KEY TAKE AWAY FROM THE MASEKO PRAISE – SINANATELO

 MASEKO- SINANATELO

African surnames are rich with historical knowledge. This is because African surnames are accompanied by praises of that surname. The culture of formulating praises for each surname over the years has enabled Africans to preserved historical information which might have been lost over the years. One of those surnames is the Maseko surname. In this paper one will take a look at the Maseko surname and the historical information one get from its praise (sinanatelo). We will begin by taking a look at one of the Maseko praise.

MASEKO

Maseko, Ngcamane,                                                                                               1

Ngcamane waMafu                                                                                                2

Khubonye waNdlovu,                                                                                            3

Ndlovu tidlekhaya,                                                                                                 4

Esigangeni teswele umelusi,                                                                                  5

Mnguni waseBuhleni,                                                                                            6

Mdzandzalukane, Nabosidvwabasilutfuli,                                                             7

Sidvwaba silutfuli singabantolo siphuma ekhabonina nenina,                              8

Mntungwa welukhetfo lwakhabangobe waMaphanga,                                         9

kaMaseko akuvalwa ngemivalo, kuvalwa ngemakhandza emadvodza                10

 

Just like all Africans surnames, the surname Maseko comes from the name of a person called Maseko. Maseko used to have a kingdom which is believed to have originated from Ndlovu. The Ndlovu Kingdom is dated back in the 800- 920 A.D from the Bantu. When Ndlovu decided to part ways with the Bantu, his house was also torn apart which created fraction of beSutfu and and Nguni.

When Ndlovu passed away, his Kingdom was later ruled by Khubonye Ndlovu followed by Maseko Ndlovu, Mdandalukwane, Sidvwabasilutfuli, Mafu Maseko, Ntshangase Maseko, Luhleko Maseko, Nselendvuna Maseko, Ngcamane Maseko, Maphanga Maseko, and Khabangobe Maseko,  and the last one was Mgazi Maseko.

A link between the Maseko and Dlamini is rooted from Mgazi’s wife LaMbombotsi Dlamini who was the daughter of Somhlolo. According to the legend the Maseko Kingdom was dismantled when Somhlolo called Mgazi regime to an event called butimba.

While the Maseko can be found in South Africa, they can also be found in the Kingdom of Eswatini in the following places: eNcabaneni, kaLuhleko,,kaZondwako, eNgwenyameni, and eSandleni. The Maseko’s are not supposed to marry the following people with the following surnames: Simelane, Lokotfwako and Malaza because it is believed that the share the same father. Maseko Simelane, Lokotfwako and Malaza were basically names of people which later became surnames.

The Maseko’s are not supposed to eat the following food: a bird called ngumnguphane. The Maseko historically speaking were famously known for forging spears and staying in a place with a big cave called eNcabaneni.

Now one has discussed the historical background of the Maseko clan, it is high time one take a look at each line of the Maseko praise to decode its historical information.

At line 1 to line 3, one can decode the blood line of the Maseko rulers. The decedents of Ndlovu are listed ‘Maseko, Ngcamane, Ngcamane waMafu, Khubonye waNdlovu.’ Line 4 to line 5 gives us a glimpse of what was like in the past. As things turns out, owning dangerous animals that are rare to catch or find was fundamental for a kingdom. Therefore having animals such as lions and elephant was vital. The Maseko as a result used to own Elephants which were left to graze at home in times of wars hence the phrase ‘Ndlovu tidlekhaya, Esigangeni teswele umelusi’.

Line 6, provide a clue where the Maseko used live. The Maseko used to live at a place called eBuhleni kaZulu. From this line one also learn the relationship between Simelane and Maseko since both of them used to reside at eBuhleni. That is why they are called beNguni baseBuhleni since both of them are Nguni’s.

Line 7 and line 8 contains important information about the character and the events which were happening in the past during the reign of the Maseko’s. The first word in the phrase (line 7) ‘Mdzandzalukane, Nabosidvwabasilutfuli’ means moving up and down. Their clothes were full of dust because they were always on the run or chaise during war times. Line 8 phrase ‘Sidvwaba silutfuli singabantolo siphuma ekhabonina nenina’ portrays the character of the Maseko people. They were considered hard working people and if that is not the case that person was considered to have inherited that bad trait from his or her mother’s side.

Line 9 shows the blood line of the Maseko clan, ‘Mntungwa welukhetfo lwakhabangobe waMaphanga’.  The Maseko’s are called eMantungwa. Their root is similar to the root of Khumalo, Ndlangamandla, Mndlovu and Mncina. Maphanga is a King who had the longest reign as it is estimated that He lived for 120 years and after his death Maphanga became a King.

The last line which is line 10 shows that the Maseko were brave people who were not easy to attack, ‘kaMaseko akuvalwa ngemivalo, kuvalwa ngemakhandza emadvodza’.  

In conclusion, from a person surname praise in Africa one can deduce important historical information. It suffice to say surnames praise in Africa are sources of historical events.