Impicabadala—Yegolide
Igolide—kusukela endulo, le nsimbi engaqinile, ephuzi ngokugqamile ibiyaziswa ngenxa yezici zayo ezingavamile. Umbala wayo, ukukhazimula, ukungaqini kwayo nokumelana kwayo nokugqwala kuyenza ibe insimbi engavamile phakathi kwezinye izinsimbi. Ngenxa yenani lalo ezingqondweni zalabo abaye balifuna, igolide linomlando ongafani nowanoma iyiphi enye insimbi.
“IGOLIDE! Yigolide, ngiqinisile! Igolide!” Ukuthola igolide kwenza inhliziyo igxumagxume, ishaye ngamandla nengqondo isangane. Liye lafunwa enhlabathini, emifuleni nasemifudlaneni, ngisho nasemathunjini omhlaba.
Amakhosi nezindlovukazi baye bavunula ngegolide eliyimigexo eyigugu ebizayo. Liye lahlobisa izihlalo zobukhosi nezindonga zezigodlo. Izithombe zegolide, ezimelela izinhlanzi, izinyoni, izilwane nezinye izinto, ziye zakhulekelwa njengonkulunkulu. Ukufuna igolide ngabomvu kuye kwanda emhlabeni wonke, njengoba kunjalo nangethonya lalo empucukweni.
Igolide Nomlando
EGibithe lasendulo ofaro babethumela abahwebi namabutho abo emazweni akude ukuze bayofuna igolide, elalibhekwa njengempahla yonkulunkulu baseGibithe nofaro kuphela. Ithuna likaTutankhamen, elatholakala ngo-1922, laligcwele umcebo wegolide wenani eliphezulu. Ngisho nebhokisi lakhe lalenziwe ngegolide elingaxutshiwe.
Ngokwezazi-mlando ezithile, u-Alexander Omkhulu “waya e-Asia ngenxa yokuzwa ukuthi kunengcebo yegolide ePheresiya.” Kubikwa ukuthi amabutho akhe asebenzisa izinkulungwane zezilwane ukuze athwale leli golide ayeliphange ePheresiya eliyisa eGreece. Ngenxa yalokho, iGreece yaba isizwe esicebile ngegolide.
Esinye isazi-mlando sibika ukuthi “amakhosi [aseRoma] ayesebenzisa igolide ngokukhululekile ukuze aqinisekise ukuthi izinceku zawo ziyathembeka kuwo nokuthonya izikhulu zakwamanye amazwe. Ayebahlaba umxhwele futhi ngokuvamile ebesabisa abantu bawo ngobukhazikhazi bengcebo yawo, eyayibonakala kalula ngemihlobiso yegolide ekhangayo.” Omunye umthombo uthi amaRoma athola igolide eliningi ngokunqoba elaseSpain nangokuzuza izimayini zaseSpain zegolide.
Nokho, indaba yegolide iyobe ingakapheleli uma singakagxili emlandweni walo ogcwele ukuchithwa kwegazi labantu. Lena indaba yokunqoba, unya, ukugqilazwa nokufa.
Umlando Ogcwele Ukuchithwa Kwegazi
Njengoba impucuko yayanda, imikhumbi emikhulu nenamandla yayihamba iyofuna amazwe amasha, yakhe amakoloni amasha futhi ifune igolide. Ukuthola igolide kwaba umgomo oyinhloko wezinhloli eziningi, kuhlanganise netilosi eliyivulandlela uChristopher Columbus (1451-1506).
UColumbus wayekushaya indiva ukuphila kwabantu bomdabu lapho efuna igolide. Elandisa okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe kwesinye isiqhingi enkosini nasendlovukazini yaseSpain, ababexhase uhambo lwakhe ngezimali, uColumbus wabhala embikweni wakhe wohambo lomkhumbi: “Ukuze umuntu abuse lapha, kudingeka azinze abese eba negunya phezu kwezakhamuzi, ezizokwenza konke ezitshelwa ukuthi zikwenze. . . . AmaNdiya . . . ahamba-ze futhi awanakuzivikela, ngakho-ke akulungele ukunikezwa imiyalo futhi afakwe emsebenzini.” UColumbus wayekholelwa ukuthi unesibusiso sikaNkulunkulu. Ingcebo yegolide yayizosiza elaseSpain ukuba lixhase ngezimali izimpi zalo ezingcwele. Ngesinye isikhathi ngemva kokuthola isipho sesifihla-buso esiyigolide wathi: ‘Kwangathi uNkulunkulu ngesihe sakhe angangisiza ukuba ngithole igolide.’
