Beliefs & customs

Death

Since death was considered so terrible an occurrence in all localities, it would be out of question to classify the many inconvenient superstitions about it. In those olden times the "leqhofa" the hut of the dead man, especially one in which an aged person died, who had no family, was left unoccupied, its entrance blocked up either with stones or bundles of grass. Kraals in which such deaths occurred were deserted and the spots no longer held fit for habitation.

Surprising or sudden deaths, such as caused by the striking of lightning etc. were incidents of great shock. Witch doctors were urgently sought for, and divining bones thrown down them to reveal the mournful secrets. Death reports were announced to relatives at night. Children upon their inquiring as to the whereabouts of such and such a newly deceased, we told, 'ofaletse' he has emigrated, and not "o shoele" he is dead, which was a vulgar as well as a wrong saying. It was also improper especially during the term of mourning to pronounce the name of deceased, but he should be addressed 'the late so and so'. . In olden times there was no night watch over the corpse as is done today, since as far s possible the corpse was buried during the night of the day of death. Funerals were nocturnal performances, held only by grown ups at dead of night. In many cases the young were not allowed to see the dead body or to attend the funeral.

"A very old man who would not die", but was a nuisance and a burden to the family, was done away with. He would be placed at the entrance of the cattle kraal, so that the cattle getting inside the kraal for the night would trample him to death and then he would be picked up to be buried quietly.