Gule Wamkulu is a secret initiatory society of men from Chewa-speaking communities in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. The dancers wear masks personifying the spirits of ancestors and sacred animals native to the lands. They perform primarily at funerals and memorial services but also at celebrations. This performance was recorded at Mkuwazi Village in the Salima district of Malawi.
In this ritual, the women sing to accompany the dance of a masked performer who represents the spirit of someone who has recently deceased. The spirit is stating where he wishes to to buried, close to the homestead of his mother.
My thanks to Waliko Makhala of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation for the transcript and translation that follows.
Eeeeh….eeeeeh! (1)
You should answer with energy!
Eeeh…
Don’t just show me your teeth!
Am starting now!
Eeeeh…
Bury me on the veranda (2)
Bury me on the veranda
Eyeee… so that when my mother
Should see me and say I am dead
Yee… when I am dead
Bury me on the veranda
So that my mother
Should see me and say my child is dead!
This verse is repeated by the main singer and the chorus, accompanied by ululations, until around 4:20 minutes into the song, when the singers break into the next verse that continues to be repeated until the end of the recording.
Tsata yeee
Go to where you have cultivated (3)
Tsata yee
Go to where you have cultivated.
Tsata oyiya yee
Go to where you have cultivated.
Here is the song in the original Chichewa.
Eeeh.. eeeeeh!
Osaitanatu moziya!
Ayi…
Osangoti mano ngwiii.
Ayi ayi…
Ndi kuyikutumulatu!
Ayi…
Mukanidyike mnkhonde
Maukandiyike mnkhonde
Amayi aziti akaona
Mwana wanga ine wankandi yee.
Tsata yeee yee!
Tsata walimapo
Tsata yee yee
Tsata yee walimapo
Tsata oyiya yee
Tsata walimapo!
from the Malawi Broadcasting Corporations archives,
recorded at Mkuwazi Village, TA Khombedza, Salima district,
translated and transcribed by Waliko Makhala.
Footnotes
- The lead singer instructing the chorus.
- Referring to an interment space or burial chamber close to the deceased mother’s house.
- This possibly refers to the area that has been cleared to be used as the burial spot.
