I52 AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
graces of the Mugabe as a preliminary step towards clientship. Slaves who had no legal status were barred from worshipping the royal drum. While Bagyendanwa showered his blessings upon the Bahima and the Bairu alike, he still distinguished between them. The Banyankole say that, 'the Bahima are the cattle of Bagyen-danwa and the Bairu are his goats'. 'The Bahima must offer cattle and the produce of their cattle and the Bairu must offer the produce of their gardens/ Thus, while Bagyendanwa was the tribal charm, it would be untrue to say that he considered his 'children' of equal status.
The power of the drum is apparent in the activities which it performed. When a chief decided to ask a favour, or to ask for advancement from the Mugabe, he would first go to the shrine of Bagyendanwa and offer a cow. He would take the beast in person before the drum and say, *I have brought a cow; one of the Abachwezi, they who have gone before, may you take this cow, this red one of mine, one that I have herded, a clean one in the orurembo [kraal], so that the king will not refuse me, so that the king will not walk towards his nyarubuga [private quarters]'.
Once an offering had been made, a man felt encouraged to make his request. This does not mean, of course, that no other magic was resorted to, but that the offering to Bagyendanwa was an essential element in uncertain enterprises. If the request was granted, the chief would take another cow to Bagyendanwa as a thank-offering. 'I have brought you this one, my king, for you have heard me. The great ones have heard me; they shall have what I have.*
Similarly, any man undertaking a cattle; raid, in the past, would always offer to Bagyendanwa, asking the drum to protect him from the spears of his enemies. *We are making a raid for you. We are going to increase your herds. We are going to make your land strong', they would say. Not only in cattle raids would the Bahima ask for the help of the drum, but also if they were moving into another part of the country, digging a new water hole, or launching any enterprise in which there was great danger. The Bairu would also ask the drum for success when they moved to new parts, when going on a hunting trip, or beg for help when their crops failed or their children died. In the case of the Bairu, beer and millet would be offered, and if they were successful a second offering would be made to thank the drum for its solicitude.