Ukuthomba kwentombazane

Kuvamise ukuthi isikhathi sokuthomba kwentombazane sibikezelwe ukuphuma kwezilinga (Amabele okuqala aphuma entombazaneni). Ngalesisikhathi amaqhikiza ayaye aqwashise intombazane ngokungena ebudaleni lokhu kubizwa ngokuthi ukuthelwa kwamanzi. Uma intombazane isingene ebuntombini iyabaleka iyocasha noma ihlale yodwa. Kuhlatshwa umkhosi ngomhlola owehlile ukuze azogonqiswa wontanga yakhe.

Lesikhathi sithathwa njengesikhathi lapho owesifazane engcolile kungafanele ahlangane nabantu abaningi. Umgonqo ulungiswa ngendlela yokuthi umuntu ongenayo angaboni ukuthi ubani osethombile. Abantu besilisa abavumelekile ukubona lowo othombayo. Lowo osengene esikhathini kanye nontanga yakhe abamhlalisile bagcotshwa ibomvu umzimba wonke ngesikhathi besagonqile. Ibomvu lisetshenziswa njengophawu lokudlula esigabeni esithile kumuntu edlulela kwesinye isigaba, liphinde libe wuphawu lokuzila okuhambelana nokudlulela ebangeni elinye. Kukholelwa ekutheni njengomcako oncikene kakhulu nabaphansi njengebomvu lincike ekuhlonipheni.

Contents

1 Intombi emgonqweni
2 Okwakwenziwa ukuvikela ukukhulelwa
3 English Summary
4 A day before the ceremony
5 Pregnancy Prevention

Intombi emgonqweni
Othombayo ungena ngembuzi emgonqweni okuwuphawu lakho konke okuzogcinwa, uyalwa ngabantu abadala namaqhikiza ngomzimba wakhe nesigaba asengene kusona ukuthi sekufanele awunakekele futhi awuhloniphe umzimba wakhe. Ngalesisikhathi umuntu othombile uyazila, akufanele abewuvanzi emnyango, akhulumele phezulu noma amemeze noma ahlangane nomuntu wesilisa, kunenkolelo yokuthi uma ingakugcini lokhu iyadlebeleka yenze izinto ezibhedayo ingasathandi. Ukugonqa yikho okwakuvuselela isimilo sentombazane, usuke elungiselelwa nendlela azoziphatha ngayo emzini wakhe, afundiswe nokusoma okuyikona okubalulekile uma intombi ingakalotsholwa ukuthi izigcine iyintombi nto. Lowo ogonqili uhlala kuze kuphele izinsuku zakhe zobudala. Ngezikhathi zakudala kwakusetshenziswa amahlamvu esidende uma umuntu esesikhathini.

Ngosuku olwandulela olokuphuma emgonqweni uyise wentombazane ungena emgonqweni azise indodakazi yakhe ngembuzi azoyihlabisa yona ukuyikhipha emgonqweni. Lembuzi ibizwa ngembuzi yamasi. Lokhu kususelwa ekuthini emva kwalesi sigaba, intombazane isingawadla amasi ekade iwazila. Amasi, utshwala nenyama ukudla okuhlonishwa kakhulu ngoba kuthiwa okwamadlozi. Othombayo akakuthinti ngaphambi kokuthi ahlanzwe ngokwesiko.

Okwakwenziwa ukuvikela ukukhulelwa
Bekuba umsebenzi wabazali noma amaqhikiza ukubonisa nokufundisa lowo osengena ebudaleni ukuthi kwenziwanjani futhi kufanele aziphathe kanjani. Ezikhathini zakudala kwakusetshenziswa izindwangu noma izidwedwe ezaziwa ngokuthi umsubelo. Lezindwangu bekufanele zihlale zihlanzekile ukuze umuntu akwazi ukubuye azisebenzise ngeikhathi esilandelayo. Kuthiwa lezindwangu akuyona into ekufanele uyibeke noma ikanjani ngoba noma uziwashile bekufanele uzineke lapho zingeke zibonwe ngabantu. Izingane zamantombazane zazigqugquzelwa ngokuthi kufanele zihlale zihlanzekile uma zisezinsukwini zazo.

