Listen to the pronunciation
| What is this? | Beer vessel |
| isiZulu Name | Umancishana |
| isiXhosa Name | Not yet documented. |
| English Name | Small beer vessel |
| Which cultural group created this? | Zulu |
| Who made this? | Not yet documented. |
| When was it made? | Not yet documented. |
| Where was it made? | Probably KwaZulu-Natal |
| Measurements | Not yet documented. |
| How was it made and what is it made of? | Clay. Handmade. Incised animal motives close to the mouth. When making a beer pot, you take the clay and make it flat and equal in thickness; from there, you start using the coiling system—putting one layer on top of the other. In between, you can use a dry mealie cob and water to smooth it outside and inside until you come to the mouth of it. After that, you smear it with a fresh cow dung on the outside and take it to the firing place. The fireplace is usually situated outside the homestead. You put lots and lots of dry alo, lots of grass, and wood because the fire usually becomes too big to handle. That is why it must be taken out of the homestead. The fire must reach a temperature of about 900 degrees, and after 45 minutes, the fire will die down, and only the coal will be left. The next day you can start picking up the pots. If you make use of the correct vessel, it lasts long. A myth goes with the making of clay pots that says: If the pots are smeared with fresh cow dung before firing, that is some form of protection of the homestead being struck by lightning. |
| What colour is it? | Brown |
| What sound does it make? | Not yet documented. |
| Physical description | Oval-shaped pot made of clay, with incisions close to the mouth. Incisions are two bands with angled parallel lines enclosing incisions in the form of birds. Birds are resting over the lower band, all looking in the same direction. |
| Where is it now? | Iziko Museum, Cape Town, South Africa Museum ID: Not yet known. |
| How did it get there? | Not yet documented. |
| Why is it important? | Small beer vessel used during home feasts. The uMancishana is used to pour homemade brew or Zulu beer for the feast. It is filled and put at the place where the incense is going to be burnt. It has to be filled and located before the incense is burnt. When there is going to be a feast in a house, the man of the house will be served from the uMancishana. Only he can drink from it. This is how the visitors will identify him. uMancishana is also used to identify greedy people. In the Zulu culture, when there is a feast, there is a specific house in which they store the Zulu beer. There is a large pot called Imbiza, and there are other beer vessels called izinkamba and uMancishana. During a feast and after eating the meat, all the other foodstuffs are served with beer, so stomachs become filled, and people cannot consume anymore. The greedy person will go home and come back the next morning, asking if anything is left. The people who hosted the feast will pour the beer in the uMancishana, so they drink and leave to get rid of them. There is another beer vessel as big as the ordinary beer pot, but with a neck, called uPhiso. When there is a feast in a neighbouring house, and someone wants to assist them, they put Amahewu or Zulu beer inside the uPhiso. With an Inkatha on the head, they put the beer pot on top of the head; the Inkatha helps to have balance, so the beer does not spill on the head or face. It also helps when pouring into the neighbour’s vessel, so it does not spill. The large beer vessel is called Imbiza. The Imbiza is used for beer storage, and it is the one from where to serve. When serving from the main Imbiza into the uKhamba, the first to be served are the men, followed by the women of the household. These women have their own share and their own uKhamba. The first wife is the one who is behind to serve the other women. Even when the ladies are splitting, they have their own uKhamba. The Nkuzankuza vessel is placed near the pillar that supports the roof of the house. Only strong men go there to drink it. When older men cannot carry the big uKhamba, they can use the Inkezo to scoop it and drink it. The Inkezo is made from something related to the pumpkin family, taken from the mealies fields. After it has dried up completely, you open up a hole and remove the seeds, and then you start using it for drinking any liquid, it can be beer, it can be water. When using an Inkezo, once you finish drinking, you need to turn it upside down to show the one serving that you are full and waiting for another turn. There is a beer pot cover made of grass. If the pot cover is on top of a beer pot, it indicates there is beer inside that pot. If the pot cover is facing upwards, there is nothing inside. The cover is used for preventing dust or flies from jumping in. The Isikhetho is used for removing the foam (Zulu beer usually has got a lot of foam), sorghum, or flies. You do not throw away the beer because there is nothing wrong with the beer. If one of the pots breaks, you do not have to throw it away. It changes the name and becomes the udengezi. An udengezi is used to burn the incense when connecting with the ancestors. Nowadays, people are using plates, which is wrong according to tradition. There are also plastic versions of the pots that people buy at the Chinese shops and are not good for storing Zulu beer. It becomes sour very quickly. Feasts and Ceremonies: In feasts, married men sit on their own. Young unmarried men sit inside the crawl (Isibaya). That is where they are served beer. The father of the household, with his neighbours, and headmen sit under the tree or outside the crawl; they do not enter the crawl when drinking beer or eating the feast. When a woman serves Zulu beer, she kneels on both knees on the ground and takes a sip to assure the person going to drink that there is no poison inside. The first man will drink, move it on to the next one and so on. The maidens that serve the beer have to take a sip when serving the beer. There is that saying that sometimes they pretend to be drinking. According to tradition, feasts start at lunchtime and would end before sunset. Nowadays people come in as early as five o’clock in the morning, looking for Zulu beer and then they will leave at six o’clock. The following day after the ceremony, if one wants to have the leftovers, they would go to the house. They will not say ‘I have come for beer or meat,’ they would say they had forgotten their knobkerrie or hat. Making Zulu Beer: Zulu beer can be ready in 3 days in weather favourable conditions. If it is too cold, it can take up to 5 days. It does not contain a lot of alcohol. People drink it and become full, and a little bit tipsy quickly. There is a Zulu beer called Imfulamfula. It is made by cooking a little bit of porridge, letting it cool down and adding Umnandi. You mix it well and add more water (if it is one packet, it is equal to 5 litters) and a little sorghum. The next morning you need to strain the sorghum, and it is ready for drinking. You can add as many fruits as you like. It is very strong. Takunyesa (brandy) is made with beer leftovers mixed with pure water and brown sugar. You can buy Zulu beer from other people or at the store (Ijuba) with different ingredients. |
| Notes | Not yet. |
| References | Amagugu Ethu Workshop, Recording STE030: Thandi Nxumalo, Skhumbuzo Miya and Thulani Thusi Amagugu Ethu Workshop, Recording STE031: Wilfred Mchunu, Thandi Nxumalo, Nini Xulu and Thulisiwe Mtshali Amagugu Ethu Workshop, Recording STE032: Thandi Nxumalo, Nini Xulu, Thulani Thusi, Skhumbuzo Miya, Thulisiwe Mtshali and Boyzie Myeni |
| Who described this? | Described during the Amagugu Ethu Workshop by Thandi Nxumalo, Skhumbuzo Miya, Thulani Thusi, Wilfred Mchunu, Nini Xulu, Thulisiwe Mtshali, Skhumbuzo Miya and Boyzie Myeni. Described for the website by Clara Giménez-Delgado (August 19, 2020). |