Gakondo

The Royal Rituals

presented by
Rose-Marie Mukarutabana

	Introduction (EN)
	Introduction (FR)
	Ijambo ry'Ibanze

	The Royal Lists
	Les Listes royales
	Ubucurabwenge

	The Royal Myths
	Les Mythes royaux
	Ibitekerezo

	The Royal Poetry
	Les Poésies royales
	Ibisigo

	The Royal Rituals
	Les Rituels royaux
	Ubwiru

	Other Texts
	Autres Textes
	Ibindi

	RMM's Papers
	Papiers Divers
	Inyandiko bwiite za RMM

	Index of Articles
	Index des Articles
	Irondooro ry'Ibirimo

The Way of the First Fruits Umuganura

		The rites of the First Fruits Umuganura commence in Kaanama*
		By the descendants of Myaka*,
		Of the House of Musana*.

		They come to ask for the hoes
5		They inform their Umutsoobe* chief
		And he goes to the capital.

		Then the king sits in the principal house Kambere,
		Either at his father's, or his grandfather's shrine
		He sits in the centre of the house,
10		Upon the throne.
		The Umutsoobe* brings the hoes
		Fixed on handles of the umwifuuzo tree.
		These are Buberuka* Hoes, which have not yet touched the ground
		They are wrapped in a bulrush mat ikirago.

15		The Umutsoobe* unwraps the hoes.
		The king takes them,
		Holds them before him
		And presents them to the Umutsoobe*
		Saying : "Go and sow and reap!"

20		The descendent of Musana* puts them back into the mat
		And takes them out of the palace.
		When he reaches the public place Ku Karubanda,
		He hands them to one of the farmers
		And leaves straight away.

25		When he arrives at his home in Bumbogo*,
		The drums come to welcome the hoes, as acclamations are sounded.
		A fire is lit, and all say : "The hoes have arrived!"

		The descendants of Musana*
		Go the the lowlands and sow.
30		The ritual sowing is repeated on the following day.
		Then the farmers carry on the work in the ordinary way.

		The month is Nzeri*
		Finger millet uburo is also sown.

		By the moon of Mutarama*
35		The crops have ripened.
		At the waning of that moon,
		The sample umurorano arrives:
		A measure de sorghum in a small basket inkangara
		Together with a small quantity of finger millet uburo
40		Is brought to the principal house Kambere
		The Umutsoobe* puts the basket by the partition screens.

		The king then comes out.
		All those present are dismissed.
		The king sits down
45		And the Umutsoobe* presents him the basket
		The king lays his hands on it.
		The Queen mother lays her hands on it.
		The basket is taken into a secluded house
		In the back court igikari.

50		A grinder is brought, and the grain is ground.
		When the flour is ready, it is cooked in the boiling water
		The paste umutsima thus produced is placed
		In two small fine baskets utwibo.

		In the evening, they send for the milk of the herd The Honorables*
55		It is brought in milk pots inkongooro in erythrina wood umurinzi.
		All the items are taken into the principal house Kambere.
		All those who are not priests are dismissed.

		The king then looks [into the little baskets]
		Four times.
60		His spouse of the Abega* lineage,
		Who is not in her menses
		Looks in four times.
		The little baskets utwiibo (VII, 53) are then put in a pot igicuba
		Which is placed on the shelf at the head of the royal couch
65		Behind [the Hammer] Nyarushara*.

		That night, the king receives [the queen].

		[The following day,] a Muhutu* of the Intarindwa*
		Watches for the moment when the drums are about to beat the rise
		And withdraws the little baskets from the pot igicuba just before.
70		He carries the bread away and eats it at his leisure.

		Matters are left at that
		Up to just before the end of the month.

		Calculations are then made
		To ensure that the apparition of the moon of Gashyantare*
75		Coincides with the moment when the Great Basket Igitenga is to leave.

		The descendant of Musana*
		Comes and tells the Umutsoobe*:
		"I have come to take the Great Basket Igitenga."
		He is told : "That is good."
80		The Umutsoobe* goes to the capital to make the announcement.

		A young woman of the Abega* lineage comes over,
		She goes to the shrine of Cyirima*.
		Mature butter is brought.
		The young woman of the Abega* lineage
85		Takes the butter
		And places it at the bottom of the Great Basket Igitenga.
		She gives it to an [Intarindwa] Muhutu*, who takes it
		To the house where the king is,
		Either at his father's or his grandfather's shrine
90		No divination is required for selecting either one.

