Iimfikimfelana Zobutyebi BaseNiihau

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EHAWAII

BUSIKA ngabunye kubakho amaza alatyuzayo kunxweme lwe-“Forbidden Island” yaseHawaii, iNiihau. La maza akhukulisa apho elwandle imfumba yoonokrwece aye kuyiphosa lee kwintlabathi eselunxwemeni. INiihau—ezizikwekhilomitha ezili-180 nje kuphela—isesona siqithi sincinane kwezisixhenxe ezihlala abantu eHawaii. Ngoko ifaneleka gqitha into yokuba esi siqithi sabangelwa yintaba-mlilo sibe sinobona butyebi buziimfikimfelana ehlabathini—oonokrwece abangayiwayo baseNiihau.

Ngokwahlukileyo kwisiqithi esingummelwane weNiihau, iKauai ekumgama weekhilomitha ezingama-27 kumntla-mpuma, iNiihau le isisithabazi yaye ingumqwebedu. Kodwa kutheni kusithiwa yiForbidden Island nje? INiihau ayinarhulumente yaye akukho nabani na onokungena kweso siqithi engamenywanga. Abahlali besi siqithi abazenzela yonk’ into abanalo iziko elilungelelanisiweyo lokuphehl’ umbane, elokucoca amanzi, iivenkile neeposi. Kwiinzame zabo zokulondoloza inkcubeko yabo, abemi bomthonyama baseHawaii, abamalunga ne-230 abahlala apho bancokola ngolwimi lwabo. Xa bengalusi iigusha neenkomo zabo, uninzi lwabo luxakeka “bubuncwane” balo boonokrwece abancinane.a

Ngeenyanga ezifudumeleyo zasebusika eHawaii, ezinye iintsapho zihla zinyuka kwezo ndlela zomhlaba zihamba ngeenyawo okanye ngezithuthuthu zisiya kumanxweme namatheku alapho angekonakaliswa, zize zichithe iiyure ezininzi ziqokelela oonokrwece. Emva kokuba beqokelelwe aba nokrwece, bandlalwa kwindawo enomthunzi ukuze bome. Kamva bayakhethwa, babekwe ndawonye abafanayo nabalinganayo, kube sekusenziwa izacholo zentamo. Kwiziqithi ezinezityalo ezininzi ezi zacholo zenziwa ngeentyatyambo. Kodwa apha eNiihau, zenziwa ngoonokrwece.

“Izacholo” Zaselwandle

Kudala oonokrwece basetyenziselwa ukwenza izacholo eHawaii. Ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-18, abahambi ngolwandle—kuquka uMphathi-nqanawa uJames Cook—bafumana izinto zokuhombisa ezenziwe ngoonokrwece kweli baza babhala ngazo kwiincwadi zabo. Babuya nezinye, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba zikho abazifumana eNiihau. Ngokuhamba kwexesha, ezi zacholo zinomtsalane zaseNiihau zaye zanxitywa ngamabhinqa adumileyo aseHawaii, kuquka abadanisi nabantu basebukhosini. Ngenxa yobukho beevenkile ezithengisa izinto zobugcisa, ukhenketho namajoni awayenqumla eHawaii ngeMfazwe Yehlabathi II, kwinkulungwane yama-20, ezi “zacholo” zikhethekileyo zaye zathengiswa kumazwe awahlukahlukeneyo. Ezi zacholo zingayiwayo nezazinxitywa zizidwangube zaseHawaii kuphela, ngoku sezinxitywa nguye ofunayo kumazwe akufutshane nakude.

Phakathi kweentlobo zoonokrwece abadla ngokusetyenziswa ekwenzeni izacholo zaseNiihau kukho imomi, ilaiki, nekahelelani eHawaii. Ngenxa yemibala yabo eyahlukahlukeneyo abenzi bazo—ngokuqhelekileyo abangamabhinqa—batsho bakwazi ukubonakalisa ubunono abanabo. Zimalunga nama-20 iintlobo ezahlukahlukeneyo zaba nokrwece babengezelayo, iimomi ezimbhoxo, ukuqalela kwezimhlophe ukusa kwezimbala umdaka. Xa yenziwe ngendlela ethandwa gqitha ebizwa ngokuba yiLei Pikake, imomi ebengezelayo, enobude obuziimilimitha ezili-10 kuphela iye ifane nemicu yesityalo esinuka kamnandi ekuthiwa yiwhite jasmine, okanye ipikake.

