Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 16, 1905.djvu/437

 Bavili Notes. 381

BeUinga ; a charm which women wear to guard the hfe of the baby yet unborn. It is made of a piece of the skin of the Xicifumu, a kind of sloth which is a very fast breeder.

NsaiL ; a charm which gives a man virih'ty. It is made of the skin of the elephant.

Xikunda ; a double rattle having fetish powers, carried by the Badnngii or police society.

Mbiimba ; the copper bracelet worn by the Nganga Mbumba, who grants to those unfortunate in health a bracelet made of the fibre of the baobab tree, called Stmga Mbumba (not to be confounded with the iron bracelet or charm given by Nganga Mbumba Xicinibu).

Of the same class of charms are the bracelets (not marriage bracelets) :

Ngofo, made of iron ; in this case not a marriage bracelet.

Sunga Nsaci, made of plaited leaves of palm tree or cloth.

Sunga Ximbuka, „ „ „ „

Sunga Mabili, „ „ „ „

Sunga Xinbingo, „ „ „ „

Nganga Mbumba Xicimbu is the full title of the Nganga Mbumba, or medicine-man attached to Maloango's court. He it is who accompanies and encourages the king-elect (or Nganga Nvumba) to proceed on his way to Buali, the capital. He tells him that he will overcome all his enemies, or that he has nothing to fear as he has no enemies, etc. He owns the fetishes Xisongo and Xisika.

Xisongo is a piece of iron to be found near Tero, buried in the ground near to the sacred ground. " Is it true," says the [enquiring] man "that I am to have no children .'' " as he tries to pull up this buried piece of iron. Xisika is a piece of heavy wood buried in the same way in different parts of the country for the same purpose, {i.e. divination).