On the left: Women carrying fresh harvests from their land and other gifts to the royal homesteads as part of the Ukwethula ritual. On the right: Women with brewed Marula beer enter the Indlu kagogo at the start of the Ihula ritual.
The following article is about events in March last year. We decided to publish it as the communities will be performing the Ihhula ritual on 18 February at Steenbok.
In the heart of Elukwatini, a community, strongly connected to the Swati culture and proud of its heritage, is keeping important traditions alive. On 16 March 2024, the Avontuur community hosted the annual Ukwetfula and Ihhula (Marula) rituals at the Umjindi Royal Kraal.
Ukwetfula is when women carry freshly harvested crops from their fields to deliver them at the royal homesteads. There, a member of the royal family relieves them of the loads they have been carrying on their heads. Some carry big cooking pots and others carry materials like grass brooms, and locally harvested materials that can be used to renovate important structures like the traditional house for rights of passage for boys and girls, if it is in need of repair . Also, the isibaya (the cattle kraal). These renovations are traditionally done at this time of the year.
The Ihhula is a ritual centred around brewed Marula beer made from the delicious fruits of the Marula tree. The Marula tree has deep spiritual significance in many African cultures. It is considered a sacred tree that has the power to connect people with their ancestors and the spirit world. The Ihhula ritual opens the way for the chief to perform the first fruits ceremony or Ummemo that allows the community to eat the crops and fruits that are ready for harvesting.
Induna Sifiso Zulu, who is under the Umjindi chief, led the event together with the traditional council and his chief. The Avontuur community and Mpumalanga visitors from Steenbok, Enkaba, and Julius Mkhonto, as well as from Venda, Limpopo, attended. People arrived very early and waited outside the gate for about three hours while the chief and the traditional leaders went into the homestead and performed the required rituals in preparation for the ceremony. During this time maheu, a non-alcoholic fermented drink, and mqombothi, the traditional beer, kept the crowd refreshed.
Finally, after the long wait, people were asked to remove their shoes before entering the homestead to participate in the remaining rituals and festivities of the day. As part of Ukhwetfula, the procession of women walked into the royal homestead carrying buckets of brewed Marula beer, cooked vegetables, and uncooked pumpkins on their heads, the produce from their gardens and fields. The women carefully balanced their loads, their bare feet sinking into the soft earth. Their graceful movements and the vibrant colours of traditional clothes, Marula, vegetables, and pumpkins created a beautiful scene.
At the round Indlu kagogo, the house of the grandmothers, where the heart and spirit of the homestead resides, people sang, and the men danced outside with the chief. The atmosphere of excitement grew until it was time for the women to enter the Indlu kagogo with the buckets of brewed Marula beer. It was time for the Ihhula ceremony to begin. All the women sat on the right-hand side of the house before the chief entered. One could feel the anticipation in the air, knowing that this gathering would strengthen the bonds between the people witnessing the ceremony.
The chief was accompanied by two elders. They each spat on the floor, a traditional gesture of cleansing and purification that symbolises the removal of negative energy and the preparation for a sacred gathering. The chief’s wife then welcomed the women. There were clay pots full of sacred beer, snuff, and iMphepho (an aromatic plant burned as incense). These are the integral parts of the traditional ceremony, symbolising the spiritual connection between the community and their ancestors. Those inside the Indlu kagogo then started singing and the men entered also singing. They sat on the left side of the house. The chief and his wife welcomed everyone before each bucket of Marula was opened, and the chief was given some first before circulating the beer around the house. The cooked vegetables followed, a delicious addition to the traditional meal that was accompanied by singing, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Everyone then moved outside to watch a mesmerising group of Sangomas dancing. The chief and other family members of the chief received messages and well wishes that added a sense of spirituality. The event concluded with dances to connect with the ancestral spirits, a powerful way to honour and remember those who came before. It was a beautiful celebration of culture and tradition, with each element adding to the rich colourful tapestry of the experience.
