1.6 Historical background, geographical location and delimitation of the research area
1.6.3 Geographical location and delimitation of the Tsonga area researched
According to Junod:
The Thonga tribe is composed of a group of Bantu populations settled on the Eastern coast of South Africa, extending from the neighbourhood of St Lucia Bay (28° Lat. S.) on the Natal Coast up to the Sabie2 River to the North. Thonga are to be found therefore in four of the present South African states: In Natal (Amatongaland), the Transvaal (Leydenbourg, Zoutpansberg and Waterberg districts), in Rhodesia and mostly in Portuguese East Africa
(Lourenco Marques, Inhambane and Mozambique Company districts). '
(Junod HA 1912:13).
Junod HA explains this geographical distribution of the Tsonga pointing to ancient migrations in which the Baloyi, N'wanati and Tembe came from the north in the Kalanga or Nyai22 country and people. These three groups include the present Valoyi or Baloyi, the Makwakwa and the Maluleke clans mainly in Gaza and Inhambane; and the Tembe (Matutwini and Maputo) clan who are dweling south of Limpopo up to Ponta d'Ouro in the boarder with South Africa (Kwa-Zulu Natal) (1912:20-23). He indicates that most of the other clans point to Zululand or Swaziland as their origin and emigrated to the low country of the coast. He names the Mpfumu and Matsolo (sons of Nhlariti); the Nondwane; the Nkuna, Khosa, Hlabi all claim to orinate from west and south west Maputo (:23). Junod says that the 'Hlanganu and the Hlengwe seem to have no tradition of this kind' (:23). Among the Hlengwe group, Junod only collected the legend of Chauke and Sono (Hlungwani) about fire and humba which he connects to the Ronga Likalahumba (:23-24). Although Junod suggests that
"Tshauke" (Chauke) is the first king of the Hlengwe, there are other two kingdoms that boarder with Chauke along Save River. They are the Chitlango (Xitlhangu) and Chichongue (Xixonge) kingdoms. Chitlango kindom (called Mabungele kingdom) boarders with Chauke in the southwest, west and northwest; with Mazive in the south;
with Chichongue in the east and with Ndau Maringa kingdom north of Save river.
21 There were two rivers with this name. There is one from South Africa that joins Nkomati River near Moamba, and the other from Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean 'not far from the 21° Lat.
South' (Junod 1912:13). This one is the one referred here and it has been changed from Sabie to Save River.
22 In Junod's Mape (Junod 1912:17), Nyai people are located in the present Zimbabwe area whilst the 'Ndjao' (Ndau) in Mozambique north of Save River.
Chichongue probably goes to the coast and other Tshwa kingdoms. The Chitlango claim Nguni origin in Zululand. They also seem related since Xipalo (Chitlango who conquered the Save region) and Covane (Kovane) who conquered also the Save region for the Chichonge did not fight each other when they met in Zinave. They exchanged Nguni warrior greeting and salutation with their tlhari and xitlhangu (spears and the shield), then they exchanged snuff (ku dzahisana fole) of peace and established the boarder23 between their conquered territories in a nkany24i tree.
But for the present geographical distribution of the Tsonga, Junod indicates that in the 19th century, was a result of Zulu (Nguni) invasion. Manukosi left Shaka and invaded and conquered the Tsonga territory. Many Tsonga clans emigrated into Transvaal between 1835-1840. This emigration was also followed by the one caused by war of succession between Muzila and Mawewe from the death of Manikosi in 1856 which ended in 1862 with Muzila's victory over Mawewe (Junod 1912:26-27; Harries
1983:160,170). These emigration due to wars, were increased by emigration due to economical reasons. In 1852-1853 Natal Naive Affairs Commission suggested the importation of Tsonga labour to South Africa. By 1858 Tsongas were brought to Pietermaritzburg and in 1875 the Portuguese and the Natal governors celebrated a treaty on migrant labour to South Africa (Hrries 1975-1976:61). These economical
23 One of the fascinating things about these boarders is the fact that there are no physical boarders, but the people (the royal family and their nduna and other officials) know it very well. One of the marks they use are trees.
24 While Maluleke is speaking of a nkanyi (morula) tree between two fields, this one is between two kingdoms. This tree is still there and if we back, the story could have taken place in the late 1700s to the early 1800s. My father was born between 1910 and 1912 and is fifth child of my grandfather.
Since children were separated by at least three years, the first child of my grandfather was born at the end of 19* century (1897-1899). My grandfather is the last son of his father Xipalo (Chipalo). My grandfather was so young that most of Xipapo's grandchildren were older than him. He was born around the 1850-1860s since they married between 30 and 40 years old. His fathers grandchildren that were older than him could have been born between 1820-1840s and his elder brothers born between 1790-1815. Xipalo could have been born in the 1750-1760. He died soon after having Mangava, my grandfather with his marriage alliance young wife N'wa-Papele that was from the conquered Ndau people of the Save region, the Ngwenya family. As result of mis marriage, he gave back the conquered land of northwest of Save river to the Ngwenya clan of Madika and his son, Mangava also married a Ndau girls (Mathepswa clan) and gave the remaining northwest Save river territory to the Maringa subclan of Mathepswa. To this day, there is no Mabungele (Chitlango) territory north of Save, it is only Chauke who goes across Save to Manica (Chidoko now called Posto Administrativo de Save).
and ecological reasons had many Tsonga people emigrate not only to Natal, but also to Nelspruit, Barberton, Rustenberg, Orange Free State, Pretoria and townships of Johannesburg as well as in south eastern Zimbabwe (Bill 1983:5-6; van Warmelo
1974:70-71).
The area of focus in this study is southern Mozambique. Within the southern Mozambican context, the Varonga (Ronga) are located south of the Limpopo, in Maputo province. The Vashangaana (Shangaans) are in the Limpopo valley and in the interior, north of the Limpopo and south of the Save, in Gaza province; whilst the Vatshwa are located north and west of Maxixe, in Inhambane province. It is important to take note of the geomorphology and precipitation patterns and the climate of the region, in order to relate them to the development of the ntumbuluko concept and its application in life. In the southern African landscape, Mozambique is the plain of the region. That plain covers the whole of southern Mozambique, the land of the Tsonga people.
In this area there are intense agriculture and cattle breeding activities. These activities require big families, which leads to polygamy. Also, there is a need for protecting and increasing the productivity of crops and animals against witches and plagues.
This made room for some new rites, like "Murime tobacco" agriculture-related rituals (Junod H A 1962). The valleys of the Save, Limpopo, Incoluane, Nkomati, Maputo, and other small rivers have periods of severe flooding, as happened in 2000, and also of severe droughts, as in the 1980s. Rain is very irregular in both quantity and distribution in the region (Feliciano 1998:47). This leads to rain-making rituals, rain- stimulating songs or words (e.g. (1) mu tototo pfula nga yi ne; (2) hi hanyile hi mu have pfula ya wuya tindi, pfula ya wuya tindi; (3) wuya dongondal). Song number 2 is a praise song indicating that, without rain which produces the wild vegetable (mubave or kaka or kakani), people would die. Besides the climatic background, we have a remarkable history that shaped the cultures and spirituality of the Tsongas.
1.6.4 A history of Tsonga people contact with world religions and ideologies