Mashinini clan names and izithakazelo

Mashinini in the sources

Bryant lists the Mashinini among the clans found in the Swazi country in the early nineteenth century, “all described as of Sutu origin”.

What the sources say

The passage. Describing peoples of the Swazi country, Bryant writes that “elsewhere we hear of the Makubu (at ebuTimbe), the Mashinini, the Matebula, the Mshweshwe, the Msimango, the Mota and several other clans, all described as of Sutu origin” (p. 310). “Sutu” is his term for Sotho-speaking peoples.

Nothing more. He gives no leader, genealogy or praise for the Mashinini. See also Msimango.

Cautions

This is a single-sentence mention. The statement that they were of “Sutu origin” is Bryant’s, reported from others, and we cannot test it. Bryant was a Catholic missionary who collected clan traditions in the early twentieth century; he writes in a jocular colonial style, dates early generations by a rule of eighteen years to a reign, and often says he is guessing. We give his statements as his.

Izithakazelo and totem

We found no Mashinini praise poem or totem. If you belong to this clan, we would like to record your family’s own account, credited to you.

Sources and further reading

• A. T. Bryant, Olden Times in Zululand and Natal (London: Longmans, 1929); read in the Internet Archive text, including its alphabetical table of clan names and address-names near the end (machine-read, with garbled columns)

Do you belong to the Mashinini? Tell us your izithakazelo and what elders say about the family’s history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.