Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage

The Dombe language has no written form

79 The Dombe language has no written form A hard knock shatters the peace of my office in the Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo. “Come in!” A short bespectacled man, bubbling with confidence, rushes in. He is George Ndlovu. He has come to relate the story of his people, the Dombe. My articles on the Tonga people nudged him into action. Hurriedly, George Ndlovu lowers his body into a chair. After the business-like ritual of greetings, he rummages in his black bag. My inquisitive and prying eyes follow his movements. A short while later, he proffers a Catholic catechism manual. It’s written in the Nambiya language. There is clearly some sense of urgency about the man. Anxiety and impatience are now indelibly etched on his tense face. It turns out that the Dombe language has no written form. In the Hwange District, where the Dombe people live, Nambiya predominates. The Dombe were already in the Hwange district when the Nambiya, called the Makaranga by the Dombe, arrived. A dying language. A dying culture. Reasons enough for deep concern. George Ndlovu relates his story. The Dombe, or more appropriately the Leya, are a Tonga people. They speak a dialect of Tonga. They came from across the Zambezi River to settle in what is now the Hwange District. George Ndlovu identifies in particular the three clans of Mapeta, Chenya and Ngonzi. This was a long time before the arrival of the Nambiya. The Leya who remained behind in Zambia called those venturing across the Zambezi River Balombe, which means, brave young men. The area they were venturing into was densely forested. The Leya are one of several Tonga sub-groups, which include the Toka, the Ila, the Bawe and the ruling Mwemba who straggled the Zambezi River. According to oral sources, Ndlovu says, the Mwemba were conquered by the Kololo of Sebetuane, the Sotho chief whose people were defeated at Dithakong by a Griqua-Korana force put together by Dr Robert Moffat (uMtshede) of Kuruman. Sebetuane proceeded to conquer more Tonga peoples and the Lozi of Lewaanika. Other than Chief Dingani, whose totem is Baambala or Mpala in Ndebele, there are no Dombe chiefs in the Hwange district. Chief Dingani is thought to descend from Chief Sekute, whose people lived above the Victoria Falls. The other chiefs, namely Hwange (or Zanke in Ndebele), Shana and Nekatambe, are Nambiya. Chief Mvuthu Mlotshwa is Ndebele. He is the 80 descendant of the famous Xukutshwayo of Entembeni. Dombe culture has, to a very large extent, been submerged by Nambiya and Ndebele cultures. The surnames of Munsaka, Mwemba and Muleya have become Ndlovu, Nyoni and Tshuma, respectively. As is the case among the Tonga, Dombe children should get their surnames from their father’s mother. Being a Tonga people, the Dombe used to be matrilineal. Current practice is for the children to get their surnames from their father. The patriarchal and patrilineal Ndebele and Shona are influencing their culture. The Dombe, like other African people, are great lovers of music and dance. The musimbo, or mumbambalikwa, is the huge four legged drum, approximately 1,3 metres high, played during ceremonies such as malilwe or chipelu, the bringing home ceremony, and the miliya rain making ceremony. The nkonkolo is a smaller drum that accompanies the musimbo. Sticks are used to beat the drum. Music from the Dombe drums is playing in George Ndlovu’s mind. His uplifted hand is clutching the air. He is imitating one who is playing the nsaka, a hand rattle. For leg rattles, the Dombe use masangusangu (gourds). The vulumu or namalwa drum is probably unique to the Dombe. George Ndlovu calls it a friction drum. It has a hide fixed around one end of the drum and a reed is attached to the hide’s centre. By rubbing a hand against the moist reed, a frictional sound is produced. This musical instrument is essentially extinct. George concludes his story by explaining some Dombe names. Ndangababi means to look for the bad or ugly. Lambo is derived from Sinelambo, a Dombe tribesman who lived in that area. Kulisina is to commit suicide by hanging. ...