By Elliott Siamonga

SYMBOLS and icons play an important part in the culture of many African tribes.
Without symbols, religions and philosophies would not have flourished and in some cases, entire languages would not have been able to take shape.
Given the vastness of the African continent, symbolism and iconography are not used in the same way in different areas, but by examining the use of symbolism in individual tribes, a picture of the different uses and development of symbols across the continent can be built.
Symbols represent different characters and characteristics and adorn many things ranging from clothing to pottery.
Due to the profound nature of these symbols, they are sometimes seen tattooed onto people’s skin.
One example of such symbolism is that of the BaTonga women piercing a hole through the nose and removing two upper front teeth as a sign of independence, freedom or emancipation.
The BaTonga dominated northern Zimbabwe and southern Zambia until the advent of colonialism.
Just like the Chokwe tribe from Angola, they developed a complex set of iconography and symbols to discuss spirituality and philosophy. Symbols became part of an abstract written language among the Ba Tonga.
In the BaTonga culture, symbols also play a large part in courtship procedures and expressions of love; young female BaTonga wear beads inscribed with symbols given to them by their suitors.
These symbols are usually symbols of love and are offered as love tokens.
Other symbol-inscribed beads may not be love tokens and may in fact be cautionary symbols given to the girl by her family to protect her from unwanted attention.
Miniature hoes called Katemokavamwali were used as important symbols during rites of passage such as the female initiations called Chinamwali in Angola, DRC and western Zambia and Zimbabwe. Katemokavamwali literally means the hoe of the female initiate.
Katemo is hoe, vamwali is of (va) women (mwali) or female initiate. Katemokavamwali is also a dance at boys Mukanda ceremonies.
Blades of these hoes were carved from wood or forged by ironsmiths.
The BaTonga tribe also sanctifies religious objects and attaches great symbolism to them.
One example of this is the ceremonial stool which is kept hidden and closely guarded.
These stools represent the worship of the ancestors, an ideal close to the hearts of the BaTonga.
No one may sit on these stools and they have never touched the ground.
The stools come in different shapes and sizes, some are very small and others are bigger depending on the ceremonial nature of that particular stool.
There are also the Ngoma buntimbe ceremonial drums that are only played at special ceremonies such as funerals of chiefs and spirit mediums, other special ceremonial objects such as knobkerries, knives, fly whisks all adorned with special symbols are used during these special ceremonies.
There are also symbols that are used during special ceremonies such as the Lwiindi Gonde and the famous Kuomboka that fall during October and late November every year respectively.
These symbols come in the form of dress and they are the most common and revered among the BaTonga.
Special types of cloths with printed symbols of fish, Nyaminyami and elephants are worn during these ceremonies.
The barges and stools and paddles are painted in red and black during the Kuomboka ceremony
A distinctive feature of traditional BaTonga dress is its use of festive colours, intricate patterns and figurative symbols to communicate meaning.
These garments are much more than mere adornment.
According to the BaTonga elders, they are used not just to praise political heroes, to commemorate historical events, and to assert social identities, but also as a form of rhetoric-a channel for the silent projection of argument.
The festive cloth is an embroidered and dyed cotton cloth that is native to Zambia called mutenje.
Using stamps carved from a gourd or calabash, the cloth is decorated with BaTonga traditional symbols.
These symbols, of which there are many, represent historical events, regional proverbs and ideology, and aspects of daily life.
Some common BaTonga symbols are the Nyaminyami (the BaTonga River God), which represents peace and abundance, the elephant, a symbol of love, beauty and family unity and the sorghum head, a treelike emblem that represents self-sufficiency and wealth.
The cloth is typically woven into long 20 to 30 centimetre-wide panels. Several panels can be sewn together to make clothing for both men and women.
The patterns created by the brightly coloured threads often represent common motifs, religious beliefs and political commentary.
The colours are of particular significance as they interpret the meaning of the pattern, with red symbolising death, green meaning fertility, white expressing purity and blue signifying love.
In addition to pictorial symbols, colours and writing on the surface of the cloth, often the cut of a particular BaTonga garment can convey meaning.
Traditional dress for the women includes various pieces that signify age and marital status.
A woman wearing this cloth, or top, and a long wrap-around skirt is likely young and unmarried.
If she adds a stretch of cloth around her waist that is often used to carry small children, she indicates that she is married.
For the matriarch (the great-grandmother) the cloth she adorns is usually different from all others. Sometimes it is just draped over her shoulders and has different symbols from others worn by other women.
The matriarch is revered by all the family members and this is common among matriarchal societies such as the Lozi and the Bemba in Zambia.