Imvunulo Yentombazane

Intshikizane noma intombazane eneminyaka eyishumi kuya phezulu iqala ukuphuma amabele amancane. Lesigaba sibizwa ngokuhlosa, lamabedlana abizwa ngokuthi izilinga. Izilinga lezi zishaywa ugogo ngomshanelo ekhuza umhlola ziwathuka, okuthi emva kwezinsukwana ayancipha aphele. Emva kwalokho abadala bakuloyomkhaya bayabhunga ukuthi isikhulile leNtshikizane kumele yenzelwe umutsha. Umutsha lona isembatho sentombazane esencane.

Umutsha uthungwa ngamaqanda esihlahla noma izinhlamvu ezimila kwisihlahla umsilinga, kepha ke ngenxa yokushintsha kwezikhathi nobuhlalu besilungu buyasetshenziswa, lobu buhlalu buhlanganiswa ngosinga.

Usinga lukhishwa enkomeni esuke ihlatshiwe, lukhishwa emgogodleni nasezinkwapheni bese lugxotshwa ngamatshe ukuze luthambe bese luhlukaniswa phakathi. Lolusinga luyaphothwa lwenziwe izibhoma. Nosinga lwesiLungu luyasetshenziswa uma kwakhiwa umutsha. Umutsha wentombazane unemigunqulu emibili, owetshitshi uba nemigunqulu emithathu mase kuthi oweqhikiza wona ube nemigunqulu emihlanu, kanti-ke owalaba asebelotsholwe yona iba yisithupha imigunqulu.

Sisekhona ekwakhiweni komutsha, nolwembu luyathathwa oludala lwenziwe umqulu. Lomqulu kuthungelwa ubuhlalu buzungeze wona, kuhlotshiswe nangemibala ehlukahlukene, la ohlangana khona lomutsha uhlanganiswa ngosinga. Intombazane leyo iyabe isiyawumbatha lowo mutsha. Uma ithanda ifaka nocu luhambisane nawo umutsha okhalweni kanye nasentanyeni. Kwesinye isikhathi ingahloba ngobusengi obubuye bubizwe ngobubhedazane emalungeni ezitho nezingalo.

Ngaphambili okunye obekuphelezela umutsha ngaphandle kobusengi ububhedezane. Ububhedezane ngokwabadala bulukwa ngomsingizane okuyisihlahla. Ububhedezane babelukwa bube izinhlobonhlobo, kuba khona okwamaketanga, kube obuyimigungquluzi kanye nezixwexwe. Ububhedezane babugama ngemibalabala eyizigaba kwazise iphekwa ngomphekambedu. Buyaye bugabise ngemibala ekhazimulayo, ngembala obomvu, oluhlaza salubhakabhaka kanye nomunye okhanya njengawo umsengezane.

English Summary

As we have discussed earlier that in Zulu traditional attires are differentiated based on age and life stages, in this text one looks at what young girls wear from the age of ten upwards in their early adolescence.

When a young girl turn ten years old, small breasts appear which are called izilinga. Her grandmother hits those small breasts with a broom and after few days those small breasts disappear. Then afterwards the family gathers to talk about the fact that this young girl has grown a bit. Furthermore they discuss making umutsha for her. Umutsha is a Zulu traditional material worn by young girls.

Umutsha is made up of beads and plastic lace called usinga which serves as a joint to umutsha. This plastic lace is drawn from a slaughtered oxen. This material has several beautiful colours, such as red and sky-blue. Sometimes old spiderwebs would be used to make umutsha, which in that sense the web would be bound and joined together, also mixed with beadwork, after which that young girl would wear it.

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