Uncovering the Importance of Cow Dung in African Customs.
A nurse’s experience:
Home Health Nursing:
As a home health nurse in the Transkei region of South Africa in the 1970s, I became familiar with the Xhosa tribe’s use of cattle manure to construct and upkeep their huts.
In African culture,
Cow dung is highly prized for its many uses, such as smearing the floors of huts. To do this, fresh cow dung is mixed with water to create a thin paste known as ‘kudzudzura/kudzurura.’ The women then apply this paste to the floors to keep them clean and freshen up the scent inside the hut. The floors are typically made of anthill clay and smearing them with cow dung helps keep the soil particles together and reduces the dust in the air inside the huts.
Throughout different tribes, cow dung has been utilized in various ways. It has been used to create baskets and trays and seal holes in straw baskets to prevent grain from spilling out. In addition, some tribes have burned dry cow dung alongside firewood in fireplaces to ward off mosquitoes. For instance, the Masai Mandari tribe in South Sudan used cow dung to repel snakes, scorpions, and centipedes. Moreover, there are some indications that cow dung possesses antimicrobial properties.
In some cultures, cow dung burning was used to mask the odor of a decomposing body. It was customary to keep dead bodies in the kitchen hut before burial, and women mourners would act as watch guards behind an open door. The elders would then burn dry dung to neutralize the smell. Additionally, cattle manure can burn for a long time and produce enough thermal energy for the pottery industry. In Shona societies, beer is fermented in pots placed on a mound of old manure, which generates heat through decomposition. This heat is necessary for the fermentation process.
The African mud house is an impressive example of ancient architecture that still stands today. These houses were intentionally constructed to blend in with the natural surroundings, enabling communal living and the inclusion of domesticated animals. Additionally, they were built to honor all forms of life and living. Thatched roofing has been a traditional method of building homes using clay or mud mixed with cow dung, straws, husks, and medicinal herbs. Circular houses are known to offer better resistance against strong winds in comparison to cement square houses, because the walls of circular houses are not directly hit by the wind at a ninety-degree angle, thus minimizing the impact. When constructed appropriately using dung and twigs, circular houses are highly resilient and can withstand natural disasters effectively. Additionally, thatched roofs are excellent in resisting strong winds and heavy rains.
Thank you for your time, readers. I have not yet seen a hut as pretty as this one on YouTube.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/why-these-west-african-architects-choose-mud/dung/
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