Lešaka

I was asthmatic and had been coughing all night so the next morning mama said to me “nana, go sit in the leshaka”. Mama believed sitting in the kraal with all the cattle could cure any and all ailments but I was just a child so I wouldn’t dare question her logic. She was clearly scared that I’d cough up a lung considering she has done all that she can with medicines and home remedies that we had. As I walked outside to the kraal, I noticed one of the cows was in isolation. He was sitting in the corner of the kraal away from all the other cattle. I went closer to see what was happening and to my surprise he was missing his horns. I screamed to mama “kgomo is crying! He doesn’t have horns”. I cried with cow because I was an empath but my tears could never amount to those cried by the cow. I could tell he was in pain because he had just lost a huge part of himself. Mama came out of the house, comforted me and explained to me why they had to cut off his horns. She said soothingly “We had to do it because he was becoming aggressive and attacking all the other cattle in the leshaka. We had no choice but to cut them off. We have a ceremony coming up and we must sacrifice him so he needs to be willing.” This all made sense to me, but I didn’t understand why we had to sacrifice kgomo. She explained that it is done to appease the ancestors and to thank them for all they have done for us. Kgomo was part of a greater good and his sacrifice will not go unappreciated. Kea leboga Kgomo.