A Matriarchal Ecology: Indigenous Women’s Environmental Activism in Venda, South Africa

Authors

Kimberly B Ross
University of Michigan, USA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/135

Keywords:

Venda, Sacred forests, Land rights, Gender rights

Synopsis

This book was made possible by the National Institute for the Humanities & Social Sciences (NIHSS), South Africa.

This book is grounded in the indigenous knowledge expertise and extensive community activism of Tshivenda indigenous leader Mphatheleni Makaulule. The author focuses on the environmentalism of the community-based organization, Dzomo La Mupo (DLM) which Mphatheleni had created in the former apartheid homeland of Venda, South Africa in the Vhembe District Municipality. Her research explores DLM’s predominantly female members known as the makhadzi who work to revive the traditional eco-cultural roles of women, and work towards preserving indigenous knowledge systems to protect local forests, rivers, wetlands, and sacred natural sites. DLM strives towards strengthening local communities and ecological governance through intergenerational learning, the revival of indigenous seed and agriculture, and efforts to protect food sovereignty.    

The book details the complex land laws as they intersect with globalization and gender in South Africa’s post-apartheid era. What we share is how the laws obscure women’s land rights and how this complicates makhadzi eco-cultural roles and ecological knowledge in Venda. Together, Mphatheleni and the author also discuss the various campaigns DLM has organized to protect the environmental such as their fight against coal companies such as MC Mining Ltd, formerly Coal of Africa. The author also discusses the water crisis in South Africa and what this means for the already water scarce region of Venda. Lastly, we touch on the complexities of indigenous agriculture and farming and Mphatheleni’s views about organic farming.

Ultimately, Mphatheleni and Ross want to build a deeper understanding about Dzomo La Mupo”s continued efforts to restore indigenous knowledge systems and bring awareness around their activism. The hope is that people will become inspired to protect the environment in their communities to promote Earth jurisprudence.

While the original research for this book emanated from Kim Ross’ doctoral studies at the African American and African Studies Department at Michigan State University, the content was extensively updated and revised by Unisa Press and with the financial support of the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences – working with the researcher and journalist Stef Terblanche.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ix
Positionality Statement xiii
Introduction xiv
Where it all began: The journey with Vho-Makaulule unfolds xix

chapter one
Shaping a vision for the community 1
chapter two
Sacred Sites 18
chapter three
Land and gender in the context of customary leadership and globalisation 38
chapter four
Restoring the ecocultural role of makhadzi 60
chapter five
Makhadzi community activism 75
chapter six
The politics of water 91
chapter seven
Food security and Indigenous farming 105
Conclusion 119
Bibliography 125
Index 137

Author Biography

Kimberly B Ross, University of Michigan, USA

Kimberly B Ross first learned about Mphatheleni Makaulule’s activism as a doctoral student at Michigan State University while studying in the African American and African Studies Department. It was 2011 and she was writing a research paper about the impact of globalization on women in Africa. Specifically, Ross wanted to research how globalization intersects with environmental and gender issues, when she came across an article in The Ecologist magazine entitled, “Celebrating women activists: South Africa's Mphatheleni Makaulule.”

In the article was a picture of Mphatheleni perched on a mountain top overlooking a serene and lush landscape in northern South Africa, in the former apartheid homeland of Venda. Of all the research Ross had completed, Mphatheleni’s story left the most indelible impression on her.  Ross was inspired by her community-based organization, Dzomo La Mupo and their work to safeguard sacred natural sites, watersheds, and forests from development projects and coal excavation in the region.

Moreover, Ross was interested in Mphatheleni's work to revive the Indigenous role and eco-cultural knowledge of women known as makhadzi who comprised Dzomo La Mupo’s members. It was then that she decided to focus her research exclusively on the activism of Dzomo La Mupo and the socio-political issues impacting Indigenous women in Venda, particularly the makhadzi. Consequently, Ross became determined to travel to Venda, South Africa and meet Mphatheleni in person.  

Meeting Mphatheleni proved more difficult than expected. Upon two trips to South Africa as the coordinator for Ross' department’s study abroad program, she had only developed meager contacts in the region. Additionally, Venda was 6 hours north from the areas she was traveling to and in a rural part of the country. Ross was even in communication with the human rights lawyer Mphatheleni was working with to register sacred natural sites with the South African Heritage Resources Agency, but he was wary of arranging an interview. After multiple attempts to contact Mphatheleni her efforts fell short. At this point, some members of her research guidance committee were becoming unconvinced about Ross' ability to produce the field research she had claimed she would be able to complete. Then in 2015 with funding from Michigan State University’s Center for Gender in Global Context she returned to South Africa for a 6-month research trip. Again, scanty contacts in hand, she boarded a bus to Venda with hopes that she would be able to meet Mphatheleni.

            Ross arrived in Thohoyandou, the former capital, and set forth to the University of Venda. She searched Mphatheleni’s name online and quite astonishingly for the first time she found her email address and sent her a message. Later that day she received a reply from her with her phone number asking Ross to call her!  Ross was elated. She managed to discuss her research with Mphatheleni, who agreed to an interview. ONce she reached her house, they  spent for 5 hours talking about the makhadzi, Dzomo La Mupo and the roles of women.

The book came into being following first-hand research done in Venda, South Africa, and in close collaboration with Mphatheleni.

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Background photo of Venda ankle bangles worn by the owner of the bangles, with in the foreground lettering: at the top, main title in yellow, subtitle below in white capital latters, and at bottom of the page, author's name and surname in white lettering

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