#scatterling

[be-kind-to-all-kind]

scatterling

/ˈskætəlɪŋ/

noun (plural: scatterlings)

a person without a fixed home; a wanderer. "Scatterlings and fugitives, hooded eyes and weary brows, seek refuge in the night."

- "Scatterlings of Africa" - Johnny Clegg

[schonheit-ist-in-alles]

"When a slave died their soul went back to Africa because that was where we belonged. When the soul reached Africa it was greeted by the ancestors in the spirit realm. And once the soul was greeted, it waited for other souls of departed slaves so too, could be welcomed home. Every soul did this duty until it was reborn purer, again and again, because life is a stream that flows and flows endlessly into many bodies. In this way a deceased mother could return as your child, a lost slave could redeem a brutalised life; but first, the soul had to be returned to Africa. It was to be washed there, it had to touch paradise, home, heaven. And Africa was heaven." - Miss Alisa Miller (then Van Zijl) (from Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe) (one of my favourite books despite the terrible happenings)

[the-hearth-and-the-wild]

Well, I offer a retuning of intention, a slightly more sober directive—to be of a place, to labour under a related indebtedness to a stretch of earth that you have not claimed but which has claimed you.

Martin Shaw, Scatterlings

[tigger8900]

Scatterlings, by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Abram van Zijl had been English once, or perhaps Dutch, but now considers himself to be African. Alisa is a Jamaican-English woman who'd come to Africa seeking the origin of her enslaved ancestors. Living together in South Africa, they've enjoyed a long marriage, albeit one troubled as of late, and have two children together. But it's 1927 and the Immorality Act has just been passed, criminalizing mixed-race relationships such as their own. Blinded by privilege he doesn't even realize he possesses, by the time Abram sees the danger to his family it's too late; desperate to save her children, Alisa commits an unforgivable act, one which will haunt her entire family as they seek refuge from those who would enforce the law.

This was a beautiful book about oppression, belonging, and what it means to find your home. Both Abram and Alisa are written as deeply flawed characters, Abram in his colonizer's naivete and Alisa in her all-consuming depression, but ones that ultimately evoke empathy. The inclusion of their daughter Dido's perspective provided a much-needed relief from what would likely have been too heavy and melancholy, if the only narrators had been adults. Her curious exploration of African folklore and tradition, first through Gloria and then through Josephina, brought the novel's themes home in a way neither of her parents had quite managed to accomplish.

Something that didn't entirely work for me was the character of Johannes, not so much what he represented as the reveal of his personal secret. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of what the story was about. Perhaps I misunderstood what was being implied, but it seemed like he was jealous of Alisa? It just seemed odd and a bit out of place.

Be warned: the ending of the story is an ambiguous one. You're not going to get a clear answer to the question of whether they get away or not. I was happy with the ending, but calibrate your expectations accordingly. This story is heavy on themes and emotions, but not so much on plot resolution.

[ginmeister]

Aaaand now I desperately miss glossy starlings.

Greater Blue-eared Glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), family Sturnidae, Kruger National Park, South Africa

photograph by PanWoyteczek

[gbhbl]

Album Review: Acid Magus - Scatterling Empire (Mongrel Records)

From the first track to the last, Acid Magus deliver an utterly gripping listen. One that showcases their power in unforgettable fashion.

In the liminal space where dreams flirt with reality and light dissolves into shadow, Acid Magus, Pretoria’s own experimental rock mavericks, emerge with Scatterling Empire, a monumental ode to defiance, culture, and the unrelenting spirit of resistance. Set to release on 21st February 2025 via Mongrel Records, the album is an intricate tapestry of sound, philosophy, and storytelling—a…

[zoethewriter]

This is one of those novels that you can describe as beautiful. The writing is so evocative and ambient, and the characters, even through all their trials, are written with a calm lyrical hand. The setting of old wine estates and old farm houses, vast plains and high mountains, drew such a good picture of the story and you could see it unfold in such a clear way. The story of this South African family in 1927 was an interesting one, it was an interesting look at the past.

In short, a thoughtful, well researched novel with sprinkles of folklore and a lot of history and character, written like poetry.

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Hi , i love and appreciate the sense of poetry in your writings it catches my attention and excites me to keep reading . Can you please tell me where you get the inspiration from ? Are they books? Perhaps it's your studies ?

Ty and what a lovely question ���💋 There are so many things to list such as the obvious nature, music, other people but yeah, there are some specific little things that inspire me!

Baring my soul here really but here we go:

I consider myself an animist so the works of authors who have an animist mindset as well inspire me very much. Such as Martin Shaw (please go read Courting the Wild Twin or Scatterlings) or Peter Grey (Apocalyptic Witchcraft. Incredible.) or David Abram (Spell of the Sensuous 💙) They all write magically and very poetically, I can feel their writing in my body & soul so that's always a plus.

