Gumbo · Leg
Gumbo Madyirapanze is a Shona clan of the Gumbo totem, the leg, a totem taken from part of an animal rather than a whole one. Its men are greeted as Madyirapanze, Madyirapazhe and Chitova, and its women as Magumbo. The detembo also praises the clan as Godzamuto, Sambiri, Gutu, Matakuradumbu and Chinemukutu.
Mazviita Gumbo, Maita zvenyu Madyirapanze, Vaidyira panze nokutya Vaera Shiri, Hekanhi Chidonhamuto, Chidonhamukaka mhuru inobva muGona, Chifukamakono hadzi dzakatseketera, Shava huru yakapamba Gona, Gara ramasango, chipauro chamafuta, Godzamuto mhuru inobva Gona, VoRufura, Venzeve tsvuku, Mushukuro weGona, Vanechitanga chisizari n'ombe, Chinotozara musi wezvita, Maita vari Masakadza, Maita vari Njaidza, Navari Mhiri kwaNyazvidzi, Maita vari Hwiru, Tatenda vari Chikwidzire chamabwe machena,
Chakada mutema muzvare Mataruse, Hekanhi vari Raubwi, Vari muhari huru, Vari chikomo chaMabwazhe, Mhare yokurwa yaiganza kunge handira, Zvaitwa Chisema, Sambiri, Chikara wapanze, Chifamba namana, Chifuramakuru, mazondo tinodya, Maita vari Svikire, Vari Maturi, vari chivende, Vari Hubvumwe, Chiputsamakuru; Godzamuto, Vari Hwiru yaMazonde vokuda nyama, Vanoera gumbo remombe asi mutumbi wayo vachidya, Shava yangu yiyi, Chitanga, Chikanyamatope, Maita vari Mapfukudza kunodyiwa boora nechirimo, Naka muchadya makunguwo huku dzarova, Hekanhi Madyirapanze, Ganyamatope, Kuti vane nzara vaponewo, Hekanhi Musipa, Marera Nherera, Matsikapasikuzororahuvata, Hekanhi Gutu, Hekanhi weGona, ndisengei, Senga nhundwa, senga musoro pane romo neziso, Hekanhi Mhandamakan'a, Matakuradumbu, Matangakunwa muviri une nyota, Vatambi vemuGanyiro, Matsika pachena napanerima, Hekanhi Masangedzwa, Bvumazvirema, Teveratsimba mutsvairo wenzira, Hekanhi Murendo, Mushaya chirashwa, Mafuta tinozora, Runyanga igonamombe, Gumbo mubhadha, dovo tinowadza, Nyama tinodya, mukaka tinomwa, Muswe inhawo, ndove indozura mumba, Zvaitwa Chitova, mushukuro wegonamombe, Aiwa zvaitwa Gumbo, Chinemukutu, maKorekore
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 Gumbo and Madyirapanze, those who ate outside, and ties the name to sharing: later it hails Madyirapanze 'so that the hungry may live too' (kuti vane nzara vaponewo). It links the clan again and again with Gona, calling it the calf that comes from Gona, and greets it at Masakadza, Njaidza, across the Nyazvidzi, Hwiru, Raubwi, the hill of Mabwazhe, Svikire, Maturi and Hubvumwe.
The leg runs through the whole poem. It says the clan keeps away from the leg of the cow but eats the rest of its body (vanoera gumbo remombe asi mutumbi wayo vachidya), and many of its names praise the leg: Matakuradumbu, Matangakunwa, Mhandamakan'a, Masangedzwa and Matsika pachena napanerima. Duramazwi reChiShona explains several of them: the leg carries the heavy belly of the cow, is the first to step into the water when cattle reach a well, and has a hoof strong enough to break hard ground.
The closing lines list what a cow gives: the fat is rubbed on, the horn becomes a gonamombe (a snuff horn), the meat is eaten and the milk drunk, the tail is a fly whisk and the dung is smeared on the floor of the house. The poem ends on Chitova and on Chinemukutu, and names the Korekore (maKorekore).
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.
Gumbo Madyirapanze mutupo weGumbo, gumbo remombe. Varume vanokudzwa seMadyirapanze, Madyirapazhe naChitova, vakadzi seMagumbo. Detembo ravo rinoti vanoera gumbo remombe asi mutumbi wayo vachidya. Rinovakwazisa vari Masakadza, Njaidza, Hwiru nepachikomo chaMabwazhe, uye rinoti Madyirapanze kuti vane nzara vaponewo. Rinopera richiti Chinemukutu, maKorekore.
Duramazwi reChiShona names Chinemukutu, the name this detembo closes on, as one of the chiefs of the Gumbo people, said to have gone about carrying a quiver of arrows (mukutu) until the name was given to him.
Duramazwi reChiShona (monolingual Shona dictionary)
Those who eat outside. The detembo ties the name to feeding others, hailing Madyirapanze 'so that the hungry may live too', and Duramazwi reChiShona gives Madyirapazhe as a chidawo that speaks of the clan's generosity.
No. Gumbo is the leg, a totem taken from part of an animal, as both the Wikipedia article on the Shona and a study note on totems say. The detembo says the clan keeps away from the leg of the cow but eats the rest of it.
The Mitupo collection prints two close versions of the Gumbo detembo, one headed Madyirapanze and one Madyirapazhe, sharing most of their lines, and both names are among those the clan's men are greeted by.
In Gutu, though families carrying it live all over Zimbabwe and beyond.
Traditionally, people of the same mutupo and chidawo do not marry: they are counted as one family. Between different Gumbo 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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