Ayevelaphi?

“SASIZIBIZA ngokuthini ngaphambi kokuba kufike uColumbus? . . . Esizwaneni ngasinye, ngisho nanamuhla, lapho uhumusha igama esasinalo ngabanye, ngaphandle kokwazana, njalo laliba ngokuthile okwakuhunyushwa ngokuyinhloko kube into efanayo. Olimini lwethu [isiNarragansett] lalithi Ninuog, noma abantu [ngesiNavajo, lalithi Diné], abantu. Sasizibiza kanjalo. Ngakho lapho kufika izihambi [ezingabeLungu] lapha, sasizazi ukuthi singobani, kodwa sasingazazi zona ukuthi zingobani. Ngakho sazibiza ngokuthi ama-Awaunageesuck, noma abafokazi, ngoba kwakuyizo ezazingabantu bangaphandle, yizo esasingazazi, kodwa thina sasazana. Futhi thina sasingabantu.”—UTall Oak, wesizwana samaNarragansett.

Kunezinkolelo-mbono eziningi ngokuphathelene nemvelaphi yamaMelika Omdabu.a UJoseph Smith, umsunguli wamaMormon, wayengomunye wabaningi, kuhlanganise noQuaker William Penn, owayekholelwa ukuthi amaNdiya ayengamaHeberu, izizukulwane zezizwana eziyishumi zakwa-Israyeli okuthiwa zanyamalala. Incazelo eyamukelwa izazi eziningi zemvelaphi yabantu iwukuthi kungakhathaliseki ukuthi zangena ngengxenye yezwe ethile noma ngomkhumbi, izizwana zase-Asia zangena endaweni manje eyi-Alaska, iCanada, ne-United States. Ngisho nokuhlolwa kwe-DNA kubonakala kufakazela lomqondo.

AmaMelika Omdabu —Indabuko Nezinkolelo Zawo

Abahleli abangamaMelika Omdabu uTom Hill (ongumSeneca) noRichard Hill, Sr., (ongumTuscarora) bayabhala encwadini yabo ethi Creation’s Journey—Native American Identity and Belief: “Abantu bomdabu abaningi ngokwesiko bakholelwa ukuthi badalwa ngomhlabathi, ngamanzi, noma ngezinkanyezi. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, abavubukuli banenkolelo-mbono yezwe elikhulu lokuwela iBering Strait, lapho abantu base-Asia banqamula khona beya emazweni aseMelika; lenkolelo-mbono ithi laba bantu base-Asia babengokhokho babantu bomdabu baseNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe.” Amanye amaMelika Omdabu ayayigxeka lenkolelo-mbono yabamhlophe ephathelene neBering Strait. Akhetha ukukholelwa izinganekwane nezindaba zawo. Azibheka njengezakhamuzi zomdabu kunokuba azibheke njengabafuduki base-Asia abahlola izwe.

Encwadini yakhe ethi An Indian Winter, uRussell Freedman uyachaza: “Ngokwenkolelo yamaMandan [isizwana esasiseduze nengxenye engenhla yoMfula iMissouri], uMuntu Wokuqala wayengumuntu ongumoya onamandla, umuntu waphezulu. Wayedalwe esikhathini eside esidlule iNkosi Yokuphila, umdali wezinto zonke, ukuba abe umxhumanisi wesintu nawonkulunkulu noma imimoya engenakubalwa, eyayihlala endaweni yonke.” Inkolelo yamaMandan yayihlanganisa ngisho nenganekwane yesikhukhula. “Esikhathini esithile, lapho isikhukhula esikhulu sikhukhula izwe, uMuntu Wokuqala wasindisa abantu ngokubafundisa ukwakha umbhoshongo oyisivikelo, noma ‘umkhumbi,’ owawuzontanta emanzini esikhukhula. Njengoba ayemhlonipha, wonke amadolobhana amaMandan ayenomfanekiso omncane walowo mbhoshongo wasenganekwaneni—ugodo lomsedari olungaba amafidi amahlanu [imitha nengxenye] ukuphakama, olwalubiyelwe ngothango lwamapulangwe.”

Futhi amaMandan ayenophawu lwenkolo “logodo olude olusongwe ngezimpaphe noboya futhi lunekhanda lamapulangwe elesabekayo, elipendwe ngopende omnyama.” Lwalumelela bani? “Lesi sithombe sasimelela u-Ochkih-Haddä, umoya omubi owawunethonya elikhulu kubantu kodwa owawungenawo amandla anjengaweNkosi Yokuphila noma uMuntu Wokuqala.” KumaNdiya asemaThafeni, “ukukholelwa ezweni lemimoya kwakuyingxenye engangatshazwa yokuphila kwansuku zonke. . . . Asikho isinqumo esingathi sína esasingenziwa, awukho umsebenzi owawungenziwa, ngaphandle kokufuna kuqala usizo nemvume kubantu abangcwele ababusa izindaba zabantu.”

