The Madi People of Uganda | West Nile Culture & Heritage

The madi people stretch from areas of Nimule which is at the Uganda-South Sudan boarder in the north and ascends low the north to Nyolo River. They sit in the county of Pageri in the Southern Sudan. In Uganda, they are found in the districts of Adjumani and Moyo. They mix with the Acholi, the Bari and the Loluba who also almost share the Nyolo River. They Nyolo river stretches from Parajok through Uganda and across the River Nile.

The Madi people speak a language called “madi ti”, which literaly means “madi mouth”.They have continuously referred to each other as the “Suru” clan.

POLITICAL SET-UP

The Madi people political set up was based on chiefdoms and each chiefdom was under a particular chief who had a tittle of “Opi”. The Opi was the centre of all political and religious powers during his time in power.

The madi aslo had rain makers and Vudipi and other important political and religious leaders. All the leaders were believed to have come from a great line of prominent ancestors who performed the same functions. The Vudipi was in charge of the land. They were also believed to retain the similar powers they had even if they died.

Also witch doctors were seen as leaders in their own capacity as by the madi people. They handled and presided matters that were between life and death. For example; when one was found guilty for adultery or even stealing, the witch doctors was consulted to intervene the matter, the witch doctor would take a hand full of spear grass and order the accuser and the accused hold each end of the grass. The witch doctor would then cut the spear grass with an arrow. Whoever was guilty would fall sick and the truth would establish it’s self through the consequences.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The madi people believed in ancestors. They believed that their ancestors did not die, they believed them to be spirits called “Ori”.They believed that the Ori could intervene directly in human affairs.

They even believed that these spirits (Ori) were not to make any mistakes, and if there was any anger or misfortune or even sickness, they would directly consult a witchdoctor and inquire of the careless witchdocter (Odzo)  to find out which ancestor would be behind the trial. Ancestral spirits were affiliated to strong families of the Madi people. After a successful consultation, a ceremony was done for the spirit that was incharge for appreciation. Th madi sacrifised a sheep mostly for it.

The madi were also believed to be serious rain makers, they were believed to be having over forty five rain making centres but only two were powerful.they used white colored stones as tools for making rain. They named the white stones “rain stones”. They even categorized the stones into ‘male” and “female” because they believed they came with rain from the sky.The male stones were funnel-shaped  and sharply pointed whereas the female ones were round without sharp points any where on them. It was so easy for the rain makers to differentiate them all.

The rain stones were immediately reported to the chief on discovery. When thunder or lightening struck, the rain stones jumped un and down. The stones were well kept in pots and no one was allowed to look at them without permission of the chief or rain maker or if looked at can render one powerless.

The rain makers performed rituals during a cermony when it failed to rain, they could smear the stones with fat or oil and they could recite the prayer to “Rabanga” and also to the former chiefs. They then ate the food collected was eaten and they placed the stones  in very little water.The rain maker would take the offertory food (mtami, wimbi and beans) together with shear- butter nut oil into the huts where the rain stones wee kept. Then he would put the clay pot on a wooden basin, remove the “rain stone” from their pot, wash them and, calling upon the spirits of the dead chiefs and Rabanga to bring rain, he would put them in a bowl in which they were anointed with a little oil.

The rain maker and the chiefs wives were only ons allowed to attend the ceremony, because they were in charge of cooking. They cooked beans in the oil and also brewed beer using mtami plus wimbi.The food was served and eaten by the rain makers and only two truthful women who prepared it. The “rain stones” were then placed in a pot with enough water which would be neither too much nor too little. The rain maker and the women would neither leave the hut nor eat any other food during the whole day. Rain was expected to fall on that day. But if rain failed to come and adzo would be consulted or, alternatively, the rain maker would extend the rain making ceremony to involve the killing and eating of a sheep. Though it was said that only two clans among the Madi would cause rain to fall without using “rain stones”. Their elders would meet at their place of worship and ask Rubanga to bring rain by just playing to him.

CULTURAL BELIEFS

The Madi people believed in many superstitions amongst themselves. They believed that if a man was going on a journey and he met or saw any of these animals along his path; a rabbit, a bush buck, or a wild pig, he would run back immediately and consult a witch doctor to find out wether where he is going was safe or he needs to stay back forst. The witch doctor could do some rituals to unfold the situation at hand.

The Madi people did not love the owl,therefore when an owl hooted while landing on one’s house or if a man met a certain snake or a leopard, then someone in the family would die. Therefore the one in the incidence reported the matter to the witch doctor to find out who was trying to kill them.

If a jackal barked inside one’s compound, the occupants would at once move to anew site in that the old home was cursed. They would never return.

There was even a belief that some people had the power to turn into leopards or to speak to leopards and use them for evil deeds. Such suspected people were feared and respected too among the Madi people.

MARRIAGE

When the girl or boy came of age in the madi culture, they would consult the chief (opi) for a blessing. When the Opi granted them with a go-ahead, the two organised a team of not more than four to six members on both sides of the couple to be. Though the boys parents are supposed to alert the girls parents before making any decissions inorder to recieve blessings from them.

Before the ceremony, the girl took part in several activities like; brewing local brew (kwete), sawing bedseets, plaiting hair in a way that was accepted in the traditional marriage and also making a meal. This was all done in perfecting for that day when the boys team would come to visit. The girls parents also went and visited Opi with a white cock because they believed in their blessings for the marriage of the children to be successful. It also prevented incest and adultery.

The boys side was not supposed to move starlight away from the girls side’s home when visiting day arrived. They were only escorted by their friends on the girls side after waiting from a distance. When the ceremony commenced, the boy not to be taken from an evil family, he had to showcase his abilities in handwork,energy and discipline.

When time for the meal came,local brew and food were served and all were to be shared with parents from the girls side,later on a meeting during a market day would be organised by the boy. Here,the market place would be located far away from the girls home,this enabled the boys team to ambush the girl even though she shouted on top of her voice. It was also a signal to neighbors that a marriage procedure was occurring. The boy would be locked up in a hat with the girls for three days and that commenced their marriage.

This usually marks the beginning of the marriage, where the boy will be locked in his well-built grass thatched house with the girl for 3 days. Food was served to them in the house everyday, they were escorted when needed to ease themselves, she would be well covered in a “kitengi”. If she was sighted by her brothers, there would be a fight even sometimes leading to death.

The new bride also called “Arusa” in their native language starts with fetching water and she only knelt for the elders.when time for the girl to leave came, she went with an envelop to her parents from the boys side

The ‘Arusa’meaning new bride will only begin fetching water, firewood, cooking food and greeting every person except kids while kneeling down.  12 of her people will come keep her company for at least one month in the boy’s house where they are expected to disturb, eat a lot and to support the bride. This is meant to gauge the character and capability of the groom if he is capable of taking care of a big number of people and finally Payment of  cows, goats, chicken and spears, and farming tools, for the father of the girl to hunt wild animals for food is expected when the girl delivers her first baby.

BIRTH

Amongest the madi,giving birth to twins was seen as an abomination, actually it was sighted as a very bad omen. Theysought Rabanga first and then they named the twins, the first twin was called Ejaiya which meant take him to the bush.

ECONOMY

The madi people were subsistence farmers. There main crops were maize, sorgum, cassava, groundnuts and tobbacco. They also reared small herds of cattle, goats and even sheep.