Tshilume
Venda · mortal · Venda traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Tshilume, also called Ratshilumela, is the Singo king of the northern homeland who stands at the head of the Ngoma-lungundu migration tradition. While the people still dwelt in the country of Matongoni, the voice of Mwali commanded Tshilume to gather them and move southward, bearing the sacred drum that must never touch the ground. He is remembered as the forebear from whom the later kings who crossed the Limpopo trace their descent, though the precise line of succession between him and Dimbanyika is told differently in different traditions.
Domains
- kingship
- migration
Powers
- receive the command of Mwali
- lead the Singo out of the north
Sources
- Tshilume (Ratshilumela) was the Singo king in the northern homeland who, instructed by Mwali, began the migration that brought the Ngoma-lungundu drum south toward the Limpopo.: E. Mudau, 'Ngoma-Lungundu', in van Warmelo (ed.), Contributions towards Venda History (1932). (primary); M. le Roux, 'Ngoma Lungundu: an African Ark of the Covenant', Verbum et Ecclesia 30(2) (2009). (secondary)