The Venda live in Limpopo (formerly Northern) Province between the Lebombo Mountains and the Soutpansberg. They make up South Africa’s smallest black nation, with around 600,000 people, but have never been conquered by either the neighbouring tribes or the white settlers. This is partly due to the remote country in which they live, and also because of the natural protection of the mountains to the south and east, with the Limpopo River shielding them to the north. The Venda constructed permanent stone towns similar in style to Great Zimbabwe, which lies north of the Limpopo River over the border and is thought to have once been the capital of an empire that stretched across much of southern Africa – there is also a Venda minority in Zimbabwe. A large walled city was built at Dzata in the 16th century, and there was a rich trade in ivory and slaves with the Arabs and Portuguese who were beginning to establish mercantile routes in the area.
The Venda have a strong mystical tradition, and consider lakes and rivers to be sacred. They are well known for their wood-carving, which has spiritual significance, and believe that the rains are controlled by the Python God, which lives in Lake Fundudzi. Lake Fundudzi is consequently considered a sacred site, and visitors must obtain permission from the lake’s resident priestess before approaching it. Once a year the Domba Python Dance is held, where an offering of beer is poured into the lake, and the young maidens of the tribe, as the final stage of their initiation into womanhood, line up in single file and dance in long winding lines, like a snake. The Domba is important to secure good rains for the following season.
As a highly creative people, the Venda produce many fascinating arts and crafts, with sculpture being particularly well represented. Whether using wood or stone, the artist carves away the surplus material to reveal the true form or spirit of the object hidden underneath. Collectives have been established featuring pottery, sculpture and weaving, and Venda artists have been commissioned for major works of art across South Africa.
One important facet of Venda culture is the prevalence of what Europeans would call witchcraft. Although by no means restricted solely to the Venda tribe, given how central the theme of ancestor worship is in Venda life, and their close ties to the spirit world through art, it plays a large part in many people’s lives. Witchcraft is not necessarily a malign force, but a means to access the spirit world, usually when seeking guidance from the ancestors. There are representatives of this across Africa, whether they are known as a Witchdoctor, Traditional Healer, or in South Africa, a Sangoma. Many Venda would consult a Sangoma if they became ill, who would frequently diagnose trouble in the spirit world which might be alleviated by a particular course of action – for example the offering of a chicken to the ancestors. Most Sangomas offer an entirely benevolent service that usually involves prescribing a course of herbs.
In rural areas cattle mean wealth, and the lifestyle revolves around agriculture. Male and female roles are clearly defined, with the men responsible for livestock, ploughing and the building of huts, while the women do most of the harvesting as well as all the domestic duties. Polygamy is still common, and due to the prosperity of the farmland, fewer men leave the area to work in the mines than is the case with many other tribes. As a result, traditional life has changed little over the years.
Many Venda consider themselves to be of Semitic origin, possibly one of the lost tribes of Israel. The claim is not as unlikely as it sounds. There are certain similarities over festivals observed, the fact that they can only marry within the tribe, and a prohibition against coming into contact with unclean animals such as pigs. Most telling, however, are tests done on a subgroup of the Venda – the Lemba. DNA tests done by the National Health Laboratory Services and the University of Witwatersrand which examined the Y chromosomes of the Lemba found that 50% were of Semitic origin, showing that the group originated in the Middle East around 1000 years ago. Moreover, the particular type of chromosome is a highly distinctive one found only in a hereditary Jewish priesthood sect known as the Cohanim, where inclusion into the sect was handed from father to son thus retaining the original Y chromosome, meaning that it is now scientifically proven that the Lemba, and therefore many Venda, are indeed descended from the ancient Israelites.