Ngibe nengxoxo no Mama Zandile Mthethwa, umama usixoxela ukuthi uyini umehluko phakathi kwesiko nomkhuba owenziwa abantu. Kubantu abamnyama lemikhuba seyigcine yaphenduka yaba ngamasiko futhi yenziwa iwona wonke umuntu. Umkhuba into esuke iqalwe ngumuntu oyedwa bese bonke abantu endaweni bayithande bese beyilandela kugcine sekuthiwa yisiko.
Nazi izibonelo:
Kukhona lokhu okokuthi uma ngabe umuntu eseshonile, eseyobekwa endlini yakhe yokugcina abantu badabule izingubo zakhe kanye nocansi lakhe bakufake ethuneni. Kuthiwa usiko, akusilona usiko into nje eyenziwa umuntu oyedwa owayenesizathu sakhe ukuthi ukwenzelani. Ngokosiko lokhokho bethu akuzange kuthi uma umuntu eyofihlwa emgodini kudatshulwe izingubo zakhe kanye nocansi. Zazibekwa izimpahla zomuntu isikhathi esikhethwa umndeni bese ziyakhishwa uma sekwenziwa umsebenzi wokugezwa zisetshenziswe ngabasaphila.
Nokuthi umuntu wesifazane uma eshonelwe umyeni wakhe kufanele afake izingubo ezimnyama unyaka wonke lokhu akusilona isiko. Kwezinye izindawo abanye bazila ngisho iminyaka emibili. Uthi ngokosiko kwakuthi uma umkhwenyana womuntu eshonile, owesifazane wayengabugqoki ubuhlalo ngoba phela kuqala kwakuhlezi kuvunuliwe uzobe esegqoka isikibha noma ihembe lomyeni wakhe wayekwenza lokhu isikhathi esibekwe ngumndeni hhayi unyaka wonke. Uthi lokhu kugqokwa kwezingubo ezimnyama umkhuba owathathwa kwinkosazane yamaNgisi eyathi ishonelwe umyeni wayo yathi izomzilela ngokuthi igqoke izingubo ezimnyama. Kulabo abathi ukuzila kuyisiko akulona iqiniso.
Kwezinye izindawo kwakuba inkambo (inkambo, indwangu ekhanyayo efakwa ngaphambili esabhayi efakwa ngumuntu wesifazana). Wayeyifaka ukuhlonipha umyeni wakhe noma ekhulelwe wayelifaka leli bhayi elincanyana ukufihla isisu.
Miningi imikhuba esiyenzile engahambisani nathi kanye nosiko lethu. Kufana nalokhu kokuthi abantu kokuthi kushoniwe bafune ukudla emngcwabeni akusilona usiko kodwa abantu bakubheka kabi uma ngabe wangabanika ukudla. Nakhona akwaziwa ukuthi ubani owafika nalomkhuba.
English summary
In this article we look at some examples of customs that are confused as a culture. Customs are man-made and people followed these because they liked what they saw without finding the reason why that person did it.
Some families when there is death on the day of the funeral they take all the clothing for the deceased and tear it with the grass mat that they used. They place this next to the deceased in the grave. Many people followed this customs and it was identified as part of the culture.
Black dress worn by a woman for a period of a year or two years it is said it was adopted from a White lady who wore black dress in respect of her husband. Some families can even disown the deceased wife if she declines to wear black during the mourning period because they claim its part of their culture. In the olden days widows were told not to wear beads and for a certain period they wore their partners tshirt or shirt to show that her husband have died.
In some areas women were a piece of cloth on the front part of their bodies. This cloth covers from the bust to above the knees. This is also worn by pregnant women. This is identified as culture also.
Ezinye izibonelo
Lapha siqhubeka nomehluko phakathi kwemikhuba namasiko enziwa ngabantu. Ngibe nengxoxo Makhosazane Mdabe kanye Sbongile Mbatha abasitshele ngabakwaziyo ngemikhuba kanye namasiko. Okuwumthelela ongemuhle ngokungahlukaniswa kwesiko nomkhuba ukuthi abantu balandela imikhuba kakhulu kunamasiko okuholela ekutheni abantu abasakhula noma abasha abangasakwazi ukuthi bahlukanise noma bafunde izinto ekuyizona ngempela ngamasiko abo. Kuwumsebenzi wabantu abadala ekhaya ukuthi bafundise izingane ngamasiko azo nokuhlukanisa phakathi kwesiko nomkhuba.
Izibonelo zemikhuba
• Ukupheka ukudla emngcwabeni. Lokhu uma kulandelwa akekho umuntu oqhamuka nolwazi oluphelele ukuthi kwavelaphi.
• Ukumbathiswa komuntu ongasekho emhlabeni, ukukhanyiswa kwamakhandlela uma kushoniwe. Ngoba nabantu bayezwakala ukuthi uma lingakhanyiswanga ikhandlela kuholela emabhadini kulabo abasele nakuye lowo osuke eshonile bathi indlela ngeke ayibone. Ngokolwazi olukhona kuthiwa lomkhuba wawenziwa ngabamhlophe ukuze kuhlale kukhanya khona amagundane engeke asidle isidumbu njengoba ngezikhathi zakudala amakhaza ayengekho.
Izibonelo zamasiko
• Ukuvunula kwesintu kuncikene kakhulu nesiko lethu bantu abamnyama. Ngoba abantu bayavunula uma kunemicimbi yamasiko esintu njalonjalo. Futhi ukuvunula kuhlanganiswa nangendlela abantu abaphila ngayo noma ngokwesiko abalilandelayo.
• Ukuhlabela amadlozi senze imisebenzi kushiswe impepho kukhulwe kwaziwa ukuthi kumele wenze umsebenzi wenzele amadlozi. Futhi impepho yayi khiwa entabeni eyayishiswa uma kufunwa ukuthemeleza nedlozi. Ngoba le esidayiswa manje ayisafani nale mpepho yakuqala.
• Ukusetshenziswa kwamakhambi esintu noma ukulashwa ngokwesintu nawo kuncikene kakhulu nesiko abantu bakhule kuphilwa ngakho umuntu nje wayethi uma egula kuhlanganiswe amakhambi esintu.
• Utshwala besintu noma umqombothi nabo buyingxenye yesiko labantu abamnyama abasakholelwa kakhulu emadlozini.
English Summary
In this article we continue with difference between customs and culture. Mrs Makhosazane Mdabe and Sibongile Mbatha shared what they know about these two things. What is noted as being a negative effect in this is that people seem to focus or practice more on customs than culture practices. Which then leads to young people not knowing about their culture. And what they shared was the importance of parents or community leaders to take a role of teaching young people about their background.
Examples of customs that are confused with culture
• Cooking food during a funeral. People don’t have a background of where this practice came from.
• Give gifts to the deceased during a funeral service, lighting of the candles during the mourning period before the actual funeral and they believe that lighting these candles helps the deceased to see their way. According to other sources this was done for the reason that the rats will not feast on the corpse.
Examples relevant to cultural practices
• Traditional attire
• Slaughtering for ancestral ceremonies
• Use of traditional medicine
• Traditional beer
All these things are associated with cultural practices so they form part of culture.
By: Nqobile Mdabe