Peni Rinoshamisa rekuWest Africa

Nemunyori weMukai! MuSierra Leone

WATI wamboona mari yakadai here? Ipeni revaKissi. Imwe yemari iyi inoratidzirwa muSierra Leone National Museum, iri muFreetown. Kadhi ramashoko rinoti: “Iyi mari inoshamisa ndeyekuSiera Leone nekuLiberia. Yakanga ichiri kushandiswa mumaruwa muma 1945. Sezvo yakanga iri chiratidzo chomusoro (mucheto wakatenderera) uye gumbo (micheto yakapinza) yakanga ichinzi imari inoshamisa. Kana mambo akafa, mapeni akawanda aipwanywa okandwa muguva rake. Mari yokupedzisira yokumwe yakachinjwa inozivikanwa yaiva maKissi 50 ichienderana neShereni rimwe rekuWest Africa.”

Maererano nebhuku rinonzi The African Slave Trade, rakanyorwa naBasil Davidson, kare varanda vaitengwa ne“simbi refu.” Aiva mapeni evaKissi here? Dzimwe nyanzvi dzinodavira kuti akanga ari. Dzimwe dzinoramba. Asi, kunyange zvazvo mari iyi ingave isina kushandiswa kutenga varanda, zvechokwadi yakashandiswa kutenga vakadzi.

Sezvaratidzwa pamusoro, mari iyi pane dzimwe nguva yaishandiswa munzira dzezvitendero, zvikurukuru dzine chokuita nezvitendero zvisiri zvapaMagwaro zvokusafa kwomweya. Kana munhu akafa, vaiona zvakarurama kumuviga mumusha waakaberekerwa. Chokwadika, kana akafira kure, zvaisagarova nyore kuuyisa chitunha kumusha. Chavaingoita kwakanga kuri kutakura mweya vachishandisa peni revaKissi.

Hama yomushakabvu yaienda kumusha uko rufu rwakaitikira uye ndokupiwa peni nen’anga, iyo, kuburikidza nekudetemba, zvinofungidzirwa kuti yaibatanidza mweya wemushakabvu nepeni. Rakanga rava zvino basa rehama yacho kutakurira mweya (peni) kumusha uye ndokuuviga muguva ramadzibaba.

Hama iyi yaiputira peni mumucheka wakachena ndokutanga rwendo rwayo, urwo rwaizopedzwa yakangonyarara. Vaidavira kuti kana akataura kune upi noupi munzira, mweya waisiya peni wodzokera kumusha kwakanga kwafira munhu wacho. Saka hama yacho yaifanira kudzokera kunoutorazve—pasina kupokana yabhadharazve n’anga iya!

Kana zvaikosha kutaura mukati merwendo, hama yacho yaigona kudaro kana yanyatsotsveta peni riye, kunyange zvazvo pasiri pasi chaipo, asati ataura. Peni riya paraingonhongwa zvakare, yaifanira kurambazve yakanyarara.

Mapeni evaKissi akanga akareba masendimita 33 kusvika ku35, saka akanga asingakwani mungave muhomwe kana muchikwama. Zvisinei, zvaaiva zvakanga zvichishanda muzuva ravo, sezvo aigona kusungika nyore mumirwi uye ndokutakurwa pamusoro. Vanhu vakapfuma vaiwanzochengetera mapeni aya mumakumuri avo apamusoro. Apo mamiriro ekunze akanga akanaka, dova raiita pamari rodonhera mukamuri rapasi. Kuwanda kwe“madonhwe” kwairatidza zvakanaka upfumi hwemunhu ane mumba mawainge wakagara.