Kitenda Part 1
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Kitenda is a fabric made in Africa that displays old skool African traditional items of Kazi∆ living, like:
😎 kalabashes∆∆ or
😎 herded, domesticated animals
😎 traditional Nkulus or mud huts
😎 cowry shells
😎 drums and many more,
as well as contemporary African Struggle Roots and Culture heroes.
It also pays homage to traditional and political African leaders: kings, elders, presidents, freedom fighters and pop culture icons.
Ki is also a preposition or prefix from Eastern Coastal Africa; or more specifically, Zambia; that can mean 'the' or 'a' or 'my' or 'our'.
Most of the languages of eSwati have their own prefix, specific to that tribe: a special little few letters that is written in small letters, before a proper noun or at the beginning of the sentence. This prefix will often be at the beginning of that tribe's name and is like a conversation filler; not dissimilar to 'Um' or 'Well..'.
Whenever I'm trying to think of a Xhosa word, then my mind goes to 'U, U, U..'.
Therefore, kiTenda can also mean 'the tender' or payment. This is because in the days of the 7 Sovereign Kingdoms of eSwati -
Africa's name and Sovereignty 300 years ago - when a labola∆∆∆ negotiation agreement was about to be officiated with the opening of a kalabash of umqobothi, the groom's family would pay for the sharing of this umqobothi - in animal skins. It is only in recent times that money took over the role that animal skins played in labola negotiations.
Before colonization though, since about 500-1000 years ago, eSwati had sourced a weaving machine thingy, a few sheep and dye; sourced from a substance acquired by the KwaNannas (Strandlopers), who were seaside dwellers and who dived products and food off the coastlines of eSwati. The substance that was extracted dyed the yarn a red to purple to blue hue which was then further refined by twisting the yarn again but with wax or animal fat or donkey hoof glue.
But because of the wide variety of tones between those three colours and white, the KiTenda or Kente of a tribe was born. This, along with plain fabric for multiple use, as well as multiple layered, thick yarn weavings made for blankets, mudcloth keeping count of one's hunts, the KiTenda was used to supplement animal skins, which became harder and harder to source.
An eexample of the plain cloth or undyed kiTenda
The Umqobothi; a sorghum beer, brewed by ladies, whose Tabalaza or handmade product was Umqobothi; would have been brewed at a certain time in the bride's life, especially for this day.
The animal skins; some the skins of which were collected on behalf of the couple-to-be; would be contributed to the couple for their new life together, as one needed animal skins or Imbezi, for traditional regalia, one of which was Umqhelele, a lion hair headband.
∆Kazi - a village or Territory granted a people by the Kingdom King, Nkosi baNkosi.
∆∆Kalabash - a dried out, butternut-like recepticle for sorghum beer, coconut or goat's milk (for premature babies or babies whose mother had gone NkuluKulu (a polite way of saying passed away) at birth.
∆∆∆Labola - something like a dowry; however payment comes in the form of Nguni grazing animals or if no Nguni are available, a combination of oxen, cows, sheep, goats and chickens can be reached. Labola is paid by the groom's headman or Babba and is paid to the bride's mother. A labola agreement is sealed by the opening of a Kalabash of Umqobothi (sorghum beer) which is brewed early and buried in the mother Khaya or hut. This Umqobothi can only be unearthed upon the receipt of animal skins corresponding to the amount of Nguni agreed upon and is final in it's Seal of Agreement.