Groves, Sacred

Sanctity and Sanctuary

The spirits of elders and wise men find kinship with birds such as the hawk, falcon, and eagle as symbols of sagacity, far-reaching wisdom, and vision. Healing spirits associate with bushes, plants, and shrubberies as their resorts. Spirits of beauty or vanity associate with colorful flowers and rare butterflies such as the Mother of Pearl and the Eared Commodore found in the forests of the Zambezi, where the spirit of Nyami-Nyami, the snake deity, is guardian of Mosi-oa-Tunya.

The sanctity of the falls of Mosi-oa-Tunya was defiled by David Livingstone, the Scottish adventurer and explorer, who named them Victoria Falls in honor of Queen Victoria. The sacred name for the falls in Nambiya is Chinotimba, which means The Spirit of Thunder. The classical name for the falls in Shona is Mapopoma, which means The Great Deluge.

Major groves in Africa that have been declared World Heritage Sites are sanctuaries, where phenomena associated with the ancestors as deities are found. The rivers, lakes, springs, and pools of Matopo are spiritual resorts of deities as mermaids endowed with mystic powers of healing, divination, and magic, which the ancestors reveal to healers in dreams. The Njelele shrines of the Matopo Hills are World Heritage Sites dedicated to the worship of Mwari, the Shona God, and to the honor of Murenga, the Shona ancestor and founder of Zimbabwe.

The religious name for the Hills of Matopo in Kalanga is Malindidzimu, which means Holy Place for the Ancestors. The Shona name for the Hills in their myths is Mabweadziva, which means [Page 297]Mountains of Floods. Ritual ceremonies for good rains and good harvests are held there regularly by the people of Zimbabwe and the countries of Southern Africa such as Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Angola, and South Africa.

Colonialism and Defilement

The sanctity of the Matopo Hills was defiled by Cecil John Rhodes, who named them The World's View, and chose them as the ideal site for his final rest as a European deity among African ancestors. The hilltops opposite Rhodes' grave bear the cross that Father Odilo Weeger erected in honor of Rhodes as a Christian hero and conqueror of Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. Rhodes' vision was to colonize the whole African landmass from Cape to Cairo. Beside him lies Leander Starr Jameson, the first Rhodesian colonial administrator of Zimbabwe and Rhodes' bosom friend.

Another ancient shrine defiled by colonialism and desecrated by tourism for the sake of money is Great Zimbabwe. It is a World Heritage Site and an important center for the emergence of early organized state systems in Africa and the origins of world civilizations. The indigenous people of Zimbabwe refer to it as MaDZimbabwe, which means The Burial Place for Royal Ancestors. Zimbabwe, as the name of the country, was derived from it, to replace the colonial name Rhodesia after Cecil John Rhodes. National cerebrations for independence and thanksgiving ceremonies for good rains and good harvests are still held there as a holy shrine.

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