Badimo Ba Heta

Hey Sunsets 

When I was still an undergrad intern, I worked with this other lady who was my senior, super nice and cool. It happened that she grew up in my home village way back, before I was even born, Majwaneng. She told me how superstitions my village and people are, there were times they were summoned not to be outside after sunset, all should be in their houses, by the village chief, because "Badimo ba heta".

I decided to have this conversation with my grandmother, ask her if it is really true "badimo ba heta mo Majwaneng."

At first she was reluctant to tell me, telling me I should stop annoying her with all these endless questions. She ended up giving in, because of my inquisitive self. She started by confirming that it is true that there are times where" badimo ba heta."

I asked her how does one know" badimo ba heta"?
The answer I got was "you'll know when it's them, and you'll hear them"

Have you heard them pass or seen them? I asked
Yes, I have heard them, but you don't see them, "ke moila go bona badimo"

How did you know it was them? My curious self.
Like I said, you'll know it is them, you don't need to have any knowledge, "ke badimo ba rona". It's the same way you see your mother passing or hear her entering the house, you don't need to be told it's your mother, because you know she's your mother.

But I am curious, you're giving me information but you're not revealing anything about "go heta ga badimo", I am still clueless, please tell me more in an enlightening way.
"Ga badimo ba heta, o ta ba utwa ka melodi, ba letsa megolokwane, ba bopa, le wena o utwa gore ba bina, o utwa le monko wa bojalwa ba setswana, le gangwe gape ba ete ba dire selelo sa go tshwana le sa katse"
Translation "..., you'll hear them whistling, ululating, making deep sounds by the base of their voice, you'll even hear them dancing, there'll even be the smell of traditional beer, they sometimes make cat sounds which is rare"

Have you seen them?
Nobody moves "ha badimo ba heta" you don't look out through your window, you lay still, they hate being disturbed.

The fact that "badimo ba heta" is disturbing on its own.
It is traumatising to others, there's a man who once died because of the trauma, he couldn't do anything for days, eat or bath or use the toilet, he died. There is another woman who was also traumatised, "a re o kopane le badimo ba heta a tswa tshimong", she didn't die but she couldn't do anything for a few days.

Okay!!!
But trauma is common around the non natives "ke badimo ba Bakgopeng ba Goo Moeng", if you're foreign you'll definitely get chills in your spine "ka gore ga se badimo ba gago, ga o motho wa bone"

"Badimo ba a bo ba heta ba ya kae?" 

Their meeting place, in Sefhare village, "ba gologa thaba ya rona"

When was the last time you heard them pass?

1974!!

Sidenote; "Badimo ba heta" is literal translation to "Ancestors are passing", on their way to somewhere. I've used the phrase differently but it carries the same meaning, "go heta ga badimo" is the same as "badimo ba heta"

"Bakgopeng ba Goo Moeng", is our tribe name, how we identify ourselves. Kgope is our totem, I don't know if it is hare or rabbit in English but it is similar. Goo Moeng is where our ancestors settled, but they had to be moved to the other side of the hills in the forties which is now Majwaneng, the government needed to build a college which is now known as Moeng College.

Ke moila go bona badimo- It is a taboo to see the ancestors 

Ke badimo ba rona- They are our ancestors 

A re o kopane le badimo ba heta a tswa tshimong- She crossed paths with the ancestors on her way from the lands

Ka gore ga se badimo ba gago, ga o motho wa bone- Because they're not your ancestors, you're not their person

Ba gologa thaba ya rona- Going down our hills

Thank you for coming