the royal animals and birds, including the Bull Rugira and his cow Ingizi, the Ram Mudende and his sheep Nyabuhoro, the Goat Rugeyo and his mate, the Rooster Mugambira and his hen, the White Bird Inyange and his mate, and many others. His Pigmee Aide-de-Camp, Mihwabaro and his wife joined the party. They drove the animals and birds out of the gate, to a spot which Sabizeze had identified. Then using the Hammer, he made a hole in the ground, pushed the animals and birds through it, then followed on with his companions.

At that time, the Hammer Nyarushara fell from Sabizeze's hands, spun down and landed in the northwest of Rwanda, causing a great commotion, which rocked all the surrounding areas. It fell at the foot of the volcano Muhabura, where it made a great depression, which later filled with water, thus creating the pool Gipfuna.

III. The Landing on the Great Rock Ikinani

The rocky promontory was in a clearing, surrounded by dense forest. There appeared to be no people around, apart from the forest animals.

The people of Mubali went to their king, Kabeja, and told him about the strange sighting, and he sent a scouting party into the forest. When they came to the rock, they were at first afraid of what they saw, but the Heavenly Ones reassured them and welcomed them.

"Don't be afraid. We are humans. We come from heaven. We are peaceful visitors, and we want to live with you as good neighbours. We hope you will be hospitable to us".

The scouts went back to report to their king, and they told him all they had learnt.

The king of Mubali welcomed the Visitors, and encouraged his people to extend all hospitality to them. The local people called them Ibimanuka (Descents), and named Sabizeze "Kigwa" (Fallen). The Children of Heaven called the locals "Abasangwabutaka" (Found on the land). But the proper name of the people of the people of Mubali was "Abazigaba".

The Ibimanuka lived with Kabeja and his people for a long time, teaching them many things, beginning with the various uses of the fire they had brought from heaven, which proved to be a great attraction to the locals. Soon, more and more people gathered around the Ibimanuka, and became their pupils.

But Mututsi refused to marry his sister. He said to his brother, "Go ahead, if you so wish, but I do not want to marry."

Then Kigwa married his sister Nyampundu, and they had a lovely baby girl, whom they named Sukiranya. Later, they had a son, and named him Muntu.

When Sukiranya had grown into a beautiful young woman, Kigwa suggested that his brother marry her, for it was not proper that he should remain single and childless.

"My brother, you have now been single and childless for a whole generation. Now that our beautiful daughter Sukiranya is grown up, why don't you marry her?"

"What! Marry my own niece? Never!"

"I'll tell you how we can resolve the issue. Go over across the valley, and settle on that hillside opposite ours. After a while, you'll come to ask for my daughter's hand. When I ask you for your ancestry, you'll reply, 'I am an Umwega from across the valley'."

Mututsi agreed. In due course, he married Sukiranya, and they had three sons, whom they named Serwega, Muha, and Mukono.