Yini Ekhetheke Kangaka Ngelineni?
Ngumlobeli wePhaphama! eIreland
INGABE ubungalithenga ihembe elibiza u-R13 750? Ekhulwini lesine leminyaka C.E., lalibiza leyomali ihembe lezinga eliphambili lelineni ezingxenyeni zoMbuso wamaRoma. Lemali yayimelela umholo wamasonto angu-25 womeluki welineni okhokhelwa kakhulu wangalesosikhathi.
Namuhla, abantu basazazisa kakhulu zonke izinhlobo zezimpahla zokunethezeka zelineni. Uma uke walala phakathi kwamashidi elineni aqabulayo, apholile esimweni sezulu esishisayo, uyazi ukuthi kunokuthile okukhethekile ngelineni. Yini elenza likhetheke kangaka?
Isiqalo Salo
“Sekuyisikhathi eside likhona, okungenani kusukela ezinsukwini zamaGibithe asendulo,” kusho uRoy, umqondisi wesigodi seUlster Weaving Company. “Babelibheka njengokuthile okungcwele ngoba lalikhula osebeni loMfula iNayile, futhi babecabanga ngisho nokuthi onkulunkulu babo babembatha ilineni.
“Kumelwe ukuba kwakunemboni echumayo yelineni ngaseNayile,” kuqhubeka uRoy. “Kokubili abaphilayo nabafile babegqoka ilineni, njengoba amaGibithe ayeyisebenzisa lapho elungiselela isidumbu ukuyongcwatshwa.” Futhi cabanga nje ngezindleko ezazihilelekile! Umthungi wayekhiqiza cishe amamitha amathathu nje kuphela elineni ngesonto, kuyilapho kwakusetshenziswa amamitha afinyelela ku-900 lapho kungcwatshwa inkosi!
Ukuba kwelineni inguga-naboya kuboniswa iqiniso lokuthi izingxenye zayo zisatholakala ngemva kwezinkulungwane zeminyaka emathuneni awoFaro. Lendwangu yayibuye ibe uphawu lwesikhundla nesithunzi, njengoba kuboniswa lapho uFaro waseGibithe efuna ukudumisa uJosefa. IBhayibheli lithi “wamembathisa izingubo zelineni elicolekileyo.” (Genesise 41:42) Ngokuthakazelisayo, isidumbu sikaJesu sasongwa ngelineni elihlanzekile, elicolekileyo uJosefa, umuntu ocebile waseArimatheya.—Mathewu 27:57-59.
Phakathi kwamaIsrayeli aphuma eGibithe kanye noMose kwakunalawo ayenekhono lokwenza ilineni. Lapho esehlane, lamadoda ayizingcweti akhiqiza ‘ilineni elicolekileyo lemicu ephothiweyo’ ukuze lisetshenziswe ekwakhiweni kwetabernakele.—Eksodusi 26:1, 31, 36; 35:35.
Njengoba lendwangu ipholile futhi intofontofo, abantu bakwaIsrayeli kumelwe ukuba babezazisa izingubo zelineni. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kwakulula ukuzigeza nokuzigcina zihlanzekile, inzuzo yangempela uma ucabanga ngemithetho yakwaIsrayeli eyayibizela ukugezwa kwezambatho ngenjongo yokuhlanzeka nezempilo. (Levitikusi 11:25, 40; 13:34; 15:5-13; 16:4, 32) Ngokufanelekile, eBhayibhelini, “ilineni elicolekileyo . . . nelihlanzekileyo . . . liyizenzo ezilungileyo zabangcwele.”—IsAmbulo 19:8.
“Lapho ilineni lihlanzwa,” kusho uRoy, “kuphuma ulwelwesi olungabonakali futhi ngaleyondlela kuvuseleleke ukuba kwayo bushelelezi nokuhlanzeka ngaso sonke isikhathi. Ngenxa yokuthi liqina ngempela uma limanzi, ilineni liyasinda ekuhlanzweni ngokuphindaphindiwe.” Khona-ke, siyithola kanjani lendwangu ephawulekayo?
Ukuhlukanisa Imicu
Emuva kakhulu emlandweni, abantu bafunda ukwenza indwangu ngemicu yesitshalo iflax. Akulula ukukhipha imicu leyo ekugcineni ekhiqiza ilineni elihle, elinethezekile. Cabangela kafushane umsebenzi ohilelekile, njengoba wawenziwa ezikhathini ezedlule eIreland, okungamakhulu eminyaka iyisikhungo sokwenza ilineni.
NgoApril noma ngoMay, izimbewu zeflax zazitshalwa ngesandla. Emasontweni angaba ngu-16, lezitshalo zazihlakulelwa ngokunakekela njengoba zazikhula ziba izitshalo ezinde ezizacile, zinezimbali ezinhle eziluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka. Izitshalo zase zilungele ukuvunwa ekupheleni kuka-August, lapho iflax isiba nsundu. Ngalesosikhathi izitshalo zazisishulwa ngezandla. Lapho nje amakhasi nezimbewu sekususiwe (kwenziwa amafutha ilinseed ngezimbewu), kwakuqala umsebenzi onzima wokuhlukanisa imicu.
