Pink Noise - Leonid Korogodski [60]
Amadlozi aren’t worshipped but venerated as elder members of the lineage that now happen to be closer to iNkosi yeZulu, the Lord-of-Heaven, who alone can be worshipped. But direct prayers to the Lord-of-Heaven are rare. Believers usually ask their ancestor shades to intercede on their behalf.
See also isangoma.
iminqwamba [Zulu]
When a novice begins training to become an isangoma, a strip of skin, cut from the back of a sacrificial goat, is tied over the novice’s left shoulder in a loop under the right arm. This skin is called inqwamba (in plural, iminqwamba).
At the completion of training, a second skin is tied over the novice’s right shoulder in a loop under the left arm, the two iminqwamba forming a cross over the chest and at the back. This is a sign that the novice has completed training and is now a full isangoma.
See also isangoma.
indiki, pl. amandiki [Zulu]
A male idlozi (ancestor shade) that has developed a close personal relationship, to the point of possession, with an isangoma. The corresponding female idlozi is called indawe.
See also idlozi and isangoma.
ingoma ebusuku [Zulu]
See isicathamiya.
interneuron
At first, any neuron placed between its sensory and motor cousins in a signal chain was called an interneuron. But this defined most of the neurons in the brain. Now only the inhibitory neurons in the brain are called this.
Io–Jupiter electrical discharge
In 1979, flying by Jupiter’s moon lo, the space probe Voyager 1 discovered what appeared to be volcanic plumes. . . except that they did not behave like ones. They were extraordinarily long, reaching nearly 300 km into space. They displayed prominent filamentary structure. And they walked across the surface, too!
In truth, the plumes of lo likely are intense electric currents of sustained megaamperes that excavate material and jet it into space, like edm (electrical discharge machining) on steroids. Similar discharges are observed on other major satellites, although not as strong.
ion channel
A complex biomolecule embedded in the cellular membrane that can selectively let certain kinds of ions through. Some are voltage-gated, meaning that they open when the voltage across the membrane reaches a certain threshold. Some are ligand-gated, requiring the action of certain chemicals. Some use both mechanisms.
Neurons are especially rich in ion channels. Every one of them is like a stupendously complex computer chip, with ion channels acting like semiconductor gates.
isangoma,pl. izangoma [Zulu]
Isangoma is a conduit between ancestor shades, the amadlozi, and the living. Contact with the amadlozi can occur in the normal, everyday world while the isangoma is awake. But more often, this happens in dreams.
The occupation of isangoma is not hereditary. Few actually look forward to it. One is chosen by the amadlozi, which may happen suddenly at any age. This is usually signaled by extraordinary dreams and visions, a characteristic pain in the shoulders, neck, and side muscles, and/or upper back, and other symptoms. Mentally, the chosen is troubled, restless. It is said that the shades “brood”—uku-fuma—over people, sitting on their minds like hens on eggs.
Acceptance, the subsequent training, and the rigors and restrictions of the life of isangoma do not so much heal her (less often, him) as channel her affliction into another course, transforming it into something positive. Izangoma are good at treating mental illnesses. Many treat physical maladies as well.
Catching the abathakathi, the purported evil sorcerers and witches, is another important function of the izangoma.
isicathamiya [Zulu]
A uniquely Zulu musical genre, isicathamiya is a combination of male a cappella singing with a peculiar dancing style.
The name comes from the root -cathama, “walk like a cat.” In contrast to