Photos from Our World

The iNcwala or First Fruits Ceremony in Swaziland (part 3)

The day after the bringing of the "lusekwane" shrub, leaves ("emacembe") are collected locally around Lobamba. This is an opportunity for the younger boys, for whom gathering of lusekwane is too strenuous, to participate in the ceremony. So it is mainly young boys who collect bundles of leaves that will also be used to make the ritual enclosure: these will fill the gaps in the lusekwane, so that the private ceremonies performed by the King will remain private.

The boys collect the leaves and walk with these towards the "sibaya", the cattle byre; they then enter the sibaya, throw their bundles of leaves down and run away, some emitting piercing whistles. The old men gather the leaves to use them later. Different groups bring those leaves, accompanied by groups of warriors with shields.

After this a ritual slaying of a black bull takes place: the young men strip to their "emajobo", the skin loin covering they wear; although very young boys may only wear "emajobo", when they get older they wear "emahiya", a kind of kilt, underneath it for modesty. But in this ritual only the skin covering is worn; a black bull is released, the men run towards it, grab it by the horns, and, loudly singing the iNcwala song, drag it to the enclosure that was built from the lusekwane shrub. They then kill it with their bare hands. Body parts of this bull ("inkunzi") will be used on the main day in the King's rituals. The young men later march in triumph, still singing the sacred iNcwala song....

Continuing....

	Boy with emacembe	Getting emacembe	Gathering leaves	Ready for march
	Bringing emacembe	Throwing emacembe	Boys with leaves	Young prince
	Marching men	Marching with leaves	Men throw emacembe	After killing the bull

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