Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Sacred Kruger mountain returned
IMAGINE the sound of children running around while playing as the men thrust a spear into an African wildebeest to secure supper for that night, and the women boil water in hand-made pots to prepare the freshly slaughtered animal brought home by the hunters.
The sound of drums believed to summon rain echoes in the night while cries of the lion and leopard on the horizon are heard as they salivate over the fresh smell of the slaughtered animal boiling.
This is the history of the Bakgalaka clan of Mount Tshikumbu (also known as Shikumbu) in the heart of the 2 million hectare Kruger National Park.
The sacred heritage sight in the northern section of the Kruger was launched as an interpretation site after the Bakgalaka finally won their long land claims battle against the government.
The Bakgalaka are believed to have moved from the south of Zimbabwe, in the Masvingo area, to the area between the Olifants and Letaba rivers in 1658, led by Chief Tongarara.
With the seemingly endless battle at the Land Claims Court for recognition that the land belonged to the Bakgalaka over, South African National Parks (SANParks) officially handed over the land that houses the mountain to the nation this week.
The handover made the historical hill accessible to the public.
On the mountain are the graves of the clan’s former leaders, including the place where Chief Tongogara was buried.
SANParks spokesperson Isaac Phaahla said they had been granting the Bakgalaka people access to the park over the years to conduct their traditional rituals.
This week, fittingly during Heritage Month, descendants of Chief Tongarara performed a ritual to appease their ancestors and inform them of SANParks’ decision return the land to them.
The rituals are still being practised by Chief Tongogara's descendants in the mountain’s cave.
Bakgalaka spokesperson Samson Mokgalaka, who performed the ritual, said there was more to the Kruger than seeing animals.
“To us this is a very sacred place and not just a place to see animals. This is where my ancestors lived. If things had not changed I’d be living here with the animals that are still roaming around.
“This is a rich history from the 19th century that needs to be explored by the people of this country because there is a lot to learn. “Chief Tongarara, who was considered to have ruled as a wise man, and his people lived in this mountain and surrounding areas feeding on animals and fruit in the area.” Mokgalaka said some of the descendants of Chief Tongarara were Malesa, Nogana, Phure, Ramalepe, Ramuthwa, Tshumeni and Molewa. These were now being used as surnames, particularly in Limpopo. The heritage site, regarded as a shrine, a place of holiness and sacred to Chief Tongogara‘s descendants, is now accessible to the public, where they can view the graves of the leaders in the midst of the wild animals.