Ukuze kususwe lemicu enamathele esiqwini sesitshalo, iziqu zazicwiliswa emachibini anamanzi amile cishe amasonto amabili ukuze kuvunyelwe amagxolo esiqu ukuba abole. Ngokusho kwesinye isiphathimandla, “lelibanga [okuthiwa iretting] lingelinye lanzima kakhulu futhi ngokungangabazeki elingajabulisi okuhlangatshezwana nawo ekunakekelweni kweflax.” Ukungena kuze kube sokhalweni emachibini anukayo eflax, ukudonsela ngaphandle ngokunakekela lezitshalo ezibolayo, nokuzama kanzima ukungaphuli iziqu ezinde kwakungumsebenzi ongajabulisi ngempela!
Leflax enephunga elibi yenekwa otshanini ukuze yomiswe ilanga amanye futhi amasonto amabili. Lapho iflax seyomile futhi iqhekeka, iziqu zaziphulwa zibuye zibhulwe ukuze kukhishwe lemicu engaphakathi. Lenqubo yayibizwa ngokuthi iscutching. Omunye umlobi uthi kokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe “akukho okungenzeka kwakukhandla kakhulu emshikashikeni womuntu kunendlela yakudala yokukhipha imicu ngezandla.”
Ukwenza Ilineni
Lapho sekukhishwe inqwaba yemicu esasilika eziqwini, yayikanywa ukuze kuhlukaniswe imicwana ethandelene. Emifushane yayisetshenziselwa ukwenza imikhiqizo emaholoholo, njengezintambo eziphothiwe, amanetha okudoba, amatarpaulin, noseyili. Imicu emide yayiphothwa ngendlela engavamile ibe izintanjana ezincane, ngokukhethekile ezincane kakhulu kunalezo ezingaphothwa ngovolo noma ukotini, ezinemicu emifushane kakhulu.
Kwakusetshenziswa umshini ukuze kwelukwe lezintambo zibe indwangu yelineni. Nokho, kwakusadingeka izinyathelo ezengeziwe ukuze kushintshwe lengubo engenziwanga lutho, engaphicene ephuma emshinini ibe ilineni elihle elimhlophe elicwebezelayo nelibushelelezi. Ngokwesibonelo, indwangu kumelwe ibhulwe ngokuphindaphindiwe ukuze imicu ibe isicaba. Ngemva kwalokho, indwangu yayidinga ukukhishwa umbala.
AmaDashi aba yizingcweti eziphawulekayo ebucikweni bokuqedela nokukhipha umbala. Omunye umlobi wachaza: “Isimiso samaDashi, njengoba siqhutshwa eIreland, sasihlanganisa ukucwilisa kuyialkali (kungaba semchamweni wezinkomo noma umlotha weseaweed) izinsuku eziyisishiyagalombili noma eziyishumi, bese kuba ukuhlanza okulandelwa ukucwilisa amasonto amabili noma amathathu emqhikini noma kuyibran, okulandelwa ukuhlanza, ukushaya ngezando zokhuni ukuze icwebezeliswe kakhulu, kanye nokwendlala elangeni nasemoyeni.” Kuthiwa yonke lenqubo yayithatha izinyanga eziyisikhombisa noma eziyisishiyagalombili.
Ngokungangabazeki ezinsukwini zanamuhla, imishini nezindlela eziningi ezingokwesayensi kwenza umuntu angabe esashikashikeka kakhulu ekwenzeni ilineni. Futhi izindlela zesimanje ziye zakwenza kwaba lula kakhulu futhi kwashesha ukukhiqiza hhayi nje amalineni alukwe kalula kuphela kodwa ngisho nemiluko eyinkimbinkimbi ngokwengeziwe, njengaleyo esetshenziswa kuyidamask (ingubo ehlotshisiwe).
Igama elithi “damask” lisuselwa kwelithi “Damascus,” lapho, phakathi neNkathi Ephakathi, abeluleki babekhiqiza khona lendwangu ehlukile yohlobo oluhle. Ubunkimbinkimbi bokweluka idamask bubonakala kumadoyili athunyelwa umkhiqizi waseBelfast eNdlovukazini yaseBrithani uVictoria ngo-1887. Idoyili ngalinye ledamask lalingamasentimitha angu-43 ubude namasentimitha angu-38 ububanzi, nokho ngalinye linezintambo ezingu-3 060 ezinqumayo nezingu-4 012 ezehlayo—intambo engamakhilomitha amane edoyilini ngalinye!
Kodwa njengoba zonke lezintambo zinombala ofanayo, iphethini ibonakala kanjani? Encwadini yakhe ethi Discovering Textile History and Design, uK. G. Ponting uyachaza: “Ukwenziwa kwamaphethini amaningi [edamask] kwenzeka ngenxa yeqiniso lokuthi ukubonakala kokukhanya kwezindawo ezinqamulayo nezehlayo kuyokwehluka. Idamask yelineni, cishe emhlophe ngaso sonke isikhathi, ixhomeke ngokuphelele kulomphumela wokukhanya.”
Lapho uhlola indwangu yelineni esikhathini esizayo, ngokungangabazeki uyowuqonda ngokugcwele umsebenzi nokunakekela okwenziwe ekukhiqizweni kwayo. Uyokwazi ukuqaphela lokho amadoda nabesifazane ababekwazi izinkulungwane zeminyaka—ngempela ilineni lingokuthile okukhethekile!
[Isithombe ekhasini 23]
Izitshalo ze“flax” ngemva kokomiswa