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© 2018 Dr Margaret Sheppard

Ancestors (Badimo) - the Living Dead

Setiloane (inSetiloane (1978) "Traditional World - views of the Sotho-Tswana") gives several examples of how important Badimo still are today to Africans, for example, he quotes one Ghanian woman on the staff of the World Council of Churches (a daughter of a highly placed Christian Minister):-

"To take the ancestors away from an African is robbing him of his personality."

He gives an account of a personal experience in a crowded Soweto train when a pickpocket robbed him of his wallet and then dropped it on the ground. Other passengers, even after seeing his clerical dress which he was wearing as he was on his way to lead a Sunday service, remarked "Badimo ba gago, ba na le wena" ( Your Ancestors are with you.) Le. rather than saying "God was by your side".

He quotes his own words from his meditation "I am an African" :

“Ah yes...: It is true

They are present with us…

The dead are not dead, they are ever near us;

Approving and disapproving all our actions,

They chide us when we go wrong,

Bless us and sustain us for good deeds done,

For kindness shown, and strangers made to feel at home.

They increase our store, and punish our pride.”

(The World Council of Churches omitted these words when it was published.)

Before the introduction and the spread of Christianity, people believed in an all-powerful Modimo -God- who was approached by man through Ancestors. (More details are given in section on Traditional Religion and Medicine) about the traditional beliefs concerning Modimo.

Traditionally each family group revered the spirits of its own dead ancestors who were approached via the senior male living relative. When people died they became Ancestors, who were believed to be hierarchically ranked in the spirit world according to their social ranking whilst alive. That is the dead older brother had higher status than his dead younger ones and men were higher than women, Paramount Chiefs having t~e highest social ranking both whilst living and as Ancestors. Therefore when praying to Ancestors approach had to be made taking this hierarchy into account. Thus a young man, wishing to make an approach to Modimo, approaches his elder brother, who approaches his father, who approaches his father, who approaches his grandfather and the request is passed up the hierarchy of 'Ancestors' until it reaches one sufficiently senior to address Modimo direct.

As was seen in the section on death, that traditionally people were buried in a way that indicates that life after death was believed to be very similar to life on earth. A man was traditionally buried with his weapons and a woman with her hoe and some seeds from each of the crops cultivated on earth so that, in the words of one of Schapera's informants:- ".. they (dead people) were equipped for their journey to the world of the dead, where a man would continue to herd his grandfather's cattle and a woman to cultivate the soil.”

Ancestors were believed to retain the same character traits they had had whilst living and continue to take an interest in their living descendants, rewarding those who treated them with respect and obedience with good health and prosperity, and punishing those who neglected or offended them or the prevailing social code, with sickness, economic loss or misfortunes. Thus it can be seen that the traditional belief about Ancestors and their position and influence was a very functional way of promoting social control. Even though nowadays Christianity and the belief in the Christian God is widely accepted, the belief in Ancestors still appears to be widely held. People still believe that their own family ancestors have a great influence over their lives.

Two examples to illustrate this: one of my former students had just started work in 1981, and when he received his first month's pay, to bring success in his future working life, he gave each of the three brothers of his mother (his Bo-Malome) the customary P2.00, the rest he gave to his parents who then returned some to him. This was to please his Ancestors, who it is believed like this customary allocation of the first salary cheque, so that they could give him future success.

The second example concerned the older brother of the father of one of my informants. For some years this  man had lived in South Africa, where he had originally gone to work in the mines. He had married a South African wife and their children had been brought up there. Although he wanted to return to Botswana with his family to live permanently, his wife had not agreed. He had then died in 1975. Then, when two of his children died in 1979, (one in August and the other was stabbed by ditsotsi (delinquents) at Park Station during the Christmas Rush) it was said by the traditional doctor that the dead father had called his children to him.

As has already been seen in the preceding section, the whole family is cleansed after the death of a parent or close relative to try and prevent the dead relative "calling" his children after him. The cattle of a dead man are also protected so that they do not die as well - being called by their dead owner - the beast that is slaughtered  at the funeral of a dead man is part of this prevention.

Although in Kanye (but not in Botswana as a whole) there are no ancestral cults and much of the traditional beliefs were thought to have disappeared, many examples of the influence of Ancestors can still be seen even in everyday activities. Setiloane calls the behaviour that Ancestors expect from their living descendants - Tirelo - service. In return for this Tirelo they will show a benevolent interest in their descendants, but failure in this service leads to their punishments.

In considering the everyday effect of Ancestors on people it is useful to use the four categories into which Setiloane divided Tirelo. His first category of Tirelo is Tirelo in the lolwapa, the next is Tirelo in the household, the third is Tirelo in the kgotla and the last - Tirelo in the tribe.

Examples of all these categories are seen in Kanye. Tirelo in he lolwapa: is seen in such common customs as always leaving a little food when cooking, "so that Ancestors may find food when they visit at night". This is also the food that will be given to hungry unexpected visitors, but by feeding them it is believed that Ancestors are also fed. Similarly children are taught from an early age to share with others and never be the only one of a group to eat. Whenever a person slaughters a beast or cooks a special meal, relatives, friends and neighbours will be given a share of the meat, or children will be sent with covered plates of cooked food to neighbouring homes. Whenever beer is brewed it is never drunk alone, but others are always invited to come and help drink it.

Botsetsi parties are not now attributed to a direct connection with Ancestors, although they may once have been one of the ways a child was introduced to Ancestors. However, when children are given names the  will often be named after  successful Ancestor, hoping that they will also develop that particular good quality of that Ancestor. Those customs that are connected with Ancestors associated with death and burial and the end of mourning have already been outlined, i.e. the washing of the bereaved and of cattle to prevent either being "called" by the dead person.

Examples of Setiloane's second category - Tirelo in the household are also seen. Some very traditional families may still perform "go ntshaphatsa matlaka" - the annual springtime renewal of the incision marks, but I never heard of this. However, Badimo feasts are reasonably common. Any feasts of course, please Ancestors, as the shedding of blood and the feasting of a large number of kin and friends is believed to be much appreciated by Ancestors, for example, at weddings, Botsetsi parties, house-openings (for new houses), feasts to celebrate successes etc. However, a Badimo feast is held specially for Ancestors and the two traditional ones I observed  are outlined in the section on FEASTS.