Also most artists who've written for the Dark Mountain Project (their manifesto is insane btw) or poets such as Gary Snyder, Rainer Maria Rilke, T. S. Eliot set me straight when I feel like I'm lacking in words. Also Anaïs Nin! I know some people can't stand her but I think she's brilliant.

I absolutely love depth psychology, Jung opened the doors for me to understand archetypes, myths and recurring themes in stories. His works and the work of Jungian scholars who've studied fairytales, female initiation and the animus are very dear to me. I think without their influence I wouldn't understand what I'm writing or wouldn't be writing at all.

My studies, sometimes, yes! I read a lot of papers on ethnology and anthropology but it's mainly folklore and myths that are my main interest and inspiration... I'm actually in the wrong field but that's ok ;_;

Also your "regular" psychology, I love to study how the human mind works, I'm especially interested in traits that are considered pure evil such as the Dark Triad. I used to be very interested in war history but nowadays I lean more into reading about the psychological impacts of war. A bit gruesome to list these as "inspiration" but it does inspire me to look monstrous things in the eye and not shy away from them. Especially when writing about traumatized military cocks lol 👹🩷

[schonheit-ist-in-alles]

“…some stories start in the middle because no one wants to hear the beginning. They can be told quickly because no one wants to know the details. Sometimes all that matters is the conclusion.”

Thanks to @bibliolifestyle for the gifted copy. Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe was a nice surprise. Manenzhe’s writing style is poetic and magical. Her ability to weave a beautiful story filled with folklore and ancestral wisdom kept me captivated until the end. Manenzhe introduced characters with unique voices and perspectives. Although the novel was short, the story was full of deep themes of identity, nationalism, depression, suicidal ideations, trans-racial adoption, colonization and slavery, anti-Blackness, apartheid and miscegenation.

The history of Capetown, South Africa is a prominent part of the story and really made me think about the ways that Black African peoples were stripped of their identities and met with racism and anti-Blackness even when they return home to reconnect. Manenzhe shows the ways that trans-racial adoptions don’t automatically bring acceptance to Black adoptees. She shows how these same adoptees are left to navigate their identity and microagressions with no support from their adoptive parents because they are ambivalent of their own privilege and participation in colonization.

I appreciated how she highlighted the depression and suicidal ideations that Alisa felt having to navigate white spaces and feeling disconnected from her African roots, despite having ancestral giftings. Manenzhe’s story is a reminder of the power of storytelling in keeping cultures alive and staying connected to original homelands.

The storytelling reminded me of When We Were Birds which I loved. If you enjoy literary and historical fiction interspersed with ancestral wisdom and folklore then consider giving this one a try. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author because this was a stunning debut.

#Scatterlings #bibliolifestyle #tbr #RešoketšweManenzhe #bookish #bookrecommendations #books #bookphotography #bookstagram #SouthAfrica #Capetown #reading #amreading #bookcommunity #Africa #20booksbyblackwomen #bookstagrammer #bookreview

(at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmSmfhdLElu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Christmas Eve farolitos along Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM. Photo: Gene Peach (Dec 24, 2009) :: [Robert Scott Horton]

* * * *

“A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around. He doesn't speak the language. He holds no currency. He is a foreign man. He is surrounded by the sound, sound of cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages. He looks around, around he sees angels in the architecture spinning in infinity and he says, "Amen" and "Hallelujah!”

― Paul Simon

[radical-revolution]

A man walks down the street

It’s a street in a strange world

Maybe it’s the third world

Maybe it’s his first time around

He doesn’t speak the language

He holds no currency

He is a foreign man

He is surrounded by the sound, the sound

Cattle in the marketplace

Scatterlings and orphanages

He looks around, around

He sees angels in the architecture

Spinning in infinity

He says, “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!”

***

[be-kind-to-all-kind]

"When a slave died their soul went back to Africa because that was where we belonged. When the soul reached Africa it was greeted by the ancestors in the spirit realm. And once the soul was greeted, it waited for other souls of departed slaves so too, could be welcomed home. Every soul did this duty until it was reborn purer, again and again, because life is a stream that flows and flows endlessly into many bodies. In this way a deceased mother could return as your child, a lost slave could redeem a brutalised life; but first, the soul had to be returned to Africa. It was to be washed there, it had to touch paradise, home, heaven. And Africa was heaven." - Miss Alisa Miller (then Van Zijl) (from Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe) (one of my favourite books despite the terrible happenings)

[schonheit-ist-in-alles]

scatterling

/ˈskætəlɪŋ/

noun (plural: scatterlings)

a person without a fixed home; a wanderer. "Scatterlings and fugitives, hooded eyes and weary brows, seek refuge in the night."

