Kukula ka Ntsinda wa Mapungubwe

Kukurisiwa ka K2

©Roger de la Harpe

Kwalomuya ka 1220 AD, vanhu vale K2 va bohe kuva va rhurhela eka ndzhawu yo antswa. Swilo aswi famba kahle swinene eka vona hi trade network na masimu yavona lawa ya vuyerisaka. Naswona nkarhi awufikile, avatwa hindlela yoleyo, ku endla ntsinda lowunga lulamela kuyimela mafambelo yavona yale henhla swinene.
Kurhurha loku akungari ndlela yo bombisa mali yintshwa leyi ayaha kukumeka. Leswi aswi kombisa ku cinca loku aku laveka eka vaaki. Tani hi Thomas Huffman (archaeologist leyi ayitirha e Wits University) uswiveka aku, “Rifuwo lerikulu ringa endliwa hikwalaho ka vuxavisi bya Indian Ocean lebyinga hetelela byitise kukala ndzingano, naswona mindyangu leyi ayi fuma yive yona ya xiyimo xale henhla. Tlhandla kambirhi, kukula ka nhlayo ya vaaki, swiseketeriwile hi vurimi lebyi abyiti nyike matimba, leswi aswitava swipfunile ku tiyisisa kuhambana loku ka vutomi. Hi 1220 AD, vaaki va K2 se ava cincile kusuka vaaki lava ya hiku vavekiwe kwihi eka vaaki kuya eka xiyimo lexi vanga eka xona.” Tshemba mali kuva yi onha swilo hinkwaswo!

Xana Kuna Yini eka Vito?

©Roger de la Harpe

Ndzhawu leyi avayi langhilekuva ntsonda wavona ayiri yikulu swinene, yiva na xintshabyani, lexi axiri eka ximpfhukani kusuka e n’walungu vuhuma dyambu bya K2, hile tlhelo lerin’wani ra xintshabyani xa Bambandyanalo. Laha akuri xintshabyana ya maribye lawa yanga yimela e henhla kuringana 30 metres, 300 metres hiku leha naswona exikarhi ka 15 na 50 metres hiku anama. Tibuwa ta nambu wa Limpopo atiri kwalomu ka kilometre yin’we kuya e n’walungwini.
Ahiswitivi leswaku hikokwalaho ka yini vathyile xintshabyani lexi. Vito ra ximanguva lawa, ‘Mapungubwe’, risukela eka mukhalabya loyi anga voni loyi a vuriwaka Mowena, loyi anga sungula a kombetela xintshabyani lexi hi matihlo yayena yo basa hi lembe ra 1931. Tani hileswi rito leri ringa weleku eka tindzimi ta va-Sotho, Shona kumbe ta va-Venda, aswi olovi kutiva leswi rivulaka swona. Nhlamuselo leyinga toloveriwa hileyinge ‘place of the jackals’, kusuka eka rito ra xi-Sotho “pungubye” na ra TshiVenda “punguvhe”, lawa hinkwawo ya vulaka jakalasi. Jakalasi leyi kuvuriwaka yona kuvuriwa murhangeri wa matimba loyi a fuma vanhu lava ava tshama kona. Rixaka rava Lemba, hambiswiritano, ri hlamusela vito tani hi ‘ndzhawu leyi maribye aya khuluka tani hi mati’, leswi swingava swivula vuswikoti bya khale bya ku tirha hi molten metal. Swinga tlhela swivula ‘ndzhawu ya vutlhari’ kuya hi Matole Matshekga, nhloko ya Kora Heritage Institute. Van’wana vatsheba leswaku swingava swifambisana na riengeteri ra xi- Shona-bwe, tani hile ka Zimbabwe, leri ari tekiwa kuvula ‘maribye ya nhlonipho kumbe ku gandzela’.

