CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
3.6 Historical Background of the Population of the Study
The location of the study is Vhembe District Municipality and the participants / collaborators / co-designers Vhomaine comprised of two ethical groups, namely:
Vhavenda and VaTsonga. A brief historical background of Vhavenda and VaTsonga is outlined hereunder to understand their cultural heritage and tradition, thus the practitioners of indigenous health knowledge. These have also informed the outcomes of the study.
3.6.1 The History of Vhavenda
Vhavenda people moved to Venda from the Great lake in Central Africa, present day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda and Western side of Tanzania.
They crossed Limpopo river and settled in the Soutpansberg mountains terrain stretching East-West of the Limpopo Province (Mabogo, 2012:8). It is believed that Vhavenda originated from Mapungubwe kingdom founded in 9th century. Shangana as a clan of Vhavenda, are said to have inhabited Venda as early as 6th century and Mapungubwe was their capital. Masingo fused all the clans in Venda such as Vhalaudzi, Vhandalamo, Vhalemba, Vhangona and others to form a nation known as Vhavenda.
Vhavenda have a rich cultural heritage associated with the spirit world. Being led by Masingo, they had a drum known as Ngomalungundu (‘the drum which thunders’), which play a very similar role to that of the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ (Le Roux, 2009:102).
This was a sacred drum of Mwali or Mwari currently known as Nwali, who is the Great God of Vhavenda. Ngomalungundu served as the spear and shield and it was only carried by the clan of Vhandalamo or Vhalemba and was not supposed to touch the
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ground. This has been supported by Moller-Malan (1953) who postulated that Ngomalungundu was considered sacred and was not to be touched improperly or placed on the bare ground as was the case with the ‘Ark of the Covenant’. Georges (1968) added that inside the drum were sacred objects which belonged to Vhasedzi, probably known as Vhavenda, which bring magical skills during warfare. It played a mysterious and fearsome role within Vhavenda (Le Roux 2009:105). Drums tend to symbolize political and religious authority in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kruger 1996:49).
Ngomalungundu was used as a war-drum in the days when there was a fighting in the Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo Province (Kirby 1953:38). Today, the remains of Ngomalungundu are said to be in Harare Museum. After various wars amongst the clans, Vhavenda were ruled by Thohoyandou and the kraal was at Dzata.
Vhavenda express their beliefs and customs through the art decorations on their structures, pottery and woodcarving. They associate water source with a divine Python god. They regard Lake Fundudzi as holy and sanctified. Venda legends are associated with drums such as murumba (treble drum), thungwa (smaller bass drum) and ngoma (bass drum). As aforementioned, long before the arrival of European missionaries, Vhavenda believed in the existence of a Supreme Being, Nwali (God), who was referred to as Musika Vhathu or Mutumbula Vhathu (Creator of Mankind). Nwali was the protector and defender of Vhavenda and provided them with rain. According to Vhavenda cultural standards, vhadzimu (ancestors or living-dead), are those people who died at a mature age. They are immortal beings who are no longer capable of sinning and can communicate directly with Nwali or God. The traditional healers who are Vhomaine, the diviners, have a close association with ancestors or living-dead and spirits that guide and protect the Vhavenda community. The greatest healer and diviner (Vhomaine) was referred to as Dzolokwe or Dzembelekete. Vhomaine diagnose any illness and prescribe medication. They first consult with spirit world before giving healing herbs. Tshikona as a royal dance was also played at religious ceremonies. Apart from Tshikona, there is a Domba dance which is called Python dance.
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According to Mabogo (2012), Vhavenda used indigenous plants for food, medicine, firewood, building art and as source of oil and dye, for shade and as ornaments.
Mabogo (2012), further averred that most of Vhavenda names of plants are related to their traditional uses, morphology, anatomy and chemistry. These indigenous plants are the source of traditional medicines which have the advantage of being near at hand and provide medical treatment at low cost and today still occupy an important role in the lives of many people.
3.6.2 The History of VaTsonga
VaTsonga originated from East Africa. They moved down to the South of Africa and settled in Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. According to Munghanalonenefm (2015), VaTsonga originated from Central Africa and arrived in South Africa 1000 years ago. They settled in the coastal plains of Southern Mozambique and later migrated to the then Transvaal Province in South Africa during the early 1800. VaTsonga in South Africa share some history with the Tsonga people of Southern Mozambique.
Some argued that not all VaTsonga are Shangaans, but Soshangaan who died in 1858 managed to unite Tsonga and Shangaan tribes and then called Vatsonga-Mashangaan.
Amashangaan were attacked and defeated by the Portuguese which resulted in the dispersal of Amashangaan all over the country and some become victims of migrant labour system. In 13th March 1896 Nghunghunyane and his generals were banished to Portugal as prisoners of war. Nghunghunyani’s uncle called Mpisane was forced to leave Mandlakazi together with his wives, the remaining members of the royal family and his followers, and they settled at Bushbuckridge in the Mpumalanga province.
Nghunghunyane was the last king to rule over Gaza Kingdom. He died on 23 December 1906 at the age of 53 and was buried in Portugal (News 24).
VaTsonga living along the Limpopo river are known for a number of traditional dances such as Mchongolo, Xigubu, Makwaya and Xibelani. VaTsonga have a strong
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acknowledgement of their ancestors or living-dead who are believed to have a considerable effect on the lives of their descendants. Their traditional healers are called Nànga. Legend has it that the first Tsonga diviners of the South African lowveld were a woman called Nkomo We Lwandle (Cow of the Ocean) and a man called Ndunga Manzi (Stirring Waters). It is alleged that a powerful serpent, Nzhunzhu (Ndhzhundhzhu), captured them and submerged them in deep waters and lived underwater breathing like fish. They were released and emerged from water on their knees as powerful diviners with an assortment of potent herbs for healing once their king had slaughtered a cow for Nzhunzhu. This explained how VaTsonga were trained as diviners. Those who are called by the ancestors / living-dead to become Nànga will become the client of a senior diviner who will heal the sickness and invoke their ancestral spirits and train them as diviners themselves. This supports the organizational Knowledge creation theory where people learn through socialization, externalization, combination and internalization. The spirits are identified by the language they speak and generally are Ngoni, Ndau and Malopo. The Ndau spirit is said to possess the descendants of the Gaza soldiers who had slain the Ndau and taken their wives.