4. Modjadji the Queen of Rain
Rain Queen Makobo Constance Modjadji VI died on June 12, 2005. Photo credit: Kwekudee
Modjadji is the hereditary queen of the Balobedu tribe in Limpopo province, South Africa. Her throne is matrilineal, with her eldest daughter being the heir. Queen Modjadji is said to possess special powers, such as the ability to control rainfall. There are different versions of how the Rain Queen came to be.
The most popular story is the one that claims that an old chief who lived in the 16th century in Monomotapa, southeastern Zimbabwe, was told to impregnate his daughter by his ancestors so that she could acquire rainmaking skills. The chief’s daughter gave birth to the first Rain Queen known as Modjadji, which means “ruler of the day.”
Makobo Constance Modjadji VI (pictured) was the sixth rain queen of the Balobedi people. While she was crowned at 25 years old after the death of her grandmother and predecessor Queen Mokope Modjadji, she later died two years later due to chronic meningitis.
It is said that 11-year-old Masalanabo Modjadji, the daughter of the deceased Rain Queen, will be crowned Queen Modjadji VII when she comes of age.
