The Sunday News
Pathisa Nytahi
WHATEVER a community valued found expression in several cultural aspects and dimensions. The cattle were such a valued possession among the Ndebele that the theme around them found expression in language use such as in proverbs, similes and riddles. Their folktales featured cattle together with human beings. The design of homesteads took into account the need to have somewhere where cattle were penned. In boys’ games cattle also featured. Clay cattle were made and engaged in fights by their handlers — ukuqhubeza izinkomo zomdaka. In the visual arts cattle equally feature prominently.
We are told that once upon a time there were wild cattle that roamed in the velds, particularly in Europe. In due course cattle were domesticated. The one type was the Bos Indicus which was domesticated in the Near East and the area around the Indus River in India. This breed of domesticated cattle, the Zebu, was characterised by prominent humps and short horns. On the other hand the Bos Taurus was long-horned and without prominent humps. Cattle in southern Africa are descended from this species of domesticated cattle.
Among the Ndebele cattle were at the centre of raids on distant communities such as BamaNgwato in Botswana, the Tawana (koNdawana) towards the Makgadikhadi Salt Pans, the Leya of Chief Sigude near the Victoria Falls and the subjects of Mbizakazibulawa in present day Zambia where the Ndebele contracted small pox. The BaMhari of Chief Mazorodze and later Madlangobe were not spared either. The one section of the Dlodlos in Zimbabwe bears the name of Chief Madlangobe who went by the dynastic name of Chief Tshibi/Chivi. Similarly, Chief Nhema (Ndema in Ndebele) also had his name immortalised within a section of the Ngwenyas (oMahlazi) on account of one Ngwenya (ancestor to the late Mthandazo Ndema Ngwenya) man who participated in the raid on Chief Nhema’s people, who are Sibanda/Shumba like their kin, the BaMhari.
Let’s give two more examples of names that were given in reference to Ndebele raids motivated by the desire to acquire cattle and captives, of a young age. The one man I interviewed many years ago was Mtekedza Nyathi of Ntabazinduna. His name was given because his father Zibomvu, umfokaMgobo participated in a raid on the community where Mutekedza, chief of the BaHera was, was the community leader. Let us end with Ntinima Ndiweni from Osabeni under Chief Mpukane Ndiweni. His name derives from the Lozwi royal man Mutinhima who lived in the Malungwane Hills area. Other sources claim he lived in the Fumugwe area. Anyway, naming was one way of documenting history, if we get to know the circumstances under which the names were given.
In addition to raids cattle populations grew through the natural process. Some people acquired cattle through inheritance, especially the male folk. Women did not, as a general rule, inherit cattle. All they received were izinyembezi, tears of their late father. There were reasons for this. Women would get married and if they took their cattle with them, that was tantamount to enriching her in-laws.
Skilled members of the community got paid for their services through cattle. Gynaecologists, traditional healers were some of the people who acquired cattle by virtue of their professional skills. Daughters who got married had their fathers receive amalobolo cattle from the father of the groom. Marrying sons did not pay amalobolo for their wives.
Marriage was a community affair and not an individual one. Mothers of married daughters received a cow from the husband who took delivery of all amalobolo cattle. It was the husband and not the son-in-law who gave this inkomo yohlanga to the daughter’s mother in recognition of her role in raising the girl child to maturity.
In royal praises cattle did feature quite prominently. For example, King Mzilikazi, whose exit from KwaZulu-Natal was over the cattle he decided not to deliver to his master King Tshaka. These amabhidi cattle led to the souring of relations between the two, fallout that ultimately led to the two parting ways rather acrimoniously. King Mzilikazi’s praise poem is as follows, “Unkom’ ezavul’ inqaba ngezimpondo, ngoba zavul’ iNgome zahamba, kithi kwaZulu.”
King Mzilikazi and his followers took several cattle out of KwaZulu-Natal. King Tshaka and his regiments thought they were going to prevent King Mzilikazi’s march to the north. Inqaba is a fortified or well-defended position on account of its physical attributes. There is talk about Inqaba kaTshibi, in reference to a well-defended hill due to its sections that were inaccessible.
The metaphor being applied here is one of cattle that used their horns to breach the fortified Ngome Mountain.
Ngome Mountain is in KwaZulu-Natal, in the Esikwebesini area where the Khumalos, specifically the Matshobana section, lived. King Mzilikazi and his followers triumphed. They cleared the hurdles that were placed ahead of them. Cattle image was used to present and immortalise the narrative.
King Tshaka himself has a praise poem that made reference to cattle. Inkomo ekhale eMthonjaneni, yazwiwa nguDunjwa wasoYengweni, yayeyazwiwa nguKhali . . .) All this is in reference to King Tshaka whose fame was spreading all over the land. Chiefs and kings got to hear about him, Dunjwa and Khali being among them. However, for King Tshaka it is the last lines in his praise poem that captures his raiding escapades through which he acquired (wadla/ “ate”) several head cattle.
Wath’ esadl’ ezinye wadl’ ezinye
Oth’ esadl’ ezinye wadl’ ezinye
Wath’ esadl’ ezinye wadl’ ezinye
Ndabezitha!
Alliteration goes to give emphasis to the frequent raids, one coming soon after the other.
