spear + 2 cows = death

(photos are coming, it's hard without a computer to download on)

had the most interesting day yesterday. this could be a long blog entry and i know most people stop reading after the first few lines. so for short
went to a lobola (dowry negotiation/engagement ceremony)
watched negotiations of cattle and money for a woman
watched 2 cows being speared to death and later skinned.

interested? you should be! read on.

when a man chooses a wife (sometimes without her knowledge or consent!) he must give her family cattle and money in exchange for the bride. this is called a lobola. usually, a man must pay 15 or so cattle. as times change, people from the city usually give the bride's family the money instead. one of my co-workers, tulani, went with custom and bought cattle. he invited me (and 2 friends) to come along. what an experience.

we arrived a little late and the negotiations had already begun. every homestead has one hut (always a circle) that is used for meetings. we went inside the 'meeting hut' (with a translator) and watched the negotiations between the two families. tulani had purchased 12 cattle and was offering money for an additional 5. however the cattle were more expensive then he had thought and he was trying to give them less cash than he had previously promised. they refused. tulani was not actually able to discuss this personally with them. he had brought an elder, marked by a blanket (not sure reason for this) who did all of the talking for tulani. after 2 breaks, they reached an agreement. tulani could have their daughter and they would get cattle, money and blankets.

the second part of the ceremony involved tulani giving blankets to all of the elder women on the bride's side. the mother got two. she was wrapped in both, inside the hut in sweltering temperatures! i felt sorry for her.

after the bride was brought into the hut (she and tulani met at university and i think are in love?...i'd assume anyways). when women get married here, in rural areas especially, they wear what i call the wife uniform. it's this horrible red or blue smock apron/dress thing. they are so ugly. they must also cover their heads with a matching scarf. she was presented the uniform and dressed into it. she was laughing/crying.

after everyone started clapping, singing and dancing. a person would go in the middle, kick their legs high in the air, do this thing with their hands and when their foot landed make a circular motion. after the first woman went i heard a co-worker yell my name. i tried to become invisible but soon everyone was chanting "katie katie katie". i did not want to dance! tulani took me by the hands and made me dance! i tried to mimick what i had seen. it wasn't pretty. i got lots of laughs and the tribal "lalalalalallalalal" thing that women do.

finally the time had come. SLAUGHTER TIME

i could probably write a book about the cow slaughter. i can't believe i watched it. i can't wait to post photos. the man who did the slaughtering entered the kraal and sat down. all 12 cattle were there. 2 were going to be killed. someone poured salt on his arms which he licked off. i thought this was a purity/pollution thing but i was told it was in hopes that the cows would die quickly.

the spear was very small, like the photo at top. the cows were not tied up so he had to walk around until he had a good shot. ideally, he'd kill them on the first stab. unfortunately, both cows died a slow and painful death.

the first time the first cow was stabbed, i could hardly believe it. it made such a small puncture and only a little blood was coming out. immediately after spearing, the 'guy' must sit down. this is to respect the animal and let it fall (hopefully). the cow did fall after a minute or so. i was surprised. however it wasn't dead. all of the other cattle were surrounding it, almost protecting it. the 'guy' crouched down and stabbed it again. sat down. and again. sat down. it wouldn't die. finally they slit its throat. it took about 10 seconds and the cow was screaming the whole time.

on to the second cow. this time the biggest cow was chosen. the first stabbing did nothing. i could hardly see any blood. second spearing. third. fourth. after each attach, the 'guy' would sit down. he looked upset. he kept asking everyone to sit down (i had a translator). he believed the cow wasn't falling because we were all standing - and cheering and singing. what an event. i was the only one looking shocked and upset. finally he had a good stab but the spear broke! the cow was running around with a spear sticking out its body! it was too much to watch. finally the cow fell. the 'guy' went over the kept stabbing it until it died. wow.

as if that wasn't enough they skinned the cows right there in the kraal (where else would they go???). each side got one cow and it was sort of a race. i watched the whole thing. people would walk away with buckets of blood, intestines, stomach, liver etc. legs were cut off and hung from trees and the posts of the kraal. the heads were placed on plates. only men eat the heads. was there any running water here? did people wash their hands afterwards? i don't even want to know.

and of course what do you so with a carcase that is basically skinned? tug of war. of course.

it was a thrilling day. one i'll never forget and so amazed i got to experience. the world. what a place!