143 Vhakegulu vha tshi i hangei: vhe' ndi when the old ladies tear off the strips of bark there: they call them 'the soft one', : Ndi musidzana a bvaho Thenzheni that is, a girl who has come from Thenzheni. To call such a girl 'soft' is a euphemism, for the women of the powerful family of Thenzheni have long been known as tough customers, hated and feared, and suspected of witchcraft. Chief Makwarela Mphaphule, who died in 1927, is said to have forbidden the men of his capital from marrying any woman of the Thenzheni family. 146 Vha tshi dzi when they twist the fibres: Mutsuli mulamba-malofha, ndi muri we ra bva nawo Thenzheni the white tree called mutsuli, the shunner-of-blood, with which we came from Thenzheni.  To return, click 'Back' in the browser.