Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, July 7
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Old cures for modern ailments
    Uncategorized

    Old cures for modern ailments

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailDecember 2, 2010No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    From being thin and unhappy, Lindelwa Monkamane (30) of NU 3 in Mdantsane is a changed person – and she attributes her newfound happiness to tradition.

    From being thin and unhappy, Lindelwa Monkamane (30) of NU 3 in Mdantsane is a changed person – and she attributes her newfound happiness to tradition.

    Many Xhosa rituals have been neglected in the melee of modern culture. A good example is iMbeleko, a ceremony followed by successive generations, who believed it to be vital for a person’s wellbeing. Xhosa ancestors believed that if a person did not undergo iMbeleko, they would experience many difficulties, including being cursed with bad luck, getting sick, or even dying.

    That's exactly what Monkamane believes was wrong with her life – until she eventually underwent the ritual at the age of 26. “It made a lot of difference in my life, because ever since I can remember I’ve been very skinny and extremely dark in complexion. I always believed that was how I was supposed to be, until my mother had the ritual performed on me. I am now light in complexion and have gained weight tremendously and I am very happy,” she said.

    According to Xhosa tradition, a child should undergo iMbeleko – which involves slaughtering a goat by way of introducing the child to the family and the ancestors – soon after they are born. To show that a child has had the iMbeleko ceremony, a cow’s hide is cut and sewn together to make a neck piece that the child wears.

    According to tradition, it must never be removed, because it will fall off on its own when the time is right. Mr S Pawuli, an advisor at the traditional house of Amandlambe, said, “iMbeleko is a very important ritual for any African child’s wellbeing, and in order for the child to know his or her roots”.

    He suggested there was a need for seminars to remind African people of traditions such as iMbeleko, iNtonjane (the coming-of-age ceremony for young women) and uMgquphuzo (a ceremony held for a married woman at her original home). – WSU-SNA

    Previous ArticleUp to 11 000 families set to benefit from R4m housing allocation
    Next Article Army donates food and clothing to kids and elderly
    Grocott's Mail

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.