- "Scatterlings of Africa" - Johnny Clegg

[kivrin]

During a spate of acapellaphilia in college, I was privileged to hear a demo tape from a defunct group called, I think, Throat Culture or perhaps Bare Essentials. One of their numbers was an all-vocal arrangement of Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" (which for years I thought was titled "Call Me Out," but that's another story entirely.) As you may know, the third and final verse of that well-known piece goes:

He is surrounded by the sound, The sound of cattle in the marketplace Scatterlings and orphanages. He looks around, around He sees angels in the architecture Spinning in infinity He says Amen! and Hallelujah! And if you'll be my bodyguard…

Except, on this particular day, in this particular rendition, the lead singer blew the words. Entirely. He sang,

He is surrounded by the sound, The sound of angels in the architecture [PAUSE] And they were singing a song about… cats! They were singing about swordfish And jellybeans And all kinds of crazy stuff And if you'll be my bodyguard…

The other singers, God bless 'em, never missed a beat, just kept on being the band. They swung with gusto into the finale and finished the piece. Silence. Then the bass could clearly be heard to ask, in a tone of disgust and incredulity:

"JELLYBEANS????"

[dbluegreen]

Johnny Clegg And Savuka - Scatterlings Of Africa (1987)

[7sovereignkingdoms]

UMKHONTO weSIZWE part 2

There was another formation, who are the 17 Tonga, who represent the dead, an Initiate would find in the mountains. They are identifiable by the white dust covering their bodies. This dualst is caused from mining lime, using to disinfect the body after mining or fine sculpting clay.

When one "goes home" or indlela, one would happen upon a group of Tonga - usually 7 - who would surround you, at which point, one would do a dance, with gun or spear held aloft or stabbing into the air, pumping ones knees up or stomping ones feet and circling to face each in the circle or rotang. They would then flick a kwagga tail at three different heights of your body (Tonga Stonga), rendering your body impenetrable.

A music video, showing the Tonga Stonga and the journey to indlela, every incheezwa has to make. The dance that they do, is imperative as this dance and the shaking of kwagga tails at the dancer, renders you impenetrable by blade or bullet in fights or clashes. Some people call this dance the Komatipoort:

An African "goes home" when the Babba of your Nkandla passes away. If you are the eldest son, you would go indlela to register yourself as your household's new head. If your father owned Nguni, it is imperative to "go home" as the indlela Tonga/Tongaan/Tongaati functions as the property office of either the Sovereign Kingdom of eSwatini or Zimbave or of Africa, I'm not sure.

An amaPiano song that refers to "going home":

GOING HOME, HEKHAYA

The Tonga know each Sovereign Nkosi baKosi (King of a Kingdom), every Nkosi gaKosi (Chief of a territory, granted by Nkosi baNkosi) and Nkosi amaNkosi (the King of Africa or the 7 Sovereign Kingdoms of eSwati, as Africa was known 300 years ago). The Tonga also used to spenza throughout the Kingdom, as the Sizwe guard and so, as a result,  see any Nguni, out of place or grazing territory. When they do, they take those Nguni and return them to indlela, until the owner can be notified.

A music video by Johnny Clegg called Scatterlings of Africa, shows the outside regalia of 2 Umkhonto weSizwes tasked with returning Nguni to their rightful owner:

Johnny Clegg and his Comrade, spenza broe' and esteemed mfetu, who left precious old traditional dances like Jabula, Juluka and Indlela giSpenza Jive nyama bathu kwenza Pondo. Pata Muzi Empaghatin', wesenjan pela.

It is said that the blood of animals or the guilty settlers would be painted on one side of the body, to forcheeza everyone that the 2 Umkhonto weSizwe worked for their Tabalaza today and that the trouble would bother the owner no more. The knop-kierrie is also a sign that they are Umkhonto weSizwes, tasked to walk Nguni home. It also shows the cave in Masinga Valley that Umkhonto weSizwes kotla in, to receive Inkleezi, to demonstrate required movements and to Siko with Umoya. The procedure changed a lot, according to the Inkhoti/Makhoti and his/her dwelling or location, usually the cave, entrances to mines, gulleys and hidden Earth Ghettoes.

Occassionally, they would take them to the owner. Back in the day only Nkosi owned Nguni and only royal daughters were paid labola for. Over time, it developed into a Ibola Lethu circumstance, in which a titled African could take a bride to be's father to watch the Nguni parade on the beach and allow him to choose 3 Nguni of the total labola price. This is how one titled African would entitle another...