Observations placeholder
Xam bushmen - Creating the sun
Identifier
018612
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Many of the /Xam narratives tell of events and adventures, involving the mytho-historical people of the early race or the ‘First Bushmen’.
This is a story about creation, where the software has been created, but the hardware has not - ‘our bodies were too cold’ - they were spirit and not flesh. It describes a time when there was no physical sun but the software to enable the physical sun to work did exist. The rather elusory nature of this software was indicated in the mythology as being [and this is rather clever I thought] emanating from the creator’s armpit, so that when the creator’s arm was down you didn’t see it, but when it was raised in the act of creation it became visible. So in effect you only got little glimpses of the underlying software.
The myth tells how it was certain ‘First Bushmen’ boys [the gods] who actually created the physical sun, by ‘throwing him up into the sky’ so that he might become the sun proper. The mothers of these ‘First Bushmen’ boys [so the mothers of the gods/co creators] congratulate the boys who performed that feat.
A description of the experience
The First Bushman’s Path: stories, Songs and testimonies of the /Xam of the Northern Cape
We wanted you to do what you did,
We wanted you to throw the old man high up into the sky
So that we might be warm and leave our karosses at home
For he was the only one who was warm, and we were cold
Our bodies were too cold and we wanted also to be warm
We wanted you to do what you did
So that the sun might warm the body of your grandmother
And so that it might warm your shoulders when you hunt
And so that all people might be able to sit in the sun
And not be frightened by the cold when the winter comes
[the mothers said to the boys]
you did a good thing, you did well to throw him up high
for he will now be the sun and he will stand far above
the old man has become round and he has become the sun
and he is hot and his shining shines and it moves along
you are the ones who did this
you worked it, you threw the old man up, you lifted him up
you told him to be the sun, to make a footpath in the sky
and you spoke to him strongly so that he would not forget
and the people who do not know that will now see him there
and they will ask how it happened
who are those who have done this to the armpit of the sun
so that he stands above and the land is beautifully light?
Who are those who have done this so that all places shine
So that the places that were not bright are made to shine?
That is what the people will ask
But they will be told the story and they will know then
What you have done, they will know that you worked this
That you worked well the work that you set out to do
For we are the first Bushmen, people who work things well