KELIGION OF THE BA-VENI)A. 209 



The Ba-Veiida, as all tlie South African, we may perhaps 

 say as all the African tribes, possess a double set of religious 

 intuitions: First, the ancestor worship beliefs, the Manisni, 

 as it is now called, which constitutes the more apparent part 

 of their religion; and, secondly, a vague monotheistic notion 

 which is met with all over Africa. Let us begin by the mono- 

 theistic notion, and allow me to introduce to you tlie Yenda 

 god, Kaluvimbi. 



I.- — ^Raluvimbi. 



Raluvimbi is the maker and former of everything. I do 

 not say creator, as the idea of creation e.v nihilo is not conveyed 

 by the native term, nor does it clearly exist in the Bantu 

 mind. The expression everywhere used is the one employed 

 to describe a potter moulding clay to make utensils. iNatives 

 do not bother much about creation. What is of greater 

 importance for them is tiie regular falling of the ram, and 

 jRaluvimbi is directly connected with it. If rain is scarce 

 and starvation threatens, they say: "Raluvimbi wants to 

 destroy us I " If, on the contrary, floods spoil their fields, 

 they say the same thing. He is therefore prated to and 

 sacrifices are ottered to him in order to obtain rain. However, 

 I did not succeed in getting particulars about such offerings. 



Thus it is plain that a certain idea of Providence is applied 

 also to Raluvimbi. He takes care of the tribe. He even takes 

 care of its individual members, and this accounts for another 

 interesting expression, whicli the Ba-Venda like to employ 

 when they have escaped from danger. For instance, when a 

 man has nearly been drowned in crossing a river, but has 

 managed to reach the opj^osite side, he exclaims : " I have been 

 saved by Raluvimbi, ^ludzimu." Or, " I have been saved by 

 Mudzimu and Roluvimhi." " Mudzimu " means Ihe ancestor 

 god. tlie regular god, the one to whom one prays and offers 

 sacrifices. But here the meaning of the word is extended, and 

 it is applied to Raluvimbi. Tiiis identification between two 

 beliefs, which generally are kept quite distinct, is curious 

 indeed. When I questioned nnother Yenda about it, he said 

 to me: " Is Raluvimbi not our fatlier? Has he not formed 

 us all? " 



Raluvimbi reveals himself at irregular intervals. People 

 sometimes say they noticed a red diffused light in a liut or 

 outside, and they assert that it is Raluvimbi wlio has appeared. 

 Falling stars and comets are also attributed to liim. But his 

 principal manifestation is in tlie earlliquake, as he is considered 

 as " dwelling below." The Rev. Macdonald told me that 

 aboiit seven years ^ago he witnessed one o,f these visits of 

 J?aluvinibi. Tlie Gooldville Mission Station is at the foot of 

 a hill which stretches for a long distance in an easterly direc- 

 tion. One day he heard a loud clamour, which arose on the 

 west of the hill and propagated itself to the east. Women 

 were shouting in a way which is peculiar to them, by moving 



