Ancestor Calling

Ancestor calling is a shamanistic religious practice of M'Biruna predominantly of the southern Imbesu tribe. The practice is seen mainly as a form of veneration for the ancestors of the tribe, but also as a rudimentary form of parliament where all members of the tribe can invoke their ancestors and remember their deeds in regards to the current situation.

# Origin

With the absence of a written form of the Imbesu language it is hard to establish exactly when the practice began, especially when the artifacts available to researchers are exceedingly difficult to date to any particular ruler due to the lack of writing, thus even with the names of established Imbesu rulers in the traditional roll calling it is hard to put a particular date to the practices emergence. Most researchers agree that the practice dates back at least 1000 years based on the number of ancestors in the longest calls practiced by An'gonas, the masters of the art. Most An'gonas hold a ceremonial position within most kraals with a house next to that of the chief which houses not only the An'gona but also his apprentices. Some believe that the close position of the An'gona to the chief suggests that the practice of ancestor calling was originated by early chiefs to assert their right to rule by recalling all their ancestors who had led their tribe, although this is disputed by others who assert that many of those names recalled do not appear to be those of known chiefs as well as the presence of female names in almost all the known lists, claiming instead that the practice was more a form of legal code where famous cases or rulings were recalled to guide the tribe in the present with the weight of historical precedent behind them.

# History

Historically the practice took place on the day before the rising of a new moon when the An'gona would call out the full list to the assembled males of the tribe who would be seated in front of the chiefs home awaiting justice, permission to marry or simply to partake in the major social gathering of the month for a people often spread out with the Quagga herds or hunting game. The An'gona would often pause during the recitation to highlight the deeds of the chosen ancestors who most suited the chiefs coming proclamations to the tribe. This was believed to give weight to the chiefs decision as it carried the support of the tribes ancestors. However it was not unknown for claimants to challenge the chiefs decision citing different ancestors and their actions.

This fact is often cited by those who claim the practice is one of the earliest forms of popular or democratic government in M'Biruna whereby the decision of the chief could be overturned by referring to different ancestral precedents invalidating the chiefs initial decision. However there is little evidence that this practice was common and usually only occurred during disputed successions rather than a subject overruling their leader. The An'gonas position is also unclear during these disputes as they would be expected to have weighed both ancestors and their words equally before reaching a decision, which some suggest points to the position of An'gona as being a political one in which they were expected to find precedents to support the decision of the chief. Some researchers believe the An'gona was less of a political lackey and more a senior adviser to the chief offering them historical examples to act upon when faced with serious decisions.

Ancestor calling began to die out in the middle of the nineteenth century with the increasing literacy of the Imbesu and the establishment of a written form of their language, by Kikiuli Sibanda in 1866. The increasing urbanisation of the 20th century also led to a great decline in the practice as the tribal structure was disrupted and people found themselves further from their home kraals and no longer relying on a chieftain for things like justice or the permission to take a bride.

# Contemporary Usage

Although the practice almost died in the 20th century it saw a revival in the 1990s and the twenty first century as both younger urban Imbesu returned to their ancestral kraals to seek a sense of their family and tribal history and researchers who sought to establish a true historical record of the Imbesu tribe moved away from the usual study of archaeology and began to record the oral history as told by the An'gonas. This has created a number of controversies within the Imbesu triba, particularly the remaining An'gonas who believe that the oral history should remain so and to write it down in a book or on the internet to be referenced demeans the power of the ancestors wisdom and is an insult to their own position and generations of training and memorising the history of the tribe. The increased demand from urban Imbesu to know where they came from has also created a number of charlatans who claim to be An'gonas and tell inflated tales of the ancestors of those who seek them out. There have been government attempts to root out these imposters by creating a registry of "official" An'gonas, though this has been fiercely resisted by the An'gonas themselves who have little trust in modern government and prefer to remain within the old tribal structure.

The practice has also been co-opted by the guerrillas of the Agysimban National Liberation Army in which those who have fallen fighting for a free Imbesu nation are remembered in the same manner as the ancestors of their tribe. It has also become a tradition to call out "Present" when the names of the fallen are called out to suggest that they are still with the ANLA in spirit and continuing the struggle for freedom. Many groups remain silent when the name of Kashile (Moise Sibanda the founder of the ANLA missing since 2001) is called as a refusal to believe that he is dead and that he will return to lead them to a free Imbesuland.