Thread by @SAHeritagePubs

While transcribing and translating the 342 writings currently in the Ancestral Voices Collection, our translation team comes across words, phrases and verses of poetry that challenge them greatly.
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This week, in celebration of Heritage Month and in partnership with the South African National Lexicography Units, @SALexiUnits, we’re beginning our #LostWords project.
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We believe that there is no way to separate language, heritage and history, and @SALexiUnits aims to promote the use of all of South Africa’s languages to create a more multilingual society.
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We’re asking you, the person reading this, to help us to find the meanings of the words, phrase and verses that baffled our translators.
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This will help us to have the best possible translation of the texts, so that future readers who do not speak the indigenous language it was written in can now understand the English better.
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It might also give you something to ask your grandparents when you next speak with them!
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So let’s begin with a few words. Can anyone help us with the meanings of the following words in isiXhosa, Xitsonga or Setswana?

Balfour 132: ‘Gcaleka History and Customs’, isiXhosa, 1930s.
“And people said, “No, Hheke is a ntyulubi and a ngxentsi in the entire land.”
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Balfour 132: ‘Gcaleka History and Customs’, isiXhosa, 1930s
“Those few Xhosa, of abaThwa, went around talking about the meat and vegetables of the open country and trees, imiqwa, nolwathile, thorn trees, and many others, and honey.”
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Kamela 387: ‘Swiyila / Taboos’, Xitsonga, 1930s
“The healer took the horn full of the sticky medicine, mixed the medicine with other ones that were ground on a stone, some of which was black in colour, some red, & some of it white, known as 'rivandza' a powdered condiment.”
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Kgaswe 162: “History of the Batlhako”, Setswana, 1938
“Batlokwa ba ga Motsatsi Tlholwe still have ears which have been tletlilweng even today, the ears of Matebele.”
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Sesotho sa Leboa Divination-Bone names
We would also like to invite Sesotho sa Leboa traditional healers and speakers to give the meanings of the following ‘fall of the divining bones’ in their language as listed below.
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They are the mao a dihlako. These words are no longer commonly used by people. We want to revive their usage: Masupša, Bokgatha, Lekgwami, Mabjana, Selumihlotlo, Lengwe, Mpherefere, Moraro, Morarana, Morupi, Makgolela, Hlapadingwa, Mahlakola, Sepipimpi, Mogolori, Sefara.
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Please help with the meanings of these words – tomorrow there'll be more.
Go to saheritagepublishers.co.za/ancestral-voic… to subscribe & read the originals.
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