2017
Kamaiuan te Aba ae Tangiraki: Ana Onimaki Julia Mavimbela
July 2017


Kamaiuan te Aba ae Tangiraki: Ana Onimaki Julia Mavimbela

Maiun Julia Mavimbela e waekoa ni bitaki inanon 1955 ngke e mate kainnabana, John, man kuratina n te rebwerebwe. Kakoaua ake a nooraki e kaotia bwa te aomata are temanna are irekereke, te Imatang, e taona ana rein John. Ma e aki reke n te bure te mwaane anne. Ma, bureitiman aika Imatang a taku bwa aki tarabwai Ibwatabwata ni butiia, ngaia are e bon bukintaeka John n te kurati.1

Julia ai bon 37 ana ririki ao aman natina ao temanna iaon kawaina ni bungiaki. E karaoaki te kairua nakoina man te kakaokoroaki, bureitiman, ao waakin te moti. Ma n tokina e reiakinna bwa e na aki irekereke ma te un; ma e kabanea maiuna ni kataia n teimatoa ni kamaiuaki n tangiran abana rinanon ana mwakuri Kristo. Bon ana tangira ibukin abana, ana onimaki iroun te Atua, ao kabanean nanona ni maiu ni koauan ana onimaki are e karekea aio.

Julia e bungiaki n 1917, te bina irouia niiman n nati. Tamana e mate ngke nimaua ana ririki. E katukaki tinana bwa e na kaikawaia natina bon irouna, ni karekea ana mwakuri bwa te tia uaati ao mwakuri tabeua n te mweenga.

Tinan Julia bon te aine ae taua te aro are e reireiniia natina man te Baibara. “Tinau e a tia n reireinai bwa N na butimwaai bwaai aika buakaka n te maiu ao ni kaungaai n aki tanrikaaki ma n ni babaire ibukin te tai ae na roko,” e taku Julia. Tinan Julia e ata naba kakaawakin te reirei ao e karaoa ana kabanea ni kona ni karekei reireia natina ma aki tau ana mwane.

Tamnei
Julia and John Mavimbela on their wedding day

Tamnein n anganano Thoba Elizabeth Mavimbela Karl–Holla

Julia e a karekea riki ana kataneiai ao ana reirei ao e a mwakuri bwa te tia reirei ao te mataniwi n tia reirei ni karokoa e kaitibo ao ni mareaki ma John Mavimbela n 1946. Iai ana titoa John ao e kabonakoa naba te irikomaiu. E kiitana ana mwakuri Julia ao e mwakuri ikekei. A katea mweengaia ao a karikiia natiia. N aki taraa te kakaokoroaki, maiuia e rang nakoraoi. E ngae n anne, ni kabane akanne a bane ni bitaki imwiin maten John.

Iaon ruanimaten kainnabana, Julia e korei taeka aikai:

Tangiran ao Ururingan

John Phillip Corlie Mavimbela.

Mairoun buuna ao ana utu.

Ma e teimatoa n tiku te kakaokoroaki.

E bia wene n rau tamneina.

Ni kabwarabwaraan te kaaua n rain, e taku Julia, “N ana tai ni koroboki, te tibutau are e tiku bon teuana te kairiribai ao te maraki—bwa te aomata are e karika te kabuanibwai, bwa bureitiman ake a kewe, [ao] bwa te boowi ake a bukina kainnabau bwa ngaia ae e bukintaeka n te kabuanibwai are e anaaki maiuna iai.”2 Teuana te kakaewenako ae moan te korakora bon te tokanikai iaon te riribai ao te uninnano.

Bon imwiin maten buuna, n tairikin te bong n “aki mamatu,” Julia e mii bwa e roko irouna John, n anganna tabeua beebwa, ao n taku, “Nako mwakuri.” Ni kabwarabwaraan mwiin te mii aei e taku, “I kunea te kawai n otinako man raraoma inanon ririki aikai, ao anne rinanon mwakuri ma te komiuniti.”

Uabwi te ririki imwiina, i nuukan 1970, aroia Ibwatabwata n rau e a riki bwa te kakeru ae bubura. Teuana te tabo are e waekoa ni kiriwe bon Soweto, are e maeka iai Julia. E taku, “Soweto e a riki bwa te tabo ae aki kinaaki iroura—kaanga ai aron ae ti mena n te tabo ni buaka.”

Julia e maaku ngkana e manga oki unna ma a na kan kabomwi: “E a tia n riaon 20 te ririki imwiin maten John, ma I teimatoa ni kona n namakina kammarakin te tai anne.” Ni kataakin karekean te kamaiuaki, ibukina ma ana aomata, Julia e iangoia, “Tao ngkana I kona n reireiniia natiu bwa a na tangira te ununiki, a tuai ni bua bwaai ni kabane.” E katea ana onaroka te komiuniti are e kaota te kantaninga nakoia ana aomata ake a tii ata te maaku ao te un.

Tamnei
Julia working in a community garden

Ngke e mwakuri ma ataei n ana onaroka ana komiuniti, e reireiniia: “Tina kena tanon te un ao n unika iai koraan te tangira, ao n taraia bwa tera uaana ae e na kona n anganiira. … Akea te tangira ngkana akea te kabwarabure nakoia tabeman.”