Imicu eyahlukahlukeneyo ekhazimlayo yelaiki kudla ngokuhonjiswa ngayo abatshakazi baseHawaii. Aba nokrwece bakhazimlayo banemibala eyahlukahlukeneyo esusela komhlophe qhwa, ofana nophondo lwendlovu ukusa kobutyhelirha, baze abanye babe nemigca emdaka ngebala. Abanye ekuthiwa zikahelelani, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba bathiywa ngenkosi ethile yaseHawaii mandulo, banobude nje obuziimilimitha ezi-5. Aba nokrwece babuthathaka nabangqukuva kunzima ukubadibanisa, yaye ngenxa yoko isacholo esenziwe ngabo sibiza imali eninzi. Banemibala eyahlukahlukeneyo ukususela kobubomvurha ukuya kutsho kowona unqabileyo, ongathi upinki, nobiza imali eyiphinda kathathu leyo yeminye imibala.

Ukwenza Isacholo Ngoonokrwece BaseNiihau

Ichule lithi lisakuba naso engqondweni eso sacholo lifuna ukusenza, licoce yonk’ isanti ekoonokrwece lize libagqobhoze ngenyatyhoba ebukhali. Enoba oko likwenza ngobunono kangakanani na unokrwece omnye kwabathathu udla ngokwaphuka. Loo nto ithetha ukuba limele libe noonokrwece abaninzi kangangoko ukuze likwazi ukugqiba isacholo esinye nto leyo enokuthabath’ iminyaka! Ezi zacholo zidityaniswa ngomsonto oqatywe uhlobo oluthile lwesamente eyoma msinya okanye amakhaphela obusi. Ngokuqhelekileyo, xa ziqukunjelwa ezi zacholo, zidla ngokufakwa iqhosha lokugqibela elenziwe ngonokrwece ekuthiwa yisundial okanye ipuka, kube sekusongezwa ngomnye okanye ababini ekuthiwa yicowrie ukuze kudityaniswe amacala aso omabini.

Kanye njengokuba zininzi iintlobo zoonokrwece, zinjalo nokuba ninzi iindlela zokwenza ezi zacholo. Ezi ntlobo zezacholo ziquka imomi emhlophe eyenziwa ngendlela yakudala, ifakwe umsonto omnye obude buziisentimitha ezili-150 ukusa kwezili-190, ngoxa ezinye zisenziwa ngathi yintambo kusetyenziswa amakhulukhulu oonokrwece abancinane ekuthiwa yikahelelani, kwakunye nezidanga ezigangxwa entanyeni—zimbi kuzo kudityaniswa oonokrwece neembewu ezithile. Ukwenza ezi zacholo kungumsebenzi onzima, kuthath’ ixesha yaye kuwatsho amehlo abe buhlungu. Kodwa ubuchule nomonde wala magcisa aseNiihau kudla ngokuphumela kubuhle obungayiwayo. Sacholo ngasinye sifana sodwa, yaye iyazicacela into yokuba zikhuphisana ngobuhle nezinye izacholo ezixabisekileyo nezibiza amawaka eerandi.

INiihau isenokubonakala ingumqwebedu nje ongenabantu nozimele geqe eHawaii. Kodwa ngenxa yamagcisa aphum’ izandla awenza izacholo, kusuka abantu kwiindawo ezikude beze kuzithaphululela kobu buncwane be-“Forbidden Island.”

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24, 25]

Oonokrwece abomisiweyo bayakhethwa, kubekwe ndawonye abafanayo nabalinganayo, kube sekusenziwa izacholo zentamo

[Inkcazelo]

© Robert Holmes

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]

Izacholo zonookrwece ekuthiwa yi-“momi”

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

© drr.net