Nsengele Kununka ceremony: Victory in tribal war
By Gideon Thole
A COUPLE of days ago, the people of Mpongwe district on the Copperbelt trekked to Chief Machiya’s palace enmasse for a day-long Nsengele Kununka traditional ceremony.
Chief Machiya of the Lima people invited his subjects and those in the surrounding areas and several dignitaries from the Government to join him and members of the royal clan in the merry making which marks the hallmark of the annual ceremony.
The Lima people, like the name suggests as farmers, are predominantly a farming community.
The Nsengele Kununka, which was revived last year, has become the most high profiled event among the locals in Mpongwe. The event attracts many non-locals such as tourists and Government officials in large numbers.
The Lima royal establishment said the performance of Nsengele Kununka has over the years been preserved because it was the only vehicle being used to conserve their cultural heritage.
The ceremony is commemorated through the performance of victory dances, which were always performed after the defeat of the enemies by the Limas on their way from East Africa,
According to the Lima royal establishment, Nsengele Kununka traditional ceremony signifies victory in tribal war.
The Lima people performed the ceremony after conquering other tribes within the region.
In fact, the word, Nsengele means celebrate and the other word Kununka means the smell of the gunpowder used in the guns during the tribal wars.
Hence, the commemoration of the extraordinary annual ceremony.
The start of the ceremony is signaled by the firing of gunshots in the air by a group of Lima elders as the subjects and guests wait for Chief Machiya and members of the Yeke royal clan to arrive at a special arena called Chitentamo, which is situated a stone’s throw away from the chief’s palace.
Some Yeke-Lima traditionalists say that Nsengele Kununka is their version of the Mutomboko, which they boasted of having taught the Lundas of Luapula Province.
They claimed that what came with the Mutomboko was part of culture they came with from the island of Zanzibar in East Africa.
The climax of the ceremony is attained with the performing of the victory dance by Chief Machiya and the members of the royal clan brandishing pangas spears and traditional rifle guns.
The dancing takes place around a special concrete place at the center of the arena.
The special concrete stage bears the names of the gallant chiefs who lead the clan from the island of Zanzibar, fighting fierce battle until they reached their present day settlement.
The names of the chiefs are written in ascending order on the special stage whose central place is occupied by special stool where the chief, who dresses in special red attire, seats when he is not dancing.
The names of those who led the Limas during their fierce battles starts with Chempesha, Lyembe, Lukwase, Mwanabakansa, Chikuma, Katemene Mwiulu, Kansonkomona Twebo and others.
They include the predecessor to the present day Chief Machiya IX.
During the performance of the victory dance, members of the royal clan sing songs of praise to the great warrior chiefs, who have since joined their ancestors after their departure from the earth.
The presenting of various gifts to the chief by subjects and some visiting dignitaries marks the end of the daylong ceremony.
Before and after the performance of the victory dances people are feted with. The popular local brews Katata and different types of opaque beers which are served in abundance during the ceremony, which is held in the first week of November.
Prince Winter Machiya explained that the ceremony was important to all Limas in that it gives them a chance to trace their roots.
“Nsengele Kununka is a unique ceremony which shows us that how it took sacrifice and hard work for us to be where we are today. Our land is not only good for farming but it is blessed with fish and game,” Prince Machiya said.
A member of the Lima royal establishment, Benard Musamba, observed that it was courage that played a role in the Yeke’s settling at a place called Kasankala surrounded by Luambowo, Luswisha and Kafue rivers on the Copperbelt.
Nsengele Kununka traditional ceremony, organising committee chairperson, Gabriel Namulambe, said traditional ceremonies were important because they provide an opportunity for children and youth to assimilate their traditional values and cultural heritage.
“Ceremonies such as Nsengele Kununka enable tourists and other visitors the chance to learn about our oral traditions and the folklore,” Mr Namulambe said.
Vice-president, Rupiah Banda, was the guest of honour at this year’s edition of the ceremony.
Mr Banda said traditional ceremonies were valuable for the nation as they promoted society’s cultural diversity while at the same time providing a deeper understanding of Zambia’s ethnic cultures.
“ In my view, Nsengele Kununka is an important ingredient for the promotion of unity and peace in the nation.”
The Lima people who settled in Zambia after they left East Africa around the 17th centuary are found in Mpongwe and Lufwanyama districts on the Copperbelt.
The practice of Nsengele Kununka, which is believed to be part of the Lima tradition, was suspended due to pressure from the white settlers in 1901.
Lima traditionalists say the settlers introduced chiefdoms, which replaced castles.
However, the predecessor of the present Chief Machiya, Rodgers Maoma who died in 1995 played a pivotal role in the resuscitating of the Sengele Kununka traditional ceremony in 1976.
After leaving the island of Zanzibar, the Lima people settled at a place called Katete near Katanga in the present day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
They lived in Katete for a long period of time such that up to now the place is still considered as the ancestral home of the Lima’s.
For a long time most Lima chiefs used to be buried in Katete, which was also regarded as the place where elders used to meet to resolve succession disputes.
The architects of the Nsengele Kununka traditional ceremony, the Yeke clan members settled at Kansankala across the Luswishi river in Mpongwe before 1900.
Since the colonial era Kasankala is a place with a special status among the Yekes such that dead chiefs are now put to rest at this place since the colonial era.
Apart from Chief Machiya, other Lima chiefs are Chieftainess Malembeka, Chiefainess Lesa, Chief Kalunkumya, Senior Chief Ndubeni, and Chief Mwinuna.
Other Lima chiefs are Lumpuma and Fungulwe settled in Lufwanyana district.
Although Lima speaking people are among Zambia’s 73 tribes, both tourists and local cultural experts said little is known about the Limas and later on their culture.
A United States (US) based tourist, Mary Edwards, observed that although the existence of the Nsengele Kununka traditional ceremony can be traced from as far back as 1976 very few people were aware of its existence.
The challenge facing the Lima people is not to only to reorganise their traditional ceremony to a level where it earned a special place on the Zambian cultural calendar but also to take advantage of the annual show-piece and use it as a vehicle for propagating the existence of their unique cultural heritage to members of the public.
A seemingly much more greater challenge for the Limas is to sustain Nsengele Kununka and ensure that it does not become extinct once again.
