Baobab

© Peter Delaney

Ligama

Baobab (Adansonia digitata)
Lamanye emagama afaka iboab, boaboa, tabaldi, sihlahla selibhodlela, sihlahla lesibheke-phansi, nesihlahla sengobiyane.

Ligama Lelathini

Adansonia digitate

Inchazelo

Onkhe ema baobabs tihlahla letiwa emacembe njalo ngemnyaka bese budze bato busuka kumamitha lasihlanu kuya kulamashumi lamabili. Lesihlahla se Baobab sihlahla lesingatfolakali kahle nawusibuka simila etindzaweni letiphansi la Afrika nase Australia. Singakhula sibe linani lelikhulu bese sikhatsi sekhabhoni singabonisa kutsi tingaphila iminyaka letigidzi budzala. Sinye sihlahla se Baobab lesinemgodzi sasendvulo lesise Zimbabwe sidze kangangobe bantfu labangaba mashumi lamane bangaphumula ngekhatsi kwaso.
Ema Baobabs lehlukile asetjentiswe njengetitolo, lijele, indlu, lapho kugcinwa khona tintfo phindze njenge bhasi yemtfunti. Lesihlahla sehlukile sona kunaletinye tihlahla. Lemphumulo yaso iyantofotela phindze iyamanya, akufani nawo onkhe emagcolo aletinye tihlahla, futsi iphinki losamphunga ngelibala noma ngalesinye sikhatsi sinelibala lelilitfusi.
Uma site emacembe, kusakateka kwemagala kwale Baobab kubukeka ngatsi timphandze letichunyelwe emoyeni, kunekutsi kube ngatsi sihlanyelwe sibheke-phansi. Ema Baobab alukhuni noma anzima kuwa bulala, angashiswa, noma asuswe emagcolo awo, abese aphindze ahluma lamasha phindze achubeke akhule. Uma kwenteka afa, avele abolele ngekhatsi bese ayawa, ashiye intsashana yetimvitsi, lokwenta kutsi incumbi yebantfu bacabange kutsi atifi sanhlobo, kepha tiyanyamalala.
Sihlahla se Baobab lesidzala singenta yaso indlela yekutibulala, njengoba isekela imphilo yetintfo letinengi letibalekako, kusuka etilwaneni letinkhulu kuya kutinkhulungwane tetilwane letincane tonkhe letingekhatsi noma ngephandle kwemisele noma lufa. Tinyoni tiphumula kulamagala, timfene tishwabadzela titselo; bantfwana bemahlatsi kanye nemalulwane etitselo banatsa lolokunongotelako bese amphovela letimbali, bese tindlovu tatiwa ngekutsi tijuba phansi sihlahla lesigcwele tisidle.
Sihlahla lesincane se Baobab sibukeka sihlukile kunaleso lesesikhulile kungako nje ema bushmen acabanga asikhuli njengalitinye tihlahla, kepha sivele sigamukele emhlabatsini ngemsindvo lomkhulu, sikhula sigcwele, bese ngalilinye lilanga sivele sishabalale. Kungako nje kucabangeka kutsi tihlahla temilingo.

Timbali kanye Netitselo

Lesihlahla se Boabab sinetimbali letinkhulu letimhloshana letivulekako ebusuku. Lesitselo, lesikhula silingane nelinyawo ngebudze, sitfwala iesidi ye tatarikhi kanye ne vitamin c phindze ingamunywa, noma ibekwe emantini itokwenta sinatfo lesimnandzi. Tingaphindze tishiswe bese tiyasilwa takhe sinatfo selikhofi. Lesitselo akusiso sona kuphela incenye yale Baobab lengasetjentiswa. Leligcolo lingashaywa bese lenta intsambo, limethi, emabhasikidi, emaphepha kanye nendvwangu; lamacembe angabiliswa abese ayadliwa, ne glue ingakhiwa ngemphova.

Kusetjentiswa

Timvitsi letiphuma kuleligcolo tisetjentiswa kwakha tintsambo, emabhasikidi, indvwangu, emathuluzi etintsambo temculo, netigcoko tekuvikela emanti. Uma kuphuma emagcolo esicwini saso lesiphansi etihlahleni letinengi kuvama kutsi kutimikisele ekufeni kwato, ema baobabs akaphili nje ngalenandlela lejwayelwe, kepha akhokha ligcolo lelisha.
Emacembe lamasha ebaobab anika sibhidvo lesikahle lesifana nesipinashi lesiphindze sisetjentiswe njengemutsi kulapha tinso kanye nesinye, sifuba, kulunywa tilwanyana, kanye naletinye tifo. Lesitselo lesinambitsako futsi lesinemphilo kanye netinhlanyelo temacembu lamanengi anakwa muva, kube kumphova kuma baobab ase Afrika nase Australia ahlanganiswe nemanti kwakha iglue.

