COPPERBELT: THE EMERGENCE OF A TRIBE

PART II

Tribal Characteristics

And I therefore decided to look at the behavioural characteristics of various tribes in order to ascertain the impact they have had on the Copper-belt social system.

Reverend Clement Doke, an acknowledged expert in Lamba language and customs noted in The Lamba of Zambia: A Study of Cultures and Beliefs: ‘’The language is remarkably rich in folk in proverbs, lore and they take a great delight in talking. Practically, every Lamba is a born orator, unafraid to voice his views, no matter what size the assembly may be.’’ And hence the saying: ‘’Balatana umuntu inshima ifyebo tabatanapo.’’ Meaning that though you do not have food to offer to a visitor, but comforting words will do wonders.

W.V. Brelsford, a colonial District Officer and a social anthropologist who served in various parts of this country wrote in “Tribes of Zambia’’ that the Lozi displayed qualities of statesmanship, while the Bemba displayed warlike qualities. And of the former, in the book, “Gods and Rituals,’’ Max Gluckman submitted a paper from his book “Rituals of Rebellion’’ and in explaining the near absence of rituals of rebellion among the Lozi, Dr. Gluckman asserted that their government organization provided elaborately for the release of tensions between various components of the state.

W.V. Brelsford went on ‘’…. the Bemba extended their empire by raiding and fighting. The Lunda especially those of the Luapula extended their sway on a sort of commonwealth system by embracing other people to their culture. The Lozi by a combination of fighting followed by the installation of Lozi chiefs over those areas.’’ The Ngoni are runaway refugees from Shaka battles under the leadership of Zwangendaba who has been described as ‘’capable in command of commissariat as he was a general of strategy.’’ It must also be noted that their tribal-cousins, the Bemba also ran away from the authority of Mwatiamvu and may be that is why they are both inclined to violence and other illegitimate activities. And as Dr. Audrey Richards expressed a notion in a Mbeni verse sung by the Bemba Dance Society:

Filuti aleipusha muno Luanshya, munange umushobo Munange umushobo Number one ba Bemba Number two ba Ngoni, aba bantu ni basaini ofu.

The Compound Manager asks: show me the tribe here in Luanshya

In Luanshya show me the tribe

Number one --- Bemba Number two ---Ngoni: these people are ‘’sign off’’ (i.e., are absolutely fearless).

Brelsford described an averted encounter which could have changed the history of this country: “The Ngoni were returning from Tanganyika southwards via Luangwa valley and the Bemba were pushing southwards and eastwards into the valley. Chitimukulu Kanyanta often used to relate how he had raided as far as Broken Hill (now Kabwe) in his youth. The Lozi were raiding and collecting tributes westwards as far as Mumbwa. Although these movements were slow, it seems probable that had not Rhodes been given a Charter over this area, it could have only been a matter of a short time before the Bemba, the Lozi and the Ngoni met in massive combat somewhere along what is now the railway strip.’’

There could certainly have been “kafwafwa.’’ However, one thing is clear because when you look at the mountain ranges and terrains when travelling to Chipata is a clear indication that the Ngoni fled for their lives and I suppose many of their frightened warriors died on the way.

The Social Landscape

What is note-worth is that Copper-belt life yields many instances of harmonious co-operation between members of different tribes and cultures in the most diverse activities and various tribal norms and customs are constantly getting in each other’s way and individuals are constantly being institutionally required to do conflicting things. However, in the main, these conflicting elements do not hinder the effective working urban system as a whole. They do not lead to a breaking down of the system because they operate within it and thus deep understanding of the copper-belt social process requires a formulation in which inconsistency and disharmony are recognized not only as an integral part of the nascent social system, but also an important source of its dynamism. In this sense the nascent social system of the town provides an example of an “open system.’’ Here skepticism, far from presenting a challenge to the system of various tribal beliefs, actually operates to support them.

A.Epstein wrote: ‘’The concept of ‘tribalism’ has two distinct points of reference. On one hand, its application is intra-tribal and refers to the persistence of, or continued attachment to tribal customs. On the other, it refers to the persistence of loyalty and values, which stem from a particular form of social organization, and which operate today within a social system much wider than that of a tribe. These two aspects must be carefully distinguished, since it is clear that there may be ‘revolutionary changes in custom’ while the tribe itself remains an important category of interaction within a wider social system. It is in the second sense that I speak of ‘tribalism’ on the copper-belt.’’

However, Professor V. Harlow wrote in “Tribalism in Africa’’: “We may be misled if we mistake revolutionary changes in tribal customs for decay because the potency of resurgent tribalism should not be underestimated. On the contrary, its dynamic power should be harnessed to the task of national building.’’

In fact what we now have is a new community of citizens with their own culture, their own language etc., and as David Punabantu wrote: ‘’…children were being born in towns without any knowledge of village culture. These children produced other children --- compound kids and their concept of development at that time was to sale foodstuff in the streets. Thus it is not surprising that Dr. Kaunda entered a chemist with a group of school children who were learning ‘shopping values.’……these compound kids then, became compound adults and ended up, as street vendors, while others became street adults and kids as seen today.’’ (The Post [supplement] 24th November 2004)

Ichibemba is usually assumed to be the lingua franca of the copper-belt, but is the language being spoken really Ichibemba? The first ancestors of the Bemba spoke Ichiluba and as Audrey Richards noted: ‘’Luban words, no longer understood by the Bemba commoners, are still used as part of the religious ritual at the Paramount Chief’s court’’ and there is a book titled, “Ichibemba cakwa Chitimukulu’’ meaning “Bemba spoken at Chitimukulu’s court,’’ which is a clear indication that there is a difference with ichibemba spoken elsewhere.