Thursday, February 4, 2016

Makishi, death dances for living people
























1. Liathindumuka, the fat man.

2. Manampwebo, the provocative female.

3. Muchawa, the cousin of the circumcised (Victoria Falls 1998).

4. Muchawa, the cousin of the circumcised (Chezya 1998). 

5. Zigimutwe, chief advisor and millet beer taster.

6, 7. Zigimutwe, chief advisor and millet beer taster, perform a drunken dance.

8. Chilea, the  leader of the play.

9. Kalelua the father and Chilea.

10. Chilea and the Samende musicians perform the Chibunda.

11. Kalelua, the father, with the hat of the wind on is head.

12, 13. Kanolo the fisherman, actor of a comic mime performance with Ngadin, the crocodile.

14, 15. Likulukulege: the man with twisted body, trance master.

16, 17. Procession of the Makishi to the village.

18. Mavundu, the fierce master of initiation.

19. Muvundu in Bongo or floating spirit. He dances an intermediate stage of death.

20. Kaluwe, an ambiguous character, variable, mother and at other times the walker.

21. Dance of Kaluwe.

22, 23. Kanyange Nyenge, Chief of the Makishi (Victoria Falls 1998).

Photos by Marie-Noëlle Robert


Makishi (singular, Likishi) are masked characters associated with the coming of age rituals of the Vaka Chiyama Cha Mukwamayi communities of the north-western part of Zambia. The term refers to the masks and costumes that constitute a character being portrayed. The masks are believed to be a manifestation of the spirits of dead ancestors who return to the world of the living. The Makishi Masquerade is connected to the Mukanda, an initiation school held annually for boys between the ages of eight and seventeen. At the beginning of the dry season, young boys leave their homes and live for one to three months in an isolated school. The Mukanda involves the circumcision of the initiates, tests of courage, and lessons on their future role in society as men and husbands. During the Mukanda, Makishi are supposed to return from the world of the dead to protect and assist the boys in their transition from childhood to adulthood. While at Mukanda, the boys are separated from the outside world - the separation marking their symbolic death as children. Therefore, the boys are called Tundanji - people who do not belong to the world of the living, to be reborn as adults at the completion of the Mukanda. The graduation is marked by the performance of the Makishi Masquerade and the whole community is free to attend (Phiri 2008).
Extract from: "Makishi Masquerade and Activities: The Reformulation of Visual and Performance Genres of the Mukanda School of Zambia" by Victoria Phiri Chitungu.

10 comments:

Janas said...

Scans source: François Gründ - Makishi, danses de mort pour les vivants - photographies Marie-Noëlle Robert - Editions Noesis / Maison des Cultures du Monde (Paris), 2000.

MarviniusMartinius said...

Dear Sir/Madame ive checked into your blog on occasions over the years, including just now. i was pleasantly surprised that you are up and runnin. I'm in Australia and would like to create something similar to your blog usig sacred music. Can you inform me as to what problems I might encounter with copyright issues. Thank ...MM.

Janas said...

Hi dear MarviniusMartinius, thanks for following my blog.
I have decided to share only some tunes in low quality, but enough for a good listen, no entire albums. I've never had copyright problems. This is primarily a visual blog.

Unknown said...

same here, i'm coming back irregularly and every time i love what i find.

and about the copyright question:
i run this website www.doorofperception.com and i take my material from various sources online as well as books that i scan myself. and my just don't care about copyrights. i always credit the creator and if he wants it to be removed i do that.

Janas said...

Hello Ben,
All of the scanned images of this blog come from my library. This place was created only for the pleasure of sharing. I have no problem, this is a nonprofit blog.

Unknown said...

exactly. as long as it's nonprofit i feel it's all ok.

keep up the good work janas!

Janas said...

Thank you, Ben.
Have a nice summer!

Unknown said...

Dear Janas

I am the Director of the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and we have a Makishi mask collection on display with a number of photographs of people wearing them. However our photos are 50 years old and need to be redone. Could I have permission to use your photos to update and tidy up our display. Full credit will be given to you and your website.
Kind regards
Dr Moira FitzPatrick
www.naturalhistorymuseumzimbabwe.com

Janas said...

Dear Moira, thank you for visiting my blog.
I'm glad that you have found something useful for the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe.
Personally, I have no problem if you are using the photos for the update. The photographs posted here, taken by Marie-Noëlle Robert, have been scanned from the book by François Gründ - Makishi, danses de mort pour les vivants.
Congratulations for the museum!
Greetings,
Janas.

Unknown said...

Dear Janas
Many thanks this is a great help to us finishing off this display.
Regards
Moira