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Q: How old where you when you were “called”? (Tina)
A: I was 15.
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Q: How where you called? (Jennifer)
A: I saw it in a dream. A man appeared, dressed in traditional clothes and many necklaces and bangles. He told me I must search for a Zulu sangoma. I found one and she had had a dream saying a young girl was looking for her, and we began training the next day.
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Q: How did you first react when you were called? (Sani)
A: First I was scared and I tried to ignore it, but I got very ill and had bad dreams. After about 2 months I went for training. I always new my ancestors wanted me to be a healer, and when I realised this I began my journey into the spirit world.
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Q: How did you train? (Kayley)
A: I went with an older iSangoma and I served as her apprentice for 2 years. This is called Thwasa.
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Q: How does being an iSangoma affect your life? (Lulu)
A: Some people (mostly whites) are afraid of me, but otherwise life is pretty much normal.
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Q: What type of clients do you deal with? (Karina)
A: Well, what sickness is differs from sangoma to sangoma and from client to client, but there are usually four different categories of illness: if you were bewitched by an umthakathi or witch, physical illness, mental illness and spiritual illness.
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Q: How do these ceremonies work? (Kayley)
A: Well, first the client will tell me all there complaints. The family is normally with the client for these parts, answering and asking questions. I will then call on the ancestors. There arrival is confirmed with sneezing. The family will now welcome the spirits. The family will now leave and the client, the ancestors and I will work together. In our training we learn to “smell” the problem. A normal case is when the ancestors have expressed a thirst for blood or utshwala (traditional beer). In this case we shall sacrifice a goat. A clay pot with the blood and utshwala will be placed in the middle of a cattle kraal so the spirits can quench their thirst.
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Q: What is an iziNyanga? (Tina)
A: Many people think an iziNyanga is a witch, but that is an umthakathi. An iziNyanga is a herbalist, and has a lot of knowledge about different herbal remedies.
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Q: Who can become a sangoma? (Lulu)
A: Most sangomas in every culture (Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho etc.) are black females, but a sangoma can be anyone the ancestors choose. I do know some male sangomas, and about two years ago the first white Xhosa sangoma graduated.
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Q: Most people think about psychologists and fortune tellers when you talk about sangomas. What do you think about this? (Sani)
A: Well the definition of a sangomas is a traditional healer and respected elder. This includes giving advice. We call on the ancestors to see what the future hold for the clients, so I guess that is fortune telling in a way, but it is the ancestors who do that, I am like telephone or a translator.
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Q: Why do sangomas dress the way they do? (Karina)
A: well, the way a sangomas dresses shows there connection to the ancestors. One item that is commonly worn it an inflated gall bladder from a goat that was slaughtered at a sangomas graduation. This is to call the ancestors. They are certain headdresses, anklets and bangles that are essential for certain ceremonies and some that are to be worn all the time, like strips of goat skin from the goat sacrificed at the graduation. These are worn across the chest.
