Missouri Botanical Garden - Chapungu Nature, Man, And Myth

Voice: Roy Guthrie The word "Chapungu" is the Shona word for the Bateleur eagle. It's an eagle which still exists in Africa in many of the low lying areas and we find it in Zimbabwe along the Zambezi valley and the Limpopo valley. For the Shona people it's a mythical bird, it's a protecting bird, it's a spirit bird, it's a bird which the Shona revere and depict over and over again in their sculptures. So, its a very important omen much like the Native Americans revere the bald eagle in Africa and in Zimbabwe we revere the Bateleur eagle, the Chapungu.