Kulawenza weThuma

The following is the amaTshani interpretation of how the world was created in their religion, Xoyanga. The Tshani Cosmogony, or Kulawenza weThuma, was traditionally sung by an elder or another tasked with remembering oral history in the years before the amaTshani began writing in books. The tale goes back centuries, and numerous variations are known; this is the most popular version.
Ulala, amantu amaTshani, ulala!
w’Ulala shwo!
Ulala e ziwozwa!
Ulala e iziwethuma zwa tha pos’indaba
ulala e iziwezwe zwa tha pos’indaba
ulala e iziwekulayenza zwa tha pos’indaba.
guHaka tisini!
guHaka kakhulu tisini!
Tisini’langa umuntu li,
O! guHaka tisini!
Tayanga khulu thuma guzala
i thuma kakhulukhulu thula
e Tayanga tse yenza
uku thuma, uku thuma
e ra phumbili amantu gungele.
guhliwe Tayanga thuma tse yenza.
iz’Ilanga labo li
amantu bu’hlungu gubona
amantu bu’sizi gubona
amantu bu’kufa gubona
e nkena ngijabule gushe.
Tu!
Tu i esibucayi gushe!
Nkena tshuni guzawula
nkena nyama guzingela
nkena inhlanzi guzebamba
e thongvele gushupwe.
Gushupwe!
Changa sibhaka guzala
tchatha uku ketchwe amantu guduna
e uku hlawisa amantu izitha cabanga.
Hlawisa! Hlawisa!
isiHlawisa mogwe gushe!
Maluwe thuma mogwe gungula
khoke amantu uhlungu gubona
khoke amantu usizi gubona
khoke amantu ukufa gubona
e ukuthuma undhlona gubuyiseya she.	Come, Tshani people, come!
I say come!
Come and you hear!
Come and hear the story of your world
Come and hear the story of your nation
Come and hear the story of your creation.
Long ago!
Very long ago!
In the days before man,
Oh! So long ago!
The great Sun saw the world
A world so very quiet
And the Sun made love
To the world, to the world
And the two brought forth men.
For the sun made love to the world.
In those days
People knew not pain
People knew not sorrow
People knew not death
And all were happy.
But!
But there was a crisis!
Every tree was cut
Every animal was hunted
Every fish was caught
And nature wept.
Wept!
High heaven saw
The damage to everything mankind did
And they thought to punish mankind.
Punish! Punish!
Punishment was demons!
The little moon sent demons to the world
So that people knew pain
So that people knew sorrow
So that people knew death
And balance was restored to the world.
Category:Tshani
Category:Lore
Category:Religion
Category:Literature