For the first time in 35 years Vhavenda maidens gathered at their king’s kraal to learn the rituals of womanhood, writes Evidence wa ka Ngobeni. Photographs by Nadine Hutton Dressed only in their shedo, a short Venda traditional outfit, they stand in a line, holding each other’s arms, and suddenly move forward and round the drums and fire until told to stop. On the instruction of their Nyamungozwa (principal lady), they bend over towards the circle of the royal kraal, kneel and perform losha, a Venda traditional greeting, for their king who has just emerged. This is Mukhumbani village near Thohoyandou, Northern Province, where the highest traditional initiation ritual in the Vhavenda culture is being held for the first time in 35 years. Called Domba, the initiation school and ritual is hosted by Vhavenda King Kennedy Midiyavhuthu Tshivhase, who, according to Vhavenda tradition, is allowed to organise the Domba only once in his lifetime. For the past four months hundreds of half-naked vhatoi (novices) have been taking part in the Domba, which was founded by their Vhavenda ancestors in the 1700s. During the Domba the novices participate in the Domba dance and they are taught how to handle their future husbands. The novices also learn ways of coping with pressures of marriage and avoiding teenage pregnancy. This is one of a number of traditional initiation schools used by Africans in South Africa. But, unlike Domba, many of the initiation schools are increasingly losing their African touch and are steadily being eroded by modern life. Last Friday the novices, aged between 12 and 18, demonstrated that the Vhavenda people were determined to retain their culture despite changes in their lifestyle. The novices have spent more than 25 weekends housed in tiny brick houses and huts.
The Domba routine at royal kraal has been the same each weekend: three Domba dance sessions a day, starting at 5am and ending at 2am the following day. On Sunday novices go home. In the past the Domba ritual took a year and novices were not allowed to leave Mount Luame (Venda for “meat is like fruits on the trees”) until they graduated. Tshivhase says the period of Domba was changed to five months to ensure that the novices attend school. The novices are graduating this weekend and Tshivhase expects thousands of people from the 75 villages under his control. Last week the drums were played by married women, who were also teaching the girls how to dance Domba. The first novices to join were members of the king’s family to set a good example. Princess Vusani Tshivhase led the chain of dancers as they danced in the early morning, at midday and after dark. Vusani Tshivhase is the owner of the Domba and is responsible for the girls while they stay in the royal family’s huts. The women are not allowed to wear more than their shedo during initiation. The masters of Domba say the nakedness is important because at the beginning of the ritual the girls must be like children when born naked. The Domba dance illustrates an act of sexual synergy, conception, the growth of the foetus and finally childbirth. Tourists have been made to believe the Domba dance portrays the movements of a python. But masters of the Domba dance and Tshivhase conceded the dance illustrated “a process of making a child” sex. Traditionally the Venda people believed conception could be achieved only through frequent sexual intercourse. The Venda girls participating in the Domba learn that the chain of dancers and the progress of each performance represents stimulation, climax and ejaculation.
The kindling of the fire by the girls symbolises pain during menstruation and the repetitions of the Domba song are the nine months of pregnancy. The fire becomes a mound of ashes that represent semen, and the big bass drum is the foetus. Finally, they say, when orgasm has been achieved the chain of the Domba dancers, whose bodies represent the penis, stops moving and the girls lean over towards the centre of the circle. They bend over towards the circle and kneel down and perform losha. Married women and graduates of another Domba may dance if they wish, but they must move independently of the novices. The king then has a chance to choose a third wife from the hundreds of women who have turned up for the Domba.