Ukufunda KumaJawara

Ngomlobeli wePhaphama! eNdiya

“UMFUTHO wegazi lakho uphakeme kakhulu, futhi izinzwa zakho zifile. Thatha uhambo oluya esiqhingini sasemazweni ashisayo bese uyaphumula!” Uma ucindezelwe ukucindezela kwempucuko yanamuhla, lokhu kungase kube yiso kanye iseluleko osidingayo. Ngisho noma kungekhona okwezizathu ezingokwempilo, ubani ongamelana nalokhu kusikisela okuyengayo? Ngakho kungani ungashiyi konke ngokuvakashela iAndaman Islands, ikhaya lamaJarawa?

IAndaman Islands? AmaJarawa? Ungadumali uma ungakaze uzwe ngazo, ngoba akudlulwa neze ngakuzo uma kuzungezwa izwe. Uma ubheka ebalazweni, uyothola iAndaman Islands eThekwini laseBengal, phakathi kweNdiya neMyanmar (eyayiyiBurma). Leliqoqo leziqhingi, elakhiwa iziqhingi ezingu-300, manje liwumngcele wezwe weRepublic yaseNdiya.

Ingabe Angabantu Abangaphucukile?

Leziqhingi ziyikhaya lezizwe ezine ezingamaNegrito—ama-Andaman amaKhulu, amaJarawa, amaSentinel, namaOnge. AmaNegrito, okusho “amanegro amancane,” kucatshangwa ukuthi ayinsali yohlanga lwasendulo, olunesikhumba esimnyama, lwabantu abafushane olwake lwakha engxenyeni enkulu yeNingizimu-mpumalanga Asia naseOceania. Ngenxa yokuzehlukanisa kwawo, aye abizwa ngokuthi insali yangempela “yomuntu wesiKhathi Sangaphambi Kwempucuko,” noma, njengoba uMholi uColebrook usigaxa-mabhande weButho laseBrithani, elake lalawula leziqhingi, ekubeka, “abangaphucukile neze emhlabeni wonke.”

Ngo-1858 lapho abaseBrithani bakha ijele kulendawo, ama-Andaman amaKhulu ayelinganiselwa ezinkulungwaneni ngobuningi. Ngokushesha, izifo zabavela kwamanye amazwe—isimungumungwane, ugcunsula, nezinye—kanye nokuluthwa iopium notshwala, kwabhubhisa abantu balesizwe. Manje abambalwa babo kuphela, bonke abanegazi elixubile, abasele esiqhingini esincane iStrait Island. AmaOnge avelelwa inhlekelele efanayo.

Eminyakeni eminingi amaJarawa namaSentinel ayengakufuni ukuthintana kanye nokuxhashazwa abantu abavela kwamanye amazwe. Inzondo yabo yaphumelela ekubagcineni bezehlukanisile kodwa futhi yabazuzela idumela lokuthi bangabangaphucukile nokuthi bangamazimuzimu omele igazi. Kuseminyakeni edlule embalwa kuphela ngokuqhathaniswa, lapho izikhulu zomnyango wesayensi yokuhlalisana kwabantu ePort Blair, inhloko-dolobha yeAndaman Islands, zizame khona ukuthintana nelinye lamaqembu alezizwe esiqhingini esiseNyakatho iSentinel Island, ukufika kwazo kwahlangatshezwa ngentululwane yemicibisholo, omunye ugwaza umlenze womthathi-zithombe.

Yini eyawenza aba nenzondo kangaka? UM. V. Portman, isikhulu saseBrithani esasiqondisa izindaba zaleziqhingi ekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka elidlule, waphawula: “Ekufikeni kwethu amaJarawa ayethulile futhi engasizondi, futhi ayengakaze asiphazamise, kwaze kwaba yilapho siwachukuluza ngokuqhubekayo ngokugqugquzela ama-Andaman angasogwini ukuba alwe nawo. Ngemva kweminyaka embalwa yalokhu kuphazamiseka, ukuphila kwamaJarawa kwaba nzima kakhulu futhi eziphindiselela aqala ukusihlasela. Kwakuyiphutha lethu elenza amaJarawa aba nenzondo.”

Indlela Yokuphila YomJarawa

AmaJarawa ahlala ethutha. Ahlala ngamaqembu cishe abantu abangu-30, futhi amaqembu amaningana angomakhelwane akha isizwe. Iqembu ngalinye lihambahamba phakathi komngcele walo owenziwe kahle futhi aliyifohli indawo yamanye amaqembu. Njengoba ehlala endaweni evundile, eshisayo, awalimi futhi awafuyi. Ukuqhubeka kwawo ephila kuxhomeke eminsalweni yawo, imicibisholo, nemikhonto—ukuzingela nokudoba.

Kuyingxenye yendlela yawo yokuphila ukuba ukudla kuhlanganyelwe yibo bonke. Ngakho uma othile eqenjini ebamba ijuba, bonke banejuba. Uma umuntu ebamba ingulube, bonke banengulube. Ohlelweni lwabo lwezenhlalo, alukho ubandlululo lwezigaba ngokuthi ló unotho noma ló akanalutho. “AmaJarawa awanakubhekwa neze njengampofu,” kusho esinye sezikhulu zezokuhlalisana kwabantu. “Anenala yakho konke akufunayo.”

