The Sunday News
LAST week we saw how agricultural produce was preserved for consumption in the winter months when there was no food production. Agriculture, together with other human activities such as architecture, economics, arts (dance, music, theatre, performance poetry etc) are, when carefully observed, influenced and informed by the cosmos.
Traditional societies in particular, sometimes without noticing it, came under the influence of the heavenly bodies. We are here referring to the stars, the sun (in reality a star) and the moon. Societies then, before the discovery of electric light, lived close to nature and, on a daily basis, observed, learnt and sought to imitate the behaviour of these heavenly bodies.
We have argued before that the Africans have retrogressed in terms of knowledge over the centuries. One good example is their diminishing and diminished knowledge of the stars. Their interpretation of natural phenomena, including the disposition of the heavenly bodies has declined. This has, sadly, happened to the level where the Africans no longer believe they are the pioneers of science, mathematics and philosophy.
History does tell us how knowledge developed in ancient Africa and was acquired by the Greeks, later the Romans who then spread it to primitive Europe. Today our people will not believe all this! Slavery and colonisation are responsible for this self-denial, self-denigration and a degenerated image of self.
The night sky was a black chalkboard with inscribed messages that called out for interpretation. The advance of the night could be deciphered from the night sky. Time was gleaned from the same sky, by merely carefully observing the position of the various stars. Beyond that, the night sky announced the seasons, which seasons determined the time to start sowing, harvesting and collecting the grain for storage.
Settlements were located and sited in such a way that the new moon would become visible on the very day it appeared (ukuthwasa) on the western sky. There were people tasked with the role of tracking the movement of the moon. Economic production relied heavily on the progress of the moon from its waxing to its waning, right up to the point when it did not appear on the sky (elimnyama), whether western or eastern.
Inkwenkwezi, isilimela, indonsakusa, icelankobe, izinja, ingulube, umthala are some of the stars and constellation of same that the Ndebele people knew. Then they knew much more than I am able to furnish you with. The knowledge of astronomy has declined. New production systems have been developed which may sometimes do without the cosmic dictates.
African cultural astronomy was an important consideration which influenced African philosophy and dictated day to day economic activities and the timing of same. Sometimes we are not conscious of this astronomy at play. It all happens almost involuntarily, imperceptibly.
Just look at architecture. From the settlement layout we encounter the circular design. But why circular? What has informed this design? A closer look will reveal that the cosmos are not only circular in design but they are in constant motion — predictable, periodic or rhythmic movement.
The African used to design on earth in the same manner the cosmos is designed. New heavenly bodies are being discovered by the prying unmanned spaceships. What is almost predictable is that all the new discoveries will be circular in design and in constant periodic motion.
African hut architecture was not accidental. It acquired a circular design, both the walls and the roofs which are conical and, therefore, essentially circular in design. Generally, all structures within a settlement exhibited a circular design, from the myriad of artifacts to the cattle and goat byres/pens.
Almost without giving it a thought, Africans sat in a semi-circular or circular formation. A king’s subjects sat around him in a semi-circular manner. Even when the men went on a hunt they simulated the semi-circle. Nature has so much to offer that we have not exhausted yet. Many of what we call inventions are really no more than insightful glimpses and copying of what already exists in nature.
To what extent is human intellect capable of going beyond what already exists in nature, including himself; for he is an integral part of nature. I do not look forward to the day when man will invent or develop a computer that is more advanced that the human brain. It is not only unthinkable but will certainly mark the end of humanity on earth!
