Mamaala in the sources
Mamaala (from the Ndebele nomayala ngenhlabathi, “he who sows with sand”) is the second-senior lineage of the Langa clan. Jackson says it descends from Makgenene, a son of Seritarita by his second-ranking wife, who left the chiefdom rather than accept a younger half-brother as chief.
What the sources say
Makgenene settled at Tsotsodi and Segodini, near the Makapan cave, and the group was later ruled by Selepe and Mphunye (Mapunya). Langa tradition says Mphunye’s people returned at the beginning of Mankopane’s rule and claimed the chieftainship, were told the Mosoge ranked higher, and plotted against Mankopane. When Mankopane decided to attack them after the fields were planted, Mphunye is said to have had his people sow sand and slip away, and that is the origin of the name. Jackson doubts the story, since it has the Mamaala return and depart twice, and notes another explanation: that the founder never sowed more than once in a place, so “he who sows throughout the country”. Some said Mphunye was killed at Magagamatala in 1858, others denied it (about pp. 9 and 18).
The lineage is still given its seniority: the Mamaala are the first after the Mosoge to burn their circumcision lodge, and the ruling family’s lodge follows. The Mamaala head is a sub-headman (borametsana). Jackson also notes that some Mamaala went to Ntsuka’s place at Witpoort near Moletlane (the Kekana country).
Cautions
The sand story is a tradition that Jackson himself doubts. Jackson was a government ethnologist, and his fieldwork at Mapela took about 100 days between 1962 and 1967; he says the opinions are his own. His present tense describes 1968. We read the book through machine OCR of a typed transcription, so names and numbers may contain errors, and page numbers are approximate.
Izithakazelo and totem
The book records the totem and praise poem of this ward where given above, but we are not printing them in full. If you belong to the Mamaala and recite your own izithakazelo or direto, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
See also Langa, Kekana and Ndzundza.
Do you belong to the Mamaala? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.