Text repertoires in Zambia: stories and myths
Text repertoires in Zambia: stories and myths. The term for historical stories and myths is ilyashi ya kale (story from the past). Stories are called chishimikisho and stories with songs cishimi.
Stories have become less important
Text repertoires in Zambia: stories and myths. In former days stories and histories were an important form of text. Nowadays they form a minor part of Chibale culture. People have forgotten historical stories, for instance of certain clans, and there are fewer occasions to tell stories or they have disappeared.
The purposes of stories are to
deal with what we can or should expect to happen in certain circumstances,
share the knowledge of how things work, now and in the past,
shed light on the intentions of people, and
show us how to evade and solve problems.
Compare with the purposes of proverbs.
Proverb 159
Ubushiku bwakuba umukote ne cimbwi canye mfwi
An old man goes missing and the hyena excretes grey hair
We always must look at the relation of things and the hints about this relation that are given to us.
When an old person with grey hair goes missing, the faeces of a hyena can tell the story of that missing grey-haired person.
For a fuller explanation, see proverb 159 in the book Mu Zambia Amano Mambulwa.
Examples of text repertoires in Chibale, Zambia: stories and myths
The friendship between nature and culture. A story from the past.
The small ones with the big bellies. A story from the past.
Kunda Mpande roaming the country as an ing’omba. A story from the past.
The ngolwa and the big lumps. A story (without songs).
The curse of the very old person. A story (without songs).
The hunting dog Mwaisabanga. A (fragment of a) story with songs.