Bhebhe
Bhebhe Tumbare, printed in the Mitupo collection as Bhebhe vokwaTumbare, is a Shona clan of the Bhebhe totem. Its men are greeted as Tumbare and its women as Bhebhe. Its short detembo calls the clan Enzinda and Tumbare wejira jena, Tumbare of the white cloth, and closes by tying it to the Rozvi.
Bhebhe, Enzinda, Tumbare wejira jena,
VaChulu chaNhave, Vachisavase, VaChigala nakabhanga,
VaChichengeta munongolo, VaChilayilo chakanye ishomwe, VaChifukijavakajidhema,
VaChilimamafunde manji, Asaiva Tumbare, Bwana bwomuRozvi bwaitsva muchoto.
Your mutupo and its detembo as an image for WhatsApp, your status or a post, carrying the Kwaunobva mark.
The detembo greets the clan as Bhebhe and Enzinda, as Tumbare wejira jena (Tumbare of the white cloth) and as those of Chulu chaNhave. It then runs through a line of names each opened by Va-: those of Chisavase, of Chigala nakabhanga, of Chichengeta munongolo, of Chilayilo, of Chifukijavakajidhema and of Chilimamafunde.
It closes on Asaiva Tumbare and on the line 'Bwana bwomuRozvi bwaitsva muchoto', which ties the clan to the Rozvi. The poem says no more of that link, and the sources used here do not name the animal of the Bhebhe totem.
Those who carry a totem do not eat its animal. Some families keep away from one part of it only, such as the heart, and the old belief holds that a person who breaks the rule loses their teeth.
The praise names are for every day, not only for ceremonies: a person is greeted by them, thanked with them, and a wife praises her husband with his.
Bhebhe Tumbare vanonziwo Bhebhe vokwaTumbare. Varume vanokudzwa seTumbare, vakadzi seBhebhe. Detembo ravo rinovadaidza kuti Enzinda naTumbare wejira jena, uye vekwaChulu chaNhave. Rinopera richivabatanidza neVaRozvi.
Tumbare of the white cloth. The poem does not explain it. Duramazwi reChiShona gives tumbare as a caterpillar that wraps itself in its own silk, but no source here says that is the sense meant in the praise name.
Its detembo closes by naming the clan 'bwana bwomuRozvi', tying it to the Rozvi. No other source used here speaks to the link.
Men are greeted as Tumbare and women as Bhebhe. The detembo also calls the clan Enzinda, Tumbare wejira jena and Asaiva Tumbare, and names those of Chulu chaNhave, Chisavase and Chigala nakabhanga.
Traditionally, people of the same mutupo and chidawo do not marry: they are counted as one family. Between different Bhebhe clans some families allow it, often after a ceremony that cuts the kinship (kucheka ukama).
Pick your totem and clan once. The app greets you by your praise name after that.
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