The Moon
Renewal and affirmation
For Khoi and San the moon, as a symbol of renewal, is the affirmation of our connectedness to the universe and is aligned to cultural practice of the !Nau ceremonies, which define an indigenous person from birth to death. The !Nau of declaring indigenous identity is specifically conducted with the new moon. Under the full moon there is an expression of thanksgiving to the Creator for all good things and a call for guidance in the period that lies ahead.
We believe that just as the sun as Red Light is the symbol of the Supreme Being’s presence, as is the moon as Black Light. Children are told that for humans a new life after death awaits, an afterlife. That belief was made clear by the story of the Moon and Hare. “Long ago, Moon sought someone on earth to give humans a very important message: ‘As I die and become new again, likewise you will also die and become new again’. Hare promised to take the message, but then he twisted it and intentionally conveyed the message incorrectly: ‘As I die, so will you’. This made Moon so angry that he beat Hare on that lying mouth. Hare’s lip split in two and you can still see it to this day. Take note of the Moon: it becomes gradually larger until it’s full. After that, it wanes until it’s completely gone, but then it comes back again and is born anew. So will we.”
“Along with the sun and seasons, we calculated time with the phases of the moon. From full moon to full moon is a moon (‘month’ is derived from moon). To thank God for the blessings of the past moon, our ancestors always gathered during the new and full moon, sang and danced with hands extended to the sky. A lunar eclipse was therefore regarded as against nature. Blood moon was feared because it comes from // Gaua, who lives in a dark, unknown underworld.
“The moon for us is “the face of God”, which is a symbol of His eternal presence.”
Dr. Willa Boezak
Text from Struggle of an Ancient Faith: the Khoi-San of South Africa.
Cape Town: Bidvest Data, 2017.