Amaqhawe aseSpain, anqamula izilwandle efuna igolide elandela uColumbus, anikwa umyalo inkosi yaseSpain uFerdinand: “Ngiletheleni igolide! Uma kunokwenzeka, lithatheni ngendlela enomusa. Kodwa ngiletheleni lona, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi nilithola kanjani.” Lezi zinhloli ezinonya zabulala ngonya izinkulungwane zezakhamuzi ezazithola eMexico naseMelika Ephakathi naseNingizimu. Igolide elayiswa eSpain amaqhawe laliconsa igazi ngomqondo ongokomfanekiso.
Kwabe sekufika izigcwelegcwele zasolwandle, ezazingenalo izwe ezihlala kulo. Olwandle, zaphanga imikhumbi yaseSpain eyayigcwele igolide nomunye umcebo oyigugu. Le mikhumbi, ngokuvamile eyayinezikhali ezincane namabutho amancane, yayingelutho kulezi zigcwelegcwele ezazihlome ziphelele. Ekhulwini leminyaka le-17 nele-18, ubugcwelegcwele basolwandle babuwuhlupho, ikakhulukazi eWest Indies nasogwini lwaseMelika.
Umbango Wegolide Wangekhulu Le-19
Ngo-1848 kwatholakala igolide eliningi eSacramento Valley, eCalifornia. Ngokushesha kwahlatshwa umkhosi, futhi abafuduki abaningi bafika bezozifunela indawo. Ngonyaka owalandela, iCalifornia yayisigcwele amashumi ezinkulungwane “zama-forty-niner”—abafuni bengcebo ababevela kuzo zonke izingxenye zomhlaba. Inani labantu baseCalifornia lanyuka lisuka ku-26 000 ngo-1848 lafinyelela cishe ku-380 000 ngo-1860. Abalimi bashiya amasimu abo, amatilosi eqa emsebenzini, amasosha ashiya impi—ukuze nje bahambe bayofuna igolide. Abanye bachazwa ngokuthi “amaqili omele igazi.” Ngenxa yobuningi babantu kwaba khona ubugebengu nobudlova obukhulu. Labo ababefisa ukuba negolide kodwa bengazimisele ukulisebenzela baqala ukuphanga izinqola zamahhashi ezithwala abantu nezitimela befuna igolide.
Ngo-1851, ngokushesha ngemva kombango wegolide eCalifornia, kwaba namahemuhemu okuthi kwakunegolide eliningi e-Australia. Umbiko wathi: “Umkhiqizo wawumangalisa ngempela.” Isikhathi esithile, i-Australia yaba umkhiqizi wegolide omkhulu kunayo yonke emhlabeni. Abanye ababethuthele eCalifornia ngokushesha imithwalo yayisisobhokweni futhi balibangisa e-Australia. Inani labantu base-Australia lakhuphuka ngokumangazayo—lisuka ku-400 000 ngo-1850 laba ngaphezu kuka-1100 000 ngo-1860. Ukulima nomunye umsebenzi kwama njengoba abantu abaningi babegijimela ukuyothola ingcebo yegolide.
Ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-19, umshungu wabantu ababefuna igolide wathuthela eYukon nase-Alaska, ngemva kokutholakala kwegolide kulezo zindawo. Izinkulungwane zabantu zaya eNyakatho Ekude, eKlondike nase-Alaska, zibekezelela amakhaza ashubis’umnkantsha ukuze zizitholele izindawo ezicebe ngegolide.
Ingcebo Ecwilile
Ekhulwini lama-20, njengoba kwakusungulwa ukubhukuda ezinzulwini zolwandle, ababefuna igolide baphendukela ekufuneni igolide ekujuleni kolwandle. Bafuna imikhumbi ephukile ukuze bathole ingcebo ecwilile—imigexo eyigugu yegolide nezinye izinto zobuciko ezenziwa emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka edlule.
Ngo-September 20, 1638, umkhumbi waseSpain i-Concepción wacwila ePacific Ocean ngasogwini lwaseSaipan ngemva ngokushayisa emadwaleni ngenxa yesimo sezulu esibi. Wawuthwele igolide nezinye izinto eziyigugu ezilinganiselwa emashumini ezigidi zamaRandi namuhla. Iningi labantu abangu-400 lababewugibele lafa. Abatshuzi baye bathola imigexo yegolide engu-32 emkhunjini, ngamunye ungamamitha angu-1,5 ubude futhi unesisindo esingamakhilogremu ambalwa. Sekukonke, abatshuzi sebethole imigexo yegolide engu-1300—imigexo, iziphambano, izinkinobho, iziqhano, izindandatho namakhongco.
