The Chewa Tribe is an African culture that has existed since the beginning of the first millennium, A.D. The Chewa Tribe has weird burial traditions in the world.
The deceased is prepared for and sent on what has been described as the journey into the world of the ancestors. The Chewa people have a cultural, spiritual, and social background that distinguishes them from other ethnic groups in Malawi. When the name ‘Chewa’ is mentioned, what often comes to the minds of many people is a masquerade dance known as ‘Gule wa mkulu‘.
Also known as ‘Bantu’, the Chewa people have a population of about 1.5 million in Malawi and in neighboring Zambia. Originally, the Chewa migrated from Nigeria and Cameroon and settled in Zaire (today’s Democratic Republic of Congo) before coming to Malawi and Zambia in the 15th century.
In Malawi, Chewa people settled in the districts of Dedza, Kasungu, Dowa, Salima, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Mchinji, and Lilongwe in the central region of Malawi. Chewa people differ from other ethnic groups of Malawi-based on language and places of settlement. Apart from being noted for their masks and secret society group called the Nyau, the people of Chewa had a more intriguing ritual.
Historians say that it was the custom of the people that when a tribe member dies, the body is taken to a sacred place and cut open at the throat. They then pour water through the hole and squeezed down the stomach until it comes out through the anus. This process is done repeatedly until the water comes out clean.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that this water is used to prepare food for the entire tribe. It was the belief that when someone dies, the entire village must show up. This is because among the Chewa, death is not natural; it is usually caused by witchcraft.
The argument is that they would scare those who might have killed a person to go to the funeral. Chewa people are the believers of the god who they call ‘Chiuta’.
The Chewa believes that they get in contact with the god who created all things through the spirits of their ancestors and the spirits of living animals.
They believe Chiuta created all things on Kapirintiwa Mountain, along the borders of Malawi and Mozambique. The Chewa also believes in immortality by upholding the faith that their departed ancestors still exist after death.
