It was such a random day which I guess is typical Africa. We started off by going to ? town to get some snackies and some fuel. The town was just hopping with activity and people. Apparently Saturdays is the day to come to town and visit and do your shopping. There were 2 huge line ups outside the grocery store for people getting their Saturday lottery tickets. There was a little market set up for people to sell clothes, fruit, crafts, etc as well.
It’s very common for people to walk along the road and hitch a ride. There are lots of taxi vans that people use to get around, as well as just hitch hiking. But people are always going somewhere. And there are lots of cattle strolling alongside and on the roads, as well as goats.
Next we went to the house of Anton’s friends so we could find out how to get to the Sangoma. His friend’s mother came out and gave us a handful of bananas fresh off the tree. Then we went into the next town and picked up his friend’s friend, who was to take us to the Sangoma, which is his mother. But first we had to stop and talk to his wife so he could tell her he wasn’t going to see his girlfriend and that he was coming with us. This obviously started a conversation for us girls with Anton to get this whole wife/multiple girlfriend thing sorted out in our minds. It is very common for men to have several women in their lives. The Zulu King and the President have several wives each. And when you have a girlfriend it is out in the open and talked about, it isn’t kept a secret. I asked if the women have more than one husband or girlfriend and he said no, that would be cheating. So obviously there is a huge double standard. He said that if a man wants to have a second wife, he will tell his first wife that he will bring another women home to help her out (ya, like he’s doing her a big time favor). I asked if the number of women in a man’s life declines as he ages. Anton said it depends on how ‘strong’ a man is, but there is a tree that will help them with that, ha ha!
Then we headed to the Sangoma’s house which was way tucked away and was a really lovely homestead (basically a fenced off area with several homes in it for all the family members). It was really neat and tidy compared to the ones I saw last week in the more rural areas. We went into the one round hut which had concrete floors and walls, thatched roof and a power source and light switch, which seemed funny to me. The floor was covered in grass mats and hides. The main, older Sangoma came in along with some younger ones in training. We got an opportunity to ask her general questions about being a Sangoma. Basically it is something that you are called to do by your ancestors, so not everyone can be a Sangoma. And it also runs in the family, so likely several of her children will be Sangomas as well, including men. After you are called, the training may take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Basically people go to them for any problems they are having and with the use of their ancestors and yours, they can see the future and can help you and make suggestions to fix things gone wrong in your life.
We took turns having our time with the Sangoma, with Anton staying there to translate. It was very interesting to watch it all happen. They sort of meditate and chant while mixing a pile of bones, shells, dice, rocks, coins (whatever they have chosen and is meant to be a part of their ceremony, each person’s being different) on the floor. Then they push and scatter them on the mat and then read and interpret what it says. Anton’s ancestors kept budding into my time and causing some confusion. While it was my turn, Natasha was asked to come inside and pour some water on the floor of the hut so the ancestors could have some water since she was drinking some after her session. I guess it is disrespectful to not give the ancestors whatever you are having first. I was also told that I was sitting like a man which was disrespectful to the ancestors and I had to change my position.
Afterwards, we were invited into a different hut where there was a bit of a ceremony going on. One of the trainees was being ‘taken over’ by the ancestors, which I guess brings on a gathering/ceremony. Before we went in I asked if I could take photos and they said yes however once I got in there I realized it was much too private for photographs. This women was chanting and moaning and groaning in a very low gruff voice and was walking around on her knees shaking people’s hands with her eyes closed. Everyone once in a while a bunch of the other people in there would start singing and beating their drums. Then another women also got ‘taken over’ and she began to chant and join in. Although she appeared to be in real pain and Anton said as it’s happening, it feels like you are being stabbed by many needles.
We left after a little while as this ceremony would take a while. We were all silent and reflecting on what we just witnessed. We understood it was very intimate and private moment and we were all very thankful to get to experience it. We had so many questions about it all but were just happy to have been a part of it.
Afterwards we headed to the beach and played in the waves and in the sand. We packed up and headed home, taking a short cut through the neighboring game reserve. We ended up coming across the elephant heard so were stuck for over an hour waiting for them to pass. Then, as we were just about at Thanda’s entrance, we saw a leopard dart across the road into the bushes. We all hooped and hollered as it is a very rare sighting and we were so excited. I can now say I’ve seen all of the Big 5! It definitely capped off an amazing day full of the African experience.
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