her brother, fled out of shame with rain charms and
some of her people. In a variant of this story, it is
her father, and not her brother, who would have
made her pregnant to pass onto her the knowledge
of how to control rain. In any case, rain making
obviously plays a central role in the Lovedu mythi-
cal narrative. This entry looks at the Rain Queen,
the role of ancestors, and the ethical or moral
imperatives in Lovedu religion.
The Rain QueenIndeed, the Lovedu people have become famous for
their Rain Queen. She is the only queen to combine
the functions of a monarch and a rain maker. The
Rain Queen, indeed, is believed to have the mysti-
cal power to control rain. In a community where
agriculture and cattle-rearing play a critical role in
the sustenance of its members, as it is the case with
the Lovedu people, the importance attached to the
falling of rain cannot surprise. Furthermore, rain,
generally speaking, is linked in African life and reli-
gion to the fundamental notions of fertility and life
transmission. Through her spiritual control of rain,
the queen is therefore assumed to have control over
the welfare of her society.
The Rain Queen of the Lovedu people is there-
fore much respected and feared. She is seen as the
embodiment of the divine and cosmic order on
which harmony and balance rest. In fact, due to
her ability to control rain, she is thought of as the
Rain Goddess. She must have children by some-
one of royal blood. Her passing away always
provokes a major disruption of the natural order
because drought, famines, and complete devasta-
tion seem inevitable.
The AncestorsAs sacred and powerful as the Rain Queen may
be, however, her ability to control the rain is ulti-
mately under the authority of the ancestors.
Indeed, the latter remain the most powerful and
conspicuous actors in Lovedu religion. The
Lovedu believe that the world was created by a
Supreme Being named Khuzwane. However,
Khuzwane remains a remote supreme deity, as it is
so often the case in other religious traditions in
Africa, and therefore plays little if no role at all in
daily human affairs.
The ancestors, in contrast, are deeply involved
in the daily tribulations of the living. The ancestors
are believed to be able to neutralize all evil and
prevent all misfortunes. They certainly preside
over fertility, as manifested in the birth of children
and cattle, as well as plentiful crops. The ancestors
assist the living because they want to be remem-
bered. Neglect of the ancestors may cause the
living to experience great misfortune and sickness.
Thus, offerings, sacrifices, and prayers are made to
the ancestors to appeal to their benevolence and
generosity or their forgiveness. Ancestors are also
honored collectively, at a yearly offering of beer, as
a token of gratitude for the harvest. Messages from
the ancestors are deciphered through divination
primarily performed with divining bones.
In the veneration of ancestors,dithugulaplay a
major role. Dithugugula (singular: thugula) are
ritual objects closely associated with the ancestors
and ancestral energy, such as beads that once
belonged to them, objects made of iron, or a pro-
tective amulet made by a doctor. Every lineage has
its own dithuluga. The Rain Queen also has dithu-
luga, which belong to the lineage of royal ances-
tors. Her dithuluga, along with the other sacred
objects in her possession as queen, are the ulti-
mate symbols and tools of her divine power. The
Queen’s ability to use her dithuluga and tap into
their power to bring about rain, however, depends
on the ancestors’ good will and cooperation.
The ancestors also controlvungaga, that is, the
power of medicine and magic. By tapping into the
intrinsic energy of certain objects and people,
vungaga help defeat witchcraft, an omnipresent
possibility in Lovedu life. But, again, the ancestors
preside over the vungaga and must therefore give
their consent.Moral Values
The Lovedu people pay much attention to human
relationships because they believe that evil stems
from people’s hearts as they experience envy and
jealousy. This, in turn, might lead them to engage
in witchcraft, which is much feared by the
Lovedu. This explains why accumulation of
wealth beyond the norm, or the desire to be differ-
ent or better than others, is much discouraged.
Likewise, aggressiveness and competitiveness are
much frowned upon.Lovedu 385