By Thabiso Sekula
Letter from Limpopo: Thabiso Sekula follows the ancestors in a sacred journey of healing
What if I told you that there’s a fountain of youth in Limpopo that has been used for thousands of years to heal people?
The hot springs in Giyani stay the same temperature through all the seasons of the year.
These same springs feed salt into the Klein Letaba River where women have passed on the technique of salt mining from grandmother to mother to daughter for over 2,000 years, guarding the culture and telling the story of the healing Ka-Mkhulu springs in Baleni.
The salt mining can only be done by women and before any stranger steps onto the grounds, an announcement must be made to let the ancestors know that there are visitors in their sacred space.
On any day, you will find people with their two litre bottles gathering water from the springs. The water is used to relieve stomach ailments, for cleansing and for good luck. And these healing springs are not the only source of youth and health available in nature in Limpopo.
The Venda bangles called makunda have been used for centuries to heal muscle aches and pains. The bracelets are made from different precious materials which heal according to the metal that’s used. Most common today are silver bracelets.
And the copper bracelets are specifically being used to heal injuries and pains around joints. An amazing amplifier and conductor of energy, this mineral assists in releasing excess charge and conducts positive vibrations to your body.
In the ancient city of Mapungubwe, the bracelets were made of gold which was the precious material that was melted and traded in the city. It is also believed that the bracelets connect you to higher levels of spirituality and maintaining balance. The bangles also have many social uses, like being used as engagement gifts for new couples.
And if you’re looking for wifi to connect you straight to your ancestors, Limpopo has a direct line!
Anthills have been used to connect us to ancestors forever. Anthills mean you don’t need a mediator between you and the ancestors, if you just want to feel close and commune with the ones you have loved and lost.
The marula tree is another great tree that connects the physical world to the spiritual.
In the Blouberg region, instructions were left on the mountains by the Khoi, San and Bapedi who used to live there. These instructions were painted by shamans and explain how to heal certain common ailments in simple natural ways. From how to care for women in their coming of age to natural interventions for difficult pregnancies as well as ways to cure childhood diseases.
And if you’re ever on a hike in the mountains and you find two streams which cross each other, the water at the intersection is deemed to bring blessings to those who drink it.
Pictured above: The author making a mountain out of an anthill
Photo by Paul Paunde
