Bacwezi and the Divine Interpreters
A divination that predicted the end of the bacwezi rule
During the reign of Omukama Wamara, he had cultivated a friendship with an old man called Kantu, who was probably born in the reign of Mukonko. They became blood brothers and from him Wamara learnt the history of Kitara.
One day Kantu paid a visit of his friend Wamara, but found him all prepared to go out hunting. Wamara ordered one of the servants to show Kantu to the house and to request his wives to look after him properly untill his return. But the Kings wives despised the old little Man. They merely laughed at him and ignored Wamara’s orders. They even refused to allow him to stay inside the house.
Instead, they ordered the servant to deposit him in one of the outer huts, where food and drinks could be brought to him. Having carried out his instructions,the servant rejoined the king’s hunting expedition. Meanwhile, the king’s wives went about their business and forgot all about Kantu. Neither the food nor the drink was therefore offered him. When he became very hungry, he staggered out of the hut to see by which way the hunters might be returning.
As he came out he saw a bull and a cow making love. When the bull noticed Kantu it charged at him and kicked him to death.
On his return Wamara inquired about his friend. Nobody seemed to know what had happened to him. The king was very angry and put the blame on his wives. At last Kantu’s dead body was discovered lying outside the outer huts. The king was furious when this news was broken to him. But nobody foresaw what would happen next.
The following morning the herdsmen went to milk the cows and then discovered to their horror that the milk had changed color, turning into mutara [red milk]. Whereupon they consulted the witch doctors, who solved the mystery by declaring: “Wamara’s blood brother relationship with Kantu had caused the milk to change into omutara.” It was therefore decided that this blood brotherhood [bond of friendship] must be loosened in the traditional fashion. This was done and after four days the cows began producing normal milk once more. From now onwards, the Bacwezi decided to avoid the obusito [milk that is from a cow that is with a calf] totem.
Meanwhile, Wamara arranged to summon diviners to interpret for him what these happenings meant. A young fattened bull (enimi yente encwerano) was slaughtered. When the diviners cut open the calf they could not trace its intestines. The diviners tried several times to divine in this manner but the same thing happened. However, a diviner called Nyakoka from Bukidi (present northern Uganda) offered to solve the mystery. He began by insisting that, he should have a blood pact with one Cwezi to guard against death should the interpretation displease them.
The pact was made with Mulindwa; Nyakoka cut open the legs and head of the animal and there the missing intestines were found. Then a large black smut from the fire settled on them, it could not be removed. Nyakoka divined that the absence of the intestines from their natural place signified that the country would be left without rulers, because the rule of the Bacwezi had ended. The intestines’ presence in the animal’s legs and head meant that the Bacwezi would load up their belongings and would travel far away; while the presence of the intestines in the head meant that the Bacwezi would continue to rule over men through spirit mediums (Mbandwa cults).
And the black smut meant that the kingdom would be taken over by dark-skinned strangers from the north. So the Chwezi departed from Bunyoro, no one knows where.