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Nongenile Masithathu Zenani THE NECESSARY CLOWN (XHOSA) Nongenile Masithathu Zenani related a version of her autobiography, from which this excerpt is taken, on August 12, 1972, in Nkanga, Gatyana District, in the Transkei. Her performance took place outside, in an abandoned, roofless, rondavel-style house near her own home, along the side of a hill. In the audience were five women (among them, her sister, who was visiting at the time), two men, two teenagers, and three children-all Xhosa. (NS-156; tape 8, side 1) She1 was taken to be married to her homestead by marriage. The bridal party consisted of two young women, one being her sister who came directly after her in age. The other was also from the village. Also in the bridal retinue were two older women, an older woman together with an inkazana2 who, in comparison with the other, was still young. And there were two men, an older man together with a younger. As they travelled to the homestead of marriage, they crossed the Qwaninga River, then followed a wagon road. These guests continued to travel, going to the wedding ceremony at Nkanga, at a place called Ngqaqini, the headman being Mabala. As they were going there, they moved along a certain path-the roads being what they are, with various curves, there is usually a foot path that one can take as a short cut. They took such a foot path, leaving the wagon road behind, moving in the direction of a certain little valley, because it happened to be a valley that had no water in it. As they were travelling, they were driving a ceremonial beast: this.animal is driven by the bride when she is travelling to her new homestead by marriage. Then, when she gets to that homestead, this ox is slaughtered on the morning following the evening of the arrival of the bridal party. Now that ox, the one they were driving, a yellow beast whose name was Selani, ran off. It was being drive.n in front while the family of the bridal party followed behind. It was being driven by this second man, it was evening, and Selani began to run wildly, bucking. It was evening, and this area had trees and thickets and long grass, as well as many ditches, so that a thing might easily disappear. And so it was that this ox got lost in the high grass of this area. That man pursued Selani , attempting to bring it back to the road, but he was unable to find it. The beast was lost. The man returned to the group with which he was travelling, and he said, "I cannot find this ox! Perhaps it has turned back. It doesn't know 61 62 Part One: Cultivating the Past the place we're going to. Besides, this ox is an old one, and it is in the nature of the beast not to like being driven alone, without other oxen./I The members of the bridal party agreed with him. "Yes, this is the kind of thing that might happen when the ox is travelling alone. When it becomes dark, then the eyes cannot see, and it might just decide to go back. It's very likely that it has just gone back home./I The bridal party stopped. "What is to be done, now that the ox is gone?" They reasoned together, and concluded that they should go on, because a bridal party cannot tum back once it has started. It was necessary that it go on, and then, when it arrived at that homestead which was their destination, the negotiators of the bridal party should leave early in the morning, and go back home to see if the ox is there. The ox would miss the day on which it was to be slaughtered, and it would have to be killed on the second day. After they had taken counsel in this way, they proceeded on the path that went in the direction of the homestead by marriage. They went over the first hill, called Ngangana. There was a quarry on the left side of the path; when they got to the quarry, they rested. They sat there, smoking their pipes, and it was getting very dark by then. Then, after some time, it was said, "Let's go./I And they travelled on. They took a curving, ascending road, and when they were fairly near the homestead that was...

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