Kmtyw Traditional Religion:Amasiko-gctid23642

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Kmtyw Traditional Religion

Amasiko (Rituals)

Rituals are extraordinary practices performed by the living for the spiritual world. These are communal religious practices for some special purposes like thanksgiving, rites of passage, appeasement, divination and sometimes for special needs on request of ancestors. Rituals revive the ancestors, which also means the relationship between the physical and the spiritual worlds. In these religious gatherings the community acts out its various forms of worship. Through these rituals unity and healing are achieved.

Ritual practice in Kmtyw Traditional Religion is fundamental because people act out their religious beliefs in public. It is in ritual practice that individual religious participation and sharing is commemorated besides the daily practice based on respect and good morality. the community involvement is experienced in an "acted" form as there are times of "insiders" and "outsiders" participation. This participation is seen in the first taste (ukushwama) ritual practice which is only for the clan members.

Main Categories of Rituals

  1. Amasiko Ekhaya (Kinship Rituals) Kinship rituals are specifically clan based. Kinship rituals are focused on an individual within the clan. The holistic healing of an individual depends on the kinship rituals. Her physical health, spiritual and emotional healing; are all based on kinship rituals. This type of ritual includes the rites of passage (birth, initiation, marriage and death), thanksgiving and appeasement. All rituals, irrespective of what the purpose may be, have a therapeutic effect. The symbolic recognition of the Spiritual Power is perceived in a ritual. In some communities, the "crying" of a sacrificial animal (usually a goat or an ox) before it is killed shows the acceptance of the offer by the spiritual world. The "cry" must not be mistaken for pain as some western interpretation declares. The accepted animal makes a cry once it enters the kraal before it is touched by an assegai. When the animal is consecrated by having an assegai thrust between its legs and some sacred speech simalteneously is uttered to the spiritual world, it continues with the "cry". If it does not cry it is let loose (xa ingakhalanga iyayekwa), as that is a sign of the rejection of the ritual by the spiritual world. If the animal is rejected, it may be due to the wrong person leading the process or because the ritual was not properly done from the beginning. Sometimes when one or more members of the family break the taboos prior to ritual performance or there is disharmony, the sacrifice is not accepted. During the ritual process all differences are set aside because ritual practice cannot proceed if there are conflicts, grudges, or power struggles within the members of the clan.

   Unity and purity are the goals for communal worship; unity with God, relatives, friends and neighbours, and purity within oneself which brings peace form within. This results in better communication between persons in the community.

   In a ritual a child learns and participates in ethical issues. While adults communally teach the young, at the same time they remind themselves of their obligation to be respectful citizens of the community. The aim of the ritual to create a healthy communication between the spiritual world and the physical world. Elderly people should live an examplary life so as to bring up a God fearing generation that will respect life and the environment they live in.

  2. Amasiko Esizwe (Societal Rituals)
   Societal rituals involve the community as a whole. In cases where there is a national disaster like drought and famine, people suggest a communal religious practice usually on a mountain through the chief. The community wil arrange a day to go to the mountain and appeal to God and the ancestors. On the mountain people wi sing and invoke izihlwele (all their clan ancestors) together as a community. As drought and femine involves the community at large, it is therefore the duty of the community head to take responsibility for the harmony of his/her people.

   All these rituas are done in a communal way. Both the clan and the community are involved so as to witness the practises. Kmtyw Traditional Religion therefore can be summarised as a way of life of the indegenous black people of Kmt. It permeates all aspects of life; socially, physically, mentally, spiritually, etc. The ultimate aim is to unify human beings and maintain harmony within oneself, the clan, the community, between the physical world and the spiritual world.

