An account of the Amakosae, a tribe of Caffers adjoining the Eastern Boundary of the Cape Colony

Abstract

This continuation of the ethnographic study (see https://doi.org/10.21504/saqj.21.2689) offers a detailed examination of the domestic and cultural life of the Amakosae (Xhosa).

Domestic Life and Economy

Xhosa kraals (villages) are situated on high ground near water sources and consist of semi-hemispherical huts built from bent boughs, thatched with grass, and plastered inside with cow-dung and sand. The huts enclose a central cattle-fold. Agriculture is practised in nearby fields, where crops such as corn, melons, pumpkins, and beans are cultivated, with children assigned to protect the crops from birds and cattle. Harvested grain is stored in underground pits within the cattle kraal.

A distinct division of labour exists:

• Men: Primarily responsible for cattle herding (their chief attention), milking, fold maintenance, hunting, snaring, and making milk bags.
• Women: Manage the laborious tasks of fetching wood and water, building and plastering the huts, cultivating and harvesting the corn, and preparing food and apparel (using an awl and ox-fibre thread).

Physical Characteristics and Health

The Xhosa are described as being of dark brown colour, well-proportioned, acute in sight and hearing, possessing great agility, but averse to labour. Diseases noted include taenia (tapeworm), dyspnoea, and rheumatism. Treatment often involves bloodletting via scarification/cupping, herbal purgatives/emetics, and application of moxa (recently substituted with gunpowder) for pain.

Beliefs and Superstition

A significant portion of the text addresses supernatural beliefs. Illnesses of an unusual nature are attributed to witchcraft or poison. Igiaka (Doctors) claim to charm noxious animals or objects (bewitching matter) from the sick person. Igiaka-isi-nusikaza ("discoverers of bewitching matter") are employed to identify the witch, often leading to torture and property confiscation, and sometimes used by chiefs to eliminate wealthy or powerful subjects. The document also describes the role of the Igiaka-lumsulu (rain doctors), whose rituals involve offerings, feasting, and the strict observance of behavioural instructions by warriors to ensure rain. Superstitions include avoiding harm to crested cranes and fearing retribution from elephants if their territory is disturbed.

Social Customs and Rites

Marriage is a recognised contract involving the purchase of the woman from her parents with cattle (plurality of wives is permitted). The status of women is described as akin to that of a master and a slave. Circumcision is performed on boys, sometimes at an early age (as young as six), using a sharp stone, as it confers the privilege of residing at the chief's place. This is followed by a period of seclusion (two to three moons) where the initiates avoid women and wear reed girdles, concluding with the burning of their temporary hut and apparel. Girls undergo a brief seclusion upon the first appearance of puberty, followed by a celebratory feast where the future marriage cattle price is declared.

Death and Manufacturing

On the death of a common person, their body is buried in holes made by ant bears, and the survivor undergoes a period of seclusion, followed by the burning of the deceased's hut and the shaving of all relatives' heads. Chiefs and their families are buried in the cattle kraal; their death imposes a taboo on the surrounding land, cattle, and pathways. Historically, the chief claimed all the deceased's cattle, a practice recently abandoned by some chiefs in favour of appointing a guardian for the family. The only distinct manufactory is the production of assagai heads, axe heads, and awls by esteemed craftsmen, utilising hard stones as tools and a unique bellows made from an entire buckskin.