The Spirit of the Hambukushu

By Priscilla Makaeko

When I close my eyes and listen to the whisper of the Okavango winds moving across the mokolwane palms, I feel the heartbeat of my people. I am Priscilla Makaeko, a daughter of Beetsha Village in the northwest corner of Botswana, and a proud descendant of the Hambukushu. Ours is a people known to many as the “Rainmakers of Etsha.” To me, however, the Hambukushu are more than a cultural label… they are my roots, my spirit, and my responsibility to carry forward.

From a young age, I was drawn to stories. And by stories I don’t just mean tales told around the fire, but stories carried in the songs of elders, in the way baskets are woven with patience and rhythm, in the quiet dignity of our ceremonies. My grandmother was the first person who made me realize that these stories are not just for entertainment. They are vessels that hold memory, wisdom, and identity. She would tell me about Nyambi, the supreme god who created the world, and about tjhamiho, the ancestral spirits who walk alongside us, guiding and watching. As a little girl, I listened with wonder, not knowing that one day I would carry these stories beyond my village to ensure they are never forgotten. For I am a Storyteller now.

The Hambukushu culture is a river that flows through me. It nourishes my spirit the way the Okavango nourishes our land. We are renowned for basket weaving, and rightly so. To watch my mother and other women weaving mokolwane palm fibers, dyed with the bark of roots, is to witness patience, resilience, and beauty braided into one. Those baskets might just seem like typical objects of trade. But no! They are testimonies of endurance and identity. Each pattern tells a story, and in every curve lies the memory of our ancestors. When I weave, (at least when I learn to weave, which I will), I will feel connected to all the women before me who sat with the same palms, weaving hope into their hands.

You know… culture is not static. It breathes, it shifts, it evolves, and unfortunately it can be lost. That truth frightened me when I realized that many young people in my community were drifting away from traditions. The dances, the rituals, the songs of our ancestors were at risk of fading into silence. That is when I chose storytelling as my calling. Through the Nkashi Knowledge Center in Beetsha, I trained in conservation storytelling. I learned how to combine photography, writing, and oral narratives to preserve and document not only our culture but also our natural environment.

The Hambukushu believe deeply in ancestral worship. To outsiders, this may sound like old customs, but to us, it is a living bridge between the past and the present. The rainmakers, with their sacred herbs and rituals, connect us to forces beyond the visible. These practices remind us that our survival, our farming, and our wellbeing are tied not only to what we can control but also to what we must honour. As someone who has worked in farming, tending livestock and planting crops, I know the dependence we have on rain. I have witnessed how rituals and faith keep hope alive in seasons of hardship. I know this all might read like a fantasy, but it’s my fantasy. A fantasy I will carry with me wherever I go.

The modern world is fast-paced, often at odds with the slow, sacred rhythms of tradition. Many taboos are sometimes misunderstood by outsiders.

This is why festivals such as the mbuyung-wa-kathimbanza are so important. They are declarations of identity. During these celebrations, we dance, we sing, we weave, and we tell stories. It is in these moments that I see the power of culture in binding a people together. They are opportunities for young people to remember who they are, and for elders to pass on the wisdom they carry.

For me, the journey of storytelling has also been a journey of self-discovery. Through my work with Voices of Our Ancestors storytelling club, I have seen how powerful it is to give voice to traditions that might otherwise be silenced. Photography and writing have become my tools, modern instruments to preserve ancient wisdom. When I hold a camera, I feel like I am holding a bridge between generations, capturing the previous and bringing it to the present… Something like that.

But it is not always easy. There are times when I feel the weight of responsibility pressing on me. To carry the stories of a people is not a light task. Sometimes I worry: will I do justice to my ancestors? Will the next generation care as much as I do? Yet, every time I see the smile of an elder as I retell their story, or the spark in a young person’s eyes as they listen, read or see, I know it is all worth it.

The Hambukushu are often described as rainmakers. But for me, we are also dream keepers. We hold dreams of balance between humanity and nature, of unity between generations, of respect for forces greater than ourselves. These dreams are fragile, but they are also enduring, because they are tied to who we are… to who I am.

As I look to the future, my hope is to continue using storytelling to preserve and also to inspire. I want the world to know that the Hambukushu are more than just a cultural group in Botswana. We are a people with deep wisdom, creativity, and resilience. We are proof that tradition and modernity can dance together, if only we choose to honour both.

In every story I tell, whether through a photograph, a written word, or an oral tale, I carry my ancestors with me. And I remind myself that culture is not something we inherit to keep; it is something we inherit to share. My journey is to ensure that the spirit of the Hambukushu continues to flow, like the Okavango itself, timeless, life-giving, and eternal.

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Priscilla Makaeko is an artistic young woman from Beetsha Village with a heart for culture,
nature, and community. She shines as a conservation storyteller, photographer, and writer,
blending creativity with tradition to preserve the rich heritage of her people.

Trained at the Nkashi Knowledge Center, Priscilla has developed skills in storytelling,
photography, and business, which she now uses to inspire others through the Voices of Our
Ancestors Club. Whether she’s capturing the magic of the Okavango through her lens, tending
crops and livestock on the family farm, or sharing stories by the fire, she brings passion, energy, and joy in everything she does.