(Credo Mutwa)
In days gone by, people healed their loved ones and themselves by faith alone. African people used to go to a lake or a river and carefully capture a special antelope believed to possess magical healing powers. This antelope was a waterbuck – one of the strangest deer-like animals in Africa. The Batswana people called a waterbuck serwala botloko – „he who carries our pain” or “the carrier of pain”. It was firmly believed that if a sick person touched a living waterbuck, especially on the rump, the waterbuck would take away pain and sickness. When a waterbuck was captured for the purpose of healing a sick person, great care had to be taken not to injure it in any way. If it was injured, it was believed that the patient would die of his or her illness.
Equally great care was taken when the waterbuck was released, to ensure that it was not harmed in any way, and its movements through the bush were carefully observed. If the waterbuck ran into a dense clump of bush, this indicated that the sick person would recover slowly. If the waterbuck crossed a river, this was an extremely good sign that the animal was taking away the patient´s illness and that recovery would be rapid. If the waterbuck began grazing, this signified that the patient would recover, but would die soon thereafter from another illness.
Why did African people believe that a waterbuck possessed healing powers?
Firstly, a waterbuck´s horn, when viewed from the front, form a perfect crescent – the symbol of the healing moon. And, a waterbuck´s rump has a strange marking which looks like an open wound. It is formed by white fur and is clearly visible as the creature runs away. The mark is lozenge-shaped, and symbolizes the sacred wound or the sacred organ of the Earth Mother.
African people told the story of how a waterbuck nursed the Earth Mother back to health after she had suffered great pain giving birth to the first people. The waterbuck comforted her and licked the tears from her eyes as she wept in pain. It brought her flowers from the bush and even brought Gobiyayi, the clowning monkey, to amuse the goddess with his antics.
For its good work, the gods rewarded the waterbuck with the white fur mark, in the form of the Earth Mother´s sacred organ, painted on its rump.
Sininho´s World 
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