The Sunday News
AT Amagugu International Heritage Centre (AIHC) we have pursued a policy of conservation of indigenous trees. Unless a building dictates that such a tree be gotten rid of because it is on the way of a building, generally the trees are spared and come to provide educational material for the students visiting the cultural facility. One of the trees to be found there is called in the SiNdebele language umnquma, an evergreen indigenous tree.
The presence of umnquma, in fact there are three such trees within the precincts of AIHC, has attracted frequent reference to Mayford Sibanda’s classic historical novel UMbiko KaMadlenya. In his book there is a line that goes something like, “Uluthi lwami lomkhonto, ngabe ngolomnquma bengizakuyagiya koMhlahlandlela. Pho ngolomsingizane, sengizathula ngincuze amasi.”
Almost without exception teachers and pupils alike are at a loss as to the meaning, let alone the significance of the line. That always provides a good learning point with the hope of reviving our language which is facing decline due to a myriad of reasons. Of course, for us the emphasis would be on the culinary traditions of the Ndebele people.
Essentially, what the line is saying is that were the spear (umkhonto) shaft (uluthi) made from umnquma tree he would go and perform a sham war dance at Mhlahlandlela. There we take a pause and see if that makes sense, for some have no clue about Mhlahlandlela save that it is a township in Bulawayo’s Tshabalala suburb. When returning soldiers reported at the royal town, KoMkhulu, which invariably was always the case, the soldiers performed what is known as ukugiya in front of the reviewing monarch.
Ukugiya was a military dance form (pantomime) which exhibited the exploits of the soldiers during battle. One would execute movements that demonstrated how the soldier acquitted himself militarily especially bringing out how he killed the enemy or captured the booty. At the time of King Mzilikazi his last capital town where such ukugiya was performed was at Mhlahlandlela to the south of present day City of Bulawayo.
There the soldiers would assemble after being cleared in terms of ritual cleansing (to neutralise the effects of ingwendela/uzimu) by renowned traditional doctors such as Gulukudwane Zondo and Sobukhazi Masuku. The doctor cleansed what was generally referred to as intundu kaSobukhazi, a reference to captives and the captured cattle. With this background information we proceed to explain the rest of the line.
The spear shaft apparently is made from umsingizane. Once again, the students are at a loss. They have never heard of umsingizane. We then enlighten them about umsingizane as a very soft type of grass that grows on the edges of water bodies. Quite clearly, such a fragile grass or any type of grass for that matter will not constitute a spear shaft. If a Ndebele soldier has such a spear he would certainly not participate in ukugiya. So what would he then do?
According to the line, he would maintain his peace and ncuza amasi. Amasi is curdled milk, a favourite for the Ndebele. But the challenge comes with the term ukuncuza. In days gone by mothers would use a dishing spoon to khangeza (place amasi on the hand) a child, usually placing the food on the left hand. Using the tongue the child licked amasi. That licking is what was termed ukuncuza.
The mode of eating was obviously motivated by the desire to maintain hygienic standards. Instead of all and sundry dipping their hands into the inqayi containing amasi, a dishing spoon was used instead.
This mode of eating was commonly applied when people consumed umcaba. The Ndebele used to grow sorghum; in fact let us say a variety of them such as impala (so named because of the colour of the grain), isikhothama and a few others. Isitshwala, the thick porridge, was prepared from sorghum grain meal. It is important to note that the porridge in those days was prepared light. It was not as thick as it is prepared these days.
Meat was a favourite dish and was consumed communally. A big platter, umgwembe, was brought in front of the people of the same sex and age set. A big chunk, iqatha was passed from one man to the other. Each person would take a bite, ukuhlutha, and pass to the next person. Be that as it may, sorghum grain, amabele was put to other culinary uses.
A dish known as amaqebelengwana was prepared from sorghum meal. Water was added to the meal which was then kneaded and fashioned, using one’s hands into small balls. A little water was placed in a clay pot with short sticks at the bottom to prevent burning of amaqebelengwana. The balls would harden and when properly cooked they were consumed. Sometimes a little salt was added to taste.
The grain was roasted and salted water added to it. The salted grain was then dried and ground into a fine powder using a grinding stone and quern. This food concentrate, which Mayford Sibanda once again makes reference to in his above-mentioned classical novel, was put in a double-bellied calabash, umkabo with strings around it. A soldier carried the salted powder when going to war. The powder was called ikhotha or ugume.
A soldier, arriving at a place with drinking water, took a little of the food concentrate and licked some of it. He then proceeded to drink water. The concentrate provided him with instant energy. There was yet another use for cooked sorghum grain called uhayezi. Uhayezi was ground using a grinding stone. The process, ukuhadlaza produced a whitish stuff (due to the exposed white material in the grain). Alternatively, the process was called ukuphothula uhayezi.
Umcaba is then placed in a small or medium-sized clay pot into which amasi are added. The mixture is stirred, ukubonda or ukuvuba, using uphini, the stirring rod. Umcaba was a favourite dish of the Ndebele. A related dish was called isidlwadlwa, a royal dish that Princess Sidambe Khumalo loved. This time uhayezi was ground, ukuphothula but instead amasi were not added. What was added instead was gravy, umhluzi and small pieces of meat, izibhidi.
The two were stirred, ukubonda, in a clay pot until a consistent mixture resulted. This dish was consumed just like amasi omcaba – using a spoon to place a little in the hand and using a tongue to ncuza the sumptuous and finger-licking meal. What starts off as a simple line from Mayford Sibanda’s historical novel ends up with a full lesson on some aspect of the culinary traditions of AmaNdebele.
Indeed, there is the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) all around us as nature and culture interface and extend the frontiers of their ever shifting line of interaction. “Uluthi lwami lomkhonto, ngabe ngolomnquma bengizakuyagiya koMhlahlandlela. Pho ngolomsingizane, sengizathula ngincuze amasi!”
