Imvunulo yeNgodosi
Njengoba sishilo ukuthi imvunulo ihlukana ngezigaba umuntu asuke ekuso, la sizogxila esembathweni sengodosi. Ingodosi lena iqhikiza eselicelwa noma ke eselilotsholwa. Ake ngiqale nginabe ukuthi umuntu wesifazane okusiphi isigaba. Iqhikiza itshitshi eselijutshiwe lase laqoma ngokwesintu, isigaba esilandelayo lapho uma selilotsholwa ila eliba khona ingodosi.
Ingodosi igqoka isidwaba esiba insila yakhe ngisho esegcagcine uyohlala esigqoka eze endela kwelamathongo.
Isidwaba
Isidwaba lesi ingubo noma isembatho sangenzansi somuntu wesifazane, singesokuhlonipha abasemzini la akasuke ezoganela khona. Isidwaba lesi kumele sifihle amadolo akhe.
Isidwaba sakhiwa ngesikhumba senkomo esomile. Emva kokuba kuhlatshwe inkomo isikhumba sibethelwa ngezikhonkwane, nesenkomo eyifele. Emva kwalokho leso sikhumba sicwiliswa emanzini noma exhaphozini size sifunde, emva kwezinsukwana siyakhishwa emanzini mase siyaphalwa sisuswe uboya ngeziphalo zensimbi. Emva kwalokho sibekwa elangeni khona sizothamba sishukeke kalula bese sichaswe nangombhobe owenza sibe lula.
Ngaphambi kokuba sichaswe isidwaba, kumele sikhuhlwe ngamabhudle ukuze sibe nomsendo ngasejwabini laso okusenza sibe sihle sibukeke futhi. Amabhudle lawa akhiwa ngameva esihlahla isanqawe. Emva kokuba sesichasiwe isidwaba sibekwa elangeni usuku lonke sithambe, ngakusasa sinikezwa ibandla lidonsisane ngaso lisishuka size sithambe. Uma sesithambile siyasikwa besesihlanganiswa ngamafosi kwenziwe namachopo aso, isidwaba kumele silingane nse! nomnikazi waso.
Isidwaba asihambi sodwa kodwa, kepha siphelezelwa uxolo phezu kwamabele olwenziwa ngobuhlalu kodwa ke uxolo aluwavali amabele. Ekhanda ke iyaye ingodosi ihloba ngeziqhova zobuhlalu noma zensonto okuyindlela yokuhlonipha ngoba zonke izinto zesiZulu zihambisana nenhlonipho nokuthizithoba phambi kwabantu.
Brief overview
In continuation of the articles about traditional outfits, this piece focuses on what traditional outfit an engaged young woman wears. (One says ‘traditionally engaged’ just to make it clear to the non-Zulu speaking people, as in isiZulu there is no engagement.) A traditionally engaged young adult whose lobola negotiations have started is called ingodosi, which means that she is already taken but not yet married. Men could still court her because the only time they stop courting a woman is when she is married.
Ingodosi wears isidwaba which is made of cow skin. The skin is taken after the cow has been slaughtered, then it is dried in the sun. Afterwards this skin is soaked in a swamp. Furthermore it is taken out of that swamp to be re-dried after ten days. After the skin has been re-dried then its hairy part has to be peeled off up until there is none left on the skin. It has to be cut in a way that it is tailored to the woman that will be wearing it and it has to have ropes that will be used to tie it.
Ingodosi also wears traditional material called uxolo who has be just above her breasts but it does not cover the breasts fully and is made up of beads. On the head the women wears iziqhova which has a different type of beadwork and sometimes is made up of wool.