Uma kudlule umakoti ekhaya noma umama obeganile, uyaye agqokiswe isidwaba sakhe. Uma umakoti egqokiswa isidwaba kuhlatshwa imbuzi kushiswe nempepho. Kubikwa kwabadala ukuthi kuzogqokiswa umakoti walayikhaya ongasekho isidwaba, okuyinqubamgomo ngoba uma kuzoba khona umcimbi wesintu ekhaya kubekwa kwabadala kuqala.
Uma kugqokiswa umakoti ongasekho isidwaba kuhlatshwa inkomo yokumugeza kuqala. Uma isihlatshiwe lenkomo ilala usuku olulodwa, ngakusasa ivuke ihlahlelwe khona izophekwa. Inyama iyahlukaniswa ngokwezigaba zayo, eyamadoda iba seceleni, neyamabhungu kanye namakhosikazi ngokunjalo. Isifuba nomhlubulo uya komama, masekuthi abanumzane kuba umkhono nenhloko.
Uma sekuhlatshwe lenkomo kamama, akubongwa uma sekudliwe. Kuyaphunywa esibayeni la amadoda abedlela khona inyama, kutshelwe umphakathi ukuthi lenyama ekade idliwa ekaMaSibanibani ongasekho obegqokiswa isidwaba sakhe njengoba engasekho. Uma sekudliwe leyonyama yenkomo akugiywa nhlobo esibayeni, kodwa izinsizwa ziyohlala phambi kwesibaya. Zitshelwa zisese sibayeni ukuthi lenkomo ebidliwa eyani, zitshelwa umuntu wesilisa wakulowo muzi.
Omama bona uma sebeqede ukudla inyama baya phambi kwendlu yakhe lomama ongasekho, bafike bacule bagide nengoma bebonga ukudla. Labo mama ekade bebungaze lomcimbi noma omakhelwane abebekhona emcimbini baphiwa inyama ewumphako abaya nayo emizini yabo.
Brief overview
When a married woman has passed away, in traditional Zulu setting, she must wear isidwaba which is a cloth made up of cow skin that married women wear, which in this case is used in a figurative to show that the ceremony is about a woman. The wearing of isidwaba is a traditional ceremony that is conducted for a married woman who has passed, where first a goat is slaughtered and incense is burnt to report to the ancestors about the ceremony that will take place.
Then the cow is slaughtered for the actual ceremony. After this slaughtered cow has been consumed by the neighbours and visitors, the male adults must sit by the side of the kraal, where they are not required to sing, but rather a male member of the family addresses the crowd on the purpose of the ceremony and whom it was for.
While men do not sing, in contrast, women do sing and do a traditional dance – ukugida ingoma – in front of the deceased’s house as a way of showing gratitude for the good hospitality they received from that family. The women who have been present during the ceremony are then given provision or meat as a gift as they return to their homes, as this illustrates that the family that conducted the ceremony is not greedy, and is also a way of showing gratitude to those who made the ceremony a success.