A Survey of Sacred Sites and the Construction of Sacredness of Space in the Free State

A Survey of Sacred Sites and the construction of sacredness of space in the Free State John Thabo Moephuli Submitted in partial fulfilment for the PhD degree in the centre for Africa Studies Under the supervision of Professor P.J. Nel University of the Free State Bloemfontein 2016 DECLARATION I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of the Free State. The work is original except where indicated by special reference in the text and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and in no way represent a secondary source. The dissertation has not been presented to any other University for examination in the Republic of South Africa. Signed:…………………………. Date:……………………………. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, working on the PhD has been a wonderful and often overwhelming experience. On the other hand, doing the PhD has been a daunting task that required my undivided attention. Completing my PhD is probably the highlight of my life since my ordination as a clergy in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. The best and the worst moments of my doctoral journey have been shared with many people. It has been a great privilege to spend several years in the Department of African Studies at the University of the Free State and both the academic and administration staff will always remain dear to me. My first debt of gratitude must go to my supervisor Professor Phillip Nel. He patiently provided the vision, encouragement and advice necessary for me to continue through the doctoral programme and complete my dissertation. I am indebted to Prof Nel because he had been a monumental influence throughout my doctoral programme; he has oriented and supported me with promptness and care. Furthermore, his ability to approach compelling research problems in the fieldwork has fortified my endeavour to emulate the high standards he has set for me. In the same vein, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Stephanie Cawood who offered academic advice throughout my doctoral programme. Dr Cawood is a friend of mine, a sister and a mentor. About eighty percent of the pictures and images from the sacred sites have been captured by Dr Cawood and these pictures have assisted me in completing my dissertation. I admire her ability to balance research interests and personal pursuits, above all for having persisted in getting me to finish the PhD. A special word of thanks must go to my wife Mamolefe, who always prayed for me to complete the dissertation; she always encouraged me not to despair but trust in my ability to face the challenges brought about by this doctoral programme. “Kgabo,” thank you very much. I want to dedicate this thesis to my late father Samuel Pule Moephuli and my late uncle Professor Isaac Maake Moephuli, as well as my sister Magogoli Rebecca Moephuli. I want to render special thanks to my colleagues in the ministry who looked up to me in relation to their studies and who always encouraged me to complete the task before me, thank you very much, colleagues. ii SUMMARY The research presented in this thesis focuses on the nature and extent of sacred sites in the Eastern Free State, namely Mautse, Motouleng, Modderpoort and Oetsi. An explorative survey was required because of the lack of evidence of the locations as well as their cultural and spiritual bearing. To achieve this objective, a working model with descriptive categories has been devised and employed in such a way as to allow comparisons between the sites. Apart from the inventory, an attempt has also been made towards a conceptual analysis of the modes of sacred ascriptions to the sites by user communities. The opening chapter of the thesis addresses the general background of sacred sites. In the general background a distinction is drawn between sites that have assumed status of being historical commemorative sites or group heritage sites, e.g. The National Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein and localised sacred sites in the Eastern Free State that are deemed as living heritage with active community and individual involvement. The thesis reflects the Heritage Resource Act of 1999 as a mechanism that defines living heritage with respect to cultural practices and indigenous knowledge entrenched in user communities. The context of the sacred sites in question has an influence on the history of the Caledon Valley in which the four sites are situated. The thesis shows that the Caledon Valley was riddled with tribal contestations between the Basotho and Boers because it was a fertile region. The methodology employed in this study is ethnographic and this relates to field research at the sites, it is descriptive, explorative and analytic. Furthermore, the thesis addresses the literature review with respect to the views of scholarly input in the subject of sacrality. The second chapter addresses the general outline of the descriptive categories of the thesis; they range from the geography/topography of the sites to the external dynamics of