Encwadini yakhe ethi The Mythology of North America, uJohn Bierhorst uyachaza: “Ngaphambi kokuba kube khona imindeni, kuthiwa amaNdiya AseMelika ayezulazula ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene esesimweni esasaziwa ngokuthi i-ganítha (indawo engenamthetho noma engahlelekile). Umbono ongokwesiko wawuthi ngalezo zinsuku abantu abathile abacabangayo ababebizwa ngokuthi amaXhegwana . . . basungula inkolelo-mbono yokuthi kunamandla athulile, akwazi ukusungula izinto agcwalisa isibhakabhaka nomhlaba futhi agcina izinkanyezi, inyanga, nelanga kuhamba ngendlela efanele. Babewabiza ngokuthi i-Wakónda (amandla ayimfihlakalo) noma i-Eáwawonaka (owenza ukuba sibe khona).” AmaZuni, amaSioux, amaLakota aseNtshonalanga nawo anomqondo ofanayo. AmaWinnebago nawo anenganekwane yendalo ehilela “uMenzi Womhlaba.” Lokhu kulandisa kuthi: “Wayefisa ukuba kube nokukhanya futhi kwaba khona. . . . Khona-ke wabe esecabanga futhi wafisa umhlaba, futhi lomhlaba waba khona.”

Kumfundi weBhayibheli, kuthakazelisa kakhulu ukubona ukufana okuthile phakathi kwezinkolelo zamaMelika Omdabu nezimfundiso zeBhayibheli, ikakhulukazi ngokuqondene noMoya Omkhulu, “owenza ukuba sibe khona,” okusikhumbuza incazelo yegama laphezulu, elithi Jehova, “Ubangela Kube Khona.” Ezinye izinto ezifanayo zihlanganisa iSikhukhula nomoya omubi eBhayibhelini owaziwa ngokuthi uSathane.—Genesise 1:1-5; 6:17; IsAmbulo 12:9.

Ukuqonda Amafilosofi AmaMelika Omdabu

Ababhali abangamaMelika Omdabu uTom Hill noRichard Hill bachaza izipho ezinhlanu abathi amaMelika Omdabu aziphiwa okhokho bawo. “Isipho sokuqala . . . ukuthanda kwethu izwe ngokujulile.” Futhi uma sicabangela umlando wawo ngaphambi nangemva kokufika kwabeLungu, ubani ongakuphika lokho? Izwe lawo, ngokuvamile amaMelika Omdabu ayelibheka njengelingcwele, lathathwa ngokuhleliwe ngenkani, ngobuqili, noma ngezivumelwano ezingagcwaliswanga.

“Isipho sesibili amandla nomoya izilwane ezikuhlanganyela nabantu bakithi.” Ukuhlonipha kwamaMelika Omdabu izilwane kuye kwabonakaliswa ngezindlela eziningi. Ayezingela kuphela ukuze athole ukudla, izingubo zokugqoka, nezindawo zokukhosela. Kwakungebona abantu bomdabu abacishe baqothula inyathi (bison), kodwa kwakungabamhlophe ababenxanele igazi futhi behaha ngokungacabangeli.

“Esesithathu amandla awumoya, ayizihlobo zethu eziphilayo futhi ezikhulumisana nathi ngezithombe zazo esizakhayo.” Nanku umongo wezinkolo eziningi emhlabeni wonke—ukusinda komoya noma umphefumulo ngemva kokufa.b

“Esesine ukuqaphela ukuthi singobani, okubonakaliswa futhi kusekelwe ngamasiko ethu esizwe.” Namuhla lokhu kungabonakala ngokuqinisekile emikhosini yesizwe, lapho abantu behlangana khona ukuze badingide izindaba zesizwe, noma emibuthanweni yokuzijabulisa, lapho kudanswa khona futhi kudlalwe umculo wesizwe. Imvunulo yesiNdiya, isigqi sokushaywa kwezigubhu, ukudansa, ukuhlangana kwemikhaya nemindeni—konke kubonisa isiko lesizwe.

“Isipho sokugcina inqubo yokukwazi ukusungula izinto—eyenza izinkolelo zethu zibe ngokoqobo ngokuguqula izinto ezingokwemvelo zibe izinto zokholo nokuzigqaja.” Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ukwenza obhasikidi, ukweluka, ukubumba nokupenda izitsha, ukulungisa izinto eziyigugu nemihlobiso, noma imuphi omunye umsebenzi wokusungula izinto, kuhlotshaniswa nesiko lawo elidala.

Kunezizwana eziningi kakhulu kangangokuba kungadingeka izincwadi eziningi ukuze kuchazwe zonke izinkolelo nemikhuba engokwesiko. Okusithakazelisayo manje ukuthi, Ukuthutheleka kwezigidi zabeLungu abaningi okwakuthiwa bangamaKristu kwaba namuphi umphumela kumaMelika Omdabu?

[Imibhalo yaphansi]