Copyright 1999 The Xhosa Virtual Resource Network

[olufemi_baina_ayo]

Kmtyw Traditional Religion

Amasiko (Rituals)

The Format Of All Ritual
The "Holy meal" (umoshwamo) which takes place on the day of the "falling of the beast", is termed "iyeza (medicine)", which symbolically shows that it has a healing effect. "Falling of the beast" means the day the animal is killed which is also the day where the climax is reached when the clan communicates with the ancestors. During umoshwamo all the blood related members in the clan, both males and females, participate. These blood relatives are called inside the kraal where the intsonyama or special meat is roasted without salt. Each member is given a piece of roasted meat and a sip of Kmtyw beer (umqombothi or utywal besitu) by one of the clan elderly chosen for that job. The roasted meat is not put on plates but on branches of some special plants that are not used on a daily basis. Some families for instance use umthathi (sneeze wood) as a special plant and the ritual cannot take place without umthathi, otherwise it would not be complete.

Umoshwamo is given after some sacred words are said to the ancestors by the elderly. During ukushwama the kraal becomes an altar, and is spiritually charged with sacredness. The branches on which the meat is put, and the sip of umqombothi symbolise the earthy life and the relationship with the living; the consecrated meat is the visible sign of the invisible spiritual world governing life upon the earth.

Umoshwamo marks the climax of all rituals, it shows how successfull and accepted the ritual is. The other meat is used as food for those who attended the ritual. Neighbours and friends who have come to share the ritual with the clan are also intertained. A ritual ends with the burning of all bones of the sacrificial animal.

Copyright 1999 The Xhosa Virtual Resource Network

[olufemi_baina_ayo]

Kmtyw Traditional Religion

Amasiko (Rituals)

Rites Of Passage

  1. Birth
  2. Initiation
  3. Marriage
  4. Death
  5. Ukungxengxeza (Ritual of Appeasement)
  6. Thanksgiving

Birth
A new born baby is introduced to the community of the living and the departed by performing the Birth ritual. An animal is slaughtered and its blood symoblises the unification of the physical and the spiritual worlds of the child. Several processes take place from the day the child is born. The baby is welcomed by the elderly women until the piece of the umbilical cord falls off (awise inkaba). Ifuku, the period before the falling of inkaba when the mother is confined inside the hut, symbolises that the new member of the family does not only to the clan members but also to the whole community, as not only the clan women participate in ukufukamisa (to pariticipate during ifuku) but also women from the neighbourhood. Umdlezana (breast-feeding mother) and the child come out after the cord has fallen off and been buried in a religious way by the elderly clan women.

The burial of an inkaba seals the permanent attachement of an individual to his or her ancestral land. It is what one could claim as the "Home". Inkaba is then commonly used metaphorically to mean one's place of birth, one's ancestral home. It symbolises the relationship between the individual, his/her clan, the land and the spiritual world. The burial place of an inkaba is a place where one must go and thonga, (special dreams in connection with ancestors), communicate with ancestors. It is in the same main hut that one must sleep when experiencing problems. In such circumstances one must sleep either on a goat's skin or on a mat (ukhuko) but not on a bed.

After the falling of inkaba, a ritual is performed which includes the whole community. The ritual (imbeleko, ukuqatywa) is the public announcement that a particular clan has a new member who needs a welcome into the community. The skin of the sacrificial animal is owned by the child and is kept for religious purposes. The child sleeps on it when it encounters some health problems that are not related to ordinary biological dysfunctioning of cells but are spiritually related. The skin also symbolises the religious connection of the animal to the ancestors as the animal was used as a medium between the child and the spiritual world.

Non-performence of the ritual results in punishment as the child has been denied some important aspects of his/her life like not being introduced to the community or attached to the ancestral land. Parents are reminded of their obligation to perform a ritual when problems occur. To mention a few; bed-wetting of an adult or defecating in am improper place, a constant urge to spill blood, a psychological problem leading a person to stab another without reason. In such circumstances the clan elderly takes responsibility to reconcile the debt by performing the ritual due or to appease.

