CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2
2.3 THE SOCIO-CULTURAL FAMILY AND THE CLAN
2.3.4 NORMS OF BEHAVIOUR
2.3.4.2 The Taboos
Taboos are much connected with naming in the sense that when a mother or father does something that is forbidden, a child may then be given a name that has to do with the breaking of the taboo or the taboo itself as a naming circumstance e.g.
Ndawoyakhe (his place). Sarnkelo (acceptance/gift), Coliwe (something done neatly) in Hloniphile (respected), Hlebekile (defamed).
Taboos are another form of life in social organisation of a group of people which refers to prohibitions or restrictions imposed by social custom. It also has something to do with ritual avoidance of certain people, objects, acts and other phenomena believed to be changed with power. Any contravention of this, leads to the release of supernatural power which has a detrimental effect on the person who committed the
offence. Within the Shangase clan, there are things prohibited by social custom that we cannot overlook.
(a) Marriages
Within the Shangase clan, it is customary that the people do not marry within the same clan, i.e. they are exogamous. This means that the endogamous marriage is strictly prohibited. If, by any chance, this has happened, the customary procedure is adhered to. For an example, a goat from the grooms family is slaughtered to end up the kinship solely between the bride and the groom. In order that this idea is intelligible, it is better to give a clear explanation of the following tenns:
Exogamy
It is the cultural expression of the incest instinct. It refers to the rule that a marriage.
partner must be found outside one's own kin group. Thus, one can find lineage, clan or tribe exogamy.
Endogamy
This means the prescription to marry inside one's own group - mostly class, religious, ethnic or dynastic endogamy i.e. king marrying the daughter of another king. These are thus cases where it prevails in spite of the incest instinct.
The Cross cousin marriage
It is less common but means marriage between the children of two brothers.
NB: He endogamy, preferential, cross-cousin and parallel cousin marriages are strictly prohibited within the Shangase clan. Only the exogamy marriage is preferred and practiced.
(b) First Fruit Ceremony
The First Fruit Ceremony is a very important occasion in the Shangase tribe. This · means that in summer, before mealies, pumpkins, vegetables, madumbe, imfe, beans, etc. is ripe, not even a single residence of the territory is supposed to eat the fresh foods before the First Fruits Ceremony is celebrated. The iNkosi calls Great iNduna, Lesser iNdunas, respected elders of the tribe and military warriors to gather at the Royal Homestead to perform the "Squirting at the First Fruit Ceremony." The iNkosi at daybreak, squirts from his mouth towards the east a liquid concoction of the
"uselwa" calabash and various herbs and chalmes. INkosi, the regiment iNdunas and warriors drink the liquid and all that is boiled with it. Imfe is used to hit with all the joints of the body to strengthen the bon~s and the body. All the warriors sprinkle the liquid to their sticks to make them strong. Before the ceremony, iNkosi must have been fortified and strengthened with oils of different animals, herbs· and charms (intelezi). INkosi who "squirts" (ukuchinsa uselwa) is the real head and heir to the throne. After the ceremony members of the tribe are now free to eat the fresh foods as much as they like without being reprimanded.
(c) Taboos for women - young and old
In both Zulu and Shangase clans custom, a young girl does not pierce her ears to wear ear-rings before her father slaughters a goat and have the girls' peers join her in Zulu dance and singing to celebrate the Piercing of Ears Ceremony. As a proof to the ancestors that this has been done, the gall-bile is dropped on the girl's tongue, ears, left hand thumb and left foot thumb. We call this "ukucola" (slaughter a beast for).
The performance of this custom helps the ancestors to protect the girls properly so that she does not easily fall pregnant or suffer from deseases that are sometimes incurable. Pregnancy before marriage was and still is a prohibition among the Shangase people. For the girl to respect and protect her private parts, she is not allowed to squat or sit on the haunches. If a girl has done this, you often hear old people say: "Hlala ngentombi!" (sit like a girl). A girl when seated, puts her legs
together as a sign of respect and having good character. As a good indication of self- respect and respect for her unknown in-laws a girl refrains from eating chicken meat and eggs. This is done to avoid the insults that might be attached to her when she is married. If dogs eat chicken meat and eggs, this should not be suspected on her as she is a respected figure at the grooms residence, and it is clearly known that she does not eat eggs. This carries on until she becomes an old woman and she is given this following a certain ritual by the elderly women.
Once again, the bride does not eat meat of beast slaughtered when the ancestors are propitiated until such time comes shortly after the wedding ceremony that she is given meat following another customary activity by the elderly women, where the bride is made to cut the piece of meat into two pieces (sikisa), which means thereafter that she can now eat the meat. The N guni hut has two floors; the left hand side floor which is for the women, and the right hand side floor which is for the men. The bride is therefore not allowed to cross over from the left side floor to the right side floor . because that is where it is believed the ancestors of the household stay and because the bride respects the ancestors she may not delve where it is believed they are found.