Ngezikhathi zakudala kuthiwa bekuthatha isikhathi ukuthi izingane ziye esikhathini ngenxa yokudla obekudliwa uma kuqhathaniswa nesikhathi sanamuhla. Okunye okuphawulekayo ukuthi ezikhathini zakudala umuntu ubeya izinsuku ezingeqi ezintathu esikhathi. Uma sekuze kwadlula lezinsuku lowomuntu bekunenkolelo yokuthi uyagula noma uthole umeqo bese eyolashwa.Abantu abadala bebeyiluleka ingane yentombazane ngendlela yokuziphatha emphakathini ngoba isuke seyingene esigabeni sobudala.

Ngokudalwa abantu abafani ezinye izingane beziwuthobela umthetho kodwa kubekhona lezo ezingamahlongandlebe ebekwenza abantu abadala bakhathazeke ngokuthi uzosheshe umuntu akhulelwe. Kulesosimo esinjalo kuthiwa abantu abadala bebeyitshela intombazane ukuthi uma seyiya esikhathini ayibanike umsebelo ingakawuhlanzi. Kuthiwa bebewuthatha bawubeke endaweni ethile uze wome ungahlanziwe. Uma sewomile kuthiwa bebewuthatha bawufake entweni evalwayo bawugqibe noma bawugcine lapho kungathinti khona abantu. Lokhu babekwenza ukuze lowomuntu angakhulelwa. Kuthiwa kuyothi lapho sebebona ukuthi usukhule ngokwenele noma usukulungele ukugana bawukhiphe. Lokhu bekuba yimfihlo yalowo osuke ewubekile. Kuthiwa uma kwenzekile lowo wadlula emhlabeni ngokuzuma bekuba yinkinga ngoba phela awukwazi ukuthola abantwana ngaphandle uma ungasebenzisa izangoma zikusize ukuthi labekwa kuphi nendawo ibhodlela elinomsubelo. Kuthiwa kubalulekile ukuthi ngesikhathi ingane yentombazane ingena ebuntombini ngokwesintu igqume ngokusetshenziswa kwentelezi ethile.

English Summary
In the Zulu tradition when a girl has her first periods, she is kept in a separate room for the duration of her periods. Girls of the same age are invited to stay with the girl. The women of the area and the girl’s leaders will come and give advice on how to behave during this time. The father of the girl slaughters a goat to inform the ancestors that the girl has reached this stage. All the girls smear their bodies with the red soil. The girl is not allowed to speak loudly, walk around the yard and be seen by boys. The girl use leaves of a tree called (isidende).

A day before the ceremony
The day before the girl finishes her periods the father slaughters another goat which is for allowing a girl to eat sour milk because she is clean. The girl was not allowed to eat sour milk during her menstruation period, because sour milk is considered to be the food for ancestors and it needs to be respected. On the last day the girl and her peer group wakes up early in the morning and go to the river to wash their bodies and come back home singing and dancing. 

Pregnancy Prevention
Traditionally in the olden days there were no sanitary pads. Girls and women used piece of cloth for their periods. Girls were taught how to behave and carry themselves in the community during their first periods. Elders in the family had methods they used to prevent pregnancy at an early age where they will ask for the piece of cloth that the girl had used while on periods before washing it. They dried it with blood on it and put it in a bottle or in a place where people can’t reach.

They believed that this prevented girls to fall pregnant. They can only take it out when the girl is old enough and is ready to start her own family. This was kept as a secret even to the girl. There were instances where the person who was responsible for hiding that cloth would die without telling another person the whereabouts of the cloth. This caused problems because the girl will be labelled as barren. Some people were able to get help from traditional healers. 

Sources:
Mr T Blose, the writer of the book, African Languages
Miss P Ndlovu, Sangoma, Umbumbulu

Story Written By: Bongiwe Ndlovu
Additional Information by: Nelisiwe Hlongwane

Leave a Comment