Ndzhawu ya Kahle kuva Ntsinda

©Photo courtesy of Mapungubwe Museum, Pretoria University

Xin’wani na xin’wani xexi vayi vulaka swona, xintshabyani lexi axiri ndzhawu ya kahle swinene kuva ntsinda. Matlhelo yakona ayari e henhla swinene naswona akuri na matlhelo ya mune ya ku khandziya kuya e nhlonhlorini, laha hinkwawo ayata rindzeka hiku olova. E handle ka kuva xinga onhiwangi kusuka hi ntumbuluko, axinga langheriwanga kuka xinga fikeleleki hi tinxaka leti nghenelelaka. Kahle kahle, akuna vumbhoni lebyi kombaka leswaku vanhu va K2 avari enyimpini na vanwani naswona nkarhi hinkwawo akuri ndzhawu leyi ayi horile swinene.
Kuriku xona axi langheriwe kuva xinga fikeleleki hiku olova. Hinkarhi lowu, aswi enerisa ndzhavuko wa vanhu vale K2 lowu se awu fikelele yindlu ya vukosi naswona avatwa onge swifanerile leswaku ava fanelangi kuva endzhawini yinwe na vaaki lavanwani. Swahatetano, Hosi nkulu, ndyangu wa yona, vatsundzuxi na varindzi vanghenile eka tiyindlu leti ati akiwile ehenhla ka xintshabyani lexi. Kutani vaaki vatshama eka tiyindlu leti atiri ehansi ka xintshabyani. Vulavula hi ‘king of the castle’.

Kuhambana ka Swiyimo swa Hlamusela

Kuhambana exikarhi ka vaaki va K2 swihundzuke xihambanyiso lexikulu. Leswi aswiri rosungula eka matimu ya Afrika kuva swihumelela – hambi leswi swingatava swingari swohetelela. Nongonoko woleha wa varhangeri va Afrika lavangana voko ra nsimbhi wulandzerile eka xikombiso xa Mapungubwe laha vanga tiveka voxe, ekule na swirilo swa valandzeri vavona. Leswifanaka swinga vuriwa hi tihosi tale Europe, hindlela yaleyo. Kumbe leyi ya ximanguva lawa.
Iaswi se tiveka loko kuve mfumo lowuntshwa e Mapungubwe akuri ku rhandza ka hosi leyi ya matimba kumbe kumbe akuri xiphemu xa xiboho lexinga tekiwa hi nhlanganelo kutiyisisa kuhambana eka vaaki. Swinga endleka kuve na swilo swa ximoya, tani hi leswi aku hleketiwa leswaku xintshabyani lexi xifambelana naku endla mpfula na mintirho yinwana ya xihundla leswi aswiri xihundla xale vuhosini.
Hindlela yinwanimaendlelo lawa yati kombe ya tirha swinene naswona ndzhavuko wa Mapungubwe wuhanyile kuringana 75 wa malembe. Nkarhi lowu wokoma kambe kuhumelela wa ‘Gold Period’ akuri wa kuleha kuringana ku fumiwa hi hosi yin’we kumbe timbirhi, kumbe tin’wana totala nyana, kambe eka nkarhi walowo vanhu va Mapungubwe avari bizi ngopfu.

Kululamisela ku Kula ka Xihatla

Xosungula lexi axi fanele ku endliwa akuri kululamisela xintshabyani xa hosi. Nhlayo ya misava yotala yiyisiwile ehenhla ka xintshabyani lexi leswaku kuta leveriwa laha kungana maribye. Tiyindlu ta byasi ti akiwile ti akeriwa malandza ya hosi (vandyangu, vakhansela na varindzi), xikanwe naku endliwa ka mapatu yaku kota kufikelela ehenhla ka xintshabyani. Kahari na ndlela leyitirhisiwaka sweswi hi vapfhumba laha kunga ceriwa magoji emaribyeni ku hoxiwa timhandzi leswaku ku endliwa switepisi. Avatlhela vakota ku paketela maribye lawa aya lava kufaya tinhloko ta vanhu lava taka nyimpini.
Ehansi ka xintshabyana akuri na ntlawa wa tiyindlu letingariki ta vuhosi kutani kuhundza kwalano akuri vaaki ndzhawu laha aku tshama vanhu votala swinene. Ndzhawu yin’wana na yin’wani ayiri na hosi na ndhuna yayona. Vumbhoni bya Archaeology byikomba leswaku akuri na ndzhwu yintsongo yale Mapungubwe kunga se fika 1220, naswona ndzhawu yakona yingava yi tshwile kutani kutlhela ku akiwa yindlu leyinga rhurhela vanhu lava ava suka e K2. Maendlelo yaku hisa yindlu ya khale loko se yihlakarile kutani ku akiwa yintshwa aswitolovelekile emugangeni lowu. Masalela lawa ya kumekaka e dzongeni wa Mapungubwe yikomba leswaku leswi swihumelele kotala himinkarhi leyi akuri na kukula hi xihatla e ntsinda.

Translated by Ike Ngobeni