adminStephen Ephraem
AS one travels between Save and Limpopo rivers, hot climatic conditions become order of the day. Each side of the road has savannah type of vegetation. Acacia and mopane thickets wave at the passers-by. The bushes are nothing other than elephants’ favourite dinner.
The region is referred to as the South-eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe. One of its natural ornament, Gonarezhou National Park, which is home to the small five and the big five game, is part of The Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Park. The trans-frontier park incorporates Limpopo National Park, Kruger National Park and Gonarezhou National Park of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively.
Before the three parks existed, the land belonged to the Tsonga people, commonly known as Shangani people or Machangana. Who are really the Tsonga people and what’s so fascinating about their culture?
The name Tsonga existed before the words Shangani. Like Shona language which incorporates dialects like Karanga, Zezuru, Manyika and others, Tsonga is a collective language for Rhonga, Hlengwe, Bila, Shangani, Ndzawu (Ndau), N’walangu, Nhlanganu, Hlave, Tswa and N’wanati. But the Ndzawu and Tswa tribes refuse to be identified as Tsonga. If Shangani is a dialect of Tsonga, how come it overshadowed the mother term?
This dates back to the 19th century. Shanganis drew their name from their leader Soshangana. A descendant of the Ngunis and cousin to Zwide II of the Ndwandwe kingdom, Soshangana refused to be incorporated into the Zulu kingdom after Zwide II was defeated by Shaka in 1819. He fled from Zululand and finally settled in southern Mozambique. Along the way, Soshangana conquered tribes like Chopi, Ngomane, Ndzawu and Shongonono and incorporated them into his ethnic group. So the Shanganis dominated all other Tsonga tribes.
In 1824, Soshangana named his kingdom Gaza after his forefather. In 1837, he established his capital in present day Gaza province in Mozambique. Soshangana fathered Mzila from his first wife and Mawewe from his great wife. In 1858, he died at Chayimite in Gaza province.
His sons fought for the chieftainship. Although Mzila had been left to succeed his father, he fled with his followers to South Africa. In 1862, with the help of Joao Albasini, an appointed Portuguese consul and Portuguese traders, Mzila return and fought back. After defeat, Mawewe fled to Swaziland. Then Mzila moved his capital to Chipinga (now Chipinge) in Zimbabwe. Chipinga is derived from a Tsonga verb kupinga which means “to carry by men.” A European commissioner was carried whenever he visited places like Mahenye.
In 1884, Mzila’s son Ngungunyana took over as chief. He moved his capital to present day Manjakazi in Mozambique’s Gaza province. On realising that his kingdom was being invaded by the British and the Boers, he signed a treaty with the Portuguese government. The Portuguese demarcated boundaries of the Gaza kingdom further.
In 1895, Ngungunyana placed his kingdom under the British. Angered, the Portuguese fought the Gaza regiments whom they defeated. Ngungunyana and his generals were captured and banished to Portugal as prisoners of war. This led to the collapse of the Gaza kingdom. In 1906, Ngungunyana died in Portugal. It should be noted that although Shangani became a powerful tribe, not all Tsonga tribes became Shangani. It is correct to say that all Shanganis are Tsonga but not all Tsongas are Shangani.
Traces of the Gaza kingdom are notable this present day. In Zimbabwe, Chipinge and Chiredzi districts identify themselves with the name Gaza. Chipinge’s high density suburb is called Gaza Town Ship, with extensions such as Gaza E and Gaza O. One of the forests in Chipinge east that borders Mozambique with Zimbabwe is called Ngungunyana Forest.
There is a place in Chipinge east called Mzila. Chiredzi rural district is called Gaza-Khomanani. In South Africa, Ngungunyana’s life size statue is found in Giyani in the Limpopo province.
In 1966, the Tsonga people in Zimbabwe were removed from their original homes to pave way for the establishment of Gonarezhou National Park. To this day, the Tsonga people refer to the game park as “marhumbini ahina” (our deserted homes).
What is so unique about the Tsonga culture that makes it a tourism package for the Great Limpopo Trans-Frontier Park?
The Tsonga have a rich, but secretive culture that includes the initiation school and traditional fishing called Saila. They circumcise their young males for them to graduate into manhood. According to the Centre for Cultural Development Initiative, 80 percent of the Tsonga men and women are graduates of the initiation school which goes by the name khomba for women and nghoma for men.
Many Tsonga people are well educated formally but they possess degrees in their cultural education. How they avoid being attacked by crocodiles during the traditional fishing ceremony is what should make Saila a tourism package. Effort is being made to teach Tsonga language in formal schools. Books like Hluvuko waHina series edited by Herbert Hasani Pikela are the first Tsonga books to be published for primary schools.
Tsonga chiefs namely Chiredzi’s Sengwe, Tshovani and Gudo and their headmen Mpapa and Chilonga and Chipinge’s Mahenye should start considering the initiation graduation and traditional fishing ceremonies as tourism packages for the Great Limpopo Trans-Frontier tourists.
There is a great similarity between the Tsonga graduation ceremony procession and Harare International Carnival’s street procession.
The Tsonga initiation school is meant to inculcate cultural values in youths; are there any other avenues the young generation can be incorporated into cultural issues? The forthcoming article shall discuss the issue.
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