Collection · 3 entries in this preview
Trees that hold a household
Omugolo for return and protection. Omusati, the mopane, for peace in a new dwelling. Ekaka and omboga as signs of unity.
Doorways summarised from Professor Petrus Angula Mbenzi’s Aawambo Ethnobotany.
Omugolo, the tree of return
OmugoloTerminalia sericea. The name comes from gooloka, to return. Travellers inhale its smoke so they come home. Twigs bless a new house. Bark rings a newborn. Hunters, herders, and the sick all meet this tree.
Omusati, the mopane
OmusatiThe name is remembered as “what the deceased once said” — a tree whose first name was forgotten. Its leaves are strewn in a new dwelling with a prayer for peace, and in modern times it is important at Christmas.
Ekaka and omboga
Leafy food as a sign of happiness, unity, and progress — not only nutrition. Dried spinach kept under the flour is believed to guard family members who are away.