BUPE ka bo mwakonsha kupa muntu ye mwanemeka? Mu moba a kala, binunka bulongo bimo byanemene bingi byonkatu biji ngolode, kya kuba bino bebipananga kwikala bya bupe byafwainwa mfumu. * O ene mambo bupe bubiji bwaletele bashayuka ba tubangabanga bwa kupa “mfumu wa Bayudea,” bwajinga bwa bintu binunka bulongo.—Mateo 2:1, 2, 11.

Kabiji Baibolo waamba ne pa mfumu wa mukazhi wa ku Sheba kimye kyo afwakashijile Solomone amba, ‘wapele mfumu matalenta a ngolode 120 ne manyi a balasama avula bingi ne mabwe a buneme. Kechi kwaishilepo jikwabo manyi a balasama avujile nobe oa mfumu wa mukazhi wa ku Sheba o apele Mfumu Solomone ne.’ * (2 Byambo bya Moba 9:9) Bamfumu bakwabo nabo batumijile Solomone manyi a balasama kumwesha lusanchilo lwabo.—2 Byambo bya Moba 9:23, 24.

Mambo ka bino binunka bulongo ne bintutu bikwabo o byanemejile ne kwikala na mutengo mukatampe mu moba a kala? Mambo bebingijishanga ku bintu byavula bingi, nabiji kwiwamisha, ku bya bupopweshi ne pa kuzhiika muntu. (Monai kakitenguluzha kaamba’mba, “ Byo Baingijishanga Binunka Bulongo mu Moba a Kala.”) Nangwa kya kuba bantu bebikebanga bingi, abino binunka bulongo byajinga bingi na mutengo pa kwibipota mambo ko bebifumyanga ne kwa kwibipoteshesha kwalepele bingi.

Mu moba a kala, bichi bimo ko bafumyanga binunka bulongo byamenanga mu Kimpachiko kya Yodano. Pakuba bikwabo bebipotanga ku byalo bingi. Bintu binunka bulongo byavula bebyambapo mu Baibolo. Pa binunka bulongo byo twayuka ke safulonyi, maalo, balasama, kinamonyi, binunka bulongo ne mola. Kufumyako bino, kuji ne bintu bikwabo bilengela kajo kununkila bulongo nabiji kamuni, minti ne anisi.

Nanchi bino binunka bulongo byafumine kwepi? Maalo, kasiya ne kinamonyi byafumanga mu byalo byo tubena kutongola lelo jino amba China, India ne Sri Lanka. Manyi a mola ne binunka bulongo bebifumyanga ku bichi ne bipupu bimena mu musanza wa ku kabeta ka ku bulenge bwa Alabya kukafika ne ku Somalia mu Africa. Manyi a nada afumanga ku Himalayas mu India.

Pa kuba’mba bino binunka bulongo bifike mu Isalela, bebitwalanga kupita ja Alabya. Buku wa The Book of Spices waamba’mba, “Na mambo a kuba bino, mu myaka kitota kya bubiji ne myaka 1000, kyalo kya Alabya kyaalukile ke kyalo mo batambwilanga bintu kufuma ku byalo bya ku Musela ne ku Muzhika.” Mizhi ya kala, masakwa ne pakokolokelanga basulu mu Negeve ku kabeta ka ku bulenge  bwa Isalela, bimwesha mwapitanga basulu bapoteshanga binunka bulongo. Sawakya wa World Heritage Centre of UNESCO waamba’mba, mu ano mapunzha nao “alengelanga basulu bavula kumwenamo bintu byavula bingi . . . kufuma ku kyalo kya ku kabeta ka ku bulenge bwa Alabya kukafika ne ku Meditelanya.”

Bipanyi bya basulu byasendanga bino binunka bulongo kimye kyonse pa kuya ku kyalo kya Alabya pajinga makilomita 1,800. (Yoba 6:19) Baibolo waamba pa kipanyi kya basulu bena Ishimela saka basenda binunka bulongo nabiji “muchi wa landunuma, balasama ne binunka bulongo” saka babena kufuma ku Gileada kuya ku Ijipita. (Ntendekelo 37:25) Baana ba kwa Yakoba bapoteshe nkasabo Yosefwa kwikala muzha ku bano basulu.

Basulu bena Alabya bo batalanga pa bintu binunka bulongo byo bapoteshanga mu myaka ya kala. Bo bapoteshanga binunka bulongo byafumanga ku Asia, nabiji kasiya ne kinamonyi. Pa kuba’mba balekeshe byalo byaikejile ku Meditelanya kubula kubanga busulu na byalo bya ku Musela, bena Alabya baambanga bintu bya kuchinya bantu kubula kupota bino binunka bulongo. Buku wa The Book of Spices waamba’mba, kupotesha binunka bulongo “kampe bwajinga busulu bo bafile pa moba avula.”

Ñanyi mashimikila asampenye bena Alabya? Shayuka Mungiliki aye Herodotus wa mu myaka kitota kya butanu walumbulula bintu byo baambile bya kuchinya bantu kuba’mba ku bino byula bya kinamonyi ko kulengela tuñonyi binsa, kwakatezhe kufikako. Kabiji wanungilepo kunemba’mba, pa kuba’mba muntu asende bino binunka bulongo, bantu babikanga misunyi yavula ya nyama munshi ya mutumba. Bañonyi pa kwiya basendanga ino nyama ne  kwiitwala pa binsa byabo, kabiji binsa inge byanema na mambo a ino nyama, byaponanga panshi. Kabiji bantu bukiji bukiji batolanga byula bya kinamonyi ne kwibipotesha ku basulu. Ano mashimikila akumbenetu konse. Buku wa The Book of Spices waamba’mba, “na mambo a byo kyakatezhe kumunengezha, balulumikanga bingi mutengo pa kupotesha kinamonyi.”

Kechi papichile ne kimye kyabaya ne, busulu bwafile bena Alabya bantu bebuyukile, kabiji kino kyalengejile ne busulu bwabo kubwela panshi. Mu myaka kitota kitanshi, muzhi wa Alexandria mu Ijipita ye waalukile ke kiito kikatampe mo bapotesheshanga binunka bulongo. Maato a bena Loma afumanga ku Ijipita kuya ku India, mambo bavuwanga maato bashukilwanga luvula wa pa kalunga ka mema ka Indian Ocean kwibatwala ko babena kuya. Onkao mambo, bino binunka bulongo byakumbenetu konse, kabiji mutengo wabwelele bingi panshi.

Lelo jino, buneme bwa binunka bulongo kechi bwaesakana pamo na ngolode ne. Kabiji bino binunka bulongo kechi byafwainwa kwikala bya bupe byafwainwa mfumu ne. Pano bino, bantu bavula mwaya ntanda batwajijila na kulengako manyi a kwifyukawila, michi ne kwibibika ku kajo pa kuba’mba kawamenga pa kwikaja. Onkao mambo, binunka bulongo byavula bingi lelo jino byonkatu byo byajinga kala kene.