Embracing our Heritage, a look into the Sesotho Culture

As a build up to heritage day and in celebration of heritage month the paper will be featuring four cultures, one per week throughout heritage month.

This week we will be looking the Sotho culture, its rituals, ceremonies, dishes, attire, practices and their significant holidays.

The Sotho ethnic group is identifiable by their people and their humidity, historically known as people of the sky.

Lesotho as a nation is unique as it is the only country in the world that is situated 1 000 meters above sea level with vast richness in valley and streams that also feeds South Africa.

Nyekoe- pumpkin mixed with beans, Senkoane – pap made from half dried maize made into small balls consumed with meat or milk.

Their staple diet consists mainly of maize meal which can be cooked into a thick or a soft porridge and is often complemented by vegetables.

To add to the meal a slaughtered chicken or cow meat that has been roasted would be added especially on a special occasion.

The little ones would eat the maize meal with some milk or with sour milk.

To put the cherry on top, the dish would then be accompanied by traditional beer know as leoa/kgera

Depending on the ceremony, a relevant ritual would be performed as part of a ceremony but generally, the Sotho people centre their cultural rites around the sacrifice of a cow.

Funerals often drain a poor family’s assets as a cow must be purchased at great expense and slaughtered as part of the ceremony.

A family’s honor is dependent on the quality and quantity of food at weddings and funeral gatherings, spit-roasted cow and chicken are mandatory.

Attire modiyanyewe/ mokortlo (men’s hat)  seshoeshoe (women’s dress) mosetla, Siyanamarena (Sesotho traditional blanket),  leqapa (animal skin shorts for boys ), thithana (animal skin shorts for girls).