Kuye kwatholakala neminye imikhumbi ephahlazekile. Ngo-1980, abatshuzi ngasogwini lwaseFlorida, e-United States, bathola umkhumbi ophahlazekile waseSpain wekhulu lama-17 i-Santa Margarita. Ngasekupheleni konyaka owalandela, abatshuzi base bethole amakhilogremu angu-44 egolide, kanye nezinto zegolide ezenziwe ngobuciko.
Igolide Lempi
Ngemva kokuba uhulumeni waseJalimane usubeke phansi izikhali, ngo-1945, amabutho Emibuso Esizanayo athola isimanga ezimayini zikasawoti eKaiseroda, eThuringia eJalimane. Ngokwe-Atlanta Journal, “lezi zimayini zakhiqiza igolide, imisebenzi yobuciko, imali namaphepha eziqinisekiso okulinganiselwa kuma-dollar ayizigidi ezingu-2100 [amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-10 500].” Kwatholakala namasaka agcwele izinto zamazinyo eziyigolide neziyisiliva, okunye sekuncibilikisiwe kakade, okwakuthathwe ezisulwini zokuQothulwa Kwesizwe. Leli golide eliningi lasiza izinduna zempi zamaNazi ukuba zixhase ngezimali impi eyayiqhubeka. I-Journal ibika ukuthi igolide elilinganiselwa emaRandini ayizigidi ezingu-R12 500 liye labuyiselwa emazweni angaba yishumi ayebuswa uHitler. Ngenxa yenkolelo yokuthi igolide elafihlwa amaNazi alikatholakali lonke, ukulifuna kusaqhubeka.
Ngokuqinisekile igolide liyigugu. Nokho, iBhayibheli lithi igolide, njengenye ingcebo yezinto ezibonakalayo, ngeke libanike ukuphila labo abalifunayo. (IHubo 49:6-8; Zefaniya 1:18) Isaga seBhayibheli sithi: “Kungcono kangakanani ukuzuza ukuhlakanipha kunegolide!” (IzAga 16:16) Ukuhlakanipha kwangempela kuvela kuMdali, uJehova uNkulunkulu, futhi kutholakala eZwini lakhe, iBhayibheli. Ngokutadisha iZwi likaNkulunkulu, ofuna ukuhlakanipha okunjalo angafunda imithetho kaNkulunkulu, izimiso neseluleko sakhe futhi akusebenzise ekuphileni kwakhe. Ukuhlakanipha okuzuzwe ngale ndlela kufiseleka kakhulu kunalo lonke igolide eliye latholwa umuntu. Lokho kuhlakanipha kungasho ukuphila okungcono manje kanye nokuphila okuphakade esikhathini esizayo.—IzAga 3:13-18.
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 27]
Amaqiniso Athile Ngegolide
• Igolide lithambe kunazo zonke izinsimbi. Lingacangcathwa libe u-0,1 micrometer ubukhulu. Amagremu angu-28 egolide angacangcathwa endlaleke alingane indawo engamamitha-skwele angu-17. Amagremu angu-28 egolide angelulwa abe amakhilomitha angu-70 ubude.
• Ngenxa yokuthi igolide elingaxutshwe nalutho lithambile, ngokuvamile lixutshwa nezinye izinsimbi ukuze liqine bese lisetshenziswa ekwenzeni imigexo nezinye izinto zegolide. Ubungako bezinsimbi ezixutshwe negolide bubalwa ngezingxenye ezingu-24 ezibizwa ngokuthi ama-karat; ngakho, ingxube yegolide engu-12-karat inegolide elingamaphesenti angu-50, ingxube yegolide engu-18-karat inegolide elingamaphesenti angu-75 kanti ingxube yegolide engu-24-karat iyigolide elingaxutshiwe.
• Amazwe ahamba phambili ekukhiqizeni igolide iNingizimu Afrika ne-United States.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 25]
Alexander the Great: The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore
[Izithombe ekhasini 26]
Umdwebo obonisa ukufika kukaChristopher Columbus eBahamas ngo-1492 efuna ingcebo yegolide
[Umthombo]
Courtesy of the Museo Naval, Madrid (Spain), and with the kind permission of Don Manuel González López