		The king seats at the centre of the house
		Upon the throne
		On which is spread the skin of the ram
		Which was used for divination when the king was still a nobleman Umututsi*
95		Preparing for his enthronement.
		For once he has been enthroned,
		He no longer wears sheepskin,
		He only wears cow skin.

		The Great Basket Igitenga is placed before the king
100		He takes it by the border,
		With the help of the Umutsoobe*
		And the descendant of Musana*.
		The Umutsoobe* puts his head inside first
		Then moves aside for the descendant of Musana*,
105		Who also puts his head inside the Great Basket Igitenga.
		They carry it across the partition screen
		And hand it over to an [Intarindwa] Muhutu*
		Who carries it away.

		Then acclamations are sounded.
110		The Servants of Gakondo escort the Great Basket Igitenga
		With acclamations alone, and no drums.
		It is carried away with no further delay,
		It does not spend the night at the quarters of the Umutsoobe*.
		But leaves straight away.

115		In every place where it stops for the night
		As it crosses the country
		It is acclaimed.

		As it crosses the river
		A number of measuring baskets
120		Have been prepared in advance.
		Drums and acclamations
		Welcome it into Bumbogo*.
		It is filled to the brim that same day
		With the contents of the measuring baskets
125		And it turns back the same day.
		Acclamations are sounded all along the way
		As the Bambogo* confiscate property
		And beat up the people.

		They lodge each night at the home of a good lineage,
130		Abagesera* or Abazigaaba*.
		People bring hospitality presents
		To the home where the Great Basket Igitenga is received for the night.
		If anyone does not do so, his enclosure is demolished.
		Even tributes being taken to the capital
135		Or supplies being taken to the chiefs' lodgings
		Are confiscated with impunity.

		The final night is spent at the house of the Umutsoobe*.

		Meanwhile, before the arrival of the Great Basket
		The guest have been invited.
		All those invited postpone any travel outside the capital.

140		All the provincial chiefs send for milk
		To fill the pots ibicuba of the Royal House.

		When the Great Basket Igitenga arrives at the house of the Umutsoobe*,
		His drum of office is taken to that house to welcome it.
		The Great Basket Igitenga spends the night there.

145		The following morning, the Umutsoobe* offers an ox
		In hospitality to the people of Bumbogo*.
		The playing drums of the royal court
		Come to the Umutsobe's house
		Immediately after playing for the ceremonies of the royal rise
150		As soon as they arrive, they begin playing.
		When it is broad daylight, the Great Basket Igitenga sets out.

		THE GREAT PROCESSION

		Meanwhile, a butter pot ikidakombwa
		Has been filled with mature butter.
		It is placed in a churning gourd net injishi
155		On a ring cushion made with hand-pulled urukangaga rushes.
		When it is filled with the said butter
		It is taken to the shrine of Cyirima*.
		There, it is processed
		And placed in a pot igicuba.

160		Then the Umuganura escort sets out
		Composed of young men dressed in skin uniforms
		The guests come out to meet the Great Basket Igitenga at the house of the Umutsoobe*.
		The bride from the Abega* lineage (VIII, 81, 84)
		Together with [her bride's maid] from the Abatsobe* lineage
165		Are at the shrine of Cyirima*.
		The royal drums Ingabe are placed in their palanquins
		And carried in their order of precedence
		The bride from the Abega* lineage
		Is carried in her palanquin behind them
170		With her bride's maid from the Abatsoobe* lineage behind her
		The said pot igicuba (VIII, 159) follows on.
		All arrive at the public place Ku Karubanda.
		The drum salutes the Umuganura cortege.

		Then the handles of Karinga* are brought ,
175		In contact with the handles of the Great Basket Igitenga,
		They meet and touch.
		Karinga* moves on
		With the other royal drums Ingabe.
		They turn back
180		And return to the house where the king is,
		Along with the palanquins of the two brides.

		The pot igicuba (VIII, 159) remains at the public place.
		It will be carried behind the grain grinders
		Which have come from the house of the Umutsoobe*
185		Together with the two water jars intango from Buhanga*
		Which follow the great pot igicuba, and a spatula umwuko.

		The palanquins of the brides,
		Are taken to the wing of the palace enclosure.

