About us :

 

The Xhosa, also often called the "Red Blanket People", are of Nguni stock, like the Zulu. The name Xhosa is a generalized term for a diversity of proud clans, the Pondo, Bomvana, Thembu and the Xhosa tribe itself.

Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of the Xhosa, Tembu and Bomvana ("the red ones"). The first group of early Nguni immigrants to migrate to South Africa consisted of the Xhosa, (made up of the the Gcaleka, Ngqika, Ndlambe and Dushane clans), the Thembu and Pondo.

Although their lifestyle has been adapted to the Western traditions, the Xhosa still retain many of their traditions and much of their culture. There followed long years of colonial rule, efforts to create self-ruling independent states during the Apartheid years and finally, independence in 1994 when the Government of National Unity under the leadership of Nelson Mandela was born.

Initiation

Before a Xhosa male was recognised as an adult with the right to marry, he first had to go through the initiation process and be circumcised. Until such time, he was regarded as a boy and irresponsibility on his part was expected and condoned. Only boys who were considered ready were allowed to undergo initiation. The ceremony usually took place when the corn ripened, during the month of May. On the agreed day, the married women emerged at dawn and started building a grass hut for the boys. The boys waited in a secluded spot for arrival of the surgeon who would perform the circumcision. The boys were not allowed to utter any sound during the procedure. After the wounds had healed, the boys undertook excursions into the bush where they hunted.A small boy from their village accompanied each. Sometimes they would be joined by one of the senior and respected men from the village, who would teach them how to behave like responsible adults. This teaching included the rules of etiquette, the laws of respect and how to honour the ancestral spirits. At intervals, the young men staged dances, called Amakwetha, showing off their dancingskills while they proceeded from home to home. They disguised themselves in headdresses, wore heavy skirts of palm leaves and painted their bodies with white clay.At the end of the isolation period, the initiates were marched down to the river to wash themselves. Upon returning, their guide then placed a piece of fat on their heads and smeared it straight down their bodies and across their shoulders, in the form of a cross. After this ritual, the boys wrapped themselves in brand new blankets and turned away from the hut, covering their faces. All their possessions were thrown into the hut and then set alight, to prevent witches from taking possession of these things. They were also forbidden to look back. The amakrwala, as these boy-men were called, were then marched back to their parental homes where they were showered with gifts and a feast was prepared in their honour.After the feast was over, the young men went indoors where girls of their own age helped them to smear themselves from top to bottom with a mixture of oil and red ochre. Every day, for the following year, the boy had to refresh his red ochre. He also had to walk slowly to demonstrate his humility and to signify that he was still a "small', unimportant man. While the males of the tribe underwent their initiation, girls of the same age had their heads shaven and were dressed in a specific manner for a few weeks. When the male initiates emerged from their isolation, the girls were recognised as being of marriageable age.

Courtship and marriage

The traditional Xhosa was allowed to have more than one wife. Xhosa tradition made provision for a certain degree of contact and courtship between sweethearts but proper form demanded that girls remain virgins until they married. If a girl was not a virgin, her father would automatically receive less lobola (bride price) for her. Traditionally, the groom-to-be would abduct the bride, with the approval of her family, and then marry her. Today, marriage only involves the exchange of valuables. The bride's father pays a dowry to his daughter's future in-laws and the bridegroom has to pay lobola for the bride.

Personal Adornment

For generations the Xhosa people have been referred to as the Red Blanket People. This was because of their custom of wearing red blankets dyed with red ochre, the intensity of the colour varying from tribe to tribe. The different ways in which clothes and other accessories were worn signalled the status of the wearer. Unmarried women wore wraps tied around their shoulders, leaving their breasts exposed. Engaged women reddened their plaited hair, letting it screen their eyes, as a sign of respect for their fiancés.Xhosa females always wore some form of headdress, as a sign of respect to the head of the family, either their father or husband. Older Xhosa women were allowed to wear more elaborate headpieces because of their seniority. The various tribes had their own different forms of traditional dress and the colour of their garments and the adornments they wore denoted their tribal origins. The Xhosa tribe itself consisted of two major clans that could be distinguished from one another bytheir different styles of dress. The Gcaleka women, for example, encased their arms and legs in beads and brass bangles and some also wore neck beads. Men often wore goatskin bags in which to carry essentials such as homegrown tobacco and a knife. Making the bag required great skill and patience as it had to be made from skin that had been removed in one piece, cured without removing the hair, and turned inside out.

Art and Crafts

Other than the beadwork used for their traditional dress and their pipes made of clay, the Xhosa people were not really known for any other arts and crafts. The girls of the family usually produced the beadwork, helping their mothers to make articles for themselves, their fathers, brothers and boyfriends. From time to time they were permitted to borrow these pieces and to wear them themselves.

Music and Dance

Dancing formed an integral part of the Xhosa culture and was part and parcel of most of the rituals. Dancing was, for example, used in the "fattening of the maize" ceremony and as part of the ritual to ensure the fertility of a friend before she married or to restore her fertility if she had trouble bearing children after the marriage. Men and women and boys and girls did not dance in pairs. They lined up opposite each other.

Belief System

The Xhosa people are traditionally ancestor worshippers but also believe in a creator who cares for them in the greater things in life and who protects them in extreme danger. The ancestral fathers, on the other hand, watch over the everyday lives of their descendants, their crops and their cattle. Among the Xhosa, old people are revered as spirits, and sacrificial offerings may actually be made to them while they are still alive. The ancestral fathers also speak to their families in dreams. However, because not everyone is capable of interpreting these dreams, witchdoctors are called in to act as mediums. They are easily recognisable by their exotic regalia and they often wear white - a symbol of purity. Death and burial are associated with many complex beliefs and rituals. The men of the clan always lead the funeral procession and the women follow behind. In the case of the death of the head of the family, cattle will be sacrificed and strict procedures followed, as he goes to join his ancestors and prepares himself to watch after the interests of the family that is left behind. Today, many of the Xhosa-speaking people of South Africa are Christians, as a result of their early contact with European missionaries. However, their religion has become a unique blend of Christianity and traditional African beliefs.

This tour offers a wealth of insight into South Africa's history,

educational, political, social, tribal and ethnic.

 
 

 You have a chance to meet and talk to the people on the streets
Gather information, see first hand if what you hear about South Africa is true
See the culture, traditions, dress, religion, beliefs and history of the Ama Xhosa culture
Eco Afrika Tours enjoys the freedom of the Knysna Township.

 

Eco Afrika Tours  will take you into the heart of this truly unique peaceful

African Township.

We walk down the little dust roads and meet the people face to face.

Our guide will lead you into the lifestyle of the Ama Xhosa.

  

 

   

This is an experience that will chance your life and the way you think.
It will chance your perspective on South Africa and its peoples
It will bring hope and support to a people in need.

 

Eco Afrika Tours is actively engaged in Township upliftment
Giving back to the community
Putting them in touch with the whole wide world
Its our contribution in the upliftment of the poor and underprivileged.

  

Booking: Essential \  082 558 9104 / Fax 044 3840479

ecoafrika@gmail.com

BOOK NOW:

Contact t: +27 82 558 9104 (International)  •  082 558 9104 (Inside South Africa)  • Fax: 044 3840479
Email: ecoafrika@gmail.com