For the sake of protecting the household from being attacked and hit by the lightning in case it thunders, girls may not enter home with water after sunset and after cattle are already in the kraal, because this might cause the houses and cattle to be hit by the lightning. To fetch water in broad day light promotes practices of good hygiene. For the warriors of our tribe to fight bravely, strongly an successfully, they need their weapons to be kept safely and undisturbed. To maintain their strength, weapons are sprinkled with a mixture of water, herbs and charms (intelezi). Therefore, the weapons should not be jumped over by women, because if they are jumped over, weapons will fail the fighter when he is faced with enemies. This may not only affect the concerned warrior, but other warrior too might be affected.
(d) Taboos for men
It is the Shangase- tribal custom that when tribal warriors are going for war, they should not sleep with women, for if they do, they will be ill-omened and be easily defeated. To make them strong and fight daringly and brilliantly, an old woman who has reached the menopause period (esingesemuntu) sprinkle the warriors with
"intelezi" at the gate of the cattle kraal and they go without turning back for if they do, they will loose the battle. In this way, the army will come back triumphant over their enemies singing the "triumph song" of the Shangase tribe. "Nyon' emhlophe iyawanqob'amakhosi, Wezwa ngobani? UyiZulu elakaNgobamkhonto." The white bird that defeated the Amakhosi, from whom you heard, the sky that bent the spears).
In the Nguni culture, cattle are of very high importance for paying "lobolo", slaughtering for sacrificial libations, using skins, eating meat, milk and "maas". Therefore, nothing stupid should be done to cattle to cause them to die unnecessarily.
It is, therefore, an unfortunate situation where you find calves left alone to their mothers sucking milk without their mothers being milked properly. Milk and "maas"
are needed to support the family. Failure to milk cows causes the unnecessary femine and this may not be liked by the ancestors who may cast illness and suffering to certain members of the family should this continue. It is men who see to it that cows are milked properly for the whole family and calves to survive. It is totally a mishap and an insult to the ancestors to milk dogs, for no one in the family or ancestors can drink milk and eat maas from a dog. If this can be done, it might anger the ancestors who might cause a lot of problems and sufferings within the lineage. This stands to reason that only cows are milked and not dogs. Another prohibition concerning dogs is that if a dog is troublesome in the sense that it kills domestic beasts, it should not be killed by stabbing, but it should be hanged.
(e) Taboos for children
In our community, for health purposes, children are forbidden to sit on paths because
they will have abscess all over their bodies. This is not true, they are only threatened not to sit on paths disturbing elderly people who pass by. Another prohibition for the children is not to urinate in water, for this causes "bilharzia", and boys will become girls. Again this is not true. This is only to scare them not to make water dirty since this is highly unhygienic.
(f) Miscellaneous Taboos
No family in the Zulu culture, unless negligent, should sweep and take out the swept dust at night, for it is believed that if this is done, the ancestors are also going out with the swept dust. The Shangase clan also observes this practice. The ancestors are spiritual and are supposed to be everywhere in the home and they are also sensitive.
Should they be taken out in this fashion, bringing them back means slaughtering of a goat to request them to come back, because the living dead are not supposed to turn their backs against the living humans. If this happens, it is clearly an indication of misfortune, illness and suffering. Not to sit next to the fire and water when the storm thunders is a prohibition for everyone. No-one should do this because thundering goes with dangerous lightning easily. Therefore, should you sit next to the fire and water you are bound to be hit by lightning and die. To avoid unnecessary deaths, it is better to avoid fire and water if it is thundering with lightning.
In conclusion, all of these prohibitions might seem superstitious, yet they stand firm in our traditional culture and belief. They are to be observed to avoid a lot of havoc when ancestors hit back on us.
2.3.5 POLITICAL ORGANISATION
We will start to discuss this section by first explaining what politics is and what it is about. Politics is the science of government, a particular set of ideas, principles or commitments in the way the country is governed, and activities concerned with the acquisition or exercise of authority or government, or an organisational process or principles affecting the authority or status of those inside or outside government.
The Shangase clan, as now a large community must provide a way in which decision- making on matters affecting the survival of its members can be done. Some ways of controlling conflict within the community and some ways of regulating its relations with other communities should be devised. This need for the maintenance of internal societal order and for the governing of relations with other societies is universal. The forms and processes by which the need is met vary from small, autonomous family bands to populous, independent nation states; from reliance on custom to volumenous legal codes; from intrafamileae fending to atomic war. (See Hamimond
1971:19).
A political unit is a social unit which is organised to satisfy the above needs. To a larger extent the family, the clan, the local group, each can function as a political unit, but the following categories can be formed as significant types of political units.