Initiation
When a child reaches puberty, an initiation ritual is performed to mark the passage inot adulthood. This applies to both boys (ulwaluko) and girls (intonjane). Initiation is also a deeply religious practice where a sacrificial animal is killed whose blood binds the initiand to the departed of the clan. The forms of initiation may differ according to ethnic groups, but what is common to the practitioners is that the elderly ceremoniously welcome the young adolescents to their status by performing a communal ritual. During initiation the initiand is secluded, receives instruction on the sacred wisdom of the myths, rituals, doctrines and ethical norms including respect, dignity and sex education from the rightful and accepted people who have already passed the stage. There is a special time for admonitions of the initiand on the day he/she passes out from seclusion. This process is followed by a ceremonial coming out and a celebration.

Marriage
Marriage is for procreation and extends relationships to the wider community. Different rites are performed during marriage to ensure the approval of the ancestors of both families and also to ensure fertility.

Children are a gift from the spiritual world, therefore marriage should be blessed. Rituals and ceremonies accompany or follow the occasion of a wedding. Rituals performed are not only aimed at informing the clan but are also aimed at uniting the two clans, of the bride and the groom. The two clans, abakhozi, are now one as they share the joys, sorrows and burdens - what happens to one is felt by all. The bride and the groom are married when the two biles from the sacrificial animals, one from each home, are mixed and poured in the kraal at emthonyameni (sacred place towards the back of the kraal), after some sacred words by the elderly people are spoken. The mixing of the two biles symbolises that what has been united by God cannot be separated. The product of the marriage, that is the child, cannot be reversed and be brought back into the mother's womb. That is why divorce is discouraged; the two clans try all possible solutions to make a marriage work. The rituals also recongnise that the product(s) of marriage from the two clans cannot be separated.

Though the man and woman are regarded as one in marriage, it is also recognised that the woman must keep her identity, reason why she is also called by her clan name; such as MaDlamini, MaZibula, MaNyathi, etc, with "Ma" showing that one is feminine. A woman religiously belongs to her biological clan. In times of rituals at her home (biological), she is informed and has to attend these as are her 'health'.

Death
Death marks the physical separation of the individual from other human beigns. The soul, which is divine, is believed to join the spiritual world where it originated. Some time after the burial, depending on different clans, a ritual to accompany (ukukhapha) the deceased is performed by the clan. The period may differ from one year up to three years after the death of the individual. This ritual symbolically shows the communal way of life where the living spiritually accompany the deceased to the spiritual world and to "remind" him/her to remember those s/he left behind. Another ritual performed is ukubiyisa (bringing back) the deceased. The bringing back ritual ensures that an individual is spiritually among his or her people and also protects the living.

A grave is respected as it is believed that the one who is inside is not dead but "asleep". In some instances, for various reasons, the living will visit the grave to speak to the deceased. That is why people would like to know where their deceased ancestor is "lying".

Ukungxengxeza (Ritual of Appeasement)
Disrespect to God, ancestors and humanity creates disharmony in the community. Neglect of warnings by the elderly and ancestors result in punishment by the ancestors. Punishment may be through sickness and misfortune. No medication will help and the only cure would be the public acknowledgement of the offence. Admission is done through a public ceremony and a sacrifice is offered accompanied by sacred words and pleas for the forgiveness of the offender. The elderly announce the reason for a ritual and there would be ukushwama (holy meal) shared or provided by the offender and the clan.

Healing would be reached as the offender is reconciled with himself/herself, the clan members, the whole community and the spiritual world.

Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving celebrations can be clan based or may be societal. Achievement is considered to be a gift from the spiritaul world and therefore one has to thank one's ancestors. Even in modern society, most people would perform umhlinzeko (thanksgiving celebration) for the progress one has achieved, or in the case of a migrant labourer brew some beer or they would slaughter an ox or a goat when they return home. Nowadays there are many adaptations. Some people as a form of thanksgiving would claim benza iti (they are "giving tea") to the ancestors.

The festival of the first fruit is celebrated by most Kmtyw ethnic groups to thank the Supernatural Power and the ancestors for a good harvest. The chief initiates the celebration in a chiefdom. He first tastes the harvest and then other people follow in order of their importance/status.

Copyright 1999 The Xhosa Virtual Resource Network