Vocabulary for rites of passage in Luchazi

Here are the key words and phrases associated with Luchazi rites of passage and their meanings in English:

General rites of passage terms in Luchazi

1. Ciuano = festival.
2. Viuano (plural)
3. Cilika = ceremony.
4. Vilika (plural) = ceremonies.
5. Ciuano ca ndzolela = festival.
6. Viuano via ndzolela (plural) = festivals.

Types of rites of passage in Luchazi

1. Ciuano ca ku semua = birthday ceremony; birthday party.
2. Cilika ca ku lovoka = circumcision ceremony.
3. Cilika ca mukanda na mungonge = boys circumcision ceremony.
4. Cilika ca vuso na ciuila = girls initiation ceremony.
5. Cilika ca vulo = marriage ceremony.
6. Cilika ca via-ku-tsa = funerary rites.

Birth terms and phrases in Luchazi

1. Ku sulumuna = to give birth.
2. Sema or kusema = to give birth.
3. Kakeke = baby or infant.
4. Tukeke (plural) = babies or infants.
5. Vukeke = infancy.
6. Mukua ku amua = suckling.
7. Vakua ku amua (plural) = sucklings.
8. Muana = child or toddler.
9. Vana (plural) = children or toddlers.
10. Cisemua = family; birth; ancestry.
11. Visemua (plural) = families; births; ancestries.
12. Mukanda ua cisemua = birth record; birth certificate.
13. Cisoneka ca cisemua = birth registration.

Boys initiation ceremony terms in Luchazi 

1. Vulima = state of being uncircumcised.
2. Cilima = uncircumcised person (especially male).
3. Vilima (plural) = uncircumcised people.
4. Mukanda = circumcision camp for boys.
5. Cizika mukanda = father or guardian of the head initiate.
6. Cizika mukanda = the head initiate.
7. Kandanda = a boy initiate.
8. Tundanda (plural) = boys initiates.
9. Cikendzi = circumciser.
10. Lusumba = circumcising spot on the verge of the village.
11. Mukua ku lovoka = a circumcised person.
12. Vakua ku lovoka = circumcised people.
13. Cilombola = the guardian.
14. Kalombola ntito = guardian.
15. Ku londa ntsimba
16. Ku-kuua = mukanda ritual singing.
17. Kutanga = procession ritual.
18. Likisi = masked dancer.
19. Makisi (plural) = masked dancers.
20. Kukomba ndzango = the final dance performed by the likisi Kankumbua as a symbol of sweeping the footmarks of the Mapumpu.
21. Kuhunga = dance performed by initiates.
22. Kuzaulula = cessation of the mukanda ceremony.
23. Mungonge = the boys' final initiation ritual which follows the mukanda rites.
24. Mukua ku fuika = a guardian responsible for protecting the initiate during the hardening process of the mungonge.
25. Kayanda ka mungonge
26. Kavundu ka Nialupanda = a short excruciating exercise subjected to the initiates which is taken in the right hand.
27. Ku teta = the hardening process of the mungonge.
28. Tuhia va kalunga = spiritual fire.
29. Zimbango = secret rituals of the mungonge rites.

Girls initiation ceremony terms in Luchazi

1. Vuso = the girls' initiation which a Luchazi girl undergoes.
2. Ciuila = the girls' transition ceremony.
3. Niamuso = the girl initiate.
4. Vaniamuso (plural) = girls initiates.
5. Cisevuilo = a thatched shelter built at the rear of the parents house where the initiates spend their time during the day.
6. Litungu = a cone-shaped hut built in front of the parents house and facing the ndzango area where the initiates sleep with their guardian.
7. Kasambiyilo = female guardian for initiates.
8. Nteta = vuso dances held in the late afternoon by women.
9. Mukundu = red orchre.
10. Mpemba = white chalk or limestone.
11. Musombelo = facial painting.
12. Kulonga = to give instructions or teachings.