Okungavamile ngamaJarawa ukuthi aphakathi kwabantu abambalwa emhlabeni wonke abangakwazi ukuphemba umlilo. Athola umlilo emahlathini ashayo athungelwa ukushaya kombani phakathi nokuduma kwezulu okwenzeka njalo. Futhi aqapha imililo yawo ngokunakekela, eyigcina ivutha futhi eyithwala nokuyithwala lapho ethutha.

Into ebulala impucuko yanamuhla ukuwohloka kwezindinganiso zokuziphatha. “KumaJarawa, abukho ubulili bangaphambi komshado,” kusho isikhulu esicashunwe ngenhla. “Ukuphinga akuvamile neze ukwenzeka. Onecala ubhekana nokulahlwa umphakathi okuqinile. Uzizwa kabi kangangokuthi ushiya umphakathi isikhathi eside ngaphambi kokuba athande ukubuya.” Ingabe abantu abahlala emphakathini wakini “ophucukile” banomuzwa onjalo omuhle wokuziphatha?

Impucuko yanamuhla iyafana nomfutho wegazi ophakeme, isifo senhliziyo, umdlavuza, nokufanayo. AmaJarawa awahlushwa izifo ezinjalo. Nakuba emafushane—amadoda engengaphezu kwamamitha angu-1,5 ubude nabesifazane bebafushane ngisho nangaphezu kwalokho—aye abizwa ngokuthi “izidalwa ezincane ezakhiwe kahle kunazo zonke ezikhona.” Endaweni yawo siqu, kuthukela nje egulile.

Nakuba inkolo ingeyona into eyinhloko ekuphileni kwawo, amaJarawa anayo imicikilisho ethile eqondene nabafile. Lapho umuntu efa, isidumbu siyangcwatshwa, futhi iqhugwane ebelihlala umufi lishiywe. Ngemva kwezinyanga ezithile, isidumbu siyambiwa. Ugebhezi, noma ngokuvame kakhulu umhlathi ongezansi, ugaxwe entanyeni yesihlobo esiseduze. Ngemva kwesikhathi esithile, lugaxwa ezinye izihlobo. Lomkhuba ubhekwa njengophawu lokuhlonipha ofile futhi uhlobene ngokucacile nemibono yawo ngabafile. AmaJarawa akholelwa ukuthi kunomphefumulo, umthwali wokuphila, oqhubeka uphila kwelinye izwe. Akholelwa nawukuthi umphefumulo usenesithakazelo kuwo, ngakho ngeke enze lutho olungase luwucasule.

Ikhaya Lenala

AmaJarawa ajabulela ikhaya elihlotshiswe laba mayikayika. Phakathi kwezitshalo eziningi ezinhle ezihlobise leziqhingi kunamaorchid amahle kakhulu, amanye awo atholakala kuleziqhingi kuphela. Ngo-1880, ngokwesazi sezesayensi yezitshalo sakulezoziqhingi uDkt. N. P. Balakrishnan, izinhlobonhlobo ezithile zamaorchid “njengamadayimane angavamile” zazithola “imali enhle kakhulu eNgilandi.”

Okwatholwa muva nje eSentinel Island usosayensi waseJalimane, ekukhokhela ngomunwe wakhe, inkalankala engumphangi. UMbukiso Womnyango Kahulumeni Wezokudoba owawusePort Blair, eAndaman Islands, ube nencazelo yaleyonkalankala ebhodini lokubukisa leyo ethi: ‘Iyingozi ezitshalweni zikakhukhunathi. Igibela ezihlahleni zikakhukhunathi. Ikha izithelo esezivuthiwe. Iqhekeza igobolondo ngezidladla zayo ezesabekayo. Iphuza amanzi anoshukela bese idla inyama kakhukhunathi.’ Nokho, abanye baye bakungabaza ukuthi lenkalankala iyakwenza ngempela konke lokhu. Nakuba bevuma ukuthi lenkalankala iyayigibela imithi, abacusumbuli bathi imane nje ivule futhi idle ukhukhunathi ophansi osulimele kakade.

Lokho Ikusasa Elikuphethe

Ngaphansi kwethonya lempucuko yanamuhla, ingabe amaJarawa ayohamba ngendlela yama-Andaman amaKhulu namaOnge—ukwehla kancane kancane noma mhlawumbe ukuphela nyá ekugcineni? Isikhathi kuphela esiyosho. Kodwa emakhulwini eminyaka ngaphambi kokuba kufike abakwamanye amazwe, ayenakekela ikhaya lawo alinikwe uNkulunkulu futhi esebenzisa amalungiselelo alo ngendlela engenabugovu. Ngempela, okwawo nje kwakuyindlela yokuphila okulula, okunokuthula. Ingabe kukhona esingakufunda kumaJarawa?

[Isithombe ekhasini 24]

Lenkalankala egibela izihlahla idla ukhukhunathi