4.2 Cultural practices and rituals offered by the TBAs to women in the community of uMzimkhulu
4.2.4 Family cleansing
Sarah explained that there are many factors that may influence infertility in African women;
some of the women that she had assisted had been bewitched through umegqo, by love rivals, and family politics. She explained that there are many ways of dealing with the different types of problems. If the issue is related to unresolved family matters, she needs to go to the home of the woman to communicate with the family and find ways to solve the matter. She explained that in many cases the family needs to slaughter a chicken or two, sometimes even a goat, depending on the severity of the offense. Sarah explained that she has to dress up in ibhayi elibovu (red cloth around her waist worn as a skirt and a red doek), what she usually wears when she is going to communicate with the ancestors. Before talking to the ancestors she needs to burn incense as a way of appeasing them and then asks an elder member of the family to call out the clan names and ask the ancestors to forgive the offense of the family and to bless them with a child. All the homes she had visited to perform this practice were then able to conceive within a couple of months. Through this practice we see that infertility, pregnancy and childbirth bring together efforts from all immediate family members.
In many traditional communities the interconnectedness of health, family and culture does not go unnoticed. Family structures play a meaningful role in assuming primary responsibility in
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maintaining family health (Zhou 2010; Eggenberger, Grassley and Restrepo 2006; Choudbry 1997).
“You see my child, being a sangoma means that you can help people who suffer from many unexplained illnesses and challenges. I have assisted many women that were unable to conceive, what I have found sometimes is that when the makoti (wife) does not get along with her mother in-law she may be in trouble. Did you know that your mother in-law can make you infertile if she does not like you? Knowing that a child is a very important aspect of marriage in the black community, not having any children will make your husband to love you less, sometimes even want to divorce you. So your mother in-law can do all of this just to make your husband leave you to find another wife that will be able to give him children. As a trained sangoma, I have healed and helped many women in such situations to fall pregnant.” – Sarah She continued that if she finds that the person has umegqo she will give that woman herbs and roots to ingest, to steam, and to use through induced vomiting in the mornings. She will also give the woman a string to wear around her waist which will protect the mother and the foetus as soon as she conceives. Once the woman has fallen pregnant, Sarah described an old method used was to apply medicines to the vagina to ensure the protection and development of the foetus. At times, a TBA would make small incisions with a razor on the pubic area of the woman to apply medicines that will be absorbed into the blood for better protection of the woman and foetus. This method, according to Sarah, was an effective way of preventing or curing umegqo.
Sarah described a range of treatments to assist women to conceive. Initially she prescribes boiled herbs to use for two months. After this, the woman should be clean and fertile enough to fall pregnant, but she must return to continue with the treatment. Children who have been born as a result of ukumisela are often given names such as Celiwe (asked for), Nomiselo/Miselwa (named after the practice of ukumisela) and Sicelo (asked from the gods).
Sarah explained that children are often given names as a result of a situation or something significant to the family.
“Umegqo is a very common way of bewitching someone, many women have walked over spells that are meant to make them infertile. Umegqo is a very serious type of sorcery that needs an experienced healer to treat. I have seen many women who have been cursed through umegqo
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either to prevent them from getting pregnant or to cause harm or even death if the woman is already pregnant.” – Sarah
“What we understand in our culture as black people is that pregnancy is a very vulnerable period. Falling pregnant may even be a difficult period for some women and there are many causes for such. There are biological, natural and cultural causes for infertility in all communities, however, what I have found is that the cultural causes outweigh the biological.
What you have to understand is that pregnancy is only ever appreciated by the immediate family members while others pretend to be happy. Therefore, a pregnant woman and the family have to make sure that the woman and foetus is protected at all times… I have seen women who have been blocked to fall pregnant so that their marriages can fail, this can be done by jealous love rivals or at times even the in-laws if they do not like that particular bride. I have assisted a woman whose unclean sanitary towels were stolen by her mother in-law for the pure purposes of blocking her from ever having children so that her husband would leave her for another woman who was the desired choice of the mother in-law.” – Primrose
“Sometimes it is the people close to you that do not wish you well. I find that it is very rare where someone is bewitched by someone they have no close relation to. Intsila yomuntu yonakalisa okuningi (a person’s grime can literally kill them if it falls in the wrong hands) especially underwear and period blood. Witches are able to take dirty underwear and sanitary pads to block a woman from ever falling pregnant. I have seen many strange things in my time I tell you, women’s underwear and sanitary towels in the nests of impundulu (mythological creature in the folklore of the tribes of South Africa), you see the ancestors show you exactly where something is or who is doing it to you.” – Dolly
Since witchcraft was so ingrained in the belief system of the study population, it can be considered part of their value system and culture. It can be argued that as long as a practice remains accepted by people, and as much as people believe in witchcraft and other curses that affect women’s reproductive health, it will be difficult to discontinue the practice or belief.
This is despite the advent of modernisation and the negative attitudes to some African traditional practices. It is part of the people’s culture (Geertz cited in Jones 2003) as a system of significant symbols that guide the behaviour of those who share it. He added that culture is the source, rather than the result of human interaction. Hence, the changing reproductive health practices noted from this study in a society that is becoming more and more modern are continuously influenced by cultural beliefs like witchcraft which affects the family and fertility.
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Thus, although medical science may be used in this society, people usually revert to the ritual practices of sangomas when they are stuck regarding reproductive health challenges. This further endorses the value of a feminist theory that is African and capable of understanding this mythical reality.