Tlhakole [February in Setswana]

Tlhakole [February in Setswana]

[ENG] The Setswana name for February is Tlhakole. Although it is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (February/Tlhakole) is in fact the sixth month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse).

However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a 12-month lunar cycle is bound to fall out of alignment with key season markers, such as mid-winter, mid-summer, beginning of rainy seasons, animal and bird migrations and reproductive cycles, etc.
This therefore means the beginning of the planting season will not occur at exactly the same time each solar cycle, as each moon cycle is only 30 days, leaving an accumulation of days which do not fall within the designated months.
The “Morule [Undecimber]” post explains this in a lot more detail, and the measures taken to reduce its impact by different ancient cultures across the world, including Batswana ancestors.

The etymology of the word “Tlhakole” is also one of the more tricky ones, as it requires both an in-depth knowledge of Setswana vocabulary and agricultural phenomena. Tlhakole is derived from “tlhakola”, which means to wipe. However, due to euphemistic usage and the need for politeness, the word tends to solely be associated with ablutionary wiping by most Batswana – even though there are still small pockets (especially in the south), who, like their Basotho cousins, still use it generically to mean wiping in general; or in this case, dusting off.

This dusting off/wiping refers to removal of sorghum pollen from the grains. At this time of year, the sorghum grains that were planted at the beginning of summer have now reached maturity and are almost ready for harvest. As part of the harvesting preparatory process, the excess pollen grains that cluster around the edible grains have to be removed. The process is what is referred to as ‘go tlhakola’. Hence Tlhakole.

Tlhakole is a hot month, punctuated by bouts of rainfall. It appropriately displays the characteristics of the onset of autumn. But even more importantly, it ushers in the beginning of the harvest period. But as different crops mature at different times, the harvest is not in full swing until deep into March, during letlhafula.

Read more about the seasons on Dipaka [Seasons] and about the months on Dikgwedi [Months].

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