© 2023 Dr Margaret Sheppard
This service was made by the son for his confused mother. The son worked in the mines and was a member of B.U.C.Z. The family had previously tried various other methods to help their mother. This was the most elaborate sacrifice service I attended, involving the offering of a larger number of sacrificial items. The preparations were made on the Saturday afternoon preceding the service. Some of these I observed, such as the killing of the cow and preparation of the feast .
The service and sacrifice were held in the evening. The congregation of B.U.C.Z. collected at the Moruti's home at about 10.00 p.m. and processed to the Setlhabelo home, singing hymns on the way. The other churches who had been invited collected first either at their churches or at a member's home which was conveniently situated on the way to the Setlhabelo home. I arrived back at the service at about 11.00 p.m., the other churches had not yet arrived, only the B.U.C.Z. congregation.
The service commenced in a square, thatched house in the family home. To the right end of the house was a table on which was a candle. Most of the men stood near this table. The confused woman was crouched in a corner at the end. There was a candle burning in each corner of the house, and in each corner, where the rafters met the walls, there was a little bottle of Holy Water. These articles had been put there the previous year, and since they had been put there the woman's condition had improved a little -
After a short time, the other churches started to enter, entering in the customsry way. Then the Evangelist of B.U.C.Z. who was in charge of the service welcomed them, and after a few Biblical references and some hymn singing, the Secretary was asked to read Acts 10, v. 29-
The owner of the home was asked to speak and give his permission (in fact the oldest son, a Zionist, who was holding the service did this.) He explained that they had called the Zionists to make a sacrifice due to the illness of their mother. The Evangelist asked him if they should make the prayers just for the mother or for the whole family. The Headman of the Kgotla replied on behalf of the family. He said he himself was a Zionist and, as Headman of the kgotla, he wanted to say that they had called the Zionists to find out what was causing the problems in that family. The Evangelist thanked him and called the Secretary to continue reading 1 Corinthians 6, v.1-
After a further hymn and the arrival of another church, the Evangelist warned the congregation that they should all try and behave, although the house was very crowded (by now we were literally like sardines). We were told that we should all try and be the same because they wanted the sacrificial place to be Holy. The sacrifice was to put the owner of the home before Christ. He referred to the reading from Corinthians. Then he repeated, for the benefit of the late-
The leaders of the different churches were given a chance to speak on behalf of their churches. These speeches took the usual format, where the leader introduced himself and outlined the problems both of himself and the church. After another hymn the Secretary was told to read Numbers 8, v. I and the 7 candles were lit, the ones that had previously been placed on the table. A further hymn followed before the B.U.C.Z. Evangelist replied, thanking the different Baruti for their words. He encouraged the prophets to reveal whatever they might "see" that night. He said that when the cow had been slaughtered that afternoon and he had read the Bible, he had "seen" that the bullock had been given according to a prophecy, they had followed the Bible's instructions and therefore the prophets should reveal their prophecies. The Dikhosa were now to go out and prepare the sacrificial items. These things were in special places, for example, the blood of the bullock had been hidden away from dogs. There was another hymn, and then the Evangelist told the church choirs to come forward and each to take a candle as it was lit.
Then the dikhosa brought in the sacrificial items and placed them on the table. The Secretary was told to read Leviticus 4, v. 1-
Next Acts 20, v.8 was read repeatedly ( “,,and there were many lights in the Upper Chamber where they were gathered..”) and the candle packets were opened, the candles lit and handed out to the members of the church choirs to hold. The Evangelist announced that the candle holders should go out first, followed by the owners of the service, then the women, men, and lastly the Baruti. They should return to the house after the sacrifice had been made in the same way.
"Halleujah" was then sung. The Evangelist warned people against making false prophecies just because they may have a grudge against the family. Here they should forget all hatreds and concentrate on the work of God. He warned people that the sacrificial place was very dangerous and so if people did not like sacrifices or were not powerful they should not try and dance around the sacrificial fire or they would find themselves roasting. The B.U.C.Z. Moruti added that in that church they liked to warn people in advance about what they were going to do, so that they should not be frightened. He wanted to choose a person from another church to help make the sacrifices. While the prophets looked for their prophecy sticks, that they had had to put down because the room was so full, the hymn "The Jews are not a good tribe because they killed the son of Man" was sung. During this and another hymn "Ali, Ali" we all went outside in the above order. The family sat near the fire in a semi-
During three more hymns the B.U.C.Z. Moruti led, and other male prophets followed, dancing around the fire and around the family inside the circle of the congregation. Then two Baruti started to make the sacrifice. Each item was first prayed for, raised and lowered three times, before being thrown into the fire. The sacrificial items were collected in turns from the Dikhosa, who were keeping them at the side of the circle. First the parts of the bullock were burned, and then the other items of bread, oil, meths etc. (the items mentioned in Leviticus 24, v. 1-
After a few hymns and more dancing the B.U.C.Z. Moruti called the prophets to reveal what they had "seen". One prophet from Kanana said that he could "see" that there was a man who wanted to marry a daughter of that home but he was not honest, he had not come yet. If he brought the engagement presents (blankets, clothes etc.) they would be stolen ones. One of the daughters agreed that there had been such a person but he had disappeared. The prophet continued that,that man had once brought meat from a slaughtered cow for them but the man's father was angry because he had slaughtered the beast without permission. The prophet did not understand why one of the sons of the home looked so unhappy, because no one was dead. He could "see" in his Spirit everyone of the home being struck by lightning and everyone in the family being killed, including the mother's family. He could even "see" in his Spirit that opposite to their Lands there was a home made of matlaku fencing (walls or fencing made of thin branches woven into poles stuck into the ground) and there was a cart. This cart held him in