Imvelaphi yaso ngemlandvo

Ngase Zambezi, letive titsembe kutsi mzukwana live lilincane lama Baobab bekacondzile futsi atichenya. Kepha ke ngetizatfu letingatiwa, tiphetse lapho tikhula khona kancane. Tinkhosi tato tinenemsindvo tase tisusa timphandze tale Baobab, tatisakata phansi, timphandze tabheka etulu. Nyalo imi moya lemibi yahlasela letimbali letimnandzi letimhlophe bese noma ngubani lotitsatsako ubulawa libhubesi. Yinye iBaobab lenkhulu lese Zambia kutsiwa ihlaselwa tipoko tenhlatsi.
Kucala kungakefiki lendvodza lemhlophe, inhlatfu lenkhulu beyihlala kulomgodzi wesicu futsi beyikhotsanywa bantfu bendzawo. Bebatsi nabathantazela litulu, tilimo letinhle kanye nekutingela lokuhle, lenhlatfu beyiphendvula imithantazo yabo. Umtingeli wekucala lomhlophe wayidubula lenhlatfu kungako lesehlakalo senta kutsi kubenemonakalo. Ngetikhatsi tasebusuku bantfu bendzawo bayekhulume kutsi beva kukhala kwenyoka noma umsindvo lowentiwa yinyoka kulesihlahla lesindzala.
E Kafue National Park lese Zambia, yinye lamaBoabab lenkhulu yatiwa njenge ‘Kondamamwali’ – sihlahla lesidla emantfombatana lamancane. Lesi sihlahla lesikhulu satsandza emantfombatana lamahle lamane lebekahlala emntfuntini waso. Batsi nabatsatsa sigaba sekukhula, bafuna emadvoda basenta sabanemona. Ngalobunye busuku, ngesikhatsi kunesivunguvungu/siphepho, lesihlahla savula sicu saso sase sitsatsa lamantfombatana sawafaka ngekhatsi kwaso.
Indlu yekuphumulela beyakhiwe emagaleni alesihlahla. Ngebusuku besivunguvungu, kukhala kwalamantfombatane labanjwa lolokwenta labantfu betfuke – hhayi lokukhala kwetilwane tesiganga.
Ngase Limpopo, kutsenjwa kutsi uma umfana lomncane agezwa ngemanti labekaneligcolo le baobab, ukhula abe yindvodva lecinile. Inkholelo yebantfu bakulendzawo ivete indlela yebusayensi. Bantfu bakulendzawo bakholelwa kutsi bantfu besifazane labahlala etibayeni lapho ema baobabs agcwele khona banebantfwana labanengi kunalabo labahlala ngaphandle kwenzawo lene baobab. Badla lisobho lelakhiwe ngemacembe ebaobab, lanemusoco/imphilo lenengi.
Loku kusincephetelo sekungeta kudla kwabo. Bodokotela bavumile kutsi loku ngempela kuletsa linani lentalo libelikhulu ngenombolo.
Lamadvodza esiganga ala Afrika anemuntfu wasendvulo lobatjela ngenkhosi ye Thora. Akazange atsandze kukhula kwe baobab engadzeni yakhe, ngako wasikhokha wasilahla ngelibondza le Pharadisi ngephansi kwemhlaba, noma nje lesihlahla sawa sabheka etulu sachubeka kepha sakhula. Akutfusi kutsi sihlahla lesibukako singaba nenkholelo kiso.
Labanye bantfu bakholelwa kutsi uma utsatsa imbali kulesihlahla se Baobab utodliwa libhubesi, kepha uma unatsa emanti lapho bekufalwe inhlanyelo ye Baobab uvama kuvikeleka akuhlaselweni tingwenya. Tive letinye letise Transvaal tigezela bantfwana lababafana emantini lebekafake ligcolo lebaobab. Bese, njengalesihlahla, bayakhula babebadze baphindze bacine.

Lapho Titfolakala Khona

Ema Baobabs asakateke kabanti ngemabhande awelela eAfrika. Aphindze akhule eMadagascar, India, Ceylon nase Australia. Akhula etindzaweni letiningi tase Zimbabwe. Esifundzeni sase Nyakatfo atfolwa emkhatsini weLimpopo ne Zoutpansberg. Messina ngulona dolobha layo iBaobab. Lapho iyatiwa ‘iBaobab lesehhafini’ emkhatsini we Louis Trichardt ne Messina, lapho tigcinwe khona lakuphume letinye khona. ema Boabab ungatsi atsandza indzawo leshisako, nalenelidzaka levulekile.