Umculo wema Tsonga

Umculo Lovutsiwe wamaSiko neSintfu

©Dr Peter Magubane

Ema Tsonga atiwa kakhulu ngemculo wawo lovutsiwe wemasiko nesintfu loya ngekudla imiculo leminingi ngetingitali yemculo. Loku kungahlukaniswa ngetindlela letintsatfu: tingitali letinetintsambo, lokudlalwa ngekufutfwa kanye nemagcoma lashaywa ngetandla.

Lelogitali lelimcoka lelitintsambo kufaka intfo lezizitelako (ixizambi), ledlalwa ngumuntfu wemculo lobambe letintsambo (kuvame kubaligcolo noma intsambo leshwiliwe) ematinyweni akhe kwentela kucinisa; indvuku lenetinozoli letigegeletile iyashikiswa kuya etulu na phansi kwalapho kubaleka khona kulendishi, ngesikhatsi kulomculo.

Le xitendze yintfo legubhile lenesitselo sesigogo lesicinile lesibambeke kiso lesisebenta njengelinozoli. Lomgangala, losadlalwa nalamuhla, ngumhlanga logubhile lodlalwa ngetingalo, ibe le xipendana iluhwayela-lwesontfo legubhile nesibambo sayo lesicinile lesinentfo lepatalele yelithayela. Lamagadari lafutfwako ngulawa: licilingo (xitiringo) lelinetikhala letintsatfu, liphayiphi (nanga), ne liphondvo lwenyamatane (mhalamhala).

©Dr Peter Magubane

Tingitari letishaywako tifaka tigubhu tetikhumba kanye netigubhu nje. Sigubhu sesikhumba (itsomane) sidlalwa sitfunywa naselapha bantfu labaphambaniswe yimimoya lemibi.

Tigubhu tifaka indzumba ne xigubhu, lesidlalwa ekusokeni kw ebafana nemantfombatane ngenhlonipho, nasengomeni, lesisetjentiswa emicimbini yekudansa.

Tingitari letimbili (kumbe yimvelo kuma Tsonga) kuwela ngaphandle kwaletitintfo: ipiyano yesandoaa letinetintsambo letisiphohlongo, letingaba ngemasentimitha lalishumi (kugubheka kane) ngebudze nelisentimitha linye (hhafu wekushona) ngebubanti, lofakwe ngetulu kwe saddle entfweni lencane yesigodvo, idlalwa ngekushaya letintsambo; lelenye yindlela ye xylophone lenalokukhalako kwetingodvo nesikhumba lesicinile. Umculo we Tsonga sewushintshile kusuka ngesikhatsi sekucala ulekhodwa ngemnyaka wa 1920.

Namuhla kuyakhonakala ngemculo lojwayelwe wekweca kulelive, lohlanganisa tintfo tesintfu talandzaweni naletibalulekile.

Translated by Phindile Malotana