Chronicle Editor
THE sun, being the brightest star, is bound to have found its way into several mythologies among the numerous ethnic groups on the African continent. When we talk about day and night, we are, in essence, referring to the presence or absence of the sun.
Time is reckoned in terms of the sun as it travels across the sky. Of course, we do know that what is travelling is the earth rather than the sun. Day is about the length of the sun-determined unit of time. Night is similarly the unit of time when the sun is off the sky and its light is not visible.
Mythologies emerge around this day and night sequence. It is a sequence with many repercussions and manifestations in terms of social, cultural and economic events. Light is white and is positively looked upon. Most rituals and ceremonies are conducted during the day, when the sun is visible in the sky. Our vision and sight are about the presence of light emitted by the sun.
In one article, we gave emphasis to potency that is a state of presence or degree of energy that is available. Rituals are conducted during that time. Sometimes it was a case of balancing energy from the sun and that from the moon. The latter reflected light from the sun when the sun was not visible during the night. The moon shone, albeit in a dimmed manner as was explained in one mythology.
Stars hold no prospect for human habitation. There is, these days, talk about the aliens how the humans face trepidation. There is a possibility that they exist somewhere but it will not be on one of the stars that are white hot. The planets and moons might be the abode of aliens that are watching over us. I have always said it is most unlikely that we could be the only specimens of humanity (the Homo sapiens) in the universe. Surely, there must be some planet or moon whose conditions are similar to those that characterise Mother Earth.
One of the conditions is the presence of oxygen, the presence of water and gravity. Detection of nitrates and phosphorus is always met with joy, as these elements may be pointers to the possible presence of life in outer space. Scientific research continues to unravel more information about the extra-terrestrial world. The voyages of discovery are far from over yet. What took place in the 15th and subsequent centuries will take place once again. There were nations that led the way. Other nations were not involved. The same will happen in the latest episode. Just as there were doubting Thomases back then, there will be the same Thomases who will cast doubts on the successful prospects of scientific researches.
Anyway, that speculation and prognosis is not our thrust. The future will pass judgment on our pontifications. For now, we need to appreciate the characteristics of the sun that underpinned and inspired its perceptions and hence the resulting cultural practices, including rituals and ceremonies. Stars, unlike planets and moons, emit light of their own. They contain gases that are burning-actually reacting. Helium and Hydrogen are some of the gases. An object that is moderately hot may be visible. When it gets hotter, it turns red and glows. We can still see it.
The resulting energy in the form of heat is at a very high temperature and in the process; it becomes red hot though still visible. The next stage is white heat. The extremely hot object emits white light. The stars should be viewed in that regard. They are white hot. Their brightness to viewers on earth may depend on the distance from earth, among other factors. Due to the extreme white heat, we cannot tell the design of a white star. We know the sun is circular when it sets or rises when it is a crimson orange.
Not so long ago fluorescent light tubes were common. They began to replace the older light bulbs with incandescent filaments that got white hot. The fluorescent tubes contained gas that was heated to white heat and very bright.
While the planets and moons were outshone by the whiter stars, the latter assumed statuses that were way above those of the planets and moons that reflected light from the stars, in particular the sun. The stars number trillions and trillions and they have their own planets with their moons. With these qualities, the stars entered the cultural world of humans. Symbolism and metaphor played their roles and mirrored communities and societies on earth.
So luminous and glorious a heavenly body would not have escaped the gaze of the humans on earth. Symbolism and the metaphor played on the unchallenged status of the sun as, from the perspective of earthlings, the king of all stars. In fact, such a glamorous heavenly body was bound to be even seen as a god. Indeed, in Egypt there was a much-revered sun god known as Ra.
Where there were, innumerable stars, planets, and moons, humans could not help to attach some pecking order to the heaves. There was, in their view, some observable hierarchical order. Soon the socio-political order in the cosmos was replicated on earth. This was one of the reasons that led to the adoption of the now famous African adage — “As above, so below.” Social and political structures on earth were fashioned out of what humans perceived to be the cosmic order.
As a result, some kings and chiefs on earth claimed that their positions were divine. They are derived from the divine cosmos. Besides, there was a belief that when people die, ultimately their souls, after several earthly incarnations, fly towards a star. This inevitably led to certain ideas about royalty. The positions that they occupied or held, by virtue of being divinely given, were for them to hold until they breathed their last. When western societies were democratizing and whittling down royal power in Africa the new leaders envied traditional leadership where rulers sat on thrones until Kingdom Come. They sought to occupy their positions until Kingdom Come. That was what Africa had known.
When royalty was replaced by democracy and elections, we began to hear sweet bitter claims, “My people love me and want me to continue to represent their interests.” The heavenly stars and their perceptions led to the claims alongside with buttressing traditional celestial perceptions.
Just a cursory look at some names will illustrate what we are trying to say. The name Langa featured prominently in Nguni history. King Mzilikazi’s father was Matshobana whose father was Mangethe. Mangethe’s father was Ngululu whose father was Langa. Among the Ndwandwe people, there was the name of their king Zwide whose father was Langa, hence Zwidekalanga. They were the Nxumalos.
Then we have the Bhebhe people in Zimbabwe who left present day KwaZulu-Natal to settle in what today is known as Zimbabwe. They were assimilated into the local dominant political order and assumed its language. They became Tumbale/Tumbare. Despite their assimilation, the Bhebhe who had assumed a high military position in the Lozwi/Rozwi State still knew their origins-that they were part of Abaselangeni, an Nguni group of people.
Arguably, the best-known Bhebhe personality way back then was Nandi the mother of King Tshaka. Senzangakhona was his father. The name came following the death of King Jama’s senior queen. The late queen had gotten twins better known uMkabayi and Mmama. The former is the woman who plotted the death of King Tshaka in 1828 in the hands of Dingane and Mhlangana.
When Senzangakhona was born, there was jubilation as it became clear the Zulu nation was set to be perpetuated. The twins appropriately exclaimed that, “Senzangakhona,” meaning they had done well by personally going out to seek some woman who was going to replace the late queen, their mother. The name of the woman was uMthaniya kaManyelela okaSibiya who belonged to the well-known group of as AmaNtungwa. It was the name of this Ntungwa queen that led to the reference of KZN as Elikamthaniya (ilizwe) or EsikaMtshaniya (isizwe).
What is relevant to this article is the fact that the Bhebhes knew they were Abaselangeni. In their names, one comes across some that refer to eLangeni such as Ntombiyelangeni or Ntombiyelanga.
It has been said that King Tshaka, once he dislodged Prince Sigujana the pretender and usurper of the Zulu throne faced the challenge of how to get rid of his most able military general, Mzilikazi. King Tshaka’s father Senzangakhona was born of a Ntungwa woman, Queen Mthaniya. This means King Tshaka had Ntungwa blood in his veins. Queen Mthaniya was his paternal grandmother.
King Tshaka was at pains to take decisive action against his able military general. However, there was mounting pressure from some of his army generals. Faced with mounting pressure, he sent Izimpohlo against his friend and relative, uMzilikazi kaMatshobana. He dispatched Izimpohlo and later uMbelebele uMbelebele his crack regiment. Both failed to deliver decisive and telling blows against General Mzilikazi and his fighters.
Inyanga abath’ ifil’ uZulu kant’ ithwasile,
Ithwase ngoNyokana kaMpeyana!
The moon that the Zulu thought was dark (dead).
However, lo and behold, it rose (triumphed) against Nyokana (King) the son of Mpeyana.
Online Reporter