Utonga Gallery - NyamiNyami Spirit

Proudly Accepting:

Measurements: 26" Tall x 19" Wide

WAS $1195 NOW $495!!

"NyamiNyami Spirit" is sculpted in Opalstone by Washy Matafi. NyamiNyami is believed by the Tonga people to be the God of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe and a short history is below:

The Tonga themselves have inhabited both banks of the Zambezi River in what was known as the Gwembe Trough (from Kariba Gorge upstream to Devil's Gorge) for centuries and in themselves have an interesting history. Prior to David Livingstone's work in the area around 1855/7 the Tonga were at the constant mercy of slaving parties and wild animals. Between then and the mid 1950's they lived in relative peace with very little outside influence - their contact with the "outside world" was limited to prospectors, hunters, surveyors and the local District Commissioners. In the mid 1950's life changed with the decision to proceed with the construction of the Kariba dam wall. Another chapter in the Tonga history was started.

According to local folklore, during hard times, the Tonga had free access to his flesh and were thus sustained by removing strips of meat. The story of the dam wall construction and the floods in 1957 and 1958 are well documented. The local story goes as follows: Whilst the waters of Lake Kariba were only just rising and the Tonga were being relocated they invoked Nyaminyami in a spirit of resistance. Although he was never used as a political symbol it was generally agreed that he disapproved of the white man's plans to build the dam. In 1957 when a 1000 year flood was recorded on the Zambezi, construction was halted and set back by flood damage. The locals nodded knowingly and waited for the final destruction during the next rainy season. This of course nearly happened with the 1958 flood which was only slightly less violent than the previous year. Elders today claim that it was only their intervention which placated Nyaminyami.

Please call 843 296 7046 or email us with questions, to see larger pics, or for a shipping quote to your zip code.

Price: $495.00