the sites and the conceptions of sacrality as perceived by the user communities. Pictures of the physical localities at the four sites are reflected in the chapter, which exposes the memo-history of the tribes of Mohokare as well as oral transmissions of the history of the iii sites. The status and significance of the sites are dealt with as cultural and religious expressions of the user communities. The thesis shows that the significance of the sites is anchored on the authority of the ancestors. Various ritual dynamics of the sites are reflected in the thesis, the evidence of “ritual making” at the localities is primordial but the study shows popular support for ritual performances by cultural and religious practitioners. The third chapter deals with data analysis and interpretation of the information obtained from informants in the fieldwork interviews. These interviews are extensively captured in the Addendum of the thesis. The presentation of data is aligned to the field interviews carried out at the sites with the research informants/participants. The thesis shows that obtaining information about a locality requires language proficiency of the site and respect for the informant who gives the data. The data obtained from fieldwork shows an entwinement of cultural practices with religious work at the sites from the apostolic faith movement, other i[dependent Christian groups and indigenous belief systems. Chapter four focuses on the comparative nature of the sites in accordance with the working model presented in chapter two. The thesis in this chapter addresses similarities and dissimilarities of the topography, the comparison of the sites’ impressions, site internal localities similarities/dissimilarities, the history, memo-history and legends of the sites are compared. It also focuses on the ascription of sacrality to the sites, which is generated through the Ancestors who in their spiritual authority assign a spot and or place to perform a ritual. The thesis addresses the aspect of sacrality as the core dimension that describes the sacred work of the sacred locations. The fifth chapter is a response to the research questions posed in chapter one, these questions addresses the nature of sacred sites and the determination of sacrality to the sites. The thesis further addresses the distinctive features of the sites in the Mohokare region and the similarities between commemorative sites like the National Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein and the sites under investigation in the study. iv The site image transformation of the sites relates particularly to Mautse and Motouleng and is important to the user communities. This aspect relates specifically to the on-going erection of buildings/dwellings on the grounds of the above-mentioned sites. The thesis further focuses on the complex theories of sacrality offered by distinguished scholars namely, Eliade, Smith, Turner and Sheldrake. The theoretical conclusions maintain that sacrality should be valued in relation to the context of the sites and that the complex nature of ascription of sacrality should be honoured. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the scholarly views on the determination sacrality is engaged in this chapter. The outcomes of the research process in this study have signalled a need to engage all stakeholders at the sites, local government and heritage agencies to design protective regimes and rehabilitation programmes for the healthy outlook of the sites. Finally, the tribes that claim exclusive rights to the sites and the physical localities must be further engaged to determine legitimate ownership of the sites. The spiritual ownership and the physical ownership must be probed further. v OPSOMMING Die navorsing wat in hierdie tesis bespreek word, fokus op die aard en omvang van sakrale terreine in die Oos-Vrystaat, naamlik Mautse, Motouleng, Modderpoort en Oetsi. ’n Ondersoekende opname was nodig as gevolg van die gebrek aan bewys van die plekke asook hulle kulturele en spirituele strekking. Om hierdie doel te bereik is ’n model met deskriptiewe kategorieë ontwerp en op sodanige wyse aangewend om vergelykings tussen die terreine moontlik te maak. Afgesien van die opname is ’n poging ook aangewend om ’n konseptuele analise van die modusse van sakrale toeskrywings aan die terreine deur gebruiker- gemeenskappe te onderneem. Die openingshoofstuk van die tesis gee ’n algemene agtergrond van sakrale terreine. In die algemene agtergrond is ’n onderskeid getref tussen terreine wat die status van historiese gedenkterreine of groep- erfenisterreine verkry het, byvoorbeeld die Nasionale Vrouemonument in Bloemfontein en gelokaliseerde sakrale terreine in die Oos-Vrystaat wat as lewende erfenis beskou word, met 'n aktiewe individuele en gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid. Die tesis besin oor die Wet op Nasionale Erfenishulpbronne van 1999 as ’n meganisme wat lewende erfenis definieer wat betref kulturele praktyke en inheemse kennis wat in gebruiker- gemeenskappe vasgelê is.

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