Nongqawuse was a 19th century Xhosa diviner, born in 1841 at a place known as Centane near the Gxarha River in the Eastern Cape province. Nongqawuse’s parents died while she was very young during the Eighth Xhosa War of Colonial Resistance. She was raised by her uncle Mhlakaza, who was the son of a councillor of the Xhosa King Sarili kaHintsa. Mhlakaza was a Xhosa spiritualist, who left Xhosaland after his mother's death and spent time in the Cape Colony, where he became familiar with Christianity. He returned to Xhosaland in 1853. Mhlakazi was to have a major influence in Nongqawuse's life, acting as an interpreter and organiser of her visions.
In April 1856, Nongqawuse, at the age of 15, along with her friend Nombanda, who was approximately 8 to 10 years old, ventured to the seaside fields near the Gxarha River mouth to chase away birds from her uncle's crops. Upon her return, Nongqawuse confided in Mhlakaza, sharing that she had encountered the spirits of two of her ancestors. These ancestral spirits introduced themselves by name and began to impart their divine messages of warning to her.
They had told her that amaXhosa should destroy their crops and kill their cattle, a source of their wealth as well as food. Nongqawuse claimed that the spirits who had appeared to them said:
All living cattle have to be slaughtered.
Crops should be burned and cultivation ceased.
The Ancestors will rise from the dead.
In exchange for obeying these instructions, AmaXhosa would be able to replenish grain reserves and fill the kraals with more beautiful and healthier cattle. The ancestors would also sweep all European settlers into the sea.
When Nongqawuse and her companion returned to their village and relayed the message, no one believed her. The spirits then summoned her to bring Mhlakaza to them, but would only communicate to him through her.
Following this, Mhlakaza communicated the message to the Xhosa ruling class and preached the words of the message to the people. Kings and noblemen sent representatives to Mhlakaza’s village and though they did not see the ancestors that Nongqawuse communicated with, they were nonetheless convinced by her prophecy.
King Sarhili sent his brothers, Ndima and Xhoxho and his cousins Qwabe and Xhoseni. Iinkosi Phatho, Mhala and Tabayi also underwent efforts to investigate the prophecy.
I will now add more background and offer my interpretation of each prophecy, begining with, "All living cattle have to be slaughtered"
During this time, large herds of Xhosa cattle were plagued by Lungsickness, a bovine disease that had already left destruction in its wake in Europe.
In September 1853, it was brought to South Africa, through the harbour in Mossel Bay, by a Dutch ship carrying Friesian bulls. The disease was a bacteria that was not easily detected and could lay dormant while simultaneously infecting other cattle. It crept on the lungs of the cattle as a yellowish fluid, sticking to the ribs. When it spread it putrefied the animal from within. It caused the cattle constipation, diarrhoea, severe breathing problems that resulted in the cattle being paralysed, unable to eat and frothing at its mouth. It is no coincidence that the Xhose cattle killings were a lot fiercer in areas where the lung disease had mostly penetrated.
The disease was first detected at Uitenhage in 1854, from there it spread to Fort Beaufort and then to King Williams Town in 1855 where it made its way to the territories of iinkosi such as Mhala, Phatho and Maqoma till it reached Butterworth and spread in the lands of King Sarhili in 1856. The last to be affected was amaNgqika. The disease was extremely difficult for th people to contain and manage. AmaXhosa tried to drive their cattle into seclusion, fenced off pastures, buried their infected carcasses deep in the ground, and executed those who disobeyed that they would infect other bulls, driving up the cattle death count. This lung sickness epidemic, and the attempted prevention of it, undoubtedly made it easier for amaXhosa to commit to carrying out Nongqawuse's prophecy.
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