Ngetikhatsi letehlukene netindzawo, labakhuluma-siSan sebaphile ngetindlela letehlukene; emaSan ase Kalahari akasiwo indlela yemaSan onkhe futsi, ngisho nakulamacembu emaKalahari, timphilo tawo tingahluka. Akukhatsaleki, kufundza kwemacembu aseKalahari, njengekutsi lama Ju/'hoasi nema G/wi, akha sitfombe semphilo yekuhlangana-kwebatingeli. Kuhlukana ngemsebenti phakatsi kwemadvodza nebafati kuyalingana ngakutemnotfo.
Kudla kwetitjalo ngukona kudliwa, bese bomake, bahlanganyeli besikhulu, banelwati lolukhulu ngalelidlelo: bayati kutsi nini na kuphi tintfo letifana nemamelons, tintfo letitimphandze letinkhulu, imimbila kanye nemagungumence kutsi kutfolakala kuphi. Bafati baphindze bacokelele noma batsatse tilwane tasendzaweni letincane (kufana nemigololo, tinyoni kanye netinyamatane letincane). Batsi basesengaphandle bacokelela, bangabona kunyakata kwalomdlalo bese badlala lolulwati kulabo labatingelako.
Emadvodza nawo angakuhlanganisa kudla, ikakhulu ngesikhatsi lesiphansi sekutingela. Kudla lokuhlanganisiwe kuyahleshulelwana emkhatsini wemindeni lehlangene, ube lomdlalo lomkhulu lotingelwe ngemadvodza uhlukaniswa emkhatsini welicembu lonkhe. Kwatiwa ngekubanemandla nekwesaba lokuncane ngema San njengebantfu labakwatiko kutingela kungenca yekucipha kwabo lokuhle netindlela letibuchinga labatingela ngato.
Ema San laciphako angalandzela tinyawo letibhaleke phansi letiwelela ngetulu kwendzawo yonkhe, ngisho nekuchubeka ngenyamatane lelimele lesemkhatsini wemhlambi wonkhe, kuze kube ngulapho ishiya khona lomhlambi ife. Batingeli basebentisa butjoki lobunaphoyizini kanye netindvuku letigobile letincane letinentsambo (lotsetfwe kumabhungane noma tinyoka) longamoshi lenyama.
Nomakunjalo, kuvame kutsatsa sikhatsi ngaphambi kutsi lophoyizini ucale kusebenta, lokuvumela lesilwane lesifako kutsi sibalekele labo labasitingelako, ngalesinye sikhatsi ngetulu kwelibanga lelicatjangwako, lokwenta kucipha ngelwati intfo lebaluleke ngalokuphelele.
Butjoki bema San lithuluzi lelihlakaniphile lekufa. Namuhla, ngetikhatsi takucala, betifaka tintfo letine. Lentfo bekuvame kwentiwa ngelitsambo noma ematje lamancane; namuhla tipikili letipatalele noma tincetu temahwayela tiyasetjentiswa. Lendlela kutsi kufakwe lapho 'kuhlangana khona', lecindzetelwa kumbe ekugcineni noma ibanjwe endzaweni ngemhlanga.
Lokuhlanganiswako kufakwa kulobutjoki ngendlela yekutsi, ngesikhatsi lobutjoki budubula lolokufunwako, lesisindvo sikhulula lolokuhlanganisiwe lapho bekubanjwe khona, lokunciphisa lendlela yalenhloko kutsi isebente lula, ngoba kusuke kunesisindvo lesilula kulesilwane. Loku kuphindze kuchaze kutsi lesilwane angeke sikhone kushiya malula lendzawo ngekutsi sitishikishe esihlahleni.
Lephoyizini ifakwa ngemuva kwalapho kucije khona, beselesihloko salobutjoki kumele sisale kulesilwane kwesikhashana kutoba nekuciniseka kutsi lephoyizini itsatsekile yangena emtimbeni walesilwane. Lendvodza yalobutjoki lebulele lesilwane itfola litfuba lekuhlephula lenyama, ngemitsetfo yekuphatsa, iciniseke kutsi wonkhe muntfu utfola lokuncane kwakakhe. Kuhlephulelana kanye nekulingana kwemacembu onkhe tintfo letibalulekile temumango wema San.
Noma emacembu emaSan akatange abenetikhulu tembusave, buholi babubonwa, ngekuya ngebudzala kanye nekuba nemandla nelwati. Kumimango yesintfu semaSan, indvodza beyihamba iyohlala nebatali balomakoti ngemshado. Bekukhona imitsetfo leminingi yekuhlonipha lebukwako emkhatsini walabo bobabili kanye nebakhoti-babo labahloniphekile, kantsi kulabo labahlukaniswe ngeminyaka (kufana nabogogo na mkhulu kanye nebatukulu) bebavunyelwa nge 'ngebudlelwane bekentwa kuhlekisa', lokusho kutsi kutimisela kancane kwakulungile.
Lama San atiwa ngekutsandza kwabo kanye nesimo sabo sekuvumela bantfwana bente labakufunako. Ngendlela lenhle, lelicembu belihlukana libe yimindeni lemincane ngaletinye tikhatsi (ikakhulu ngesikhatsi emanti kanye nekudla kukuncane noma kuyindlala), bese baya-hlangana ekuhambeni kwesikhatsi. Kuphana kwetipho lokuhleliwe, lokubitwa ngekutsi yi hxaro ngema Ju/'hoasi, yindlela yekugcina budlelwane emkhatsini webangani kanye netihlobo ngekhatsi noma ngaphandle kwelicembu.
Loku kwakha bulembu bekusekelana kanye nekuvulelana etintfweni ngetulu kwetindzawo letinkhulu. Bumcoka bendlela yebudlelwane ikhuliswa ngenkholelo yekwetsemba, etinganekwaneni nasekucoceni tindzaba, ne, kugwenja, emidvwebeni yabo lesematjeni.
Translated by Phindile Malotana