EarthLore Foundation invites applications for the position of Finance Custodian to join our vibrant and purpose-driven team working to revive indigenous knowledge systems, strengthen community ecological governance, and enhance seed and food sovereignty in South Africa and Zimbabwe. We work at the intersection of ecology, culture, and justice—reviving indigenous seed…
In most cultures and traditions it is customary to give thanks before eating. The Uluma is an annual ceremony that gives thanks and asks for the blessings of the ancestors and opens the way for the whole community to harvest the crops in their fields for eating. For the first…
Suko Seed Blessing ritual revived in Mazwimba, Venda, after 40 years “Seeds hold great cultural significance by representing new beginnings and the promise of generous harvests. The purpose of this sacred seed blessing ceremony is to invoke, inform and request the ancestral spirits to bless the seed, to process the…
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…
It is my pleasure to introduce myself as Patrick Thwala. I live at Nhlazatshe no 6 and am a young farmer in Elukwatini, Mpumalanga, where EarthLore works. Throughout my childhood, I was passionate about bees. As a child, I spent countless hours observing their behaviour and learning about their critical…
Joyful celebration and resilience are apt words to describe the annual Bikita Seed and Food Fair, hosted this year by Chirambaguyo Garden, Mutsinzwa village. A large gathering of more than 780 people arrived at the venue on 5 September 2024, slightly down on the 800 plus people who attended last…
On 5 September 2024, EarthLore gathers together farmers, friends and family, traditional leaders, government officials, partners, the media, supporters and allies, for the Bikita Seed and Food Fair, where our theme this year is Celebrating the Resilience of Traditional Seeds. The event will be hosted by Chirambaguyo Garden in the…
As a traditional healer and sangoma, it has been painful for Xolisile Themba to observe how residents have polluted the Eskubeni river, a tributary of the Inkomazi River that flows through Steenbok. Many traditional healing ceremonies and rituals take place in rivers and streams. In addition to being the…
March 2024 was a busy month for sangoma Xolosile ‘Xoli’ Themba, who is EarthLore’s main link with the work in Steenbok. At last, after 27 years, the community of Steenbok had agreed to revive the Ihhula (marula) ceremony, also known locally as Emaganu and Ubuganu. The Marula tree has deep…
