The existence of any human community depends primarily on its food resources. If people do not have problems with nutrition, then they can direct their creative energy to other important things for society.
The basis of human nutrition is the fruits and seeds of various plants: wheat, potatoes, rice, maize, banana, etc., as well as their derivatives - animal meat. But grasses and trees can grow and yield crops only if there is fertile soil and moisture. And if soil fertility is generally constant for a particular area, then the presence of moisture is a variable value that depends on many climatic factors.
But since a person could influence many phenomena in living nature and social life, the assumption arose that with considerable success it is possible to influence celestial phenomena. Therefore, people who in one way or another influence the weather are known in almost all corners of the globe.
For example, ancient Chinese chronicles have preserved stories about the Taoist hermit Chang Chun, who was under the patronage of Genghis Khan himself. And then one day, when the people and the country were dying from drought, the ruler of Beijing asked Chang Chun to make it rain. The hermit prayed for a long time. And soon gracious drops of moisture fell from the sky, which were replaced by abundant rains that saved the harvest and people.
A special place of "rain control specialists", or rainmakers, was occupied by African and South American peoples. There, almost every tribe had its own caller.
One of the great "rain queens" in the former South African province of Transvaale was Mujaji. This is what the famous writer Green Lawrence told about this woman in his book "The Last Secrets of Old Africa":
“She inherited from her predecessors clay" rain pots "that contained potions intended to open the heavens. She ordered to arrange "rain dances" and drumming. Two ethnographers who watched the ceremony wrote that the pure silver tones of the flutes gave the impression of a bell chime. Without a doubt, Mujaji was the most successful rain queen. There were times when the earth suffered from an excess of rains, and then the leaders came to it and timidly asked it to send dry weather …"
The Tonga tribe also had its famous rainmaker. His name was Manthelu. To make it rain, he collected the leaves of a special plant, smeared them with a mixture of "rain horn" and laid them on a patch of soil well warmed by the sun. When the leaves dried up, it started to rain.
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The British traveler Hugo Chateris also once witnessed the ritual of calling the rain. It happened in the 50s of the last century in Guinea. Here is what Chateris himself writes about this rite: “… The tomtoms, without stopping, beat all night. Ju-ju - a professional miracle worker from a mysterious clan of initiates - sat motionless, facing the east and whispered something inaudibly under his breath. Opposite him stood a naked young woman, her face covered with a thick veil. It was a "rain charmer" from the neighboring Toma tribe, whom Ju-ju had apparently invited to assist him at such a responsible ceremony. For a while, the spellcaster swayed silently to the beat of the drum. Then she began to conduct tom-toms herself, sharply throwing up her hands at an ever-faster pace and forcing the drummers to accelerate the roll even more.
I looked at the sky and could not believe my eyes: the whitish haze, barely noticeable in the evening, turned into a gray veil, which was thickening and heavy with every minute. And the spellcaster kept pushing and pushing the tom-toms, which were whipping in the clouds with machine-gun bursts. And the sky could not stand such a cruel execution: the long-awaited rain finally poured from the low-hanging clouds."
Rainmakers use a variety of means for their magical procedures. So, some involve black cattle in these processes, painting their body with the contents of the stomach or gall bladder of these animals. Since rain is usually shed from black clouds, it is believed that by making their bodies black, they transmit this color to the clouds.
At the same time, before proceeding to summon the rain, the sorcerer must carry out a fortune-telling procedure: for example, some summoners throw special fragments of ivory and cowrie shells on the goat skin. It is their position that will prompt the cause of the drought and the necessary measures to eliminate it.
In addition to bones, other objects are used to call rain, with the help of which the sorcerer collects clouds and makes them rain. These can be bird feathers, various roots, unusual shaped pebbles, seeds, etc.
By the way, some modern “makers” of weather can also cause rain and clear the sky from clouds. So, during the Malaysian golf championship, the administration of the city of Kuala Lumpur, where the competition was held, hired a famous shaman with only one purpose: he had to disperse clouds over the city.
And what? It turned out that during the competition, which lasted four days, not a single drop of rain fell in the place where the tournament was held. Although in other parts of the city, thunderstorms and downpours took place.
However, Russia also had its own rainmakers. So, in the chronicles there is a story about how in 1096, when a huge fire broke out in Novgorod, from which the whole city could burn out, Bishop Nikita of Novgorod caused rain, which extinguished the fire.
In Russia, the rain could be caused either by church officials or sorcerers. In the first case, it was a procession of the cross, during which prayers were raised to heaven for the sending of rain. It was believed that they always have a positive effect. In the second case, the actions to call rain were considered witchcraft, and therefore such negative phenomena as droughts, hail, torrential rains were attributed to "weather specialists".
In addition, it was believed that nations hostile to Russia could also influence the weather. So, in history, information has been preserved that during the siege of Kazan, the Tatar rainmakers with the first rays of the sun came out on the city walls, shouted devilish words and waved their clothes. And supposedly for this reason, a squally wind rose and caught up with clouds, which carried torrential rain, turning even dry places into a swamp. "And only when the Honest Cross was brought from Moscow and the blessing of water was performed, - noted in one historical chronicle, - this disaster stopped."
How can such phenomena be explained? Natural scientists believe that there is nothing special about this rainmaker skill. It's just that they can see changes in nature better than others and connect them with each other.
Here, for example, what the well-known expert on South African flora T. K. Robertson, who even had a chance to talk to her: “The Mujaji and her predecessors obviously studied the cycad's behavior very carefully, and they often had to tell people that it was not yet time to make it rain. But then one fine day they noticed changes in the foliage of the plant and other signs of approaching bad weather and allowed to start the ceremonies."
Of course, these observations can also help the rainmakers. But nevertheless, a lot of examples also indicate that these people also have some special abilities. What is their secret, this question remains unanswered.
Bernatsky Anatoly