Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa (1921–2020)

High Sanusi, Author, and Cultural Guardian#

Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa was a Zulu sangoma (traditional healer), sanusi (high diviner), artist, and author who dedicated his life to preserving the oral traditions, spiritual knowledge, and cosmological worldview of Southern Africa's indigenous peoples. His works — particularly Indaba, My Children (1964) and Song of the Stars (2003) — represent some of the most extensive recordings of Zulu, Xhosa, and wider Bantu spiritual traditions.

Initiation and Training#

Born in KwaZulu-Natal, Mutwa was initially reluctant to accept his spiritual calling. Following a severe illness in his youth — understood in Zulu tradition as ukuthwasa, the calling sickness that precedes initiation — he was trained as a sangoma and later achieved the rank of sanusi, the highest level of traditional diviner.

His training encompassed:

• Bone-throwing divination (amathambo) — reading the patterns of thrown bones, shells, and dominoes
• Dream interpretation — understanding messages from the amadlozi (ancestral spirits)
• Herbal medicine (muthi) — knowledge of thousands of medicinal plants
• Astronomical knowledge — star lore and its relationship to agricultural and spiritual cycles
• Oral history — the genealogies, migration stories, and creation narratives of multiple Southern African peoples

Major Works#

Indaba, My Children (1964)#

This landmark book compiled creation myths, legends, and spiritual teachings from across Southern Africa, including Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Sotho, and Tswana traditions. Mutwa wrote it explicitly to preserve knowledge he feared would be lost under apartheid's systematic destruction of traditional culture.

Song of the Stars (2003)#

A collection of African star lore, astronomical knowledge, and the spiritual significance of celestial bodies in Southern African traditions. The book demonstrates that African peoples developed sophisticated astronomical observation systems linked to agricultural, navigational, and spiritual practices.

Cultural Preservation#

Mutwa created the Kwa-Khaya Lendaba cultural village in Soweto, where he built large sculptures depicting figures from African mythology and spiritual traditions. He also:

• Maintained the Necklace of the Mysteries, a traditional regalia containing artifacts said to be centuries old
• Trained younger sangomas in traditional practices
• Collaborated with researchers to document disappearing traditions
• Created artworks depicting African cosmological concepts

Significance#

Mutwa's work is important because he recorded spiritual knowledge that was transmitted orally for generations but was at risk of being lost due to colonialism, urbanization, and cultural suppression. His willingness to share traditionally secret knowledge was controversial among some traditionalists but ensured that this wisdom was preserved.

Sources#

• Mutwa, Credo. Indaba, My Children. Blue Crane Books, 1964.
• Mutwa, Credo. Song of the Stars: The Lore of a Zulu Shaman. Station Hill/Barrytown, 2003.
• Larsen, Stephen. A Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and Mysteries. Destiny Books, 2009.