his prophecy. He could "see" that there was a lonaka at the home in the kgotla. He said that one of the children of this home had a pinkish wooden trunk striped with red (the family said they could not understand this part of the prophecy). He could prophesy one of their relatives who would come home from working at Mafeking with nothing (prostitutes and shebeen queens would have taken all his earnings). He could "see" that there was someone in the family who always dreamt about a tree and lightning hitting their home, but they need not fear that lightning as it would disappear without harming them. The prophet continued that he would like to prophesy the son who was making the sacrifice. He could "see" he had already been struck by lightning before (the son agreed to this). He could "see" some of his clothes were missing there was a family where he had agreed to marry their daughter, then later he had changed his mind without telling them. When he passed near their home, he never went there. He (the prophet) could "see" that on the way there the son passed thorn bushes and a trench, when the son was on his way there he felt shocked and changed his direction. He could prophesy the napkins and blankets that he had bought for his child with that woman. He could "see" that those people had red cattle. These people had spoken badly about him and that was why-
The prophet continued that now he was having trouble with his head and eyes. He could "see" in his prophecy that a dead child had been stolen and the sorcerers had argued over the bits of the body as there was not enough for all of them. He asked the mother if she knew about a dead child. She replied that all she knew was that a child had died and the body had been stolen by people after the burial, but she did not know anything more. The prophet said he could "see" that dead child was of a relative in the kgotla. He could "see" the mother had problems with noise in her ears and a bitter taste in her mouth, this was caused by being poisoned by this dead child, so that she would be quiet and become like a dead body. The intestines and liver of that child had been used to poison her. This was what was causing her children to neglect her when they came from the mines. The prophet continued that he could "see" that the mother (a widow) had had a quarrel over cattle with the older brother of her dead husband. He could "see" that an old man and a girl were missing from that family. The old man had gone to the mines and had not returned. The mother could not understand this part and so the prophet said the missing girl was about 10.
Next another prophet spoke. He was from New Israel church and knelt before the family to prophesy -
He said that he could "see" that the family badly needed prayers as they had so many problems. He could "see" them quarrelling over some things but not reaching any agreement. He could "see" that the Headman of that sub-
At this point the B.U.C.Z. Moruti called the Dikhosa to close the gates because so many sorcerers were arriving to challenge them. The New Israel prophet repeated his prophecy but said that there were many sorcerers present who had been sent to spy for the Rre-
Another prophet continued that he could "see" that the family's Lands were badly bewitched. The family was as yet unaware of this because they had never consulted a traditional doctor or the Zionists. On this point, he could "see" that they had once had a kgotla chair that had been bewitched and also he could "see" a goat that had been used to pay a traditional doctor. The sisters agreed that such a goat had once been used to pay a traditional doctor.
Some more hymns were sung and dancing continued to strengthen the powers of the prophets. Then a Kanana prophet took over. He said that he had heard one prophet mention a bewitched kgotla chair. He said that he could '~see" that the mother had been cheated during Boswaa (inheritance) -
The B.U.C.Z. Moruti expounded that there was a dam at their Lands where they fetched water and the owner of the dam was not letting them fetch water in it. He could "see" the sister taking a bucket from that dam and after that she would have trouble with her breast and never suckle a child. She had been poisoned and she had had headaches and could not see properly. She had been poisoned when she had gone to help people harvest and thresh their corn ( a common co-
Next followed another hymn "Judas is a Crook". Then the B.U.C.Z. Moruti continued the prophecy, he said that there was another man who had promised to marry her but he could “see“ that that man was involved in cattle theft and, when he pretended to love her, he always asked her about their Cattle-
The Kanana prophet took over. He could "see" this man also in his Spirit. This was the man who had brought meat to their house as a gift -
The hymns "I feel pity, Amen Messiah" and "Halleujah" were sung. Then the New Israel prophet continued that the family all had trouble with their legs and people insulted them because they were jealous of their possessions and the way their sons worked in the mines. He could "see" that at night they were always disturbed by sorcerers coming in the night, making noise outside, and disturbing their sleep. There had once even been a trial about this after all the family had become very ill following buried sorcery, and the older brother (the one making the service) had even been injured in an accident in the mines. (He had been buried under rocks and trapped by his foot which was amputated and he now had an artificial foot.) The sorcery buried in their lolwapa had been causing, and was still causing, all their problems.
The B.U.C.Z. Moruti said that in their church they were not powerful enough to dig out the sorcery, but if New Israel had power they could help them.
The New Israel prophet continued that he could. "see" in his Spirit that many of the prophets could "see" this buried sorcery, but instead of revealing this they were hiding the fact. He wanted to know if those prophets would agree with him that this sorcery was present before they dug it out. The B.U.C.Z. Moruti answered that in the Bible it said that if you are given a gift you should use it. He called on all the Baruti to dance around, and anyone who' saw where the sorcery was, should go on his own and mark where he' saw it. Then they would dig where the marks were.
The Kanana Moruti announced he could -
More hymns were sung and the dancing became very vivacious. The prophets were trying to find the direction of the exact spot of the sorcery. The New Israel prophet stopped us at one point and said the singers were not singing strongly enough. It was now very late and some people had fallen asleep -
The family later told me that they felt they were much helped by this service. The confused woman's condition improved and she became "normal" again -
New Israel Church was renowned for its ability to do this. On this occasion they had even come with their Bishop, who did not dance but stood to one side. He wore long purple robes with silver trimmings and a Bishop's mitre on his head. He used cowrie shells to prophesy and, although he did not prophesy publicly like the other prophets, he stood to the side and the other prophets kept going to consult him.