A Venda Lesson

The following is dedicated to my mother and brought to you by my Venda tutor, who has lived in the area all his life, seems to know about Venda culture and traditions, and is ambiguously affiliated with politics to an extent that makes him seem more (not less) trustworthy. (There’s a disclaimer on a disclaimer, for you).

Words

• Shenga: (n.) a baby who is born with his top teeth in or whose top teeth develop first. Traditionally, it was thought that such babies will grow up abnormal (he was vague on how). To correct this problem, the parents toss the baby off the rondaveld’s thatched roof into a basket filled with water a couple times.
• Kigolis: (n.) Male sex workers from Nigeria. I took down this in my notes: “Business women don’t have husbands so they go to kigolis”
• Via: (v.) literally, to skin or operate; common usage: to ritually murder. Back in the day, local chiefs would regularly snatch up folks for use of their body parts to make muti [(n.) magic ingredients, especially body parts etc.]. According to my tutor, it was not uncommon for human heads to be found under the stoop of the chief’s kraal [(n.) a bunch of rondavelds that constitute one property/household]. You could use a person’s lip for commercial purposes: hide a piece at the entry of your business and it calls to customers. Should you be a criminal, leg blood smeared on your own legs might help you keep from getting caught. This actually still goes on. My Venda tutor suspects that it only accounts for a death a year, but I have heard some people fretting about traveling alone in certain areas because they fear ritual killing. Recently, it was discovered a bishop had committed ritual murder. That did actually get quite a bit of coverage in the local newspaper.
• Fula: (v.) to have your eye twitch. The top eye twitching means you’ll get something you want; lower eye twitch means you’ll cry about something and/or mourn.
• Mudzadze: (n.) my dictionary writes: recently confined woman. My tutor explained that it is a woman who has given birth within the last three months and is not permitted to leave the home lest she be molested

Choice Idioms

Vhana vha wela tshivhasoni – literally: the children dive for the fire place
means: there is hunger

Kholomo u peta voho – literally: the cow’s leg bends
means: to smoke pot

U bata nzhie – literally: s/he grabs at locusts
means: s/he is not a normal person

Dunzi lo fhufha – literally: the big fly has flown
means: to recover from illness

U bika nga khulu literally: to cook a lot
means: there has been a death

Names

My name is Azwifarwi, which means Don’t Touch/Mess With. Avhasei is pretty common – it means Don’t Laugh. Mpandeli means A Person Who Drives Off Others

Having said all that, let’s keep in mind that every language has its eccentricities. (Like Chastity. Come on: parents who name their kid chastity are either huge fans of irony or raging hypocrites). And to be on the lamb... from where did that come?

Props to Steve and Caz for putting me in touch with this wonderful man.