MURUNGA, JACK FRUIT, TAMARIND TREES AND PUDINA AND DHANYA HERBS - A LEGACY OF OUR INDENTURED ANCESTORS

 

    (THE MURUNGA OR MORINGA TREE THAT IS GROWN IN ALMOST EVERY PROPERTY OF DESCENDANTS OF INDENTURED LABOURERS IN DURBAN AND SURROUNDING AREAS)

Recently during a “Mothers Day” trip through Chatsworth and Phoenix in the city of Durban in South Africa, I noticed with a pleasant surprise that in nearly every property there are Murunga trees growing in abundance.

I questioned some of my family members and friends about this and was informed that the Murunga trees had their roots in India.

Apparently when our ancestors were brought to the former Natal Colony as indentured labourers from India since the 1860s up to the early 1900s, they also brought along with them, a number of plants that had medicinal values.

These medicinal plants included the Murunga, Jack Fruit, Custard Apple, Pudina, Thaurunka, Karpulla or Curry Leaves, Tholsi leaves,  Pulchi Keera or Sower herbs, Dhanya herbs, Beetle leaves and Paw Paw trees.

(THAURINKA TREE)

Our indentured ancestors planted these trees and

herbs wherever they were settled on sugar estates in and around Durban and on the North and South Coast regions of the Natal Colony.

(KARPULLA OR CURRY LEAVES)

And then when they migrated from the sugar estates after their indentures to nearby towns and villages, they ensured that these medicinal herbs and trees were planted in their new abodes. 

(Pawpaw tree in the background and Thaurinka)

And when they were affected by the Group Areas apartheid laws since the 1960s and moved to residential areas such as Chatsworth, Merebank and Phoenix, our grand-parents and grand-mothers made it their duty to plant the Murunga, Jack Fruit, Pudina, Tamarind and other medicinal trees  and Pudina and other herbs in the yards of their new houses.

Similar situations were also prevalent in areas such as Merebank, Isipingo, Umkomaas, Umzinto, Illovo, Sezela and Port Shepstone on the South Coast; and in Avoca, Duffs Road, Red Hill, Mount Edgecombe, Ottawa, Verulam, Tongaat, and KwaDukuza on the North Coast. 

                  (Pulchi Keera or                     Sower Herbs)

The Murunga and Jack Fruit trees are still popular, especially in areas where descendants of indentured labourers continue to live in and around Durban and on the North and South Coasts.

There is evidence that our ancestors had also settled in the area where the Windsor Park Golf Course is situated in Durban. Golfers who play at Windsor Park always point to two large trees that still stand strong near Hole 8 and some plants in a spot between Hole 11 and 12.  The descendants of indentured labourers used to work and stay at Windsor Park for many decades but were forced to move to Phoenix and other areas after being affected by the Group Areas Act in the 1960s. 

(Mango and other trees at the spot between Holes 11 and 12 at the Windsor Park Golf Course where our indentured ancestors are believed to have stayed soon after their arrival in the 1860s up to the early 1900s.) 

After I highlighted the contributions made by our indentured ancestors in bringing the medicinal plants, some people informed me that there are also a few Jack Fruit and Tamarind trees at the Papwa Sewgolum Golf Course and surrounds in the Reservoir Hills area of Durban. There are also Tamarind trees at the Durban Botanical Gardens and near the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.

Mr Mahmood Chisty Sabri recalled that his grand-mother used to make soup out of the leaves of Murunga (Moringa) during the Winter months.

He said: “Although we didn’t like it, we were forced to drink the soup….. with Dadi saying: ‘it’s good for your body in cold times’.”  

                                (Banana Trees)

Another friend, Ronnie Pillay, wrote: “Moringa is a Superfood with more nutrients than most other foods. It’s also a great Medicine for many ailments.”

Navendran Pillay  said: “Jack fruit is awesome although I never knew the roots of these trees before.”

Yet another friend, Ravi Perumal, said: “The humble Moringa is said to be the super food of the future.” 

                         (Avacoda and Litchi trees)

According to some colleagues, the Mynah birds that used to congregate in their hundreds in and around the Durban City Hall in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s also had their roots in India. Originally the Mynah birds assembled on ships that brought our indentured ancestors to Durban. Known as “Indian Mynahs”, the birds multiplied in their numbers and are still going strong just as the descendants of their fellow passengers. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com May 18 2023