History

My Africa

My Africa


I dried the Kudu Meat in my office

I grew up in the wide outdoors or veld as we call it in South Africa.
I could spend days outdoors and sleep under the stars on the beach
or in the bush. There was always food abundant to collect
and water if you knew where to find it. I carried an air gun
or BB gun as some call it and I was a skilful hunter
of small birds and rodents and the like.
I ate tortoises and snakes just because I could
And even a field mouse, once. I was mostly alone
 Sometimes village boys would join me without invitation
 it did not matter if we understood each other.
That is Africa’s way we understand Mother Africa.
We know our wildlife and we do not fear it. We know when to
stand our ground and when to retreat. We know the signs of
nn imminent attack and we respect it and stay safe.
I watch the programs of people “surviving” in the wild
For a period of time. We call it camping and it is a natural
part of our lifestyle. Villagers live alongside game in peace
mostly and know how to survive. African men in certain
parts of Africa have to kill a lion,
 only armed with a spear tp prove their manhood.
In South Africa some boys of some tribes go to the bush in the middle
of winter to be circumcised and suffer hardship to become men.
I went on a hunt with seasoned hunters, they have
been hunting for 16 years. I have never before hunted
big game and never owned a high powered  rifle.
They called me lucky or fortunate because
I killed two Kudu with two shots in successive years
and never invited me again. You see they grew up in cities
they do not own the veld, you can only own it when you
know it intimately; it has nothing to do with luck.
I am an accurate shot you have to be when you are hungry
and you have to be able to stalk because you know
your prey and how it would react and where to find it
during a certain time of day. Those men shut me
out when I started ribbing them for wasting a lot of shots
and shooting the game to ribbons so that little meat
was still edible. It was their arrogance and pride
that prevented them from success. That and
their lack of knowledge and experience
 of their environment. It has nothing to do with
luck. I talked to nature all the time I was there.
I valued it and was grateful for it and I meditated
and talked to it and prayed out of gratitude
for it. It is in me, the African bush is in me
 No one could have taught me but myself. I spoke
to the Kudu in my bed at night and got up before sunrise
My tracker tried to talk me out of trying a Kudu first up.
“That one is a devil, you will not find him.”
I wanted  to tell him, if that was the case,
 I shall let it find me and it did twice.
He told me out of years of experience. I respected him
and rewarded him after the hunt.
He was as surprised when I did the same the next year.
He did not expect the Mlungu (white man) to
have Mother Africa in his heart.
I  talked to the bush and prayed and blessed
the game I was about to hunt. The result
two clean shots, one to the heart and one to the head.
every time I nominated my kill and every time I consumed
the entire animal and was grateful for the
opportunity afforded me.
They were not hunting,
some were and was successful others were just shooting
at everything that moved. It is all about respect
and of, what I call the knowing.
These things cannot be explained or taught they must
be learned in the bush through experience and hardship.
I want to appeal to everyone that comes to Africa to come
In the right frame of mind.  Respect nature, learn from the indigenous
and I shall guarantee you an experience that will enrich
your life and will be so profound you will never forget it.

1 comment:

  1. These things cannot be explained or taught they must
    be learned in the bush through experience and hardship.
    I want to appeal to everyone that comes to Africa to come
    In the right frame of mind. Respect nature, learn from the indigenous
    and I shall guarantee you an experience that will enrich
    your life and will be so profound you will never forget it.

    ReplyDelete