Book Review by Khanyile Mlotshwa

Traditional Ceremonies of AmaNdebele by Phathisa Nyathi published by Mambo Press, Gweru in 2001.

PHATHISA NYATHI, the Ndebele historian’s book Traditional Ceremonies of AmaNdebele cements his position as a leading authority on the history and culture of the Ndebele people. As the title of the book suggests the book concerns itself with documenting the traditional ceremonies of the tribe. It however goes beyond mere documenting, attempting to put the traditions into context, as it discusses them within their religious context.

It is divided into three parts that are: background religious philosophy, royal ceremonies and general ceremonies. In the first part he deals with Ndebele religious philosophy. In the second Nyathi looks at varied ceremonies that had anything to do with the king like Inxwala, first fruits ceremony, royal coronation, burial of a king, military rites and the rainmaking ceremony. In the third part he looks at ceremonies that concern day-to-day events like childbirth, puberty ceremonies for girls and boys, marriage ceremony, death rites, spirit mediums and the bringing home ceremony.  

In this book Nyathi makes it clear that a number of traditional ceremonies of the AmaNdebele have been well documented by those who made contact with them among them missionaries, hunters, traders, travellers and explorers. However he notes that, though vivid, some of these accounts are arrogant.

Citing religion as the cornerstone of every ceremony among the Ndebele, Nyathi says that (If the Bible in reference to Jesus says in the beginning was the word) the word was equally at the centre of Ndebele religion.

“The word is, the most important aspect in the

communication system…It has been thought that

beer and beef are the chief items in communicating with

the dead. Material things do assist but are not part of the

essence of Ndebele religion” (Pg. 7)

The king is said to have been at the centre of all this. He is said to have been the central player as he was the religious, administrative and political leader of the state.

A historian is a historian, nothing would ever make him a fiction writer, and Nyathi turns to history to fully put his ideas across. However this is justified in that his history helps to put things in context. He narrates how, from the 1820s till the fall of the Ndebele state in 1893, missionary efforts failed to make in-roads into Ndebele society. Among these missionaries was the Reverend Dr Robert Moffat (uMtshede), who knew the Ndebele when they were still in South Africa (present day Pretoria North), William Sykes (uSikiti), Thomas Morgan Thomas, and John Smith Moffat. These three helped Robert Moffat establish Inyathi Mission, the first Christian mission station in Zimbabwe.

When these missionaries, had failed to persuade the Ndebele to abandon their beliefs they scandalized them.

The focal point of part two is this chapter is the Inxwala ceremony, which marked the beginning of the year for the Ndebele. Nyathi also brings various other ceremonies that are related to this one, which Bozongwana describes as:

“The most important, majestic, and ceremonial festival

the tribe has in the year” (Pg. 43)

It also covers umthontiso ceremony, which was held as a prelude to this grand Inxwala festival. While the festival had secretive spiritual elements, Nyathi says whites erroneously called the ceremony a military parade. He said the ceremony might have passed for a first fruits ceremony, but more importantly it had purification as its main aim involving bathing in Matshemhlophe River for all the people.

Nyathi also covers royal coronation, the burial of the king, the rain making ceremony, placing the head ring on old men and military rites, are dealt with.

Nyathi’s marital faithfulness to detail and sensitivity with his language makes it impossible to paraphrase his paragraphs. Any attempt to do that takes the shine off the sentences and ideas.  

He does something to the language he uses. The words are English but the thought pattern is definitely Ndebele. In that sense he can be said to be using “Ndebele in English”. The examples are the two phrases “eaten by the king” to mean that the king killed him and “ate corn” to mean that someone is still alive. He also Anglicizes Ndebele words like giya into ‘giyad’ and mekeza into ‘mekezad’. English readers may check these words even in the Oxford dictionary but would never find them.

In the third part where the writer covers all general ceremonies, Nyathi achieves a rare feat in that he is able to describe fully the ceremony of childbirth. Such an achievement can only come out of serious research and there is no doubt Nyathi has done just that. He also touches on the taboos associated with pregnancy. Examples are that a pregnant woman is not allowed to walk through a herd of cattle otherwise she would neutralize their fertility. She was not allowed to sit on a sheepskin as the sheep is ritually unclean and she is not allowed to see off visitors or to peep into a hut.