A girl in her garden in the Mukuni Village. The current Mukuni village lies just seven kilometres from Victoria Falls and is the
A girl in her garden in the Mukuni Village. The current Mukuni village lies just seven kilometres from Victoria Falls and is the permanent traditional headquarters of the Mukuni Leya people, with an approximate population of 8000. The Leya people of Chief Sekute live to the west of Livingstone towards Kazungula. Chief Mukuni chooses one of his female relatives to be the Priestess of the tribe - usually a sister or aunt. The Chief, along with his counsellors, arbitrates cases involving local politics and other problems. The Priestess, called Bedyango, is responsible for religious affairs, and receives reports of births and deaths. The Leya worship their dead ancestors, Chief Mukuni being their representative on earth. There are several ceremonies which are performed at the village at certain times of the year and in cases of disease or drought. It is said that the tribe brought with them a stone - Kechejo - from Kabwe. This stone was put at the site of the Mukuni village. The story of Kechejo is that it will disappear under the ground in times of severe drought; it will also raise itself higher out of the ground in times of good harvest. The Victoria Falls region has been a place of worship to the Leya people for centuries. The Lwiindi Ceremony or Spray Ceremony is performed every year just before the rains. At the Lwiindi Ceremony, the chief leads his people down through the spray to the Victoria Falls gorge, where they offer sacrifices to their ancestors in thanks for the rain, accompanied by traditional dances and rituals. Mukuni Village
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Photo credit: © Sergi Reboredo / Alamy / Afripics
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