CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2
2.4 THE RITUAL CEREMONIES
2.4.1 RITES DE PASSAGE
2.4.1.10 Nomkhubulwana (princess of Heaven) Ceremony
(a) Nomkhubulwana
The existence of "Nomkhubulwana" - "INkosazana YeZulu noma iNkosazana yeMvula" (The Princess of Heaven or the Princess of Rain) is puzzling because she appears to different people at various places in this form and to the other fOnTI. We are told that Mvelinqangi (He who appeared first - the Creator) as he regards himself masculine could not involve himself in the affairs and concerns of women.
"Mvelinqangi", therefore, created another mythical being (not an ancestor) known as
"Nomkhubulwana". Krige (1950:282) referring to Nomkhubulwana as iNkosazana, says, Nomkhubulwana is the daughter (iNkosazana) of "uNkulunkulu" (God), and she came out on the same day that man came out of the earth.
Lambert (1990:46-47) refers to "Nomkhubulwana" as immortal and an eternally young princess who descends from her home in the sky. Berglund 1976:65) says she
is the virgin daughter of the Lord-of-the-sky and a vaguely defined heavenly queen.
Krige (1968:179) says that to others, she is daughter of the earth. Nomkhubulwana was once seen at Thafamasi in the Ndwedwe District. We are told by Busisiwe Shangase (KaMakhanya) an old woman of about eighty years of age that Nomkhubulwana was once seen at Sidumuka's house, first son of Zukayilizwe Jali between 1920's and 1930's. She saw her with other girls. Busisiswe carries on to say that Nomkhubulwana was an ugly big fat woman wearing a loin gurgle of cats' tails (isitobo), a woven fibre belt (isibhamba) and cloak (ingubo) or a cape covering her shoulders. Near uMdloti river where the cattle dipping tank is now, they planted her a mealie field where small children were half-buried and her field was sprinkled with beer then the rain falls. She used to say: "Ngizokugcoba ibomvu emqaleni (I am going to smear you with red-clay (ibomvu), meaning she was going to kill you.
Busisiwe further told us that, my father, iNkosi Simangenduku used to take his people to the iNduzula mountain, dressed in Zulu regalia. On top of the mountain, they sang, danced and war-danced. Coming back home, the rain falls. At every home, there was beer to drink, which has been prepared for this occasion.
To a woman who claimed to have met her in the spring of 1966, she was a tall woman figure almost completely covered by a cape grayish black in colour like the rain clouds (Krige 1968:180). She was rainbow like and dressed in white and simply a naked Zulu kore, like the young unmarried girls who dance and sing her praises (Berglund 1976:71-72). But, Krige (1950:197) writes about Nomkhubulwana differently when he says that she is said to be a very little animal as large as a polecat (iqaqa), and marked with little white and black tripes; on one side, there grows a bed of reeds, a forest and grass; the other side is that of a man. Bryant 1949:667) says that Nomkhubulwana, who moveth with the mist, on one side being a human being, on one side wood, on one side a river, on one side overgrown with grass. Krige further refers to Nomkhubulwana as a kind of goddess of the com virtually a Zulu Cares presiding over the growth of the grain, and from her the people learnt how to make beer, to plant, to harvest and design useful area, therefore, is regarded also as fertility spirit who rules over women and children.
"Nomkhubulwana" has the power of bringing rain and relief to people in times of drought or when the mealies are infested with top-grub or other pests such as locusts.
When the valley mists of spring appear, they are believed to enshroud
"Nomkhubulwana". (The Princess of Heaven). Krige 1968:180) says that again in 1966 in the Valley of Thousand Hills, Nomkhubulwana was seen dressed in sacking with potatoes on one side, green mealie plants on the other. It is "Nomkhubulwana"
who prevents summer pestilences like gastro-enteritis in young children. Children and marriageable girls are a particular concern, and she can make women fertile by making them beautiful (Berglund 1976:70); she advises women when their children should be weaned (Krige 1950:283) or what food they could eat. To marriageable girls "Nomkhubulwana" acts as a marriage guidance bureau dispensing advice on choice of partner. Failure to observe her rituals would result in offending her, who would revenge, cause the corn to die of plight, (Bryant 1949:667).
It is further noted that if Nomkhubulwana meets a man, she conceals herself and speaks to him, for it is said that if a man looks upon her, face to face, the man will be ill and very soon dies (Krige 1949:283).
(b) Nomdede Ceremony
Nomdede ceremony is celebrated in honour of the spring visit of the Princess of Heaven on earth. This is an important ritual which seems to be the beer - brewing ceremony which begins at about the time of the first corn - planting (Krige 1949: 198 and Lambert 1990:47).
Beer would be brewed and other preparations made. A night before the appointed day, all unmarried girls would assemble in a hut of an old woman whose reputation is good and who has reached the menopause period (ongasemuntu) to sleep in her hut.
The following morning, all women with small children would bring their children to the hut and put them one by one at the door of the hut so that the Nomdede
celebrating girls would jump over the lying down small children to asseverate them.
