Wafipa ni jamii ya wabantu waishio katika mkoa wa Rukwa. Shughuli kuu za uchumi kwa jamii hii ni kilimo na ufugaji. Baadhi hujishughulisha na uvuvi na uwindaji.na wale wanaoishi pembeni mwa mto Rukwa hujishughulisha na uvuvi kama moja ya shughuli za kiuchumi. Wafipa wana historia ndefu hasa katika teknolojia ya ufuaji wa chuma kuanzia arne ya 17.

Kama ilivyo kwa jamii nyingi, mila na desturi za wafipa ni suala linaloheshimiwa. Ndoa hufanywa kwa kufuata taratibu za kimila. Kijana akifikia umri wa kuoa hushauriwa na wazazi wake kuhusu ukoo mzuri wa kutafuta mke. Masuala yanayozingatiwa ni pamoja na kuchapa kazi, kuepuka koo zenye magonjwa na zisizokuwa na uzao. Kijana akishaoa hukaa karibu na wazazi kwa muda wa mwaka mmoja ili kujifunza jinsi ya kuendesha familia baada ya hapo huweza kujenga sehemu nyingine.

Wafipa huamini kuwa asili yao ni kusini, hivyo mtu akifa huelekezwa upande huo. Kaburi huchimbwa na sehemu ya kulaza mtu (mwandani) hutengenezwa mahsusi kwa kuwekewa kitanda.

Nyumba ya Wafipa ni ya Msonge (insiimba) na yenye umbo la pia. Nyumba hujengwa kwa fito na kuezekwa kwa majani kuanzia chini hadi juu na baadae hukandikwa ndani kwa mfinyanzi kuzuia mvua na joto. Mara nyingi nyumba haina madirisha ili kuhifadhi joto kwasababu ya kimazingira.

Wafipa wana historia ndefu katika technolojia ya uhunzi wa chuma. Katika karne ya 17 – 18 tayari jamii hii ilikuwa na maendeleo makubwa kwenye uhunzi wa chuma. Wakati huu uliuwa ni wa mapinduzi ya viwanda huko ulaya. Tanuri hutumika kuyeyushia chuma ambacho hutumika kutengenezea zana mbalimbali ikiwemo majembe, shoka, mikuki, visu, mishale n.k

Tanuri hujengwa kwa udongo wa mfinyanzi kuanzia chini kwenda juu. Huwekwa matundu ili kuwezesha hewa kupita pamojana kutolea chuma katika hali ya kimiminika. Wakati mwingine matundu haya huingizwa mabomba yaitwayo Nyelo ambayo hutengenezwa kwa kutumia udongo.

Kazi ya kuyeyusha chuma ni ngumu na yenye kuhitaji nguvu na muda mwingi. Kiwanda huwekwa mbali na makazi ya watu na wanaoruhusiwa kufika katika maeneo ya kiwanda ni wahunzi peke yao. Watu wengine hasa wanawake hawaruhusiwi kufika katika eneo la kiwanda kwani kufanya hivyo kutaharibu zoezi zima – wanaume watapoteza umakini.

Uhunzi huusisha upatikanaji wa malighafi ambazo ni mbale (iron ore), maa na dawa (flux). Mkaa hujazwa kuzunguka tanuri na mbale huwekwa katikati inapobidi dawa huongezwa katika tanuri ili kuboresha mchakato na wakati mwingine tokan ana imani ya jamii husika. Kwa kawaida chuma huanza kuyeyuka joto lifikapo nyuzijoto 900 hadi 1000 kulingana na ukubwa na aina ya tanuri. Baadaye chuma hukingwa kupitia katika nyelo.

Zoezi la kutengeneza zana hufanywa kwa kuchoma chuma kilichopatikana na kukiponda ili kupata zana inayohitajika. Kazi hii hufanywa kwenye tanuri dogo na katika kibanda kidogo pembeni ya tanuri. Yanayoonekana pembeniya kibanda huitwa Lombwe au mavi ya chuma. Huu ni uchafu unaobaki baada ya chuma kutoka kwenye mbale.

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MAKALA HAYA YAMEWEKWA PIA KWA KIINGEREZA HAPA CHINI

Fipa are Bantu speaking people lives in the south western highlands of Tanzania, Rukwa region. They are agriculturalists cultivating maize, groundnuts and millet. Those who lives by the shores of the lake Rukwa include fishing a one of their economic activities. Fipa have also had a long history of iron smelting technology since the 17thC.

Traditions and customs are highly valued by the Fipa. Marriage follows the Fipa tradition in which the parents discuss with their sons on the proper clan to marry. The clans with lazy people, inheritable diseases and unproductive health are highly discourage. After the wedding the husband and his wife stays in the parents compound for one year to learn family matters before leaving to establish their own home.

Fipa House

Fipa believes their origin is from the south and so their destiny. As such the deceased are buried heading that direction. The grave is well prepared and contain the inner chamber where the body is laid down.

The Fipa house is of Msonge (insiimba) type with simple, cone shaped design. The house is made of small woods and sticks and then thatched with grasses from bottom to the top. Inside the house the walls and the roof are plastered with clay to make it stronger and prevent both sun and rain. The door is small but the house is big enough to shelter a number of people. The house has no windows to make it warm against the environment.

Fipa have a long history of iron smelting technology. The Fipa were already producing high-quality iron in the 1700’s, the time of Industrial Revolution in Europe.

The smelting furnace was used to smelt iron ore into iron which then molded to produce tools such as hoes, axes, knives and billhooks for agriculture and trade purposes. The furnace is built using clay from bottom to the top. At the bottom there are several holes, the smaller ones are sometimes connected to special clay pipes (sometimes made of woods) called Tuyeres to pipe air to the furnace and the two lager holes to enable the iron smiths to collect iron from the furnace in liquid form.

Smelting process is a tough task and involves energetic people and the site is located far from the inhabitants where no one except the iron smiths are allowed. Women are strictly prohibited to visit the site because their presence will spoil the smelting process – man will loose focus.

The process involves the collection of iron ore, charcoal and flux (additives). Charcoal is piled in around the furnace with iron ore at the center, where crucial, flux (medicines) is added to foster the smelting process and strengthens the product. Normally the iron stat to melt at about 900oC – 1000oC depending on the size and the type of the furnace. Thereafter, the iron is taken out through the tuyeres in a liquid form but soon after taken out it solidifies. There are impurities resulted from smelting process and are called slag.

After collecting the iron the next step is smithing. This involves re-heating of the iron bars and molding them into required shapes. This process is done using the small furnace and in the small hut (right from the furnace) in which the iron is reheated and hummered on top of the big stone.