		The king is presented with the Hammers and the Fire Drill
190		He sits at the entrance of the main house
		Upon the throne
		He wears the badge of victory inganji
		As the bow umuheto is placed before him.
		He is saluted; he puts on the ring igikondo
195		The royal drums Ingabe make their entry;
		They are presented to the king, he plays on them the rhythm ibihubi*,
		Then they move to the their platform.

		The Umuganura cortege comes in.
		The king puts on the vestments Inkindi z'Umuganura
200		And wears the ring igikondo and the diadem ishyira.

		As the cortege comes up
		To the pillar kanangazi under the awning of the house
		The descendant of Myaka* comes forward
		He pulls the churning gourd netting injishi over his head
205		Puts his head into the Great Basket Igitenga
		Steps over the threshold into the house, and comes out again.
		Then the Great Basket Igitenga is placed before the king.

		Rugina* is brought out
		And hydromel from the House of Myaka*.
210		Both are poured into a large calabash
		And transferred into a small jug.
		The Umutsoobe* kneels down behind the Great Basket Igitenga,
		While the king sits on the throne before it.
		They both comb it.

215		Four baskets ibyibo are brought.
		Using his hands, the king scoops the ears of grain and transfers them
		From the Great Basket Igitenga into the four baskets.
		With the help of the Umutsoobe*
		They fill up all four.
220		The Great Basket is taken inside the house,
		And placed on the platform uruhimbi, before the royal drums.
		Two grain grinders are set up
		And the grinding is done there, facing the platform.

		Rugina* is brought;
225		The king and the Umutsoobe* make the gesture of drinking over it
		Four times.
		Then the king tastes the drink.
		And Rugina is placed on the platform at the head of the royal couch.

		PREPARATION OF THE BREAD UMUTSIMA

		An Intarindwa* (VIII, 67) goes out
230		And brings supporting stones for the cooking pot
		And places them according to the dimensions of the cooking pot.
		When all is ready, the king comes in.
		The plants umurembe and ishyoza are brought in
		They are placed in the calabash and held at the head end
235		As the water is poured into the calabash (VIII, 210).
		The king kneels down
		Before the cooking pot (VIII, 231).
		He pours the water into it [counting:]
		One, two, three, four, five,
240		six, seven,
		Eight, nine times,
		And stops.

		His mother comes forward
		And does the same.
245		His wife does the same, as well as the Umutsoobe*
		And the descendant of Musana*.

		Umurama firewood is brought;
		Anyone lights the fire
		From the right-hand side of the cooking pot (VIII, 231).
250		When the water has come to the boil, the flour is poured in.
		The king comes before the pot
		And claps his hands in its honour, on his knees.
		When he is done, he rises up.
		His mother does the same
255		And his wife, and the Umutsoobe*
		And the descendant of Mumbogo*.
		Then all say : "It [the cooking pot] has blossomed !"

		The baskets ibyiibo are brought over (VIII, 215)
260		Filled with flour, all four.
		A servant scoops a little water from the pot.
		The king is helped by the queen mother and the Umutsoobe*
		And they pour the flour into the cooking pot, four times.
		The queen comes and pours the rest of the flour into the pot.
265		Then all of them together
		Hold the spatula and mix the paste. (VIII, 186)
		Then they all withdraw
		And leave the servant to carry on with the cooking.

		When the servant has completed the cooking
270		The queen rises, scoops out some paste umutsima from the pot
		And puts a portion of it into the king's basket icyibo
		Then more paste umutsima is taken out to fill the basket.
		The basket is set aside.
		More paste is removed from the pot and placed in the other baskets.

275		When the work is nearly completed
		The queen comes back and
		She and the servant hold the spatula together
		The withdraw the remaining paste umutsima
		Leaving a large portion on the spatula.

		Meanwhile, the king, after pouring the flour into the cooking pot
280		Has gone to the fields to perform ritual cultivation,
		Together with the invited guests and the Abambogo*.
		The king, the Umutsoobe and the descendant of Mumbogo*
		First set the rhythm for the group hoeing
		Then the others join in.

285		When the cooking is completed
		The ritual cultivation comes to an end.

		UMUGANURA COMMUNION

		Milk from the herd The Honorables* (VIII, 54)
		Is brought in two milk pots inkongooro in erythrina umurinzi (VIII, 55).
		The king puts on the ring igikondo (VIII, 194,200)
290		And the Umuganura vestments inkindi (VIII, 199).
		He sits upon the throne.

