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CERTAIN needs, necessities and requirements demand that space be built up to meet those needs, necessities and requirements.
In a settled area, different structures are built in accordance to the functionalities and utilities must be met, and these are created, built and used according to the world-view of the community.
The plans and designs of the settlements must, of necessity meet the ideas of the community in terms of its ideologies, architectural dictates, cultural development and technologies, among other factors.
How space is demarcated, equally depends on the identified utilities/functionalities. Cultural and technological developments thus become important factors to take into consideration.
A settled area will, inevitably, have varied zones for specified and distinct functions such as zones for residence, industrial production, grain storage, military parade and spaces dedicated to royalty where the King and his Queens and requisite personnel lived.
In the case of Old Bulawayo, it is imperative to appreciate the roles of the King and his status in the various aspects of his life. This is done in order to discern how these factors were spatially expressed and how their relatedness was articulated.
The architectural designs of cultural structures are equally important so as to appreciate how they were applied in accordance with the community’s world-view, perceptions, ideas about aesthetics, influences of cosmic reality, and the expressions of socio-economic statuses. The socio-political matrices of that community were spatially expressed and architecturally represented on the site.
The King occupied the highest rung in the socio-economic ladder for the state and nation. He was the richest man in the land. His wealth was expressed in various ways.
The Ndebele were pastoralists. Cattle were socially, politically and economically important in that society. Large herds were kept and the King possessed the largest herd. Some of his cattle were kept at the royal town while there were more others parcelled out to people living far away.
That was a measure to pre-empt the decimation of the herds in the event of an outbreak of some diseases prevalent at the time such as the rinderpest, indalimana.
It was no wonder therefore that the King had quite extensive cattle pens to hold his vast herds. Further, the presence of numerous bones, which were burnt annually, bore evidence to slaughter of cattle at the royal town.
Meat was an important component in the culinary traditions of the Ndebele. Later, it will be explained why the King annually presided over the ritual of burning the bones.
The King maintained a large harem of queens. Some were kept within the Royal Enclosure while others were retained at large regimental villages and lived near the chief’s village.
The geographical or spatial extensions of royalty allowed the King to rely on the intelligence network of his close associates. The royal queens lived there with their children, the princesses and the princes.
From time to time, the King visited these royal extensions and inevitably, they became the strategic ears and eyes of the King. That way, the powerful chiefs’ political shenanigans and intrigue were closely monitored and curtailed.
In the case of King Lobengula, it is known, for example, that there was Queen Mahwe (Marwe) Ndiweni who lived at Ojingeni under Chief Mletshe Ndiweni.
Queen Makhwa Mafu for King Mzilikazi lived at Godlwayo, a village/regiment led by Mthikana Mafu, son of Dambisamahubo. The measure to establish and maintaining royal extensions was calculated to ensure there was one centre of power throughout the land.
Based on Ndebele culture, the children born to a woman, queen or no queen belonged to the woman’s people. However, Ndebele society was designed in such a manner that the children had to be transferred to their father, king or no king.
In order to facilitate that, the man’s parents, specifically her father, paid amalobolo cattle, which were given to the woman’s father.
That was a social, economic and spiritual arrangement that sealed the deal and transferred custody of the children to their father.
That was the essence of the economic, social and spiritual arrangement known as ukulobola or ukuhlenga abantwana. It was not some sort of commercial transaction of sometimes claimed by those with limited knowledge and understanding of African culture.
The King was the commander-in-chief over the various regiments. That status allowed him to be the sole and exclusive person to order raids on neighbouring tribes for obtaining booty in the mainly in the form of children (abesihlangu, captives), and cattle.
Subservient chiefs, regardless of their power and status were not allowed to order raids. Power and authority to do that were vested in the monarch.
The centre of power was one, the King used that arrangement to become the richest man in the land and was thus in a position to extend the safety nets to the populace when the need arose. That guaranteed loyalty to him as the supreme provider of sustenance and political protection. Possible centrifugal forces within the state were obviated.
The King had the power to access resources from neighbouring ethnic groups that he had subjugated. From time to time, he received tributes from these people. This is a relationship that the King used to justify interference in the succession matters of such groups.
The chieftaincies in Chivi, for example, constituted the tributary state and the King was keen to see chiefly succession that did not disturb the relationship between the King and the chieftaincy.
From time to time, the King received men from tributary tribes that came to do service within the Ndebele State and returned home at the end of their contracts.
The existence of such arrangements is borne out of some names such as Mufiri, the one who sacrificed himself for the sake of the rest of his people. Literally, he died for them.
Back then, tobacco snuff was regarded as very important. There were tribes that produced quality tobacco that was supplied to royalty.
The one such group of expert tobacco growers were the Sankwe (Shangwe) under Chief Nyoka in Gokwe. The conically shaped “loaves” of processed tobacco was made with holes in their centres.
A long stick was obtained and used to carry the tobacco to Matabeleland. Princess Sidambe, married to Siyatsha Fuyana, was one such recipient of this sort of tobacco from the Sankwe growers in Gokwe. For a long time igwayi lakoNyoka was famous because of its quality.
Both men and women used powdered tobacco for snuffing rather than smoking. Some men and women used the ground tobacco to place into their mouths with their gums and teeth assuming an unsightly dark brown hue.
All manner of snuff boxes were used, from wooden receptacles to spent gun cartridges. Hollowed out ends of cow horns were also used as snuffboxes. These were hung around the necks sometimes together with izintebe, the protective charms around the necks.
The King ensured the spiritual skills available among the original inhabitants were availed to him. The traditional doctors from those groups were brought to the capital town where they dispensed their skills.
There were figurines associated with the Shona, which were placed at the foundations of the wooden royal palisade as fortification measures for the Royal Enclosure, and indeed the person of King.
Indeed, there are many examples of Shona traditional doctors who were brought to the Royal Town for their services. Chirovi (Sibanda) from Chivi was one such.
The Chivi people were close to the eastern frontier of the core Ndebele State and many retained relations with the Ndebele nation.
Many served within the royal towns where the monarchs lived. It is also well known that King Lobengula summoned the famous medium of Chaminuka the great prophet to the royal residence.
The medium of Chaminuka, one Pasipamire of the Shava clan (who relocated from their kin in BuHera) totem knew he would not make it back to his place known as Dungwiza (Chitungwiza, outside present City of Harare).
Further, the King was the chief spiritual figure for the nation. He invoked his ancestral spirits for the good of the nation. As the Chief Judge, he tried cases referred to him by the senior chiefs.
Given all the numerous roles here given the royal residence revealed the royal roles when archaeological researches were conducted in the 1990s. In the forthcoming articles, we shall focus the spotlight on the research findings that corroborate what has been furnished in this article.
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