Sixoxisane noMama uThangithini Ngcobo onguMaNdlovu ngomkhosi kaNomkhubulwane. Uhlala esigodini saseMgcweni endaweni yaseNtshangwe. Ukhule endaweni yangakubo omama asebekhulile belima insimu kaNomkhubulwane naye useze waba yingxenye yabo. Ezindaweni eziningi lomkhosi uyahlonishwa, yilapho njalo ngaphambi kokuthi abantu baqale ukulima bahambe baye kolima insimu kaNomkhubulwane. Ngemuva kwalokho bonke abantu bayakwazi ukuqala ukuzilimela emasimini abo. Akubona bonke abantu ababayingxenye yalabo abasuke bezolima insimu kaNomkhubulwane. Kufanele kube umuntu wesifazane ohlanzekile ngokuthi akekho esikhathini futhi akayanga ocansini nomuntu wesilisa ngesikhathi kulungiselelwa ukuyolima. Ngesikhathi sakudala kwakujwayeleke ukuthi kube ngabantu asebeqinile impela, izalukazi.
Usilandise ukuthi kwaba nomyalelo wokuthi abantu ngosuku lwangoMsombuluko abantu endaweni akufanele benze imisebenzi efana nokutheza, ukulima njalonjalo. Kwathi langathile omunye umuntu wesifazane wahamba waya kotheza ngoMsombuluko, wathi uma esengaphakathi ehlathini kwaqhamuka umuntu wesifazane owambuza ukuthi wenzani. Kunenkolelo yokuthi lowo kwakunguNomkhubulwane. Kuthiwa lowomuntu wesifazane owaphula umthetho wabonakala ngokuthi aphume ehlathini isimo sakhe sesishintshile. Lokhu kwenza iningi labantu lamuhlonipha kakhulu uNomkhubulwane futhi lawulandela lomyalelo.
Umuntu onelungelo lokungena kulensimini
Omama asebekhulile abalima insimu labo abangakwazi ukuya ensimini baphathisa imbewu. Ngosuku lokuya kotshala bonke laba abazoya ensimini bapheka ukudla okuhlukene njengamahewu, izinkobe, bagaye utshwala besintu, njalonjalo. Baphathe nezinhlobo ezahlukene zembewu. Bakhetha indawo engasetshenziswa ngabantu njengensimu kaNomkhubulwane ngoba akufuneki kudabule abantu abangahlanzekile kuyo. Uma sebelima kufanele bakhumule amaduku asekhanda kanye nabakugqoke ngaphezulu basale ngeziketi noma ngezidwaba. Ngesikhathi betshala kufanele bahlabelele izingoma zalomkhosi njengonomoyi. Uma sekuqediwe kudliwa ukudla lokhu abafike nakho. Uma sebeqedile ukudla kufanele baphe inkosazane bayithelele nokuphuzwayo. Kulensimu kwakhiwa indlu encane enomnyango wokungena. Insimu yona bayibiyele ngamagatsha ezihlahla. Kulendlu abayakhile bathela khona utshwala nokudla kwenkosazane.
Uma sebeqedile kufanele bahambe bayogeza imizimba namageja emfuleni ngaphambi kokubuyela emakhaya. Abantu bakholelwa ukuthi ikhona inkosazane ngokuthi konke abakucelile kuyenzeka njengemvula, isivuno esiningi. Lensimu ayivunwa igcina ngokutshalwa kuphela.
Iculo abaliculayo: Unomoyi
Enye yezingoma ezihlatshelelwayo uma kulinywa.
Ocula phambili uthi: Wenomoyi hhoyi hhoyi wenomoyi
Abanye bavume ingoma bacele lokho abakufunayo: Sicela imvula hhoyi hhoyi wenomoyi
Wonke umuntu uthola ithuba lokusho lokho akufisayo ensimini yakhe.
Lendlela echazwe langenhla eyenziwa endaweni yaseNtshangwe. Izindawo ngokuhlukana kwazo ziyayilima insimu kaNomkhubulwane ezinye ziyilimela entabeni lapho abantu abaningi bengakwazi ukufinyelela khona.
English Summary
Our interview with Mama Thangithini Ngcobo, MaNdlovu of Mgcweni in the Ntshangwe area was about their belief and participation in the ceremony of Nomkhubulwane. She mentioned that as a young girl, her mother participated in this ceremony and now she is also part of a group of women who plough in the garden of Nomkhubulwane. There is a belief that long time ago people were told not to do any work on a Monday to honour Nomkhubulwane. One woman decided to collect wood on this day and they believe that she met Nomkhubulwane who asked her what she was doing on that sacred day and after that the woman’s appearance changed. Since that day people observed this day.
The ceremony is done when people are getting ready to plough but before preparing their fields a group of selected women should partake in the ploughing of Nomkhubulwane’s garden. Older women are preferred to be part of this group because they are no longer sexually active. These women should prepare sorghum beer, mielie meal porridge and other food that they are going to take with them on the day. When they are ploughing they remove their head scarves and tops. They should only wear their skirts or traditional skirts.
While they are ploughing they sing a song called Nomoyi in which they ask Nomkhubulwane for rain and a good harvest. The women that are not able to participate in this give other women crop to plough. After completing the field all these women share the food that they brought and they give the rest of it to Nomkhubulwane. In the forest the field is they build a small hut where they leave the food that they had prepared. After that they go to the river and bathe and wash their hand hoes before going home. People then can start ploughing their own fields. Each area perform this ceremony differently.
By: Nelisiwe Hlongwane