August 5th, 2008 by sabrina
is the Wakambi Goddess of music. Marimba was known as the most beautiful woman in the world. Her first husband was Zumangwe, The Hunter. When Marimba was commanded by Watamaraka, Goddess of evil, to be one of her handmaidens, she refused, and Watamaraka cursed her, saying that any man who married her would be killed within her presence within three moons of their marriage. Three moons later, Zumangwe was trampled by an elephant while Marimba and their son, Kahawa, watched. When she married again, she kept her husband locked in their house and would not let him go out with the other hunters. After two months of his pleading, she agreed to let him walk in the forest, as long as she went with him. While they were out for their walk, they were attacked by a lion, and her husband was killed. Marimba swore that she would not marry again, but Watamaraka told her that she would indeed, in twelve moons.
Marimba's son Kahawa was out hunting and caught a stranger watching him. He captured the stranger and brought him back to the village. The stranger was from another tribe, and he had a new kind of weapon with him, a bow and arrow. His people, the Masai, were approaching fast, intent on conquering the Wakambi. Marimba took the stranger's bow and fastened a gourd in the middle of it. She had invented the first musical instrument, and then she began to sing. Her people were amazed---no one had ever heard anything like it before.
After peace had been made with the Masai, Marimba was wooed by the former captive, Koma-Tembo. She refused him for ten years, but finally relented and married him. Within three moons, he too was dead, killed while hunting rhinoceros. But a strange thing happened. The more Marimba suffered from misfortunes, the more beautiful the songs she created. She also created more instruments, including flutes and pipes, the xylophone, and drums.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
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