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The Buhera hunter and his mysterious catapult

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MAUTO Zvavamwe (23) is a popular figure in Buhera’s Bumhira village and surrounding areas.

MAUTO Zvavamwe (23) is a popular figure in Buhera’s Bumhira village and surrounding areas.

by Jairos Saunyama

Mauto Zvavamwe shows off his mysterious catapult
Mauto Zvavamwe shows off his mysterious catapult

It is not about his trademark long unkempt hair, but he is in possession of a mysterious catapult that has left many wondering about his state of mind.

Each time he passes by a gathering, people are left murmuring, while children gather around him to catch a glimpse of his catapult, which he claims was presented to him by his ancestors.

His carpentry skills are amazing and one wonders how the young man came up with such a hunting weapon.

Zvavamwe’s catapults consist of mirrors glued on the wooden weapon, and a snuff box, that he claims play a vital role in his hunting expeditions.

The weapon is also neatly tied by colourful fibre-made strings.

“I know many wonder how I made them, but what people should know is that all the additional components are vital during hunting time. The snuffbox contains snuff that I take before a hunting mission,” he said.

“This is not ordinary stuff. It gives me power to have visions in the forest. As for the mirror, its role is to reflect light into the eyes of a bird or an animal. I can do that for a while, until the target becomes dizzy, then I strike. I dreamt of this weapon, as it is, and it was not difficult for me to craft it.”

Zvavamwe is a well-known hunter in the village and boasts of a number of customers who buy his animals and birds. “I survive on hunting. On a good day, I can kill 14 doves and 10 guinea fowls,” he said.

“I do sell them at the shops and teachers in the schools are some of my customers. I can shoot and kill a flying bird with my catapults. I am possessed by a hunting spirit. I can kill rabbits and other small animals with these catapults.”

But what is more striking about Zvavamwe is how he became a full-time hunter.

He said he was possessed by a spirit that had seen him failing to get a formal job, despite holding a certificate in glass fitting.

“You can’t tell me anything on fixing glasses, especially on vehicles, be it windscreens or whatever. I was trained in Mutare, but the problem is that if I get a job, I become sick or I mysteriously get fired. I find myself back in my rural area,” he said.

“I have forgotten all about getting in the city for a decent job. I belong to the forest. I can have a dream of a duiker behind a rock and I wake up and go to the same place, I do find the duiker at that place. At times, I see visions of animals in the forest and if I go to the forest, the visions do get fulfilled.”

The father of two said he started hunting while in Grade 3.

“I was in Grade 3 at Holy Family Primary in Dorowa when I had a dream of me wandering in the forest. I asked my grandfather about it and told me that I was going to become a great hunter,” Zvavamwe said.

“This was true for my grandfather, who was also a hunter, who would not go into the forest without me. Each time he went hunting alone, he would not kill even a bird, but each day he took me along, it would turn out to be a successful hunt.”

Zvavamwe said despite Buhera having few forests due to massive deforestation, his “ancestors” always lead him to a jungle infested with wild animals.

It might sound stranger than fiction, but this is the tale of the Buhera hunter, who owns a strange catapult. Whether he possesses a hunting licence or not, no one knows, but he is a respected and skilful hunter in the community.