		The butter pot ikidakombwa (VIII, 153-154) is brought,
		In a churning gourd net.
		The Umutsoobe* brings the spatula
295		With the paste umutsima sticking on it (VIII, 278).
		He kneels down before the king.

		The king takes some of the paste umutsima
		After he has drunk twice
		Of the milk of The Honorables*;
300		He dips [a piece of] the paste umutsima into the butter pot ikidakombwa
		Four times, [eats it]
		He drinks again of the milk, and stands up.

		The queen mother approaches
		And is presented with her own basket icyibo.
305		She dips [a piece of] the paste umutsima in the butter vase ikidakombwa
		Four times, [eats it,] then stands up.

		Then the queen approaches.
		She takes a little paste umutsima
		and does the same.
310		The Umutsobe takes his own basket
		[and does the same] four times.
		The descendant of Mumbogo*
		Also takes his own basket.
		The things are then removed.

315		The king goes to the royal couch.
		Then he and the bride of the Abega lineage receive each other (VIII, 163).
		The bride's maid of the Abatsoobe lineage (VIII, 164)
		Stands at the entrance to the bedchamber
		And sounds acclamations impundu.

320		No member of the Abatsobe lineage may spend the night in that house
		Not even a little child.
		All must withdraw.

		The drums spend the night there.
		The following morning early, they go to the shrine of Cyirima*.
325		The Great Basket Igitenga, now empty,
		Goes to the shrine of Cyirima*, together with the butter pot ikidakombwa
		The butter has been placed in a small boat indembere.

		The royal bride Umwega
		And the bride's maid Umutsoobe
330		Go to the shrine of Cyirima and take their seats.
		The tributes from Bumbogo* file before them,
		As they are taken to the back enclosure igikari of shrine of Cyirima*.
		Tributes of milk from the chiefs also file past.

		Two pots ibicuba are brought out.
335		They are from Rwimaana*.
		The mature butter is brought;
		Some of it is placed into the first pot igicuba,
		And covered with the other [fresh] butter
		The second great pot is filled
340		With any available milk.

		UMUGANURA PUBLIC FEAST

		Drinks are served to the people of Bumbogo*.
		Beginning with those wearing vegetable fiber clothing.
		They spread butter on their skin (VIII, 85, 152, 327, 336),
		And drink the milk (VIII, 341)
345		They drink for a good while.

		A bull from The Combatants
		Is sacrificed.
		The palace staff in charge of milk and other drinks
		Finalise the banquet preparations.

350		The royal cattle Inyambo come in for their show
		Those of the Guardians of Insanga* and others of diverse colours.
		Public feasting, ceremonies and entertainment shows carry on
		Throughout the day and night.

		The end of the feast is signalled by the smearing of the royal drums
355		With the blood of the bull from the The Combatants.
		The Umuganura festival is then brought to a close.

		ALTERNATIVE RITES UNDER KINGS MUTARA AND CYIRIMA

		Under the reign of the pastor kings,
		When the Great Basket retires for the night at the Umutsobe's house (VIII, 142)
		An ordinary drum, along with the drum Ishaako, welcome it.
360		The following morning,
		The royal drums Ingabe and the two brides
		Come to the Umutsobe's house.
		Karinga* and the other royal drums
		March ahead of the procession,
370		Followed by the brides
		Wit the butter pot ikidakombwa closing the procession.

		Before they arrive, the bull from The Combatants
		Has been sacrificed.

		The royal drums and the brides enter the house.
370		The drums go to the platform, the brides to the central chamber.

		The Umutsoobe* brings the drinks and the milk,
		Places them before the drums,
		Tastes them, then steps aside for the Umwenenyabirungu*.
		The latter takes the drinks,
375		Together with the milk and the meat
		And distributes them to the priests abiiru.

		The royal drums are then brought out
		And ranged in their order of precedence on the threshold.
		The Umwenenyabirungu* smears them on the forehead
380		With the blood of the sacrificial bull.

		When he has completed the smearing,
		The drums are placed in their palanquins.
		The Great Basket Igitenga comes out
		And is also carried in a palanquin.
385		It goes before the drums,
		And the procession goes to the king in the palace Kambere (VIII, 198).

Gakondo

The Royal Rituals

presented byRose-Marie Mukarutabana

The Way of the First Fruits Umuganura

presented by
Rose-Marie Mukarutabana