Man's life span is short; whereas his name lives for long after he has died
Yasi nanu: Naliongo came out of the clinic of Mola Mosongi Inoni with many stories to tell. He had accompanied his father to the clinic to receive medication for the treatment of convulsion.
That was the first time that Naliongo witnessed a traditional Doctor at work. He took note of the medicinal leaves the Doctor used, how the Doctor carefully laid the leaves serially on a large piece of a plantain leaf on the floor and how after bending each leaf carefully, the Doctor tied the leaves into three neat parcels.
Above all, Naliongo was fascinated by the long list of names of persons the Doctor solemnly mentioned at the commencement of business.
On their return journey, a discussion ensued between Naliongo and his father,
Mola Nganele:
Naliongo:
"Taata !
Where are those people that the Doctor mentioned in his citation” ?
Mola Nganele:
"o-Velimo" = in the world of dead persons.
Naliongo:
"Taata: when did they die ” ?
Mola Nganele:
"They died several years ago. The majority of them died long before the advent of the White man into this land".
Naliongo:
"The persons who bore those names died several years ago. Why are their names still alive; and why does the Doctor mention their names in his citation ?”.
Mola Nganele:
"The names that Doctor Mola Mosongo mentioned are names of Doctors who had earlier held and used the Ekanga (relic) that Mola Mosongo is currently using. Mola Mosongo invokes the deceased Doctors to join him in carrying out treatment”.
“Yes, names live longer than the persons who bear the names.
nanu ndi ese eveli ! = This is how/what the world is:
Lina ndi a-inda !
Moto asi-nda” !
“The life span of Man is short; whereas his name lives for long after he has died.
Man may live up to 100 years and slightly above; but his name may live for hundreds and hundreds of years after his death.
When a person dies, his name survives him like a widow. The life span of a name to be remembered is determined by the noble as well as the notorious lifestyle of a deceased person and also by the experiences he had in this World".
Mola Nganele then mentioned several deceased persons whose names will continue to be remembered for many years to come.
Lexicon:
ekanga = a relic that an ordained Traditional Doctor invokes at the commencement of business.
o-Velimo = in the world of dead persons.
Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Dallas Tx, USA
Thanks for this Taata. I wish to find out about your conception of the meaning of the two names below:
1) Nalionge
2) Ewoko
What will the combination be?
Posted by: Nalionge Maxmillianus Ewoko | April 06, 2021 at 11:03 PM