Vuhumelerisi bya Silk byi tumbuluke e China. Kuna matimu ya leswaku Empress Hsi Ling Shi, nsati wa Emperor Huang Ti, loyi a tivekaka tani hi Yellow Emperor, u thumbhole silk endzhaku kaloko silkworm cocoon yitava yiwele endzeni ka khapu ya yena ya tiya. Nsati loyi u tsakisiwe ngopfu hi silk naswona u rhuleriwa xihuku kuva a endle silkworm yiva yale kaya xikan’we nakuva a tumbuluxe reel na loom.
China ri hlayise xihundla xa leswi silk ayi humelerisiwa xiswona kuringana kwalomu ka 300 wa malembe, laha vanhu loko varingeta ku ngungumerisa matandza, ti cocoons kumbe silkworms tihuma e tikweni akuri nandzu lowukulu swinene. Vaxavisi navona a va fanele va famba eka ndlela ya nghozi swinene ya Silk Route, leyinga ndlandlamuka kutlula 6 500 km kusuka e Eastern China kuya e Mediterranean yitsemakanya hile Takla Makan desert nale Pamir mountain range kuya xava silk laha votala ava endla swiphemu swin’wana swa rendzo leri.
Kuve na swotala leswi aswi tshembiwa eka ndlela leyi xihundla xa silk xinga pfutisa xiswona. Swin’wana akuri leswaku kuve na Chinese princess loyi anga ngungumerisa matandza hi misisi loko a tekiwa hi n’wana wa hosi ya tiko rin’wana. Xin’wana kuve leswaku vahlampfa va tiko ra China vangungumerise matandza loko vaya eka matiko yan’wana yale East.
Vale West vakume ndlela leyi kwalomuya kava 550 C.E loko Byzantine emperor Justinian a rhumele ti monks timbirhi kuva tiya exikarhi ka Asia, lava vanga ngungumerisa matandza hiku tirhisa ti bamboo staves.
Vuhumelerisi Byale Ndzhandzheni
China rahari emahlweni swinene eka vumaki bya sericulture, ku landzela India. Tinhlayo tintsongo ta humelerisiwa eka matiko yofana na Korea, Thailand, na Brazil.
Vuhumelerisi Bya Laha Kaya
Kusukela hiva 1600s, tinxaka to hambana hambana ta misinya yati mulberry titisiwile e Afrika Dzonga kusuka e Thailand, Taiwan, na Indonesia. Hi 1726, ti silkworms titisiwile laha tikweni hi Dutch East India Company.
Kutani ku humelerisiwa silk hi mahlonga naswona endzhaku, kutekiwa goza raku endla projeke ya mahala ya vuhlonga bya sericulture ekusuhi nale Stellenbosch.
Kuya ekuheleni ka 19th century, vativi va Italian sericulture vatile e Afrika Dzonga kuta sungula vumaki bya silk e Gouna, leyinga ekusuhi swinene na Knysna e Western Cape. Vahlampfa lava avatshemba leswaku vata fika vasungula timhaka ta vurimi hinkarhi walowo, kambe aswivangi tano, hikuva e Gouna akungari na misinya yati mulberry, leswi aswivula leswaku vaboheke ku rima naku vatla leswaku vata tihanyisa. Misinya yati mulberry leyinga hetelela yi byariwile yivuye yi helele hinkarhi hikuva maxelo yanga lulamelangi.
Hiva 1980s, Ndzawulo ya vurimi yi sungule projeke ya sericulture e Mpumalanga. Ku endliwe swikambelo swotala kukambela misinya yotala ya tinxaka tati mulberry xikan’we na maendlelo ya vuhumelerisi. Hi 1994, projeke yati mulberry yiyisiwe e mahlweni hi munhu kungahari hi mfumo endzhaku kaloko mfumo wutava wuyime ku pfuneta hi swatimali hikokwalaho ka leswi tihakelo atiri ehenhla naswona mbuyelo wuri ehansi.
Vuhumelerisi
Rin’wana ra mapurasi ya sericulture lawa yanga sala e Afrika Dzonga rile Mpumalanga kusuhi nale Graskop. Purasi leri ariri na kwalomu ka 6 ha ya misinya yati mulberry hi 2019. Misinya leyi ayi tsemetiwa endzhaku ka 6 kuya eka 8 wa mavhiki yan’wana na yan’wana leswaku swita olovisa vuhumelerisi. Misinya yibyariwa emisaveni hi xixika kutani yi simuriwa hi ximun’wani. Akuna misinya yintshwa leyinga byariwa e purasini kusukela hi lembe ra 1994 xikwalaho ka xiyimo xa misinya leyi xaku hangalaka.
Nguva Ya Vuhumelerisi
Loko ti silkworms leti hlayisiweke hi vana va xikolo tiri na swiphemu swimbirhi swokula, Africa Silk yitlharihela vuhumelerisi kuva kuvana vuhumelerisi lebyiyaka emahlweni lembe hinkwaro. Kuya hi Ronel Swart, n’winyi wa khamphani, matandza ya horisiwa kuya pfumelela leswaku ya tlhotlhorha endzhaku ka mavhiki yambirhi yan’wana na yan’wana.
Vana vati silkworm vantshwa lawa ha ku tlhotlhorhaka yakuma ntsena matluka lawa yantsongo hikokwalaho ka tihlaya tatona letinga tiyalengiki leswi endlaka leswaku switika swinene kudya eka matluka yakhale. Swivungu leswi swidya kwalomu ka ntlhanu hi siku, kuya hi xiyimo lexi swinga eka xona xa kukula. Vana lava vasungula ku tifunengeta eka ti cocoons tavona kwalomuya ka makume nharhu wa masiku endzhaku kaku tlhotlhorhiwa.
Aswiteki kwalomu ka kilogram yin’we ku phamela 50 wati silkworms, laha silkworm yin’we yihumelerisaka kwalomu ka 0.2 kg wa silk. Leswi swivula leswaku kwalomu ka 4761 wati cocoons ta laveka kuva ti humelerisa kilogram yin’we ya silk.
Tinxaka Nxaka
Silk yi humelerisiwa hi muxaka wa Bombyx mori, lowunga wale kaya wa silkworm kusuka eka ndyangu wa Bombycidae. Switsotswani swin’wani switlhela swi humelerisa, swofana na masonja (Mopani worm) e Africa, kambe xivumbeko silk leyi xihambanile na leyi humelerisiwaka hiti silkworm. Silk yotala yitshoveriwa enhoveni.
Vuxavisi
Africa Silk vaxavisa silk leyi lulamisiweke laha kaya nale matikweni mambe, ngopfu ngopfu eka ti Europeans.
Switirhisiwa
Silk ayi tlhumangi ngopfu, leswi endlaka leswaku miseve ya dyambu yinghena kahle nakuva swimbalo swikhoma munhu kahle. Yitlhela yikota naku hlayisa ku hisa kumbe kutitimela, laha yiku kufumetaka hi xixika kutani yiku horisa hi ximumu, naswona yitiyile swinene, leswi kunga xona xivangelo xakuva yitirhisiwa ku endla swilo swofana nati parachutes na mathayere yati basikiri.
Ti silk filaments tina ti antibacterial naswona titirhisiwa ngopfu eka swavutshunguri ku endla switirhisiwa swa arterial na tin’wana ti prosthetics xikan’we naku horisa swilondza naku tshwa.
Translated by Ike Ngobeni