Cultural Heritage with Pathisa Nyathi: A closer look at who the Kalangas are
LET us take forward the story of the Khupes which we are using to gain broader insight into the history of the Kalanga, the people into whose society they were assimilated.
But before we continue with the story of the Khupes, we shall attempt to give some background on the people that welcomed them. Aware that Kalanga society is heterogeneous; the question has been asked who the Kalanga are?
Different people would probably answer the question differently. The question arises because Kalanga society has been in existence for a very long time.
Over the centuries, different people have joined them and adopted their language and culture. The Khupes are a good example.
What the question then seeks to clarify is who the original Kalanga were and the various people who joined them? Two weeks ago we illustrated that the Nleyas were some of the people who were acculturated into Kalanga society.
In the first place, it is acknowledged that the Kalanga are an integral part of the Nyai people. The Tjumas/Tshumas are thought to belong to the original Kalanga people.
They are found also among the Nambya and the Shona. Others that belong together with the Tshumas are the Wungwe and the Ndlovus.
They lived with tributary tribes under their tutelage, in particular some Tonga, Talawunda (a non-Rozvi Moyo people), some Hhumbe (Balilima) for example the Ndlovu Madlila.
In addition to these, there were Dubes of the Tjinimbi clan living at Habangana west of Ramokwebana in Botswana and also at Tjehanga.
Kalanga territory was quite vast ' extending from Victoria Falls which they called Shongwe inotitimba to south of Gwanda, with the BaVenda as their southern neighbours.
To the east, their territory extended from the Gwilo River (Gweru, which means battlefield, that is where people fight) to Mutotsi (Macloutsie) in Botswana. Their neighbours in the southwest were the BaBirwa who they called BaRwa.
The Kalanga were a pastoralist people who kept cattle and smaller livestock ' goats and sheep.
They grew crops such as mapfunde (sorghum). Sorghum grain was used to brew beer. Even when a different grain was used to brew beer a Kalanga man would still say, "Tadla mapfunde."
The other crops that they grew were zembgwe (nyawuthi/pearl millet) and lukwehha (rapoko) and legumes such as nyemba (beans) nyimo (round nuts) and manongo (peanuts). Their king seems to have been one Mudabhani of the Ndlovu totem.
Before we deal with some more recent arrivals into Kalanga society, let us give more flesh on the Kalanga that we have so far identified.
The first group will be that of the Tshumas. In dealing with these and indeed other Kalanga people, we need to look at the situation before the arrival of the Ndebele.
The Kalanga had surnames that they were using whose language the Ndebele did not understand.
It became necessary for the Kalanga to give equivalents to their surnames.
For example the Hhowu or its Lilima equivalent of Zhowu became Ndlovu, Wungwe became Nyoni.
Long after colonisation there was a time when many Kalanga people sought to change their surnames into Ndebele.
This was their way of fighting inferiority complex and in particular to gain ascendancy within the church, in particular the Wesleyan Methodist Church based at Tekwane.
When it came to the Tshumas, there was a problem. They resisted the change but also wondered just what the Ndebele rendition of their surnames would be.
Before we pursue the debate on the Tshumas, let us identify the various sections or Tshuma clans as found among the Kalanga.
There are the Tshumas of the Nkumbi (the amarula wine) clan found at Ndolwane.
A better known example from this group was Reverend Mongwa Tshuma, the grandson of Matema of Dombodema who later ministered at Dombgwe ' Ntombgwe (Dongwe-Dongwe). He was a pastor of the London Missionary Society (LMS). Then there was the Tshuma Gonde found in Gonde.
As indicated in earlier articles, BaGonde and BaNkumbi refer to Tshuma women of the Nkumbi and Gonde clan. The third clan is that of Nimwala.
This group includes the Sipepas at Sipepa and other places in Tsholotsho.
Some now refer to themselves as Nkomos. In a different article, we shall indicate the relationship between Tshuma and Nkomo.
The fourth clan is that of Mbalambi found at Dombodema, Nopemano, Tokwana and Zwenshambe in Botswana.
Next week we shall continue with the story of the Tshumas as part of our rendition of Kalanga history and culture in our continuing effort on the history of the Khupes.