Marriage terms and phrases in Luchazi

1. Vulo = marriage; the customary or legal or religious union of two people as husband and wife.
2. Cilika ca vulo = wedding; the ceremony where a man and a woman get married.
3. Cilemo ca vuntsombolua = love of getting married (women).
4. Ntsombolua = bride; a woman on her wedding day.
5. Ntsombola = bride.
6. Ntsombola yange = my bride.
7. Ivene ntsombolua = groom; a man on his wedding day.
8. Ivenea ntsombolua = groom.
9. Ivene ntsombola = groom
10. Ivenea ntsombola = groom.
11. Ivene or ivenea vulo = bridegroom.
12. Vikunkula via vulo = marriage vows; promises made by the couple during the wedding.
13. Vikunku via vulo = marriage vows.
14. Visingo via vulo = marriage vows.
15. Kasendo ka vulo = marriage covenant.
16. Ku licata kasendo ka vulo = enter into blood marriage covenant.
17. Ku-lia ca vulo = wedding banquet.
18. Ciuano ca ku-lia ca vulo = reception; the party after the wedding ceremony.
19. Vucino vua vuntsombolua = bridal dance.

Funeral terms and phrases in Luchazi

1. Via-ku-tsa = funeral.
2. Ndzivo ya via-ku-tsa = funeral parlour or house.
3. Ndzivo ya ku tulika vatsi = mortuary; morgue.
4. Ndzivo ya ku zekela vivimbi = charnel house; a building in which corpses or bones are piled.
5. Hondo ya tufunde = chapel of rest; an undertaker's mortuary.
6. Kafunde = undertaker; burier; one who buries; burial attendant.
7. Tufunde (plural) = undertakers; burial crew.
8. Vutsindo = burial.
9. Vutiavelelo = cremation.
10. Mutsi = dead person; deceased.
11. Vatsi (plural) = dead people.
12. Civimbi = corpse.
13. Vivimbi (plural) = corpses.
14. Ku saka civimbi = emblem.
15. Cikasa ca mutsi = coffin; casket
16. Vuhango = bier; frame on which a corpse or coffin is placed before burial.
17. Vakua ku ambata vuhango = pallbearers.
18. Mumbo = tomb; grave.
19. Cihilo = grave; a hole dug in the ground to receive a coffin or corpse.
20. Vihilo (plural) = graves.
21. Vukalo vua vatsi = place of the dead; sheol.
22. Tsinda = bury; put to rest.
23. Tiavelela = cremation.
24. Ku tiavelela ca civimbi = to burn the body of the deceased; cremation.
25. Tsisa = be bereaved; bereavement.
26. Mbumbo = sepulchre; grave mounds.
27. Zimbumbo = sepulchres
28. Muhela ua vutsindo = a grave site; a burial site; cemetery.
29. Mbozo = the ruins of the house (especially a deceased person).
30. Kanonga = memorial.
31. Cingina = the shrine erected in memory of the deceased person.

Ancestral traditions

1. Miyombo = ancestral shrines.
2. Kukombela = offering of sacrifices by veneration and recitation of the names of long departed ancestors.
3. Mukulu = ancestor.
4. Vakulu (plural) = ancestors.
5. Mahamba = ancestral spirits.
6. Tundundu = types of ancestral spirits.
7. Viyaya = type of ancestral spirits.
8. Kamulami = type of ancestral spirits.
9. Vimbembesi via vatsi = spirits of the dead.
10. Ku koteka = the use of supernatural activities for protection of the homestead or mukanda.
11. Kuzika = the use of supernatural activities for protection of the mukanda or homestead.
12. Cizila = abomination; taboo.
13. Vizila (plural) = abominations; taboos.
14. Mahesi = magic; black magic.
15. Citapa = a person who performs supernatural activities for protection of the royal ruler.
16. Vitapa (plural)
17. Vitapa va mpemba = these are white painted men who go out to spread the news of the royal ruler's death.
18. Vitapa va nkula = these are red painted men who are charged with the task of severing the head of the deceased royal ruler from the neck.
19. Matapa (plural)
20. Vulozi = witchcraft.
21. Vuhole
22. Vandumba zia vantu = magical or invisible figures used by women for evil and selfish purposes.
23. Ku taha = divination.
24. Ngombo = a form of divination that use divining lots to determine the cause of the problem.
25. Ngombo ya Cilambu = a form of divination that consists of an animal skin and the divining lots.
26. Ngombo ya kasanda  = a form of divination that consists of a basket and the divining lots.
27. Ngombo ya zimbinga = a form of divination that consists of animal horns and divining lots.
28. Ngombo ya ku santsela = a form of Thanksgiving divination.