The Sunday News
Phathisa Nyathi
BEFORE we dwell on naming within the cultural sphere, it is appropriate that we realise and appreciate the close relationship between nature, (the environment) and the cultural landscape created by humans. It is a seminal relationship and linkage built upon the dependence of culture on nature. In the absence of nature, there is no culture to talk of. The two interact in a dynamic way, or dynamic equilibrium. Nature, it is acknowledged, has numerous aspects which constitute a scintillating whole whose balance serves the interests of, and sustains, humankind.
Man is, in essence, nature. He is, however, nature that interacts with the natural environment and, in the process, creates a cultural domain; indeed one that meets with and depends upon the benevolence of nature. Nature in ancient Africa was recognised in this vein. Africans respected nature and appreciated their dependence on it. Respect of nature translated into the desire to conserve it and utilise it sustainably. A look at the names of aspects of the natural landscape reveals human perceptions regarding nature and his total dependence on the natural resources.
Spirituality, a part of the cultural domain, was expressed through some natural phenomena. As a result, these natural phenomena were sometimes viewed as the abode of ancestral spirits. Accordingly, they were treated with respect and even awe. Certain mountains, izintaba, were chosen by humans on the basis of their natural traits to be the abode of God. Njelele Mountain in the Matobo Hills is one good example. The human species’ sustainability is effected through fertility or, in other words, sexual reproduction. The womb, isibeletho is central in the process of fertility. A look at the Njelele Mountain reveals natural traits that resemble or mimic or symbolise the womb.
Within the mountain there is a cave with water. That water in the cave symbolises the amniotic fluid within the amniotic membrane which in this analogy is represented by the stone walls. Further, it is believed there are trees growing within the cave. Trees symbolise life and the water feeds them and exits from the cave. Exiting water becomes the source of a stream flowing down and away from the cave. The shape of the mountain itself resembles a womb, it is circular in design. The Njelele Mountain is associated with rain-making rituals and peace. Both qualities are essential for life. In fact, the mountain is referred to as Elitsheni, literally at the Rock.
Myth has it that God, Mwali, landed on a rock and His impact resulted in water oozing out of stone. God has the power to make rain fall. The rock thus resembles and symbolises God the giver of rain and life. It is for this reason that the rain shrine is referred to as Mabweadziva in Shona. The name tells the story of sustenance, one that promises sustainability against adversity and harsh conditions. This goes to demonstrate that a natural landscape interacts with humanity. The site is thus the interface between nature and culture. It was this realisation that led us to refer to Amagugu International Heritage Centre as the place where nature and culture meet.
Intaba refers to a mountain as indicated above. It is also used to refer to the stones that women gather during burial. The stones, carried one at a time and held in one hand, are placed on the earth mound. In a way, the grave resembles a mountain in physical terms. The resulting mountain becomes the point of exit for the spirit destined for eternal life beyond the earth. The Egyptian pyramids were comparable to this idea. Indeed, the pyramids were burial places and marked the exit point for a dead Pharaoh’s spirit. The pyramid was made out of stone, itself symbolic of relative eternity.
Mountains were not just markers of physical terrain. They were built out of the average terrain. They were out of the ordinary and hence perceived as possessing some unique attributes and hence power. This perception is true of non-African communities too. In the Bible Moses received the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. Mountains are prominently featured in the Bible. By virtue of their height above the general terrain, they were used as the abode of kings among the Shona and the BaKalanga. Their loftiness symbolised that of rulers, varikumatenga, those above. Even God Himself is said to be “Mwari varikumusoro kudenga,” God who is up above.
On the other hand, rivers, imifula, are equally unique in the sense that they are below the average terrain. A river was cut into the ground. It is thus seen as if in some enduring erotic encounter with Mother Earth. He, the river, is male and she, Mother Earth, is female. The symbolic image is one of sexual reproduction which lies at the centre of continuity, eternity and endlessness of humankind. That water in a river is associated with life should not come as a surprise. Human nature is thrust on to the natural landscape. Humans imprint their perceived reality on the natural environment.
A marsh is referred to as ixhaphozi. The name sounds onomatopoeic. It is a place that holds water and has grass and trees. It is some kind of sponge which releases water which was stored up in the summer months. It thus provides the necessary moisture when the landscape is dry. Water retentivity as a quality resides in the name. More importantly, the natural feature promises sustainability for human and other life forms. The natural phenomenon itself is testimony to a dynamic equilibrium in nature which humanity taps into for his own sustenance.
Amaxhaphozi were common natural features within the Matobo Hills. Climate change is manifesting itself through the drying up of amaxhaphozi and inuta which were more confined places than the expansive amaxhaphozi. These were environmental conditions that attracted people coming from the dry south towards the Matobo Hills. Wild animals too were attracted. The high altitude of the Hills helped boost the amount of rainfall. Flowing water was retained in the marshes to sustain lush tree and grass vegetation.
The allure of the Matobo Hills lay in its having grass that attracted game, increased chances of planted crops ripening, baboons notwithstanding. There were fruit trees that humans could collect in the Matobo landscape as food in times of adversity elsewhere. The Kalanga speaking Babirwa (Kalanga speaking on account of having married into the Kalanga communities among whom they settled) who trekked from the Limpopo Province used to say, “dombo linatjilenga,” a mountain has sustenance. The natural attributes of the Matobo Hills landscape resulted in the creation of a cultural landscape. From the San to the Banyubi the hills held promise for settlement in more ways than one.
Inkangala is the name used for a desert. The landscape is characterised by drought, high temperatures and near total absence of life. More importantly, humankind named the natural landscape in terms of absence of the possibility of sustaining human life. What becomes clear is that he who names the environmental features places self at the centre and the names chosen refer to his needs, whether they are met or not. Even God is placed at the periphery and viewed in terms of whether he plays a role in the sustenance of nature and therefore ultimately that of humankind. God is being perceived as being in the service of humankind and not vice versa.
This narrative on the interrelatedness between nature and nature on the one hand, and nature and culture on the other, takes us to ecoliteracy. Nature communicates with the rest of nature. Where balance or equilibrium is threatened, nature communicates impending doom. Nature seeks to restore the disturbed equilibrium. Beyond communicating threats to equilibrium, nature seeks to restore the state of balance. Climate change is what nature is communicating regarding threats to natural equilibrium. Simultaneously, when the offending aspects of nature do not heed the warning, Mother Nature embarks on a punitive restorative action sometimes with disastrous consequences on those identified as the culprits.