E taku, “I ataia inanou bwa I urua au tano n un ngkai I kabwarai aia bure naake a tia ni kammarakai.” Te maneka n un are e tiku imwiin maten John e a tabe ni mauna.

Inanon 1981, Julia e a kaotaki nakoina te Ekaretia. Mitinare, ake a karaoi mwakuri n ibuobuoki i Soweto, a kunea aia tienta ataeinimwaane bwa e riai ni waekoa ni karaoaki te onobwai. Inanona tabeua te wiiki ao a kaitika te tabo.3

N te bong teuana, Julia e tuangaki bwa e na mwakuri n te kirabu ni mwaane naba anne. Ngke e roko, e mimi ngke e nooria “uoman ataeinimwaane aika Imatang ake a rinnano n aia tabo Ibwatabwata.” Mitinare a titiraki ngkana a kona ni kawaria ni mweengana n nikira te rongorongo. Teniua te bong imwiina, Unimwane David McCombs ao Joel Heaton a roko ao a bwaini oneaia mitinare ao araia ni mitinare n aia kabaraaki.

E taekinna Julia bwa aia reirei mitinare are e moan roko “e rin n taningana teuana ao e otinako n are teuana.” Ma n rokoia te katentai, mitinae a titiraki ibukin tamnein Julia ao John iaon ana oo. E taekinna bwa buuna e a tia ni mate, ao mitinare a namakina te wirikiriki bwa a na taekinna nakoia te baire ni kamaiu ao te bwabetito ibukiia mate. E taku, “Ngkana I a tibwa kakauongo, ni kakauongo raoi, ma nanou. … Ngke a reireinai mitinare te reirei iaon te kabaeaki ae akea tokina, I karekea te namakin bwa aio te kawai n ikotaki ma au karo ao kainnabau.” Julia e bwabetitoaki nimaua te namwakaina imwiina.

Te namwakaina imwiin ana bwabetiito, Julia e taetae n tain te maungatabu n te titeiki. “Ngke I nakonako nakon te tabo n taetae,” e taku, “I taku bwa angiina a kubanako. Ai tibwa aia moan tai n noora te Ibwatabwata n taetae n te maungatabu—tao irouia tabeman aia moan tai n ongora iroun te Ibwatabwata n taetae nakoia.” E namakina te wirikiriki bwa e na taetae ibukin maten kainnabana ao ririki ake e a tia ni mena iai inaon kanganga. E kabwarabwara marakina ao arona ni kunea n tokin te tai ni kunea te ekaretia are e na kona n reireinna raoi nanon te kabwarabure ni koaua.”

Ana kanganga n aki butimwaeaki ao ni bwainikirinaki, a bon tuai n toki, riki imwiin tokin te kakaokoroaki n 1994.

Unimwane Dale G. Renlund man te Kooran n Abotoro n te Tengaun ma Uoman, n ana maroro n Eberi 2015 n te maungatabu ni kabuta, “Aika Itiaki ni Boong aika Kaitira Teimatoa Kataia,” ni kaongoana n te kabuanibwai are a rinanona Julia ma natina te aine Thoba n aki tobwaki raoi irouia tabeman kain te aro aika Imatang .” Thoba e aki rau nanona n te bwai are e karaoaki nakoina. Te bwai are e a riki bwa angana ni kiitana te Ekaretia, ao n riki bwa te tai n reireinaki ae aki uaana. E kaeka Julia, “O, Thoba, te Ekaretia ti tebo ma te onaoraki ae bubura, ngaira ni kabane ti bane n aoraki n arora nako. Ti nako n te taromauri bwa tina buokaki.”4

Tamnei
Julia in native Zulu dress and in temple dress

Angatai: Julia ni kunnikaina n Zulu dress ni beku n ana Tembora Aberika Maiaki.

Tamnein Julia te tia mwakuri n te tembora man te anganano man Church History Library

Julia e kunea bwa te kamaiuaki e kona n reke rinanona ana euangkerio Iesu Kristo, tiaki tii nakoina, ma nakoia naba ana botannaomata. Ana beku n te Tembora i Johannesburg Aberika Maiaki e reireinna bwa inanon te tembora, “akea te kakaokoroaki imarenaia aomata ni kaineti ma aia reeti. Akea te Imatang. Akea te Situ ke te Zulu. Ko tii ata te namakin n te katiteuanaaki.”

Julia Mavimbela e mate n Turai 16, 2000.

Bwaai aika a na taraaki

  1. Ma tii ae kaotaki, taeka ake a roko mairoun Laura Harper, “‘Mother of Soweto’: Julia Mavimbela, Apartheid Peace-Maker and Latter-day Saint,” unpublished manuscript, Church History Library, Salt Lake City.

  2. Inanon ana koroboki Harper, te taeka lamp e kabonganaaki n onea mwiin lump. E ngae n anne, Thoba e kamatoa bwa taeka are e koreaki iaon kabwarabwaraki iaon te ruanimate e korea te taeka ae lump.

  3. Mairoun David Lawrence McCombs, marorona ma te tia korokaraki, Aokati 25, 2015.

  4. Dale G. Renlund, “Aika Itiaki ni Boong Aika Kaitira Teimatoa Kataia,” Liahona, May 2015, 57.

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