Xhosa Heritage - African Traditional Religion

Sacred Places

• The Home As A Sacred Place
The home is the fundamental place of worship. Nothing is more sacred than a home. A home is the environment of a clan, houses or huts, ancestral graves and cattle kraal. An interaction between therse creates a well balanced, harmonious and educative growing place for children.

Each and every homestead has a special hut, usually called indlu enkulu (the great hut). Under normal circumstances this hut is used for cooking and sometimes for sleeping. Iziko (fireplace), divides the inside of the hut into two sections. The section to the right on entering the door is where women sit, and to the left is for males. Behind the door on the women's side is the place where a woman stays diring labour and where religious and social practices are performed at child birth, like the treatment of the placenta and where inkaba (umbilical cord) must fall and be buried.

During the times of a ritual the great hut becomes more sacred and it is where the clan stays for some days before imini yokuwa kwenkomo (falling of the beast): the day the sacrificial animal is killed. It is very important that from the first day of the preparations for the ritual, usually five days before sacrificing, the clan must sleep together in the great hut as a form of cleansing. No one is allowed inside the hut wearing shoes until the ritual is finished. During this period every member of the clan must abstain from sex, any form of argument, and only be engaged in preparation for the ritual.

The inside of the hut also determines the sitting position of the members of the clan. The eldest male sits next to the entrance on the left, then others towards the far end, according to age. On the right side from the entrance are women of the clan, also according to age. Girls sit at the far end opposite the door. During the ritual, the hut is emptied and grass is scattered on the floor and will only be removed and burnt after the bones of the sacrificial animal are burnt. That will symbolise the end of the ritual.

• The Kraal As A Sacred Place
The cattle kraal, as the name indicates, is an enclosure made up of poles and branches and is sleeping place for cattle. The cattle kraal is exclusively under the control of males and is where they slaughter all sacrificial animals. Women who are born within the clan also participate in ritual activities inside the kraal but those who are married in to the clan do not participate. They only participate in their clan's rituals, that is in their biological homes.

Divisions of the cattle kraal:
1. Ixhanti (cattle kraal entrance)
Ixhanti is regarded as very important in African tradition as it is believed that the place is highly charged with the presence of the ancestors. It is at this place that the elderly believe they will be heard by ancestors. Going to exhanti shows the seriousness of the problem and where ancestors are asked to act immediately.

It is to the poles of the cattle kraal entrance that the horns of the sacrificial beast are nailed. When there is problem in the homestead, like unusual behaviour or persistent sickness in one of the members of the family and the syptoms are similar to those shown by a person needing a ritual, the homestead head usually goes to exhanti to consult the ancestors about what is actually lacking. When all the necessary rituals have been performed, and medication has been given to the sick person, and there is a persistent problem; the elderly goes to exhanti to talk to ancestors.

2. Sitting position
From the entrance, the kraal is divided into two sectins representing the male members of the clan and those of the community. On the right hand side, clan members sit according to seniority, while on the left side are the community members, also according to seniority by birth and initiation. Izilimela, that is years of adulthood since initiation, determines the seniority of most Xhosa males.


3. Umthonyama (The side opposite ixhanti at the back of the kraal)
Towards the back on both sides are abafana, the young initiated males. Abafana also differ in status as they are also defined according to seniority prescribed by their months of initiation. The youngest, therefore will sit at the back.

Boys (young uninitiated males) have no special place in the kraal. They are immature and under the strict supervision of their parents.

It may be seen from the above description that in ritual performance there will be no rivalry for positions as that is prescribed by the indigenous law. Respect is always fundamental here irrespective of a person's social status and wealth.