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Pathisa Nyathi

Before getting to those considerations perhaps, we should have looked at the criteria that determine the choice of sacred sites and the creation of sacred objects.

In this article, we turn to that matter before shifting focus to the social, spiritual and cultural roles played by sacredness and therefore the significance of desecration.

After looking at Stonehenge, it became apparent to me that the siting of ancient monuments was not a haphazard or hit and miss affair.

This was true of Stonehenge, just as it was true of the siting of Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and Adam’s (or Eve’s) Calendar in southern Africa.

Rather, there were conscious and calculated measures to locate and site them on sites with the desired qualities.

In fact, it turns out the three sites, plus the Great Zimbabwe Monument, were arranged in alignment with each other.

There was alignment among the four megalithic monuments on the one hand and alignment with the very conspicuous three Orion Belt stars within the Orion (hunter) constellation on the other.

It turns out the age of Adam’s Calendar was calculated on the basis of movement of the three Orion Belt stars on the basis of the earth’s precession and also the rate of weathering of the dolerite stones found on the site.

In terms of energy concentrations, the earth is not uniform.

There are ley lines that define the energy belts along the lines of the network.

Thus, the geological traits of the earth were an important consideration in locating the spiritually significant monuments which also double up as astronomical calendars to monitor the changing seasons in consonance with celestial movements, a phenomenon that determines the work (especially agricultural) and ritual patterns on the earth plane inhabited by human beings.

Geological attributes were not all that mattered to the ancients who relied heavily on the movement of celestial bodies for their patterned and rhythmical work schedules.

Related to the above were other geological formations that resulted in rocks that were considered to be meeting certain qualities important to advance themes considered important for one reason or the other.

One such was the all-important fertility concept responsible for the perpetuation of the flora and fauna species on earth.

For this, the combination of unique geological formations was identified.

A close look at the Njelele Hill, iLitshe, reveals it as being circular in design.

From a distance, the rock massif resembles an expecting mother lying on her back with her head to the east.

The presence of a circular rock mass alone would not have sufficed.

More requisite physical features were deemed necessary to complete the picture.

The rock massif was not all solid.

There had to be some cavern within it. Indeed, this is the case at Njelele.

The cavern had to be connected through a channel with the outside world.

Njelele has a cave, which is linked to the external world.

A combination of the physical features symbolises closely the design and anatomy of the womb. Similarly, the womb, itself being circular in design, has a “cavity” that is linked to the outside world through the birth canal.

Individuals going to Njelele enter the cavern through an entrance channel.

This approximates the anatomy of women particularly as relating to the womb.

The cavity or cave contains water that is the equivalent of the amniotic fluid in the case of the womb when the woman is pregnant.

Without water (read rain) Mother earth is infertile.

The analogy may not end there.

The physical features in their totality symbolise the womb, that very important tissue as far as fertility is concerned.

The choice of Njelele as a fertility shrine was thus not fortuitous.

There were unique geological and related aspects that symbolised the womb when it comes to the role it plays in the perpetuation of the human species.

There were several rock features that the searchers looked for but would not be satisfied with the rocks they saw.

Njelele did qualify in terms of what they saw which tallied with the requisite traits.

Njelele became a fertility shrine because of its physical features.

In addition to these features, spiritual qualities were conferred upon it and the result was a created sacredness.

I will argue in the absence of human acknowledgement conferment and recognition, sacredness would not exist.

Briefly, I am saying there are no sacred places outside of or without human involvement.

In the end, ritual significance was attached, by man, to it.

In the process, it became a sacred shrine with the attendant reverence and respect given to the site by man.

Pilgrimages were/are conducted from Njelele’s various catchment areas to seek assistance in matters of land and human fertility or conservation in general.

Oddity or peculiarity was important in the choice of features as sacred.

For example, this was true of trees in terms of their magnitude and shape relative to other trees.

In the Lupane and Nkayi districts that were inhabited by the Tonga people the colossal baobab trees were identified and used as rain shrines.

Sometimes the trees had big holes that served as shelter for the humans.

Panke was one such monumental baobab tree that assumed sacredness because of its size and presence of a cave.

Oddity ought to be taken on a broader plane to include rivers and mountains.

On average, the normal earth surface is flat, without physical “blemishes” as it were.

Rivers and pools may, in that regard, be considered as ‘‘blemishes,’’ as oddities and irregularities which are then perceived as possessing special spiritual powers.

The ancients chose mountains, mountain caves, rivers, pools and springs as disabled earth features with related power.

Their choice led to their being culturally imbued with sacredness.

Individuals too may be regarded as sacred on account of their innate qualities such as spiritual endowment at conception. Such individuals become ‘‘priests’’ and will confer sacredness to a chosen site by conducting consecration rituals where requisite features have been identified.

Where desecration has been identified, these individuals will restore the lost sacredness.

An important consideration in Africa was that man did not choose such individuals, nor were they answering to some inner calling.

They were born with the requisite qualities.

Their innate spiritual qualities were an integral part of them.

There is just nowhere one can go to buy these traits.

Individuals such as these had to follow strict conduct of life.

A lot of food abstinence characterised their lives.

The individuals, largely avoided pork, bacon, mutton, onion and other foods.

There was belief that certain foods created conditions that negated the presence of spiritual purity.

There were other defiling acts to be avoided.

For example, engagement in sexual activity was considered a defiling act.

Before conducting rituals, such individuals abstained from sexual activities.

For example, the men going out on the mission to cleanse the land, ukwebula ingxoza/itenele avoided sex the previous day.

Sex is itself a spiritual act.

When man is involved in other spiritual activities, there should be no competing spiritual activities that are engaged in.

The link between the cosmic bodies and the spiritual status of man was taken seriously.

On the bases of movement of celestial bodies, there were days when spiritual potency was at its lowest ebb.

On such days, spiritual individuals, considered sacred, did not perform their ritual duties.

Movement of celestial bodies created holy days that had to be taken as such.

These were days when rituals were not conducted.

Spiritual individuals refrained from undertaking ritual work.

If they did, that would desecrate them and their operational sites.

Theirs were hard lives; the costs that they paid to retain their spiritual purity and thus win the respect of members of their community were high.

Some objects were created which sacredness had conferred upon them.

Usually these were perceived as embracing beauty and aesthetics that appealed to the deities.

Beauty attracted attention of spiritual powers gazing on them.

In the process, the spiritual powers felt obliged to accede to presented requests.

Such sacred objects, because of their aesthetics were presented to them.

The objects could be vessels with libations, sacrifices and offerings.

Such objects, liberally endowed with aesthetic appeal, were deemed sacred and well looked after.

Stealing them constituted sacrilegious acts.

In the process, they lost their sacredness.

Communication was central to African spirituality.

Platforms where offerings were presented had to, at all times, retain their spiritual purity, sacredness and potency for them to facilitate communication between the mortals and the spiritual immortals.

For this reason, such holy sites were kept out of reach of all and sundry to avoid risking their defilement by individuals whose ritual purity could not guaranteed.