African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 133
(There was an individual who is said to have dug his radio into the
ground so that he could listen to underground news, he said.)
Wenziwa yikuthi wezwa kuthiwa uJune uyeza wahamba
wayamkhansila kukhalenda.
(When you heard people say that the month of June was approaching,
you ran to your calendar and drew a line across the month.)
Ngabuya lawe koBulawayo wathi, “Khangelanini amakhiwa afake
imbawula phezulu,” usitsho amalayithi.
(I took you to the city for a visit, and after you saw streetlights you
commented, “Look, white people put heaters up in the sky.”)
Umfana wedolobheni wathi uchago luvela embodleleni.
(A boy from the city commented that milk came from a bottle.)
Waphupha usidla isinkwa wavuka uqede umqamelo.
(One night you dreamt about eating a loaf of bread, and the next
morning when you woke up you realized that in your sleep you had been
eating up your pillow.)
Tongue Twisters
Some of the distinctive features of the Ndebele language are click sounds, notably those
represented by c, q, and x. Most tongue twisters of the language are built around these
clicks. Verbal dexterity and a rich vocabulary are considered important and vital skills in
Ndebele society. Such dexterity is primarily built around the different articulations and
combinations of the clicks and the high speed at which they are to be said without a slip
of the tongue. At this stage of their development, children are supposed to have mastered
the subtleties of the language. Here are two examples that play on the click sounds:
“Ngihlangane lexhegu ligax’ iqhele liqag’ iqhaga ngomlomo” (I met an old man with a
piece of cloth on his back, and he was holding a gourd on his lips). X and Q are the core
sounds of the tongue twister. They become more complicated; however, when combined
with H. The H helps to create an aspirated Q or X sound. Children are pitted against each
other in a contest to demonstrate their mastery of the click sounds. The second example,
“Iqhele likaMqhele liqunywe liqhalaqhala” (Mqhele’s piece of cloth was cut by the illbehaved
girl) is a play on the Q sound and its combinations with H.
Material Art Forms and Games
Besides contemporary toys, Ndebele children have always used available materials to
create their own toys, and they also engage in games to bond with other children. Mud
and vegetable materials, especially grass and wood, have been used in the past to make
miniature animals, human beings, baskets, and clothes. Nowadays, some children use
wire and scrap metal to create artistic pieces. One of the popular games they play is hide
and seek.