Chiuta’s Gift: The Tumbuka Creation Story and the Origins of Life and Death

The Tumbuka people are an ethnic group primarily found in southeastern Africa, particularly in Malawi, with communities in Zambia and Tanzania as well. Known for their rich cultural heritage and strong connection to traditional beliefs, the Tumbuka have a unique worldview shaped by their reverence for Chiuta, their supreme deity, and a deep respect for ancestors and spirits.

The Tumbuka Creation Story

In the creation story of the Tumbuka people of southeastern Africa, the universe begins with Chiuta, the supreme deity who reigns over all creation. Despite Chiuta’s boundless power, prayers and desires do not reach him directly, for they must pass through the ancestors and spirits who act as intermediaries, shaping the fates of those who call upon them. Offerings and rituals directed at these ancestors help in swaying their favor, inviting Chiuta’s blessings of rain, good harvests, and protection.

According to the Tumbuka, in the beginning, only Chiuta, the supreme deity, existed. Chiuta is a divine force, omnipresent and shapeless, watching over a silent, barren earth. In this timeless void, there were no rivers, no lakes, no plants, and no signs of life. The earth lay still, waiting for Chiuta’s touch to stir it into life.

One day, Chiuta called upon the clouds, summoning them to gather over the empty lands. Thunder rolled, lightning crackled, and rain poured down for the first time, touching the earth with a life-giving force. These elements transformed the barren land into a vibrant world, and under Chiuta’s guidance, lush greenery began to bloom, rivers started to flow, and valleys filled with life.

When the earth was ready, Chiuta descended from the heavens, bringing with him the first humans and a multitude of animals. Together, they spread across the earth, bringing diversity and richness to the land. It was a harmonious beginning, a world filled with life, each creature connected to the next and all sustained by the rain and thunder Chiuta sent down from the sky.

Yet, life on earth was shadowed by the uncertainty of death. The origins of mortality, as told by the Tumbuka, involve a tale of a chameleon and a lizard. Chiuta, wanting to give humans a message about death, sent the chameleon to announce that humans, when they passed, would rise again in a cycle of rebirth. But Chiuta also sent a lizard with a message that death would be final and absolute. The chameleon, however, was slow, while the lizard moved swiftly, reaching humanity first. Thus, the message the lizard delivered—that death would be a permanent end—forever shaped the human experience.

This tale of life, death, and the eternal presence of Chiuta reveals how the Tumbuka view the divine’s role in creation, the mysteries of existence, and the forces of life and death. Chiuta’s essence fills the sky with rain and thunder, and through ancestors and spirits, the deity remains a guiding force, bridging the realms of the living and the unseen.

Today, though the Tumbuka people are largely Christians, they hold onto these stories as echoes of their heritage, blending their ancestral beliefs with new traditions.