Lemba, 1650-1930 A Drum of Affliction in Africa and the New World Volume 11 Critical Studies on Black Life and Culture Advisory Editor Professor Charles T. Davis, Chairman Afro-American Studies, Yale University Assistant Advisory Editor Professor Henry-Louis Gates Afro-American Studies, Yale University John M. Janzen Lemba, 1650-1930 A Drum of Affliction in Africa and the New World Garland Publishing, Inc. New York and London 1982 ® 1982 JohnM. Janzen All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Janzen, John M. Lemba, 1650-1930. (Critical studies on Black life and culture ; v. 11) Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Lemba (Cult) I. Title. II. Series. BL2470.C6J36 967 80-9044 ISBN 0-8240-9306-2 AACR2 Printed on acid-free, 250-year-life paper Manufactured in the United States of America Contents Plates ix Figures xi Preface xiii Chapter 1: Introduction to Lemba Lemba: Historic Equatorial African Drum of Affliction 3 Issues in the Study of Lemba of Theoretical Significance 7 Part I: The Public Setting of Lemba: Management of Society and its Resources 27 Chapter 2: Economic, Social, and Political History of the Lemba Region 27 Environment, Resource Use, Adaptation, Trade and Currency 25 Social Structure 36 Political Systems of the Lemba Region 45 The Coastal Kingdoms 45 The Teke Federation 58 The Nsundi Systems 61 Life Between the Kingdoms: Market Laws and Lemba's Marriage Politics 70 Chapter 3: Biographical Sketches of Lemba9 s Demise 81 Introduction 81 Accepting Colonial Authority: Ngambula, Mampuya, Sobisa 83 Populist Religion and the Missions: Katula 86 The Common Man's Dilemma: Ndibu 87 Seeking Redemption in the Colonial Setting 90 Part II: The Rituals of Lemba: Management of Reality 93 Introduction 95 v VJ CONTENTS Chapter 4: The Northern (Kamba, Yaa) Variant of Lemba 105 Introduction to the Sources 105 The Lemba Seance Near Mboko Nsongo (Among the Kamba) 106 Text 1 106 Lemba in Indo (Among the Yaa) 125 Text 2 125 The Expressive Domains and their Codes 130 The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Events 130 Economic and Exchange Structures in the Rite 135 Social Organization: Lemba9 s Ceremonial Kinship 138 Sacred Medicines 140 Verbal Categories of Ritual Action 143 The Lyrical and its Message 146 Chapter 5: The Eastern (Lari) Variant of Lemba 157 Introduction to the Sources 157 The Lemba Seance at Madzia (Among the Lari) 158 Text3 158 The Expressive Domains and their Codes 163 The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Events 163 Economic and Exchange Structures 166 Kinship and Social Organization 169 Medicine of Lemba 172 The Lyrical 179 Text 4 183 Chapter 6: The South-Central (Nsundi, Bwende) Variant of Lemba 187 The Lemba Seance in Nseke-Mbanza 187 The Expressive Domains of Lemba 189 Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Events 189 Medicine, Meaning, and the Categories of Ritual Action 195 The Lyrical: The Many Dual Faces of Mahungu 200 Text 5 202 Text 6 207 Text 7 210 Text 8 223 CONTENTS VJJ Chapter 7: The Western (Yombe, Woyo, Vili) Variant of Lemba 233 Introduction to the Sources 233 The Lemba Seance in Eastern Mayombe 234 Text 9 234 Text 10 236 The Expressive Domains 243 Space and Time: From Portable to Fixed Ritual Symbolism 243 Economic and Exchange Structures 245 Verbal Categories, Ritual Action, and Lemba Names 247 Medicine and Art 251 The Lyrical: Moni-Mambu Trickster and the Origins of Lemba 258 Text 11 259 Text 12 267 Chapter 8: Lemba in the New World 273 Introduction 273 The Petro Complex of Deities in a Voodoo Loa Service 280 Lemba-Petro in the Cul-de-Sac Valley, Haiti 286 Part III: Structure and Movement in Lemba Therapeutics 293 Introduction 295 Chapter 9: Modes of Lemba Thought 297 Anchoring in Myth, and the Problem of History 297 Successional and Relational Modes of Authority 299 Text 13 302 Conjunctive and Disjunctive Mediation 304 Humanization and Naturalization of the Discourse 307 Structure, Choice, and Medicine 310 Chapter 10: The Ideology of Lemba Therapeutics 315 The Affliction and its Etiology 315 The Therapy 318 The Virtuous Society 319 Chapter 11: Conclusion: What Were the Questions? 323 Viü CONTENTS Notes 331 Sources 349 Index 365 Plates (Plates 1-4 follow p. xv; plates 5-20 follow p. 257.) 1. Loango, Mid-Seventeenth Century 2. Market Scene from Lemba Region: General View of Market 3. Market Scene from Lemba Region: Entrance 4. Lemba Chest from Ngoyo 5. Lemba Chest from Nkangu, Mayombe: Lid Top 6. Lemba Chest from Nkangu: Contents 7. Lemba Chest from Nkangu: Contents of Raphia Bag 8. Copper Lemba Bracelet from Loango 9. Brass Lemba Bracelet from Loango 10. Wooden Model for Lemba Bracelet Imprint: Multi-Petal Motif 11. Wooden Model for Bracelet Imprint: Cowrie Motif 12. Copper Lemba Bracelet, Multiple-Petal and Orator's-Charm Motifs 13. Lemba Tin Bracelet, Mayombe 14. Ngoma-Lemba Drum, Mayombe 15. Miniature Drum Necklace, Loango 16. Miniature Drum Pendants in Bone, Wood, Metal 17. Mukonzi a Lemba Drum, Mayombe 18. Lemba Couple Seated on Trunk, Vili 19. Lemba Couple, Back View 20. Loango Ivory ix Figures 1. Regional Distribution of Lemba, based on Ethnographie, Textual, and Art-Historical Sources 2 2. Political and Economic Map of Lemba Region, 1600-1930 5 3. Nsundi, Seventeenth through Nineteenth Centuries 62 4. Market Areas and Villages of Kivunda Area, Luozi Territory 73 5. Locations in Village Setting of Lemba Initiation Markers andSignificant Sites 132 6. Spatial and Temporal Organization of Events in Northern Lemba Variant, after Kwamba 133 7. Exchange Structure of Lernba Séance 136 8. Spatial/Temporal Organization in Eastern Lemba, after Kimbembe 164 9. Spatial/Temporal Organization in Eastern Lemba, after Stenström 164 10. Spatial/Temporal Organization in Eastern jLeraôa, after Malonga 165 11. Spatial/Temporal Organization in Eastern Lemba, after Andersson 165 12. Exchange Structure, Eastern Lemba Séance 167 13. Eastern Lemba Tukobe and Ingredients 176 14. Lemba's Dominant Metaphor, Eastern Variant 178 15. Metaphoric Association of Domains, Eastern Variant 185 16. Spatial/Temporal Organization, South-Central Lemba, after Fukiau 191 17. Metaphoric Association of Domains, South-Central Variant 201 18. Spatial/Temporal Organization, Western Variant, after Babutidi 244 19. Exchange Structure, Western Variant 246 20. Tukobe of Coastal Lemba Variants, after Dapper and Bittremieux 252 21. Tukobe of Mayombe Lemba Variants, after B ittremieux and B àbutidi 25 3 xi