Lambert (1990:47) states that the important features of this rite, is designed to win over the spirit's favour and thus a good harvest, include: the brewing of beer in secret · by the unmarried girls in advance, in order to prepare for the day long rite;
transvestitism (the girls wear their lovers' attire) and role reversal for the day (the girls take on the male role of herding cattle, but their cattle have to be female); the planting of sacred field of mealies for "Nomkhubulwana", the crop of which must be left severely alone; the placing of pots of beer in the field as a gift and occasionally, sprinkling of the crop with beer or the libation of the beer in a deserted, usually rocky spot; talks of lovers and marriages, the use of obscene language, especially to uninvolved strangers, and the singing of "Nomkhubulwana" song, and girls puberty songs, sung on the way to the hoeing of the field and during the cattle-herding ritual.
On this occasion, Krige (1950: 197) says that the opportunity is taken of making requests to the goddess to relieve the people of certain misfortunes. Krige (1950: 199) records that if this ceremony is unsuccessful, the women bury the children· in the sand leaving only their arms and heads free. As the women withdraw crying the scene is thought to be so heart-rending that the heavens are supposed to melt with tenderness at the sight and the rain falls.
Remarkable between the two goddesses, "Nomkhubulwana" and Demeter is that as
"Nomkhubulwana" could be identified with mealies and corns, Demeter could be synonymous with the com itself. It has been said that "Nomkhubulwana" is not an ancestral spirit (iThongo), for she speaks with men of her own accord. Men do not pray to her for anything, for she does not dwell with men, but in the forest or in the skies (Krige 1950:283).
In conclusion, it is exciting to mention that the cultural, historical and language background of the Shangase clan has been satisfactorily discussed at this level. The identification of the people with their founder or leader "Shangase (Mkheshane)" has been successfully indicated. With regard to the socio-cultural family and the clan, the
local, government and the ritual ceremonies with regard to incorporation have really made us aware of how the Shangase clan in relation to the Zulu nation is connected.
Lastly, this discussion has paved the way to the actual study of onomastics and genealogy, which deal with names of people we exactly know who they are.
2.5 THE BRIEF SOCIO-HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL OF BACKGROUND "AMAKHOSI" OF THE SHANGASE CLAN.
This section addresses the sociolinguistics of the naming practices of "Amakhosi of the Shangase clan which starts by giving the explanation of the diagram representing the genealogy tree, wherein the Shangase related clans are shortly mentioned. The short historical background of each iNkosi will be discussed.
The naming practices are applied in accordance with social groupings, i.e. each group different from another in terms of language (dialect and sociolect), social classes, age sets, sexual division and general moral behaviour. (See also Msimang 1989: 12) in Ngubane (1991:16). Referring to linguistics of personal names, Koopman (2002:267 refers to all names as nouns consisting of a prefix and a stem. It is agreeably so with personal names of "amakhosi" like uVumizitha (compound name) uMvula (single name). This, therefore, takes us to scrutinize the hierarchical genealogy of the Shangase kings before and after the iNkosi uMnguni II, i.e. before d.c. 1688 to 1820.
The hierarchical genealogy of the Shangase kings has been unfairly arranged even by Bryant (1929 :482). The list of aMakhosi of the Shangase and N gcobo clans is put as given by the informants L.K. Shangase of Thafamasi, Dr M.V. Gumede of eMbuyeni, Rev. Shangase of Mkhizwana and iNkosi S. Nzama of Wosiyana tribe under Ndwedwe Magisterial District.
It is felt that the genealogy tree which is found in the Department of Traditional and Environment Affairs in uLundi is also not fairly right, therefore, it needs some kind of correction. It is also intended that after compilation of this work, the thesis will be submitted to this department so that further corrections could be effected to make our
historical record straight. We do not blame those who submitted what ever was available at the time.
It shall be realised in this chapter that with some of aMakhosi, there is too little to say about them because of the non-availability of information which should be obtained from the elderly people of the Shangase clan or from any other informants who might have such knowledge. The little that is written is what has been given. There is also no literature that can be referred to in order to get such an information regarding this type of history, except for Mkheshane (Shangase), Mshiyane and Mnguni, (Bryant 1929:477-498). The above mentioned aMakhosi have a longer written history than the others because of the information available. This is so because Shangase is the founder and father of the Shangase clan. INkosi Mshiyane is the one who first met the British people south of the Thukela river, until he was promoted to District chief after he raised himself to a rank of "BRITISH SERVANT'" in about 1824, (Bryant 1929:496). Inkosi Mnguni has a lot more written about him because he is the founder of the area called "Thafamasi" in which most of the Shangase people live, (Bryant, 1929:497). Simangenduku has also the longest history because new developments and changes in the whole of South Africa occurred during his period of reign, and also for the fact that the researcher, being the writer of this thesis, personally know him very well as a father and that he passed away at the age of seventy six years on 24 January 1988.
We are, therefore, taken forward to discuss the diagram representing the genealogy tree, the Shangase related clans, and the short historical background of each iNkosi.
2.5.1 AN EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM REPRESENTING THE