Annual first fruit ceremonies appear to have been a prominent feature of the Nguni culture complex in the past and, while to-day the impressive ceremonial has fallen into disuse among many tribes who formerly performed it, it is still an important pivotal rite among a few, notably the Swazi and Baca. This paper refers to the two related tribes of Baca in the Mount Frere district. There are two main views of the ceremonies' function and significance, viz, that they are purely a harvest festival, a sacrilization of the crops, and that they are a magico-political ritual closely associated with the tribal well-being and the system of army doctorings. The writer considers that, for the Baca at least, the latter is the correct interpretation, although present practice may be a development from an earlier, purely agricultural, ceremony. The Baca festival (ingcube) takes place at the time of the ripening of the crops, usually in February or March, and, until it has been performed, no male may partake of the green stuffs of the fields. The full ritual may only be performed by a reigning chief (inkosi enkulu) and takes place over three days — from the Wednesday to the Friday of ingcube week. Just before, warriors are sent into the surrounding fields of alien tribes to collect green maize, calabash and sweet reed and, after cooking on a sacred fire, these are ritually tasted by the chief, followed by the male members of the tribe. The main features of the cycle are as follows: a march past of the army before the chief accompanied by martial songs and warcries, a ritual spitting of medicines towards the surrounding tribes (ukukhafula), the washing of the army in the river with special protective medicines, the killing of a sacrificial bull with the eating of its medicated flesh and a specific doctoring of the army by the tribal magician. An analysis of the symbolism inherent in the ritual would seem to emphasize the martial and protective function of the festival and its importance in supporting the solidarity and integrity of the tribal entity.
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