The Nyami Nyami , also known as
the Nyaminyami ( Zambezi River
God) or Zambezi Snake spirit , is
one of the most important gods of
Tonga people . Nyami Nyami is
believed to protect the Tonga
people and give them sustenance in
difficult times. The River God is
usually portrayed as female.
Variously described as having the
body of a snake and the head of a
fish, a whirlpool or a river dragon,
the Nyami Nyami is seen as the god
of Zambezi Valley and the river
before the creation of the Kariba
Dam. The Nyami Nyami is regularly
depicted as a snake-like being or
dragon-like creature with a snake's
torso and the head of a fish. [1] It
can be found as pendants on
jewelry, usually carved out of wood,
stone or bone, occasionally ivory,
silver or gold both as a fashion
accessory and as a good luck charm
similar to the wearing of a St
Christopher medallion. Elaborate
traditionally carved walking sticks
depicting the Nyami Nyami and its
relationship with the valley's
inhabitants were popular with
tourists visiting Zambia and have
historically been gifts to prestigious
visitors.
It is the traditional role of tribal
elders and spirit mediums to
intercede on behalf the inhabitants
of the river valley when Nyami
Nyami is angered.
The Nyaminyami is said to reside in
the Zambezi River and control the
life in and on the river. The spirits of
Nyaminyami and his wife residing in
the Kariba Gorge are God and
Goddess of the underworld. The
Tonga people believe the building
of the Kariba Dam deeply offended
Nyami Nyami, separating him from
his wife. The regular flooding and
many deaths during the dam's
construction were attributed to his
wrath. After the Dam was
completed the Tonga believe that
Nyami Nyami withdrew from the
world of men.
Legend
Although there are several different
legends surrounding the
Nyaminyami the Kariba legend is
the most documented and widely
known fable.
The Kariba Legend
"The BaTonga People lived in the
Zambezi Valley for centuries in
peaceful seclusion and with little
contact with the outside world.
They were simple folk who built
their houses in kraal along the
banks of the great river and
believed that their gods looked after
them supplying them with water
and food.
But their idealistic lifestyle was to be
blown apart. In the early 1940s a
report was made about the
possibility of a hydro-electric
scheme to supply power for the
growing industry that colonialism
had brought to the federation of
countries that were known as
Northern Rhodesia on one side of
the river and Southern Rhodesia on
the other, now Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
In 1956, construction on the Kariba
Dam project was started.
Heavy earth-moving equipment
roared into the valley and tore out
thousands of hundred-year-old
trees to build roads and settlements
to house the workers who poured
into the area to build a dam that
would harness the powerful river.
The BaTonga’s peace and solitude
was shattered and they were told to
leave their homes and move away
from the river to avoid the flood
that the dam would cause.
The name Kariba comes from the
word Kariva or karinga, meaning
trap, which refers to a rock jutting
out from the gorge where the dam
wall was to be built. It was believed
by the BaTonga to be the home of
Nyaminyami, the river god, and
they believed anyone who ventured
near the rock was dragged down to
spend eternity under the water.
Reluctantly they allowed themselves
to be resettled higher up the bank,
but they believed Nyaminyami
would never allow the dam to be
built and eventually, when the
project failed, they would move
back to their homes.
In 1957, when the dam was well on
its way to completion, Nyaminyami
struck. The worst floods ever known
on the Zambezi washed away much
of the partly built dam and the
heavy equipment, killing many of
the workers.
Some of those killed were white
men whose bodies disappeared
mysteriously, and after an extensive
search failed to find them, Tonga
elders were asked to assist as their
tribesmen knew the river better
than anyone. The elders explained
Nyaminyami had caused the
disaster and in order to appease his
wrath a sacrifice should be made.
They weren't taken seriously, but, in
desperation, when relatives of the
missing workers were due to arrive
to claim the bodies of their loved
ones, the search party agreed in
the hope that the tribesmen would
know where the bodies were likely
to have been washed to.
A Black calf was slaughtered and
floated on the river. The next
morning the calf was gone and the
workers’ bodies were in its place.
The disappearance of the calf holds
no mystery in the crocodile infested
river, but the reappearance of the
workers’ bodies three days after
they had disappeared has never
been satisfactorily explained.
After the disaster, flow patterns of
the river were studied to ascertain
whether there was a likelihood of
another flood and it was agreed a
flood of comparable intensity
would only occur once every
thousand years.
The very next rainy season,
however, brought further floods
even worse than the previous year.
Nyaminyami had struck again,
destroying the coffer dam, the
access bridge and parts of the main
wall.
The project survived and the great
river was eventually controlled. In
1960 the generators were switched
on and have been supplying
electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia
ever since.
The BaTonga still live on the shores
of Lake Kariba, and many still
believe one day Nyaminyami will
fulfill his promise and they will be
able to return to their homes on
the banks of the river. They believe
Nyaminyami and his wife were
separated by the wall across the
river, and the frequent earth
tremors felt in the area since the
wall was built are caused by the
spirit trying to reach his wife, and
one day he will destroy the dam.
|
|